Perspectives. Photo courtesy of the Boise Art Museum.
This year, the School of the Arts distributed $44,000 in grants to faculty across the College of Arts and Sciences. These awards supported projects that aligned with the School of the Arts mission in interdisciplinary research, community activity and curriculum redesigns.
Faculty awardees include:
- Lily Lee (Art, Design and Visual Studies), whose artwork was documented by senior photography student Allie Dunn. The grant supported an experiential learning opportunity for Dunn and helped Lee advance her creative work with high-quality digital photographs.
- Chad Erpelding (Art, Design and Visual Studies) and Beret Norman (World Languages) organized a summer trip to Germany for students. Erpelding and Norman exposed students to Berlin’s thriving art scene. They met with working artists and visited galleries in neighborhoods throughout the city. Students created artwork inspired by their travels and shared it in Boise State’s Blue Galleries in fall 2025.
- Samantha Harvey (English Literature), Anthony Ellertson (Games Interactive Media and Mobile Technology) and Jen Pierce (Geosciences) worked with GIMM students to create a “gamified” app about making small changes to our daily lives that reduce our carbon footprints.
- Christina Mancheni (Music) sent two students in vocal performance to the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies summer program in Graz, Austria.
- Kramer Milan (Music) brought the Bronco Percussion Group to perform at six venues in Idaho and Oregon. The School of the Arts grant covered travel and instrument-related expenses for these performances.
- Nicole Molumby (Music), two other music faculty and music education students were able to attend the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation show in Anaheim, California. This opportunity supported experiential learning and career readiness for the students.
- Raquel Davis, Rulon Wood, Gordon Reinhart, Ann Price, Darrin Pufall Purdy and Laura Kendall (Theatre, Film and Creative Writing); Karen Doty (Games, Interactive Media and Mobile technology); and Roland Becerra and Erin Cunningham (Art, Design and Visual Studies) used School of the Arts funding to meet during the summer and plan a winter performance of “A Christmas Carol.” They were able to finalize their script, explore plans for digital projects and immersive theatrical elements, and work to understand the shape and nature of their stage.
- Darrin Pufall Purdy (Theatre, Film and Creative Writing) completed the fabrication of documentation of the religious habit worn by the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Purdy has previously contributed to costume design for a Broadway production based on similar research.
- Zachary Buie (Music) joined nine trumpet students on a trip to Salt Lake City to perform a work for trumpet ensemble by Eric Morales entitled Infinite Ascent at the University of Utah. The experience was a keystone event in the musical careers of the students and a significant milestone in the artistic growth of the Boise State trumpet studio.
- Kathleen Keys (Art, Design and Visual Studies) led an exhibit at Boise Art Museum titled James Castle: Perspectives. The exhibit explored deafness in Castle’s artwork. Keys worked with art and American Sign Language students and American Sign Language lecturer Kristi Dorris from the Department of World Languages.
These awards were made possible thanks to funding from the College of Arts and Sciences.