Latino Museum Studies internship

Thanks to a new partnership between Arizona State University and the Smithsonian’s Latino Museum Studies Program, eight Herberger Institute undergrads spent 10 weeks in Washington, D.C., working as part of a group of 20 interns from Hispanic-Serving Institutions around the country. 

“What I hope to contribute to the internship is first-hand knowledge of growing up with immigrant parents, living in non-ideal, dangerous, low-income neighborhoods, and being at a disadvantage not to succeed but being fortunate to get opportunities to acquire skills that can further a successful career in something I love, like art,” said Ivan Mendoza, who graduated in May 2022 with a degree in digital culture and will be working at the National Air and Space Museum on “Estrellas y Cuentos: A Latinofuturism Oral History Project. Read more about the partnership. 

Indigenous Dancers Showcase

Filmmaker and Herberger Institute student Jadarius Conn organized an event to celebrate and showcase Indigenous dancers focusing on performance preservation and progression. The Indigenous Dancers Showcase was emceed by Miss Indigenous ASU Lourdes Pereira and featured world-renowned dance group Indigenous Enterprise, which includes several ASU alumni. 

Visual and Performing Arts Research

The National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (HERD) Survey released its rankings for total research expenditures in 2020, and ASU ranked 12 in visual and performing arts research, ahead of Cornell, UCLA and Harvard.

New ways to create 

Steven Tepper, dean and director of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, spoke with KJZZ, the Phoenix NPR affiliate, about how the pandemic forced creative people to think about their art in different ways. Listen to the interview.

Mayor’s Arts Awards

Two faculty members in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts won in their categories at the 2021 Phoenix Mayor’s Arts Awards. Jorge “House” Magana, clinical assistant professor of dance in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, was named the 2021 Jerry Lawson Memorial Performing Artist, and Danielle Foushee, assistant professor in The Design School, was named the 2021 Lou & Evelyn Grubb Community Innovator. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego presented the award to both recipients. 

National Collaborative 

The National Collaborative for Creative Work concluded in spring of 2022; much of its work continues through other ASU entities, including the Studio for Creativity, Place and Equitable Communities. Through the 2021-22 academic year, the Collaborative completed several projects, including releasing a report on advancing racial equity through arts and culture within the public sector. The report was based on research commissioned and supported by Grantmakers in the Arts. Also, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences released the report Art is Work: Policies to Support Creative Workers, which cited the Collaborative and its research. The Collaborative also brought in National Field Leader in Residence Lauren Ruffin, designer and thought leader working in the realm of racial equity, creative work and policy.

Higher education in a world of singles

What can higher ed learn from the music industry? Plenty, according to Herberger Institute Dean Steven J. Tepper, who knows both worlds well. Dean Tepper wrote an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed on how ​​universities rely on an economic model that exerts control over talent and forces consumers into a narrow set of choices. 

Latino Museum Studies internship photo courtesy of Ivan Mendoza.

National Endowment for the Arts photo courtesy of Maria Rosario Jackson. 

Indigenous Dancers Showcase photos by Laura Segall.

Mayor’s Arts Awards photos by Fernando Hernandez/Courtesy of Phoenix Center for the Arts.

Total number of students and percentage of undergraduate and graduate students are accurate as of Nov. 30, 2022. All other numbers reflect the 2021-22 academic year and are accurate as of June 30, 2022. Some numbers and percentages were rounded up. *Student demographics for first generation students based on enrolled students with a valid FAFSA application on file.