OFFICE FOR THE ARTS AT HARVARD
Jack Megan, Director
Main Office: 74 Mt. Auburn Street
Tel. 617-495-8676, Fax. 617-495-8690, ofa@fas.harvard.edu
www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa

The Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA) supports student engagement in the arts and serves the University in its commitment to the arts. Through its programs and services, the OFA fosters student art making, connects students to accomplished artists, integrates the arts into university life, and partners with local, national, and international constituencies. By supporting the development of students as artists and cultural stewards, the OFA works to enrich society and shape communities in which the arts are a vital part of life.

Visiting Artists Programs

Learning From Performers—a multi-disciplinary artist residency program, which brings in fifteen to twenty professional artists or artist ensembles each year to work directly with students in workshops, master classes, productions, and full-scale residencies lasting anywhere from a few hours to months. The emphasis of the program is direct student participation in the creative process, working with professional artists of extraordinary caliber. Past Learning From Performers visitors have included, among many others, singers Bonnie Raitt, Bobby McFerrin, Randy Newman, Barenaked Ladies, and Audra McDonald; instrumentalists Itzhak Perlman, Wynton Marsalis, Yo-Yo Ma ‘76, and Daniel Barenboim; composers Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, and Jason Robert Brown; playwrights Tony Kushner, Christopher Durang, and Paula Vogel; and actors Mel Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin, and Sam Waterston.

Silk Road Project—a cultural exchange founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma to study the global circulation of music along the fabled Silk Road. The Silk Road Project consists of musicians from around the world who share their musical ideas—both traditional and innovative—through performances, recordings, university and museum residencies, and workshops. In September 2005 the Silk Road Project inaugurated a five-year collaboration with Harvard through the Office for the Arts and the Department of Music, which serve as the Project’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences hosts and assist in the development of its wide-ranging artistic and educational scope at the University. Undergraduates, as well as members of the broader Harvard community, are welcome to participate.

Public Art Program—public spaces are explored by the commissioning of new work at Harvard from emerging or established artists. Together students and the artist explore the meaning of and possibilities for art and civic engagement. Students may collaborate with artists, participate in educational forums, or visit project sites in the Boston area. Visiting artists have included Lee Mingwei, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, and Mags Harries.

Jazz Program—connects students to masters of this uniquely American art form through lecture-demonstrations, clinics, rehearsals, and performances. Visiting artists recently honored for their significant contribution to American music include Jim Hall, Eddie Palmieri, Jon Hendricks, and Hank Jones.

Visiting Director Program—sponsored by the Office for the Arts, American Repertory Theatre, and Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, this program provides undergraduates opportunities to work with an exceptional professional director on the Loeb Drama Center Mainstage or in the New College Theatre.

Instructional Programs

Dance Program—provides professional instruction in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, West African, and other forms to more than 350 undergraduates during the academic year. Mentoring for student choreographers and learning professional repertoire are a focus. Courses are taught in the Harvard Dance Center and the Director’s Studio. Curricular courses in movement are offered through the Committee on Dramatic Arts and taught by Dance Program staff.

Ceramics Program—is located in a fully equipped professional studio/study center. The core strengths are its excellent courses and instructors, innovative workshops and seminars, and visiting artist demonstrations. Open to Harvard students, faculty, and staff, as well as community members, at minimal fees year-round. Clay All Night parties and Drop-In sessions are available to undergraduates.
Music—The OFA oversees and supports the activities of several major professionally-led choral and instrumental ensembles, including the Harvard University Bands (comprised of the Harvard University Band, Jazz Bands, and Wind Ensembles); Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra; Harvard Pops Orchestra; Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra; Mozart Society Orchestra; Kuumba Singers of Harvard College; and Holden Chapel Choirs (includes the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, Harvard Glee Club, Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, and Radcliffe Choral Society).

Figure Drawing—a weekly class taught by award-winning New England artist Jon Imber. Students work primarily from models and benefit from individual and group critiques.

Student Support Services

Grants—under the aegis of the Council on the Arts, a faculty committee, OFA administers close to 100 grants annually to support projects in the arts involving nearly 2,500 undergraduates and some graduate students. Grant guidelines, applications, and deadlines are available at www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa.

Artist Development Fellowships—Administered by the OFA and the Office of Career Services (OCS), this program provides funding to select students who demonstrate evidence of significant artistic accomplishment and/or promise at a critical stage in their artistic development.

Music Lesson Subsidies Program—provides financial support to full-time undergraduates for individual voice and instrumental lessons. Subsidies are awarded once a year in October on the basis of financial need and demonstrated music ability and/or potential.

Music Teacher Referral File—helps connect students with qualified music instructors in the Boston/Cambridge area. Teacher listings are available on the OFA website.

Technical Theater Support—provides hands-on professional training and support for nearly 60 student drama productions annually.

Harvard Box Office—a full-service resource for student performing groups. Its staff advises students in ticketing, marketing, and sales, as well as accounting standards and event management. The Box Office tickets approximately 500 events annually.

Facilities Management

The Office for the Arts manages a variety of important arts spaces, including Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Lowell Lecture Hall, Agassiz Theatre, New College Theatre, Harvard Dance Center, Ceramics Studio, and the Director’s Studio. As part of its management services, OFA provides instruction on production planning and implementation at all venues.

A One-Stop Center for Arts Information at Harvard

Project Planning and Career Consultation—the Office for the Arts staff is eager to help students and offers specialists in all arts fields. An important function is to advise students. OFA administrators meet virtually every day with students to discuss such topics as exploring arts opportunities at Harvard, creating new work, and making connections both within and outside of the University. The OFA also collaborates with the Office of Career Services to present seminars and other special events devoted to careers in the arts.

Information Sources—both in print or on-line:

• Calendar of arts events—on-line calendar of ticketed or scheduled events through the Harvard Box Office can be found at www.boxoffice.harvard.edu. On-line tickets sales are available for many events.
• The Beat—student-oriented weekly email listing of arts events at Harvard; subscribe at thebeat@fas.harvard.edu
• Arts Spectrum—newsletter of OFA news and Harvard features of interest issued three times per year

Arts Policy Forum—addresses current issues in the arts by engaging leading public figures in lectures and discussions; past participants have included several former National Endowment for the Arts chairs, and significant artists such as James Taylor, Mandy Patinkin, John Guare, and Elizabeth Murray. Students are encouraged to suggest topics.

Community Arts Partnerships—fosters connections among arts and cultural organizations within Harvard and between Harvard and the Boston/Cambridge community. Students are welcome to join; three meetings are held each academic year.

ARTS FIRST

The Office for the Arts produces a major four-day student arts festival each year during the first weekend of May, which is the culmination of a year’s worth of undergraduate arts activity. This festival is sponsored by Harvard’s Board of Overseers and features the work of over 2,000 students in hundreds of concerts, plays, dance performances, and exhibitions.

Contact Information
For more information on the Office for the Arts and its programs, visit our website at www.fas.harvard.edu/ofa, email ofa@fas.harvard.edu, or call the main office at 617-495-8676.