Research

The University Research Professorships were established by the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees in 1976 to recognize excellence across the full spectrum of research, scholarship, and creative endeavors at the University of Kentucky. One $10,000 award (research funding) can be made each year to a faculty member within the College of Fine Arts to further their research/creative activity. Recipients of this award may use the title "University of Kentucky Research Professor" for as long as they remain faculty at the University of Kentucky. The applicants seeking nomination for the UK Research Professorship must perform well above benchmarks and demonstrate sustained performance in their research/creative activities.

Recent Awardees

• 2025-26: Donna Lee Kwon, School of Music
• 2024-25: Olivia (Liv) Yinger, School of Music
• 2023-24: Dieter Hennings Yeomans, School of Music
• 2022-23: Yuha Jung, Department of Arts Administration
• 2021-22: Jonathan McFadden: School of Art and Visual Studies
• 2020-21: Rae Goodwin, School of Art and Visual Studies
• 2019-18: Hunter Stamps, School of Art and Visual Studies
• 2018-19: Herman Daniel Farrell III, Department of Theatre and Dance
• 2017-18: Ebony G. Patterson, School of Art and Visual Studies
• 2016-17: Diana R. Hallman: School of Music

CURATE Grants demonstrate the wide ranging and tremendous achievements of our esteemed faculty. The research funds are used for a wide variety of research endeavors. The CFA Research/Creative Activity Committee, the ADR and the Dean review grant proposals for these awards in the College. The generous funds are provided by UK's Office of the Vice President for Research in coordination with the University wide CURATE Committee, as a strategic initiative to support faculty research where less external funding is available.

UK Research Support

Current Awardees

• John Birdwell, “From Albeniz to Alarcón”: Exploring The Use of Traditional Spanish Dance Music in Contemporary Wind Band Literature Through the Cultivation, Creation and Dissemination of Luis Serrano Alarcon’s Spanish Dances, funding for Travel to Spain to attend and conduct performances with composer Luis Serrano Alarcón
• Nancy Jones, Field work for the development and writing of Dr. Jones' book on Molière’s navigation of censorship and suppression, and his anticipation of the contemporary comic landscape
• Bradley Kerns, Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue Recording Project, funding to produce a globally distributed recording
• Forest Kelley, Implied Objects/Sublime Forms, funding for a mixed media exhibition
• Jody Stokes-Casey, Oral Histories of Art Education in Kentucky: Research Assistant, funding to conduct and collect interviews for ongoing Oral Histories of Art Education in Kentucky project
• Susie Thiel, Training for Impact: Developing Training Materials for Extension Agents to Lead Creative Movement Intergenerational Programs, funding will be used to create program materials including photographs, videos, and discussion prompts of creative movement that can be followed by intergenerational groups held in Kentucky extension offices

• David Wischer, Innovation Through Collaboration Panel presentation at the Mid America Print Council Conference
• Garrett Hansen, materials to finish and crate work for a series titled The Missing Piece, exploring gun supply and culture in the US
• Hunter Stamps, Toward A New Ceramic Aesthetic, artist residency to begin a new series of ceramic sculptures
• Jonathan McFadden, Transnational Collaborative Drawing And Animations Utilizing Mesh Networks For Real Time Events with universities in Poland, Belgium and South Africa.
• Rachel Shane and Jalessa Wells, Women's Oral Histories of Arts Administration
• Scott Wright, Allison Nicotera, and Toni Marie Marchioni, "Maribo Miniatures" Woodwind Trio Commission for new works by a contemporary composer
• Timothy Moyers, Immersive Sonic Snapshots: Exploring Cultural, Religious, And Natural Diversity through Sound, sound recordings created in Europe for use in future compositions

2023-2024 Awardees

• Revel Carr: archive and field work for Seaport Soundscapes: Musical and Cultural Crossroads in a New England Village, 1700-1900
• Herman Daniel Farrell, III: Completion of Research at Yale; Commencement of Research at University of Pittsburgh for Way of Life: A Biography of Lloyd Richards
• Crystal Gregory: Dye Garden Research Assistant, a collaboration with the UK Arboretum focused on sustainable local color
• Jennifer Campbell: notations needed for A Critical Edition of Alex North’s Revue for Clarinet publication
• Doreen Maloney and Ruth Adams: materials for Twin Spirit House installation
• Timothy Moyers: Data Driven Sound Spatialization field work and tour in Europe
• Bobby Scroggins: Clay Doctors, a prestigious invitation to present at NCECA conference
• Nancy Jones: Triggered: field work and for presentations and articles towards, How Molière Battled His Critics and the Effect of Censorship on Comedy
• Garrett Hansen: materials to create work for a series titled The Missing Piece, exploring gun supply and culture in the US

• Winter Phong (Assistant Professor) was elected to the Board of Directors of the Social Theory, Politics & The Arts (STP&A). STP&A is an international membership organization of researchers, policy-makers, educators, practitioners, artists, and students that explores arts trends, practices, and policies.
• Tedrin Blair Lindsay (Lecturer) was awarded Musician of the Year - Piano/Keys - at the 2025 Josie Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee (November 2025).
• James Robert "Rob" Southard (Senior Lecturer) announced an Exhibition and Panel discussion being housed at Institute 193, a Lexington contemporary gallery, exhibiting his 5-year documentary project "The Kentuckian" about Labor in the State of Kentucky. During the Sunday opening reception, they will also host a panel discussions hosted by Dr. Peter Wang, Southard, and veteran photographers, Guy Mendes and Jahi Chikwendiu. This project is being done in collaboration with the Kentucky 250 America celebration. A grant run by the Kentucky Arts Council being given to high profile projects exhibiting creativity and events that highlight the uniqueness of Kentucky and its past 250 year history. The Kentuckian Project has also been supported for the past few years by the LexArts Foundation here in Kentucky. (November 9, 2025)
• Daniel Esquivia Zapata (Assistant Professor) exhibited "The Right of Permanence" at the CSN Fine Arts Gallery in Las Vegas October 16-November 26, 2025. The Exhibition is a series 8 of life-size portraits exploring themes of permanence, erasure, and hope within the legacies that intersect Esquivia Zapata's family’s history and reality. "As an Afro- Indigenous and white Latin American family, we traverse both South and North America, experiencing life in Latin America and the USA. These regions have their debates about historical memory and what should be remembered whether individually or collectively. Our mixed heritage often places us outside the collective imagination due to factors such as Indigenous heritage, Afro ancestry, being victims of the Colombian civil war, or not fitting into the predefined categories each country uses to define valid identities. Consequently, we have had to grapple with the right to permanence and belonging in the nations where we live and within our bodies."
• Sophia Farmer (Assistant Professor) presented "Aesthetics and Exhibition Strategies of Fascist Italy During the 1930s" in the panel From Propaganda to Activism: Politics in Modern and Contemporary Art" at SECAC in Cincinnati October 25, 2025. "During the 1930s, exhibitions in Italy largely functioned as a form of visual propaganda for the Fascist regime. Throughout the decade, artists, curators, architects, designers, and fascist officials at every level, employed the exhibition strategies of the Mostra della Rivoluzione Fascista of 1932. Staged at the Palazzo delle Esposizione in Rome as part of the year long program celebrating the Decennale, the 10-year anniversary of Benito Mussolini’s March on Rome, the unprecedented exhibition created didactic and immersive spaces. This exhibition and those that followed prioritized aesthetic engagement over the factual presentation of information. Though they varied widely in their topics of focus—including nature, technology, agriculture, colonialism, tourism, and athletics—these exhibitions consistently employed transformative and monumental installation strategies. Focusing on the little-known Mostra del Naturismo in Piemonte–Torino of 1935, this paper considers how this exhibition employed a combination of innovative Futurist aesthetics alongside fascist modes of display, to showcase topics connecting Piedmont’s natural realm to the Italian citizenry. With spaces dedicated to demographics, agriculture, colonialism, wild plants, diet, medicine, and nature in the urban context, Mostra del naturismo can be understood as a form of fascist propaganda in the legacy of the Mostra della Rivoluzione Fascista."
• Daniel Esquivia Zapata (Assistant Professor) will be a resident artist for the Gibbes Museum Visiting Artist Program October 27-December 7, 2025. In this residency, Esquivia Zapata will work on a mural project commissioned by One Columbia, located in Columbia, SC. This mural honors the history of the Ward One community, including the African American community that was targeted by urban renewal and was displaced. Additionally, he will work on portraits that explore the complexities of family relationships and conflictive narratives, as well as the broader historical contexts that may affect these relationships.  
• Crystal Gregory (Associate Professor) exhibited "The Ocean Never Gives Up" at Soapbox Arts in Burlington, Vermont, opening October 24, 2025. The Ocean Never Gives Up features a collection of naturally dyed silk wall sculptures by Kentucky-based artist, Crystal Gregory. A study in gestures of contrast and connection, the works - some stilling woven textiles in cast concrete, others suspending multi-dimensional weavings in motion with metal frames - explore movement as it is defined by the outlines of our material landscape. The movement through a landscape, the pliability of a textile, and the rigidity of their gridded systems are considered in relation to social structures of citizenship, community frameworks, and intersecting parts of a whole. The Ocean Never Gives Up ultimately suggests a consideration of these systems as boundaries and edges framing the rhythms of life within.
• Leah Hamilton (Assistant Professor) published "Examining Disaster Impacts in the Arts for Informed Cultural Policy: Conclusive Findings from Two US Federally Declared Disasters" in the Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, October 14, 2025. This article examines the experiences of arts communities after two federally declared disasters in Kentucky (US). The mixed-methods study reveals recovery needs of artists and arts organizations while identifying gaps in disaster assistance policy. Findings highlight the key role arts workers and facilities played in community disaster recovery; however, logistical and emotional challenges hindered creative output and productivity. Needs included financial assistance, equipment replacement, and relocation support, yet less than 1% of eligible US federal public assistance requests came from nonprofit arts and culture organizations. The study contributes to an emerging body of arts disaster research and offers new insights into disaster cultural policy.
• Mia Cinelli (Associate Professor) was invited to have her work "The Weight" included in the Triennale Milano in Italy their 24th International Exhibition, titled "Inequalities," supported by the Bureau International des Expositions. (May 15–Nov. 6, 2025)
• Mia Cinelli (Associate Professor) completed an artist residency at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center in New York Mills, Minn., in July 2025. She researched the life and works of P.A. Friedell, an inventor and photographer who lived in New York Mills at the turn of the 20th century. She began drafting a typeface based on his handwriting, gave a public lecture and type design workshop, connected with local art educators, and participated in community arts outreach with the nearby library and senior center.
• Mia Cinelli (Associate Professor) received an award from the Society of Typographic Arts for "Cold Comfort." STA honors the 100 best examples of typographic excellence produced around the globe each year. Her work was exhibited in a nationally juried group show at the St. Louis Artists' Guild.
• Mia Cinelli (Associate Professor) received a grant from the ArtPrize/Great Meadows Foundation at Pitch Night Kentucky in April, 2025. She was awarded $10,000 to expand and exhibit her exhibition "Working Backwards" at ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Mich., fall 2025.
• David Kaiser (Assistant Dean, Student Affairs) presented his solo exhibition HEAVYOCITY at the Giles Gallery, EKU, through Sept. 18, 2025. He presented DOPA MINE with SUBSTUDIO at 2nd Story in spring 2025.
• Winter Phong (Assistant Professor) published "Exploring Perceptions of Generative AI Use in Arts Nonprofit Philanthropy" in the International Journal of Arts Management/ Journal of Philanthropy Paper Development in summer 2025.
• Brandon Smith (Senior Lecturer) presented work in the exhibition Embodiment 4 at Berry College's Moon Gallery in Rome, GA, Aug. 25 - Sept. 18, 2025.
• Martina Vasil (Associate Professor) published "General Music Pedagogies Through the Lens of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" in the Journal of General Music Education in September 2025.
• Martina Vasil (Associate Professor) presented the workshops "Popular Music and Media with the Schulwerk" and "Modern Band and the Schulwerk" at the Idaho Orff-Schulwerk Association conference Sept. 19-20, 2025.
• Jill Schinberg (Associate Professor), Yuha Jung (Professor), and Bex Ferrell (Alum) presented "Career Barriers and the Future of Arts and Entertainment Venue Management" at the Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts conference in Philadelphia, Penn. on September 5, 2025.
• Jill Schinberg (Associate Professor) presented "Breaking News: Getting Real About the Hard Stuff - Together" with colleagues from other universities at VenueConnect (International Association of Venue Managers) in New Orleans, La., July 2025.
• Jill Schinberg (Associate Professor) presented "The Art of Presenting: Toward an Argument for Presenting as an Artistic Practice" at the Arts in Society conference in Pittsburgh, Penn., May 29, 2025.
• Alaine Reschke-Hernandez (Associate Professor) received a grant from the National Institute on Aging for her and her team's work on a data-driven, music-based augmented reality neurorehabilitation platform of games & puzzles to stimulate neuroplasticity and prolong functional independence in Alzheimer's Disease patients.
• Hunter Stamps (Professor) participated in a two-person exhibition "Unearthed" with Charles Jolley at the City Gallery, Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, in Lexington June 2025.
• Mark Shanda (Dean) served as a juror for the Oscar G. Brockett Golden Pen Award competition that recognizes the most impactful theatre design and technology published book over the last three years.
• Shayna Stahl (Assistant Professor) presented "Conducting Calisthenics - A fundamental focus from the ground up!" at the Women Band Director International Summer Conference in Waterloo, Canada, on July 28, 2025.
• Martina Vasil (Associate Professor), Olivia Swedberg Yinger (Professor), Alaina Sheridan, and Kailey Holmes co-authored the book chapter "Centering Perspectives of Disabled Children in Elementary Music Classrooms" in the Oxford Handbook of Special Music Education and Music Therapy, Oxford University Press, Sept. 15, 2025.
• Jaleesa Wells (Assistant Professor) published "Creative Creative Social Entrepreneurship Curriculum Development: A Case for Democratizing Arts Administration Education" in Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts on May 12, 2025.
• Jason Dovel (Professor) was a guest artist at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in March 2025, and a guest artist at the Eastman School of Music in April 2025.
• Jason Dovel (Professor) was a guest trumpet soloist with Publick Musick Orchestra in Rochester, New York, in April 2025.
• David Miller (Assistant Professor) presented "It’s Elementary: Academic & Social Outcomes Associated with Instrumental Music Enrollment" at the American Education Research Association Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., April 27, 2025.
• James Southard (Senior Lecturer) received a $2,000 grant from the Kentucky Arts Council for his project "The Kentuckian."
• Crystal Gregory (Associate Professor) exhibited work in the group show "Disrupting Domestic Tranquility" at the Momentum Gallery in Asheville, N.C., May - June 2025.