The Brandeis Arts Council has funded all proposals made by the three departments within the School of Creative Arts, awarding $95,000 in grants to the Fine Arts, Music and Theater Arts departments for the establishment of new courses, residencies and projects for the 2011-12 academic year. The annual Council gift funded nine proposals in total, with three grants going to each of the departments.The Council was founded in 2008 and consists of 20 Brandeis alumni, parents and friends. According to its website, the mission of the Brandeis Arts Council is to "support outstanding performances, exhibitions and programs in the School of Creative Arts" and "to enhance the quality and diversity of the arts at Brandeis through the combined annual contributions of its members." The Council meets on campus every spring to allocate funds to submitted proposals. It met this year on March 7.

One of the grants that went toward the Music department will help fund the MusicUnitesUS series, a world music residency program founded by Prof. Judith Eissenberg (MUS), to bring the Talujon Percussion Quartet, the South Indian dance theater group Navarsa and Afghan musician Homayun Sakhi for its residencies next year. The grant will also fund an instructor for the African drumming and dance ensemble. The creation of "Polyphony: Workshop, Performance and Symposium," another proposal made by the music department, will allow vocal and ensemble students to work with professional musicians and attend a retreat.

The grants going to the Fine Arts department will help establish a new course titled "Memory and Photography" for intermediate-level photography students. The Council will also support the department with funds going toward guest lectures, as well as study abroad and internship opportunities for students.

The funds will allow the Theater Arts department to create the Senior Thesis Theater Festival, which would provide production materials to students writing and producing plays. The Council will also fund a residency with actor and director Bill Barclay, as well as new courses in African American and feminist theater.

"Often times, the arts has an experiential element that requires many different resources," Director of the Office of the Arts Scott Edmiston said in an interview with the Justice. "What the Brandeis Arts Council does every year is a very tangible way to support the arts at Brandeis."

Edmiston, along with Amy Silberstein of the Development and Alumni Relations department, created the Council with the help of Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Marty Krauss.

For the 2010-11 academic year, the Brandeis Arts Council awarded grants to support a full-day concert with international guest artists by the Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio, professional guest artists for the Brandeis Theater Company and new studio arts courses. For the 2008-09 academic year, the Council funded the faculty appointment of Julia Hechtman, who taught the University's first photography class.

During the fall, the Council meets informally in New York City to connect with alumni in the area. Last fall, Metropolitan Opera Resident Costume Designer Mitchell Bloom '84 led the members of the council on a tour of the Metropolitan Opera.

The Council met with students and faculty who made the proposals on March 7 in a day-long decision making process led by Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong. The Council also met with University President Frederick Lawrence to discuss the future of the Arts at Brandeis. "The department chairs were very excited about the funding, and we were as well," said Betsy Pfau '74, a member of the Brandeis Arts Council. "As a singer myself, I was pleased to learn that President Lawrence sings and is involved in the arts. I've liked everything I've heard from him so far and I love that he really understands the importance of the arts.