UT Knoxville plans to invest in research, scholarship and creativity through its inaugural Ascent Program for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences awards.
“These projects exemplify the kind of visionary scholarship and creative activity that strengthen UT Knoxville’s national reputation,” says Deborah Crawford, vice chancellor for research, innovation and economic development. “The Ascent Program was created to help faculty pursue ambitious achievements that will reshape conversations in their fields.”
Awards span music, architecture, art history, archaeology and film. Designed to support transformative projects, the new internal funding initiative provides awards of up to $50,000 for up to three years.
“It’s an exciting time as university-focused commitments, like the Ascent program, are enabling faculty to pursue aspirational scholarship and creative activity that will elevate global recognition of the amazing work being done across campus,” says Mike Blum, UTK College of Arts and Sciences associate dean for research.
The Natalie L. Haslam College of Music aims to bring a blockbuster film screening with live orchestral accompaniment to Knoxville in 2027. The project proposes a large-scale performance by the UT Knoxville Symphony Orchestra led by faculty member Alexander van Duuren. In addition, the project will partner with local schools to bring high school students to performances.
Denin Slage-Koch, assistant professor of jazz guitar and composer, plans to release Twang, a genre-spanning album featuring internationally recognized musicians and his original music. Ascent funding will support the album’s national and international promotion to bring Slage-Koch’s work to broader audiences.
Ted Shelton and Tricia Stuth in the UTK College of Architecture and Design will produce a book examining the work of their architecture firm, curb. The publication will explore the ideas, processes and design philosophies behind its projects.
“While book publishing may be waning in some disciplines, it remains a vibrant channel for architects to present and elucidate their work, which is often inaccessible to others due to location or privacy,” Shelton says.
Kelli Wood, the UTK Dale G. Cleaver Assistant Professor of Art History—Museum and Curatorial Studies, will develop a scholarly book focused on the art of early modern Goa, India. Based on her previous research as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar, the project is expected to contribute to global art history and will connect Knoxville with experts from four continents.
“Redefinition is at the heart of my research in Goa—redefining where the Renaissance happened and who gets to shape the historical record,” Wood says. “I’m honored that the Ascent grant will advance a new kind of art history built through collaboration with curators, artists and scholars across the globe.”
Archaeologist Aleydis Van de Moortel in the UTK Department of Classics plans to complete a book documenting the UTK-led Mitrou Archaeological Project in Greece, a significant archaeological investigation of Bronze Age state formation. The excavation has helped scholars better understand the emergence of social inequality at the beginning of the Mycenaean civilization and holds one of only five U.S. field permits granted annually in Greece.
Ascent also will support a feature-length narrative film being developed by Paul Harrill, a professor in the UTK College of Arts and Sciences’ School of Art. Harrill’s film tells the story of a road trip that becomes a search for love and meaning. The project advances UTK’s growing visibility in cinematic arts and storytelling.