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CVPA Announces Recipients of the 2025 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards

Emily Schneider — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:28:07 +0000

CVPA Announces Recipients of the 2025 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards Emily Schneider Wed, 02/19/2025 - 11:28

George Mason �鶹��’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) announces the recipients of the sixth round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards. Two alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the college at a Mason Arts venue during the 2025–26 season.

“This year’s Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards continue our mission to support emerging artists across the spectrum of disciplines that we practice and teach in Mason Arts. The projects are compelling in both form and content, rising to the top of a very competitive pool of proposals,” said College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean Rick Davis. “We are equally excited to showcase the work we’ve supported in recent cycles, proving the value of this program not only to the artists themselves, but to the community at large, as we add more highly accomplished artistry to the world’s inventory.”

Brianna Camp is the 2025 recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award. Photo provided

Brianna Camp

Brianna Camp, BFA Art and Visual Technology ’23, received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in commissioning support for Flare: Finding a Sense of Place in the Chronically Ill Body. This work will consist of a series of large-scale oil paintings, each accompanied by documentary photographs and poetry. In exploring her personal experiences with navigating the ebb and flow of her chronic illness, Flare offers audiences the chance to reflect on how we process pain over time and the vastness of the potential for healing.

Camp is interested in pursuing a career in art therapy and hopes this project will serve as a starting point toward her future practice. Reflecting on her time at George Mason and the impact that the faculty had on her development as an artist, Camp said, “When I make work from a place of authenticity, allowing for potential mistakes, changes, and discoveries, I am able to get closer to expressing what feels true. Their belief in me helped me find my voice and understand the importance of sharing my perspective. I hope to create my project from this place of openness and authenticity that they helped foster within me.”

Marina Vianello is the recipient of the 2025 Young Alumni Creative Development Award. Photo provided

Marina Vianello

Marina Vianello, BFA Dance ’18, received the Young Alumni Creative Development Award and $2,500 in commissioning support for Three Generations of Bach, an intergenerational multimedia dance work. Vianello will work with her mother, Andrea Skowronek, a retired professional dancer, to recreate and blend together inspiration from an original dance work that Skowronek developed early in her career, set to music accompaniment from her own father. Collaborating as co-directors on this new piece, Vianello and Skowronek will incorporate live flute accompaniment of Bach’s Partita in A Minor, video footage of Skowronek performing as a young woman, and live performances by Vianello and Skowronek—solo and together.

A professional dancer and choreographer herself, Vianello aims to explore how the passage of time affects movement, memories, and mindsets, and wants audiences to consider what is lost and what is gained as one ages and releases themselves from the limits of ageism and judgment. Reflecting on her journey after graduating from George Mason, Vianello shared, “I have such admiration for the dance artists who continuously create opportunities for themselves and others, and this is something I champion and will always strive for and hope to forever do.”

Over the past five years, 18 CVPA alumni have been granted awards anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 to support the creation of a new artistic work for projects in film, dance, visual art, music, and game design. To be considered for this year’s award, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2014 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason Arts venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include George Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

During the 2023–24 award cycle, Jumana Al Refai, BFA Dance ’17, received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in commissioning support for Tashkeel َتْشِكيل,, a short film that explores all aspects of “Haraka”—the Arabic word for movement. Rebecca Wahls, BFA Theater ’15, received the Young Alumni Creative Development Award and $3,000 in commissioning support of Him, a feature-length ensemble comedy film. The film follows the final five contestants on a reality dating show, whose world is turned upside down as they discover a dark truth about their “suitor.” Wahls directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Him, alongside actor and writer Trey Higgins. The screening at George Mason’s Fairfax Campus will take place on March 21, and a screening at Carnegie Mellon �鶹��’s Los Angeles Campus is also planned.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to George Mason’s previous Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

About the 2025 Award Recipients

Brianna Camp (she/her) is a visual artist living in Fairfax, Virginia. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a concentration in painting from George Mason’s School of Art in 2023. Camp plans to combine her creative practice with her passion for social engagement and advocacy. In the coming years, she hopes to receive a graduate degree with a focus in art therapy. Camp’s first solo show, Lightkeeper, debuted at the Lake Frederick Shenandoah Lodge Art Gallery in December 2023. Her work has been shown at other galleries across the Northern Virginia area including the Kunsthaus Gallery, Open Space Arts, The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and the Gillespie Gallery at George Mason �鶹��. Camp will be a guest artist at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in February 2025. She has also participated in chalk art events, receiving first place in the professional category at ChalkFest in Reston, Virginia, and Chalk the Walk in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Camp’s paintings, murals, and drawings emphasize light and utilize an impressionistic and painterly approach. As a chronically ill artist, Camp is inspired by the healing connection that can be facilitated through art, both on a personal and societal level. She recognizes art as a potential form of social action and as a tool to build community. Her site-specific works and murals often involve her peers and local organizations. Camp is drawn to portraiture and landscapes in her more personal pieces. She finds her artistic process to bring inner healing, allowing her to process pain and uncover the places where the light shines in.

Marina Vianello is a dance artist, choreographer, and arts administrator based in New York City. She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and began her training at City in Motion Dance Theater’s School of Dance. She graduated magna cum laude with a BFA in Dance and a minor in global systems from George Mason, where she was awarded an annual Dance Talent Scholarship. Throughout college, she was cast in pieces by Alejandro Cerrudo, Robert Battle, Lar Lubovitch, Susan Shields, Christopher d’Amboise, and David Grenke, and she choreographed three pieces for the Mason Dance Company. She has trained with the Mark Morris Dance Group on full scholarship, with Rioult Dance NY, with DanceWorksChicago, and with Shannon Gillen at the b12 dance festival in Berlin, Germany where she performed at the dock11 theatre. Professional performance credits include the Lyric Opera of Kansas City (West Side Story and The Pearl Fishers), Yoo & Dancers (92NY Artist in Residence), JKing Dance Company, As Arts NY Dance, and Terre Dance Collective. She is fluent in French and has performed internationally at Châteaux en Fêtes (Festival of Castles) in Dordogne, France, and recently returned for their 2024 festival. She currently dances professionally with Ballaro Dance, Mari Meade Dance Collective, and Arsenal Movement Dance Project. Her choreography has been presented at the Tada Theatre, Chain Theatre, and Arts on Site in NYC, and the Gem Theater and Folly Theater in Kansas City. She teaches dance and Pilates throughout NYC and serves as the Director of Operations for Pony Box Dance Theatre.

In This Story

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How the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Supports Al Refai and Wahls' Visionary Projects

Lakin Raybuck — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 18:08:03 +0000

How the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Supports Al Refai and Wahls' Visionary Projects Lakin Raybuck Tue, 03/26/2024 - 14:08

Welcoming our alumni back to George Mason �鶹�� is even more exciting when they return to share work and projects that are deeply meaningful to them. Preparing to do just that are the latest recipients of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project (YACP), Jumana Al Refai and Rebecca Wahls.

Despite pursuing different degrees within the College of Visual and Performing Arts, each of these alumni found transformative connections during their Mason experience, impacting their outlook on the world as well as their creative futures.

What was most memorable about your time at Mason? Were there particularly eye-opening moments or experiences during your time as a student? How have those experiences impacted your work, potentially including this project that the YACP will support?

Al Refai: Going to Mason was something major. I already graduated and held a bachelor's degree, but it was a big deal because I was actually pursuing a dream of mine and going to Mason was the first step. I was there for a total of three years. The first two years were a struggle because everything was new to me. Everything from the approach to dance, the structure of technique, understanding music, learning different movement approaches, it was all very new to me. I came from a movement background where dance meant simply responding to what I heard. Improvisation was something I was extremely comfortable with. At Mason I learned how to interpret what I heard. How music works, how movement works, and how my body works in response to that. I gained the tools to truly understand why we as humans respond to things physically. Why we use our bodies to express what we hear, what we think, and what we feel. By the time I entered my final year at Mason, I felt like I had truly understood these tools and was able to confidently start applying them. I applied this in my final choreographic piece at Mason which was the third piece that I had choreographed. That experience was an “aha” moment where I understood the power of choreography. I felt empowered because not only did I gain the tools to structure my thoughts and creative process, but now I was able to convey the messages I want to show the world. It made me understand the power of movement and how sometimes words simply are not enough to convey a message.

Wahls: As the director and producer of Him, a feature film, I needed to have a working understanding of all elements of production. While my Mason degree is in Theater, it trained me to always be learning about what those around me do. For kinesthetic learners, learning is doing, so I am a better artist for having spent hours in a lift hanging lights for a production I wasn't otherwise involved in. You have to understand how processes other than your own work - especially if you aspire to leadership positions.

After moving on from Mason, Al Refai expanded her educational and professional experiences at The Ailey School, the official school of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The School at Jacob's Pillow, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and Akram Khan Company Intensive in London. These experiences “[refined] my choreographic voice… I was ready to take on the world of movement confidently. It prepared me to not be afraid to try things and to constantly explore my movement voice.”

A native of Kuwait, Al Refai returned there in 2018, where she founded the Haraka Center for Movement Arts (HCMA). The center is a beacon for women and girls, offering a supportive environment to explore dance. HCMA's philosophy emphasizes movement as a universal form of communication, encouraging students to embrace their individuality and push artistic boundaries.

Wahls similarly continued her educational exploration after leaving Mason, completing her MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon �鶹��, where she was a John Wells Fellow from 2020-23. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit theatre Who What Where Productions, where she produced and directed several world premiere plays including Spills by Ruthie Rado, which has gone on to successful runs in NYC and London. Rebecca has worked as Artistic Associate for Acting for Young People since 2012, and her current focus with the company is on private coaching and corporate improv events. In April 2022, Wahls spoke at TEDxCMU, delivering her presentation titled “Yes, And: The Power of Improv in EveryDay Life."

Both women are excited to bring their unique projects home to Mason, with the support of their awards from the Young Alumni Commissioning Project.

The Haraka Project, an extension of Al Refai’s vision, seeks to elevate dance awareness in the Gulf region through performances that draw on Middle Eastern art, music, and landscapes. This initiative not only showcases Jumana's choreographic talents but also fosters collaboration with local artists, contributing to a vibrant cultural dialogue. Reflecting on her path, Jumana credits her time at Mason with preparing her for the challenges and opportunities of the dance world. Her journey underscores the importance of curiosity, risk-taking, and adaptability—qualities she encourages in current and prospective Mason students. When Al Refai returns to campus, she will present Tashkeel تْشِكيل, a short film featuring four dancers from Kuwait and abroad as well as Al Refai as dancer and choreographer.

Building on the expansive skill set she developed at Mason and beyond, Wahls will present Him, a feature-length ensemble comedy film. Wahls directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Him, alongside actor and writer Tess Higgins. Wahls is excited to showcase her work to the Mason community which helped to foster her personal and professional growth with the film, which is now an official selection of the Sedona International Film Festival.

What advice or insights would you offer to current or prospective Mason students as they consider pursuing their own artistic practice and professional careers?

Al Refai: Take risks. Ask Questions. Be the odd one out. Try new things. You will only regret the chances you didn’t take so seize every opportunity that comes your way. Whatever plan you have set for yourself, adapt. Adapt to the changes that come your way and learn from these experiences, and see what you can learn from it. Whether you are a prospective or current student at Mason, stay hungry for knowledge and invest in yourself as an artist.

Wahls: Instead of "networking," focus on building community. Many people I met at Mason remain allies to my artistic practice. Him features the work of fellow alums Kira Omans on screen, and of Noah Peterson and Keenan Gibson behind the scenes. �鶹�� VFX Supervisor, Eric Stenmark, is someone I didn't know at Mason, but was connected to because of my strong network within the Mason alumni community. I'm writing a new musical with another alum, Maggie Marie Rodgers. Faculty members Mary Lechter, Kevin Murray, and Rick Davis have all been instrumental in my professional journey. Your community is everything, and right now, you should be fostering your Mason community so that it transcends your undergraduate experience.

You can follow the creative journeys of each of these talented artists on social media, with Al Refai via @jumanaalrefai and @haraka.center, and Wahls via @rebeccawahls.

Stay tuned for more news and announcements about these talented alumni and to help us welcome them back to campus for their events during the 2024-25 academic year!

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Young Alumni Commissioning Project helps CVPA grad share her grandfather’s story through film

Shayla Brown — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 16:50:06 +0000

Young Alumni Commissioning Project helps CVPA grad share her grandfather’s story through film Shayla Brown Tue, 02/20/2024 - 11:50

Award-winning composer and songwriter William (Bill) Salter is the subject of the feature-length documentary, Just the Two of Us, named after his Grammy Award-winning hit song. He is also the grandfather of the filmmaker and George Mason �鶹�� alumna Jada Salter.

Jada Salter (right), Bill Salter (middle right), and family. Photo provided.

Salter created the film after receiving a 2021-22 Young Alumni Commissioning Project (YACP) from Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) and with encouragement from her professors as well as former classmate and executive producer on the film, Taylor Spears. Salter premiered the documentary at Mason on Feb. 3, as her 87-year-old grandfather watched remotely on Zoom.

“I really enjoyed the freedom of creating what I had envisioned in my head. I sat down [to write] my vision for the film and did not hold anything back,” said Salter, who majored in film and video studies with a concentration in editing.

The application process for the YACP “happened overnight,” said Salter, who said she learned of the project the same day applications were due. “It’s all a blur now, but Taylor called me, and we spent all night just writing and writing trying to figure out the best way to describe this film that we had no idea how we were going to make.”

Thanks to the commissioning project, 16 CVPA alumni have been granted awards anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 in the past five years to support the creation of new artistic works in film, dance, visual art, music, and game design.

Salter got the idea for the documentary after hearing Will Smith’s remake of the hit song that was originally performed by Bill Withers and written by her grandfather, Withers and Ralph MacDonald. She made a post on Tik Tok explaining her family’s history with the song, which gained a lot of attention. “Just the Two of Us” was simultaneously going viral on the social media app at the time.

As a child, Salter wanted to be a singer, so her grandfather tried teaching her how to play the guitar. But she struggled to get the hang of it.

“He told me ‘You don't have to be a singer. You don't have to be on stage directly. You can do something like me behind the scenes.’ Now I'm doing that and I'm very happy he gave me that advice,” said Salter, who transferred to Mason from Rutgers �鶹�� in 2018 and graduated from Mason in December 2020.

Although Salter’s film mainly focuses on her grandfather, who was born in Harlem, New York, in 1936, it also heavily features other family members and accomplished musicians, who impacted her grandfather’s life and career.

Featured individuals include Salter’s ex-wife and Jada’s grandmother, Olive, and musicians including Dennis Collins. The film also includes footage of accomplished Motown artists recording and performing songs written by Salter and his partners.

“I wanted to show just how much of a passion piece this film is to me; how it would honor my grandfather and his legacy,” said Salter. “I am his biggest fan, so I wanted to shed light on him and his work as not many people know who is responsible for so many songs that are listened to worldwide.”

Following the screening at Mason, Salter spoke with Mason film professor Lisa Thrasher about the film. Salter said her film editing classes with faculty members Maura Ugarte and Amanda Kraus helped with her storytelling and script writing.

“The best part of the film was seeing the love of her family and the way Jada conveyed how her beautiful family is a huge part of American history,” Thrasher said.

Salter, who is currently a video producer at the U.S. Department of Justice, is brainstorming future projects including travel videos, more artists’ stories, and other professionals who have done groundbreaking work behind the scenes, “so they can get the shine they deserve,” she said.

In This Story

Lisa Thrasher

Maura Ugarte

Amanda Kraus

Learn More about the College of Visual and Performing Arts

This alumna’s first feature film is all about Him
March 27, 2025
CVPA Announces Recipients of the 2025 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards
February 19, 2025
How the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Supports Al Refai and Wahls' Visionary Projects
March 12, 2024
Young Alumni Commissioning Project helps CVPA grad share her grandfather’s story through film
February 20, 2024
Recipients Announced for the 2024 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards 
January 10, 2024

This content appears in the Fall 2024 print edition of the Mason Spirit Magazine with the title "Just the Two of Them."

Recipients Announced for the 2024 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards

Pam Muirheid — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 20:12:03 +0000

Recipients Announced for the 2024 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards  Pam Muirheid Wed, 01/10/2024 - 15:12

George Mason �鶹��’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the fifth round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards. Two alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the College at a Mason Arts venue during the 2024–2025 season.

"As previously supported projects reach completion, it is a real joy to see our recent graduates adding new work to the world on such a high professional level. Stay tuned for great things on the horizon from this year’s awardees.”
—Rick Davis, Dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts

“In this fifth round of the project’s commissions, the creative energy of Mason Arts alums continues to shine brightly,” said Rick Davis, dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. “The two projects awarded this year both use the medium of film in fascinating ways, whether to celebrate movement and dance through the lens of Arabic poetry or to explore both the comic and the darker sides of reality TV.”

Davis continued, “As previously supported projects reach completion, it is a real joy to see our recent graduates adding new work to the world on such a high professional level. Stay tuned for great things on the horizon from this year’s awardees.”

Rebecca Wahls (left) and Jumana Al Refai

Jumana Al Refai, BFA Dance ’17, received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in commissioning support for Tashkeel َتْشِكيل, a collaboration that explores all aspects of “Haraka”—the Arabic word for movement—including language, landscape, music, and connection. The final product will be a short film, featuring four dancers from Kuwait and abroad as well as Al Refai as dancer and choreographer. She is of Kuwaiti and Japanese heritage, and founder of the Haraka Center for Movement Arts in Kuwait. Al Refai shared, “This project will make art coming out of the Middle East accessible to larger audiences and challenge the prevailing western perception of the region.”

Rebecca Wahls, BFA Theater ’15, received the Young Alumni Creative Development Award and $3,000 in commissioning support of Him, a feature-length ensemble comedy film. The film follows the final five contestants on a reality dating show, whose world is turned upside down as they discover a dark truth about their “suitor.” Wahls directed, co-wrote, and co-produced Him, alongside actor and writer Trey Higgins. Screenings are slated to take place at Carnegie Mellon �鶹��’s Los Angeles Campus and George Mason �鶹��’s Fairfax Campus.

Over the past five years, 16 CVPA alumni have been granted awards anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 to support the creation of a new artistic work for projects in film, dance, visual art, music, and game design. To be considered for this year’s award, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2013 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason Arts venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for nontraditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to Mason’s previous Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

About the 2024 Award Recipients

Jumana Al Refai is a choreographer, teacher, and professionally trained dancer based in Kuwait. She started dancing from the young age of four and has well over 20 years of dance training in ballet, modern, contemporary, and improvisation. Al Refai earned a BA in Graphic Design from the American �鶹�� of Kuwait and a BFA in Dance from Mason. After completing her bachelor's degrees, Al Refai joined The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School–The Ailey School in New York City and completed dance programs at the �鶹�� of Southern California and the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s choreographic dance intensive. Al Refai returned to Kuwait in 2018 and established a center for dance training and dance education in 2021: the Haraka Center for Movement Arts.

Rebecca Wahls directs, writes, and produces film, theater, and new media. She is a catalytic leader who tells ensemble stories about the formation of family and the romance of friendship. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit theater Who What Where Productions, where she produced and directed several world premiere plays, including Spills by Ruthie Rado, which has gone on to successful runs in New York City and London. Other favorite projects include Rebecca and Becca in Space, a socially distant comedy web series co-created with writing partner Rebecca Ballinger, which was awarded a grant through the Alumni Artist Support Initiative and presented as part of Mason Arts at Home in 2020 Memory Card, a 20-minute fully live digital horror piece with playwright Alec Seymour; and this old haunt, a new musical co-created with Maggie Marie Rodgers and SMJ. Rebecca holds an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon �鶹��, where she was a John Wells Fellow from 2020 to 2023, and a BFA from Mason.

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Getting a creative career boost through CVPA’s Young Alumni Commissioning Project

Shayla Brown — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 17:16:15 +0000

Getting a creative career boost through CVPA’s Young Alumni Commissioning Project Shayla Brown Mon, 06/26/2023 - 13:16

In This Story

Kyle Finnegan

Cynthia Fuchs

Filmmaker Kyle Finnegan thinks monosodium glutamate, more commonly known as MSG, is misunderstood.

“I was so fascinated by the idea that so much culture and history could be contained in a tiny little grain,” said Finnegan, who graduated from the George Mason �鶹��’s Film and Video Studies program in 2017. In fact, Finnegan was so intrigued by the ingredient that he decided to make a documentary about it.

CVPA Dean Rick Davis, alum Kyle Finnegan, and associate professor Cynthia Fuchs at the film screening. Photo by Emily Schneider.

“Chef Tim Ma defying the negative stigma of MSG and sharing his culture was really inspiring to me, so I was happy that he trusted us to tell that part of his story,” Finnegan said.

Finnegan’s short documentary film “MSG: Mysterious Savory Grains” was partially funded by Mason’s Young Alumni Commissioning Project (YACP) and was recently screened at the Johnson Center Cinema.

The YACP is a program that provides recent College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) alumni with grants between $2,500 and $5,000 to support the creation of new work.

“‘Young’ in this case refers to how long a student has been out of Mason,” explained Rick Davis, dean of CVPA. “If you graduated within the last 10 years, you can apply. It doesn't matter how old you are.” Sixteen alumni have received awards since the program began in 2019, producing musical works, narrative and documentary films, photography, dance, and more.

“It can be hard to get started in the arts, especially with original creative projects,” said Davis. “A lot of artists get hired to do work for other people, and that's great. If you wanted to do something that's truly your own vision and your own voice, it’s hard to get started until you have a track record.”

Adrienne Godwin, director of programming at CVPA, oversees the project.

“An artist can't just be excellent at their craft and expect to make it today,” Godwin said. “Artists are now having to be marketers, business managers, and have a keen awareness of how to speak about themselves in a way that engages with different audiences. I think one of the great things about this grant is that it gives alums the opportunity to hone in on those skills.”

Even with the support of the YACP, creative work still has its challenges. Finnegan shared some of his at the June screening, where he discussed how his production team still had to troubleshoot various situations during the filmmaking.

“Mason filmmaking has such a spirit of DIY, and we will do what’s needed to get the shot, and that was the spirit every day during this production,” said Finnegan, who works at 522 Productions directing branded documentaries.

Kyle Finnegan and Cynthia Fuchs during the Q&A portion of the film screening. Photo by Emily Schneider.

He gave an example of when the team conducted a remote interview with an MSG expert who lives in Toronto. “We couldn't travel to Toronto, so we did a Zoom recording,” which was fine until the video feed stopped working, Finnegan said.

“I asked myself ‘What feels right for the time we’re drawing inspiration from—the late 60s, early 70s.’ The tape recorder that we bought came out the same year that [there was a significant rise in] stigmatizing MSG. This felt like the right time period, so we filmed with the recorder running and used her audio over top of it,” he explained.

“For me, MSG makes food delicious, and delicious foods bring people together,” said Finnegan. “If I can communicate that through this film, hopefully people walk away wanting to try it for themselves.”

The YACP program is accepting applications through September 8, and all qualified CVPA alumni are encouraged to apply.

“I've written a lot of grants and I've done a lot of interviews throughout my career, and even if you don't win the award, it's great to get your work in front of this panel because in addition to their work as Mason faculty, they are out working in the field,” said Godwin. “You never know what could come from someone seeing your work, even if you don't win one of the awards.”

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Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding

Emily Schneider — Tue, 31 May 2022 20:27:39 +0000

Young Alumni Commissioning Project Announces Recipients of Fourth Round of Funding Emily Schneider Tue, 05/31/2022 - 16:27

In This Story

George Mason �鶹��’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the fourth round of its Young Alumni Commissioning Project Awards. Three alumni were chosen based on the artistic excellence, career impact, and feasibility of their proposals and will receive financial, marketing, and production support to have their projects presented by the College at a Mason venue during the 2022-2023 season. Two additional alumni were awarded an inaugural grant of financial support, designed to assist in the completion of their proposed projects, which were selected because of their timeliness and significance to the Mason community.

“In this fourth round of the Project’s commissions, we received proposals with uniquely personal and emotional perspectives,” said Rick Davis, Dean of Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

“Knowing the vital role of the arts in strengthening community in challenging times, we are elated that this program continues to support the visions of these young artists.” Davis continued, “In response to the great range of proposals, and in order to ensure that we are providing as much support as possible to our incredible alumni, we established an additional award this year, which provides a grant to help these artists take their project to the next level while removing the time frame for production or exhibition that is otherwise required. As usual, I can't wait to see what these great project ideas turn into once they’re fully developed.”

For consideration, applicants must have graduated from CVPA from the class of 2011 and after. Proposals could include original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues, including digital spaces, were also considered.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists and by donors to Mason’s Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.

2023 Recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award Including $5,000 in Commissioning Support
Juan Megna

Juan Megna

Juan Megna (Doctor of Musical Arts, 2021) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Award and $5,000 in commissioning support. In 2015, Juan started a master’s degree at the College-Conservatory of Music, �鶹�� of Cincinnati. In this city, he played with Phil deGreg group, Rusty Burge, Steve Alee, among others, and got the degree in 2017.

In 2017, Juan moved to Fairfax, Virginia to pursue his doctoral degree at George Mason �鶹��. Juan played with Wade Beach, Wayne Wilentz, and Steve Kirby in the Washington DC musical scene, among others. Also, he formed The Juan Megna Quintet. The repertoire is centered on a mix of Juan’s compositions, blended jazz, Argentinian and Afro-Brazilian rhythms.

At George Mason �鶹�� he leads the Latin-American Ensemble. The DownBeat Magazine has awarded this group with the 42nd (2019), 43rd (2020), and 44th (2021) students awards as an “Outstanding Performance”.

As an active researcher, Juan performed a clinic at the Jazz Education Network, New Orleans 2020, entitled "The Brazilian 16th-note phrasing through Cabula rhythm, Samba, and Bossa Nova", focusing on developing Afro-Brazilian popular genres.

Megna's new project, which this award will fund, is titled Trailblazer, an album of original compositions that will build a dialogue between jazz and Afro-Brazilian genres. The concept for the project is inspired by traditional melodies and rhythmic patterns of Candomblé (a diasporic religion syncretized from traditional religions of West Africa and Roman Catholic Christianity). “It is a real honor to receive this generous award coming from my alma mater institution,” said Megna. “It will help me crystallize a project that I dreamed of for so many years.”

2023 Young Alumni Creative Development Award Winners Including $3,000 in Commissioning Support

Carlehr Swanson

Carlehr Swanson (vocalist, pianist, speaker) is a 1st year Ph.D. student at the �鶹�� of Virginia. She is a graduate of George Mason �鶹�� and the Frost School of Music at the �鶹�� of Miami with degrees in Jazz Vocal Performance. Before college, Carlehr accompanied and directed multiple church choirs. She credits this experience as significantly influencing her musicality. Upon entering college, she realized the absence of gospel music in higher education. Consequently, she co-founded and directed the Frost Gospel Ensemble. Her research interests include gospel music, Black studies, women's studies, and civic engagement. Giving back to her community and connecting with others has been an important theme in Carlehr's life, as she brings people together to serve a greater good. She is the founder and director of the organization, "Music is Unity," where she takes music performances to people who may not experience them otherwise. Throughout this year, she has planned and performed more than a dozen virtual events for the community.

Swanson receives the Creative Development Award for Growing Pains, an extended play record of original music, combining the styles of jazz, R&B, and gospel, exploring love, loss, faith, and hope along the transition to adulthood.

Kyle Finnegan

Born in the same place as American cinema (the great state of New Jersey), Kyle Finnegan is a filmmaker living in Alexandria, VA. He graduated in 2017 with a BA in Film and Video Studies. After shooting and editing for several years, he currently works at 522 Productions with a focus on directing branded documentaries. His work won him a DC TIVA Peer award in 2021 and he’s interviewed all four of Time Magazine’s heroes of 2021. He has created short documentaries exploring subjects ranging from car hackers in Seattle to an artsy coal mining town in Utah. Whether it’s a film, a website, or a delicious meal, he aims to create something every day.

Finnegan’s award will support his new documentary film, exploring the complicated role of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in the United States, as influenced by pervasive misinformation and the uniting love of food across cultures. "I'm excited to have received a grant from the institution that has supported so much of my development as an artist," said Finegan. "I'm looking forward to making a mouthwatering film about the complex world of MSG."

2023 Young Alumni Artistic Support Grant Winners Including $2,000 in Unrestricted Support

Mohammed Saffouri

Mohammed Saffouri is an award-winning Palestinian-American filmmaker based in Fairfax, Virginia. Saffouri distinguished himself early on in his film career by earning a Capital Emmy for his debut documentary film, The First. His next film, Touchline, was recently selected to participate in Tribeca Film Festival. Touchline will be the first Jordanian film to be screened at Tribeca, and Saffouri will be the first alumni from George Mason �鶹�� to have a film screened at Tribeca in the festival’s history. Saffouri graduated from George Mason �鶹�� in 2020 with a degree in Film and Video Studies and a concentration in Film Directing. Throughout his eight years in the film and media industry, he has directed three films, produced four films, written three films, and created more than ten promotional videos for companies and non-profits. His work has been screened at such festivals as the Washington DC International Film Festival, the Virginia Film Festival, the Malmo Arab Film Festival, and others. Saffouri is currently developing his first narrative feature film.

Saffouri’s award will support the development of his first narrative feature film, a deeply personal story about the experience and perseverance of a Muslim-American immigrant woman in the United States. "I'm always happy and thankful to see how George Mason �鶹�� is the first to support its alumni and students," said Saffouri. "This is the first grant I get into this project, and I'll make sure to make them proud when this project is done."

Left to Right: Meagan Arnold, Hannah Looney, and Mike Rose

Meagan Arnold (Film, 2018), Mike Rose (Film, 2016), and Hannah Looney (Film, 2018) began collaborating on creative projects together as students in the Film and Video Studies program at Mason. Over the past 6 years and alongside Film at Mason alumnus Jason Cortez (BA, 2015), the group has produced numerous fashion, narrative, and music video projects. Often working under the alias ‘negativs,’ their recent project FLORENCE toured internationally at the Sarajevo and Croatia Fashion Film Festivals.

Arnold, Rose, and Looney receive the award to assist in the creation of Momentum/Memoriam, an experimental music video that explores and contextualizes the group’s grief over the loss of their late collaborator and Mason alum, Jason Cortez (Film, 2015).

"Jason Cortez was an award-winning filmmaker and a 2015 graduate of the Film and Video Studies program at Mason. He lost his life on September 10, 2021, at the age of 29. Momentum//Memoriam is an experimental, fashion music video honoring Jason’s legacy as an artist, as well as the impact he left on his closest artistic collaborators," said Arnold.

"We are at the beginning of a long process in creating art for, and posthumously with, our dear friend. Jason left behind many projects unfinished, and we bear a responsibility to complete his life’s work. We have several projects planned in the coming years to celebrate Jason and to continue his artistic vision. Momentum//Memoriam will be our first venture into creating art as a collective since he passed."

Information about the next round of applications will be announced at a later date. Details on previous year's recipients and criteria for consideration can be viewed on the Young Alumni Commissioning Project website.

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A Legacy of Artistry: CVPA Discusses Artistic Growth with the Five Recipients of the 2021-2022 Young Alumni Commissioning Project

Emily Schneider — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:55:50 +0000

A Legacy of Artistry: CVPA Discusses Artistic Growth with the Five Recipients of the 2021-2022 Young Alumni Commissioning Project Emily Schneider Mon, 01/24/2022 - 15:55

In December 2021, the College of Visual and Performing Arts opened submissions for 2022-2023’s Young Alumni Commissioning Project (YACP), an annual grant awarded to CVPA alumni in support of projects in film, dance, theater, arts management, visual art, music, and game design. Providing anywhere from $2,500 - $5,000 in artistic funding, the YACP grant also provides production and marketing assistance for a public showing of the recipients’ work at a Mason venue.

Now in its fourth year of project funding, the YACP provides crucial support for our alumni’s continued artistic development. During the YACP’s 2021-2022 season, Jada Salter (‘20) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in funding, while Katherine Thompson (Visual Art ‘15), Nicholas Horner (Theater ’18, MFA Candidate ‘21), Cristian Perez (Music ‘12), and Nicole Daniell (Dance ‘17) each received Young Alumni Creative Development Awards and $2,500 in commissioning support.

Salter’s award is supporting the continued development of her film project “Just the Two of Us,” a documentary about her grandfather, multi-Grammy award winning musician William “Bill” Salter.

Thompson is using her award towards her upcoming photography exhibition “Reflections: The Black Male,” which takes a hard look at the narrative surrounding representations of the Black body in American visual media.

Horner is in production on his laboratory theater piece “Free,” a new play that re-visions Norman Rockwell’s Americana series, “Four Freedoms,” while Perez is developing a new chamber music album focused on the symbolism of water as a way to unite humanity and create cultural awareness.

Finally, Daniell’s award is helping her produce her dance film “Isolation Stories,” a visual dance piece inspired by the pandemic and focused on exploring the synergy between dance and filmmaking technology.

In a conversation with the five alums, CVPA discussed the artists’ Mason origins, their current projects, and future endeavors as they expand their artistry.

Q: How has your work and your perspective grown and changed since your graduation from Mason?

Perez: After graduating, I was happy to have more time to perform, work on my own music and continue learning on my own at my own pace. Every year that goes by I feel less and less of a guitarist, and more of a musician. What I mean by that is that what I play with my fingers on the guitar becomes less and less important, and what gets prioritized more and more is the music itself and what I'm trying to express through it. Like any discipline, what matters most is what one does with his/her skills and tools. This has been an ongoing journey for me and I despite its challenges, I hope it never ends.

Salter: During my time at Mason I was able to learn so much about film and video studies both from textbooks but, most importantly, by professors who have experienced the industry. The film at Mason community is like a family and always seems to want the best for its students. Since graduating I’ve been able to complete jobs and tasks professionally with confidence. I would not have been able to create this project without my education from Mason.

Thompson: While studying photography during my time at Mason, I started this process of searching through family archives to find out more about my family. My work shifted to focus on the diaspora of those who are first-generations that never truly understood their Caribbean heritage, alongside discovering what lost identity means. As a first-generation born in the US, from a Jamaican family, there was always an identity issue that I struggled with. On one side, I identify with my Jamaican heritage while, at the same time, I also want to be an American ---- not African American or Jamaican American, just American. That side of me, the American, was pushed through during 2019.

Q: How did you make the decision to submit this particular project for submission to the Young Alumni Commissioning Project? Was this one of many projects you were considering? Or were you already in progress with this effort and decided to submit to YACP for the funding opportunity?

Daniell: The idea for this project was born out of the pandemic. As dance shifted to the virtual space, my long-time friend and cinematographer on the project, Justin Ayers, and I found that the work we were seeing online was not engaging the mediums of film and choreography together. Film and dance are separate art forms, and combining them becomes a challenging interdisciplinary project, which is where the inspiration for the dance film came from.

I chose to apply for the Young Alumni Commissioning Project in order to boost the budget for the project. I really want to be able to pay the artists with whom I am working, which is not always a guarantee when working on small dance projects. The YACP grant helps me do that.

Horner: I have had a long and winding connection to the work of Norman Rockwell and find that we are at a dramatic intersection of the ideas of freedoms he proposed. This project has been cooking for a while and has had enormous outside support, but the time wasn't right, and it needed a home. As the pulse of political and economic strain has quickened, this idea bubbled up again. Mason seemed a marvelous place to investigate and agitate these questions. When addressing an American audience in the "roaring 20's" of a new generation, I am committed to forming connections between past, present, and future. The questions we will take up in this work have been on the hearts and minds of Americans for more than a century, and I felt it was time to shine a light on some of the difficult themes expressed in these works while activating them for the contemporary audience.

Q: What makes you most excited as you conceptualize and plan this project?

Salter: My project is about a Black American hidden figure who should be celebrated for his works of art (he also is my grandfather). I’m very excited to share his story but, I am also doing this for him as a tribute and thank you. It’s the least I can do for the legendary artist that he is. I am excited to show him just how much his art has touched many across the globe. To show just how amazing he truly is.

Horner: I am thrilled to see these classic works animated by a diverse company. The face of American Freedom has changed significantly in the last five years, and offering a glimpse at its evolution through movement, sound, light, text, and image excites the hopeful artist/citizen in me. Whenever people come together in a space for the purpose of storytelling, I am giddy at the possibility of expanding minds, reflecting on where and who we are, and artfully creating community.

Thompson: I am excited to have the opportunity to show my work. The process for this project will inspire me to become more progressive and push the boundaries as an artist, thinker and activist. With what's happening in this social climate for POC’s, especially black people, I wanted that to be a reflection in the work. As a young Black artist, I want to convey my perspective and continue to explore and question how African Americans, particularly African American men, are viewed in the current scope of media. This will be my first project that doesn’t include myself as the subject, but I am still a part of the work because of the shared similarities in experience.

Perez: As I plan the recording of the music for this project, I'm getting very excited to listen to all the music with fresh ears. I'm finding things that need some tweaking as well as things that I love and can't believe I wrote them.

Daniell: Combining film with choreography opens up so many new pathways that do not exist when choreographing for the stage, which is equally exciting and daunting. While I’m interested in creating a high-tech dance film that fuses the two art forms, I also want to tell a story in which people see themselves and are able to process their own isolation experiences.

Ultimately, I feel like this project is really different from anything I have seen in the screen dance space, so I am excited to work with my creative team to navigate the challenges and contribute to the current dialogue surrounding dance, film, and technology.

To see the exhibitions of these five artists at a Mason venue, tune in to CVPA’s social media channels this spring and summer for information on upcoming presentation dates and times.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project for CVPA’s 2022-2023 season is now open. Visit cvpa.gmu.edu/about/alumni/young-alumni-commissioning-project for full program rules, requirements, and application information. Proposals must be submitted by February 11, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. ET for consideration into this year’s program.

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CVPA's Young Alumni Commissioning Project Begins a Fourth Round

Emily Schneider — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 15:01:37 +0000

CVPA's Young Alumni Commissioning Project Begins a Fourth Round Emily Schneider Tue, 12/07/2021 - 10:01

George Mason �鶹��’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) released today a request for proposals for the Young Alumni Commissioning Project, which provides crucial support for the artistic development of recent alumni.

This is the fourth year of the program, which will award up to five grants to CVPA alumni for the creation of original work that will be presented by the College at a Mason venue during the 2022-23 season. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, February 11, 2022. The recipients will be announced in May 2022.

“The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is bearing fruit so beautifully after our first three rounds, adding new work to the world's store of artistic creation and helping advance the careers of Mason’s outstanding arts alumni,” shares Rick Davis, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts. “As we enter cycle four, I am excited to see what our community of artists brings forward for consideration. Each cycle represents and reflects a moment in time for both the artists and the world we work in, and I know that our alumni are busy doing what artists do: seeing, feeling, and thinking deeply about their world, and transforming those perceptions into significant work.”

All potential applicants are invited to participate in an online grant writing workshop designed and executed by CVPA staff, taking place on Wednesday, January 26 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Individual applicants can also reserve time to speak with CVPA staff about their project and the application process during scheduled office hours, offered during the week of January 31 and February 7.

Jada Salter, 2021 recipient of the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award

During the 2020/2021 award cycle, Jada Salter (’20) received the Young Alumni Commissioning Project Award and $5,000 in support for Just the Two of Us, a documentary about multi-Grammy award-winning musician and her grandfather William “Bill” Salter. Nicole Daniell (Dance ‘17), Nicholas Horner (Theater ’18, MFA Candidate ‘21), Cristian Perez (Music ‘12), and Katherine Thompson (Visual Art ‘15) were awarded Young Alumni Creative Development Awards and each received $2,500 in commissioning support.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to Mason’s Giving Day, including Shugoll Research. Young Alumni Commissioning Project recipients may receive up to $5,000 in commissioning funds; as well as venue, production, and marketing support for a public showing of the work.

To be eligible, applicants must be a graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts from the class of 2011 and after. Proposals should be for original new work in any art form suitable for performance, exhibition, or screening in a Mason venue. The size, length, duration, magnitude, and content are at the artist’s discretion. Potential venues include Mason’s traditional theater spaces, galleries, and cinemas, but proposals for non-traditional venues will also be considered.

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