CVPA welcomes 10-person, cohort hire

The College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) recently completed its Integrative Arts Cohort Hire, welcoming 10 new faculty in the School of Art, Design and Art History (SADAH), School of Music (SOM) and School of Theatre and Dance (STAD). Current faculty members from each school served on numerous committees that helped to facilitate this monumental effort led by Rubén Graciani, dean of CVPA.

Dean Graciani’s vision was to strategically connect vacant faculty lines in all three schools across a common theme of integrative arts, conceived as combining artistic and/or disciplinary perspectives and/or practices around contemporary issues. These included but were not limited to cross-, inter-, multi- and trans-disciplinary collaborative work. “We are excited to be welcoming new colleagues who will collaborate to develop courses, curricula, innovative projects, and research agendas that support these practices and advance CVPA’s commitments to the future of the visual and performing arts and design areas,” said Dean Graciani.

CVPA is committed to access, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. The Integrative Arts Cohort Hire will complement and expand CVPA’s existing strengths in inclusive pedagogy, interdisciplinary artmaking, arts/design and technology, community engagement, culturally sustaining practice, inclusive design, design thinking, educator preparation, entrepreneurial thinking, and the development of arts and design entrepreneurship projects.

Thanks to many colleagues’ hard work, CVPA is excited to welcome the following individuals this fall:

• Leah Anderson, Assistant Professor of Acting/Performance (STAD)
• Tara Burns, Assistant Professor of Dance and Technology (STAD)
• Rachel Grimsby, Assistant Professor of Music (Music Education) (SOM)
• Masa Ishiwkawa, Assistant Professor of Music (Jazz Piano) (SOM)
• Dylan Krueger, Assistant Professor of Architectural Design (SADAH)
• Gui Hwan Lee, Assistant Professor of Music (Music Theory) (SOM)
• Kate Lumpkin, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre (STAD)
• Simon Marland, Assistant Professor of Sound Design (STAD)
• Traci Wile, Assistant Professor of Architectural Design (SADAH)
• Sangjun Yoo, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design (SADAH)

CVPA’s mission is to empower their communities to collaborate, envision, and achieve their creative and professional aspirations. They explore the arts and design as a vehicle for cultural advancement, transformation, and engagement.

For information on CVPA and to find out the latest news on faculty, students, events and more, visit https://www.jmu.edu/arts/index.shtml or follow CVPA on Facebook and Instagram.