Nineteen Arts & Humanities projects receive $107,000 in RIO funding
The 91Ҹ & Innovation Office(RIO) has awarded $107,000 in combined funding to 19 projects through the . The selected projects span five colleges and a wide range of disciplines—including Art & Art History, Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts, Ethnic Studies, Music and others—and highlight the breadth and diversity of research and creative activity across campus.
The RIO Arts & Humanities Grant Program reflects the vital role the arts and humanities play across the university—fostering connection, inviting a range of perspectives and encouraging deeper exploration of the human experience.
“These projects exemplify the depth and impact of arts and humanities scholarship at CU 91Ҹ,” said Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation and dean of the institutes. “We are proud to support this work through the program, which reflects our broader commitment to ensuring these fields continue to thrive as a core part of our research and creative enterprise.”
“The proposals awarded reflect the breadth of innovative work across the Division of Arts and Humanities, which positions CU 91Ҹ among the leading programs in the country,” said Dean of the Arts and Humanities John-Michael Rivera. “The division and the College of Arts and Sciences are grateful to RIO for their continued support.”
Applications were due April 13 and were reviewed and ranked by arts and humanities faculty using established program criteria:
- Significance/value of the project to arts, humanities and/or humanistic social sciences
- Potential of the project to contribute to the field(s) (and potentially beyond)
- Appropriate proposal for use of funds
- How the project will impact the applicant’s career development
- Appropriate evaluation to assess the project’s success
- Qualifications of the applicant(s) and relevance of those qualifications to the project
Please visit the to learn more about the program and past grant recipients.
2026 Arts & Humanities Grantees
- Brianne Cohen (Art & Art History): Ecological Remedies: Visualizing the Environment in/as Health
- Joëlle Cruz (Communication): Genealogies of mutuality across the Black diaspora: African and Black feminist threads
- Sonja Gandert (Art & Art History): Santos in Relation: Ecologies of Woodcarving in Puerto Rico and New Mexico
- Deborah Hollis (Collection and Archival Strategies): Visual Storytelling with Primary Sources: Exploring Dutch Heritage Collections
- Carla Jones (Anthropology): Gauzy Yet Firm: The Garments at the Center of Indonesian Soft Power
- Aachey Jurow (Learning Sciences & Human Development Program): Living Methodology: Oral Histories of Justice-Oriented Design 91Ҹ
- Marina Kassianidou (Art & Art History): Wood Variants
- Nathan Mertens (Woodwinds, Music): Amplifying New Voices: Jennifer Bellor’s Saxophone Quartet Concerto
- Skinner Myers (Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts): The Black Crystal Image
- Jeffrey Nytch (Composition, Music): The Day it Rained Forever, a new opera about the power of art to heal and renew
- Jessica Ordaz (Ethnic Studies): Plant Powered Abya Yala: The History and Emergence of Radical Latinx Veganism
- Scott Ortman (Anthropology): Reconstructing Sacred Landscapes: Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, and Post-Conflict Restoration in Cambodia
- Robert Pasnau (Philosophy): Nicholas of Autrecourt's Tractatus: Edition with Translation and Commentary
- Tracy Quan (Spanish and Portuguese): Connecting research with praxis in the field of Spanish for Specific Purposes: A pre-conference workshop at the 2026 Hispanic Linguistics Symposium (HLS)
- Isaac Rivera (Geography): Grounded Relations & Repair: A Native Assembled Cartography of Colorado
- Laurids Sonne (Critical Media Practices): KUROSHIO TO NIRAI KANAI
- Nicolo Spera (Music, Strings): A Vision Unfolding
- Kalpana Subramanian (Cinema Studies and Moving Image Arts): Cinema of Breath – Yoga, Embodiment and Experimental Film
- Ross Taylor (Journalism): A Refuge in Scouting, PBS Distribution Funding