Congratulations to Ruth S. Opara, assistant professor of music history and cultures in the Department of Art and Music Histories, for being awarded a Summer 2022 Faculty Fellowship at the Syracuse University Art Museum.

The Summer Faculty Fellows Program supports innovative curriculum development and the integration of the museum’s collection into teaching. The summer 2022 pilot focuses on object-based teaching and research in a three-day intensive workshop where Dr. Opara will receive a hands-on introduction to the identified collection by museum staff. This fall, she would incorporate object-based teaching in her “Performance Live” class to align with Art and Music Histories and the Living Learning Community—LLC’s overarching goals of incorporating academic engagement and experiential learning in the classes.

Francis Patrick Imanjama’s textile, Family Music (1978), is useful in exploring perceptions of kindred in music performance. Robino Ntila’s drawing, Playing Music (1977), is useful in analyzing still versus motion live music performances in the African context. The photographs, Six Women Eating and Playing Music (1880) and Raimond von Stillfried’s Group Scene with Woman Playing Music (1875) are useful in the review of performance as part of everyday life. Dr. Opara is grateful for this experience and support.

Image: Robino Ntila, Playing Music (1977)