Miranda Family Fellowship to be offered at Skidmore
Skidmore College has been selected as a partner institution for the Miranda Family Fellowship Program, a collaborative fellowship opportunity for emerging artists and arts administrators from underrepresented communities.
The fellowship will create access to education and long-term support to advance careers in theater, dance, music, and arts administration, and help increase diversity within leadership in the entertainment industry.
At Skidmore, the fellowship will be implemented as a two-year program for Skidmore students during their junior and senior years. Up to five students each year will be selected to receive financial aid packages that meet their full financial need, as well as a paid summer experience to conduct research, intern, or pursue a personal project in theater, dance, arts administration, or music. Miranda Family Fellows will also have access to wrap-around programming that supports artistic development, increases understanding of the business aspects of the entertainment industry, and connects artistry with advocacy.
“This magnificent partnership with the Miranda Family Fellowship Program will provide exceptional professional development, networking, and training for Skidmore students while also emphasizing our shared commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and access to life-changing opportunities,” said President Marc Conner. “Skidmore is thrilled to be able to steward a program that embraces the importance of the arts and the essential role of creativity in students’ lives.”
The Skidmore fellowship is tailored for majors or minors in theater, music, dance, or arts administration, but applications from other students who are actively engaged in those departments or programs and exhibit an ongoing commitment to production activities will be considered as well. Competitive candidates will also demonstrate active engagement in local arts communities and a commitment to social justice.
Since its inception, the Miranda Family Fellowship Program has supported over 100 social justice-oriented, emerging artists and arts administrators and employed over 50 BIPOC guest artists while helping to break down barriers for historically underrepresented artists in the performing arts field.
The fellowship, managed by the Skidmore Theater Department which has long provided pre-professional training to students, will allow fellows to immerse themselves in learning the craft and business of theater, working intimately with the College’s faculty and administrative staff as well as mentors, artists, and external partners. Recipients will, for instance, receive relief from work-study assignments and have access to specialized career guidance from the Career Development Center, among numerous other benefits.
“As the parent of a 2023 Skidmore graduate, my family’s reverence for this institution is personal,” said Luis A. Miranda Jr., patriarch of the Miranda family and Miranda Family Fund. “Education in the arts is best achieved with equitable collaboration in community. We are deeply thankful for the expert pedagogy and inclusive collaborators we have found while developing the Miranda Family Fellows program at Skidmore.”
Miranda added, “This partnership is an indelible highlight of my own family’s educational journey and adds more diverse students to the more than 60 who are currently participating in our Fellows program. We look forward to this program helping to create a wider, more equitable arts education community for all.”
The Miranda Family Fellowship expands Skidmore’s ever-evolving portfolio of offerings that focus both on key learning outcomes and professional preparation.
Experiential learning encourages intellectual development and offers valuable skills, but most importantly, it allows students to uncover what motivates them and put that spark – of passion, of creativity, of inspiration – into action. In learning through doing, students actualize their potential, and that is transformative.Michael OrrDean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Interested students who are rising juniors may apply Friday, April 21, through Friday, May 5. Additional information regarding application criteria and materials, as well as the specific and myriad benefits of the fellowship, can be found on the Skidmore Theater Department website.
“Miranda Family Fellows at Skidmore will truly have the best of both worlds: access to personalized mentoring and instruction by experienced faculty, paired with the national network of Miranda Family Fellows and opportunities,” said Lisa Jackson-Schebetta, associate professor and chair of the Theater Department. “I am eager to work with this future cohort of fellows and watch them learn, grow, and benefit from this remarkable and generous opportunity.”
For more information, visit the Skidmore Theater Department's Miranda Family Fellowship website.
