Eleven faculty from a range of disciplines will pursue research, develop creative projects, and host academic conferences with support from the Arts and Humanities Initiative.
The Office of the Vice President for Research backs AHI, a competitive, internally reviewed grant program that supports scholars in the humanities or creative, visual, and performing arts. AHI provides up to $7,500 for a standard grant, $10,000 for a major conference, and $30,000 for a major project grant.
"These projects represent the interdisciplinary nature of arts and humanities scholarship on our campus, stretching from managing pain through art making to examining photojournalism with the help of AI,” said Kristy Nabhan-Warren, associate vice president for research, professor and V.O. and Elizabeth Kahl Figge Chair of Catholic Studies. “By providing critical support, we enable these faculty to push the boundaries of their fields and contribute meaningful insights that resonate on campus and beyond."
The Spring 2025 winners are:
Major Project Grant
Kyung Soo Kim, assistant professor, College of Nursing
A Pilot Study of an Art Making Intervention for Chronic Pain and Neuroplasticity in Older Adults
Kim will investigate art making as a complementary approach to managing chronic pain in adults aged 65 and older. She and her team will conduct a pilot study involving 12 older adults participating in a 10-week art program designed to strengthen brain connectivity, reduce pain, and enhance confidence in managing pain. Participants will engage in weekly art activities based on their personal preferences, document their experiences, and submit their artwork for creativity assessment. They will also undergo fMRI scans and complete a set of surveys before and after the program to evaluate changes in brain connectivity, pain intensity, and self-efficacy. This pilot study will lay the foundation for Kim’s research program aimed at improving chronic pain and overall well-being in older adults and holds promise for advancing pain management through innovative, complementary strategies.
Major Conference Grants
Andrew Jordan, associate professor, College of Law
Philosophy at Trial
The College of Law will host Philosophy at Trial, a two-day symposium, in spring 2026. The event will bring together academics and legal professionals to critically examine the philosophical underpinnings of recent Supreme Court decisions. Philosophy at Trial aims to bridge the gap between theoretical philosophy and its practical application in Supreme Court cases impacting civic life. Featuring invited speakers and calls for papers, the symposium will especially interest students and scholars in law, philosophy, and political science, as well those keen to understand the basis of Supreme Court decisions affecting their lives. Philosophy at Trial will become the recurring marquee event for the Center for Law and Philosophy, which is set to launch in Fall 2025.
Carol Severino, professor, Department of Rhetoric, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS)
Familiarizing Faculty and Administration with Writing in the Disciplines Programs
Severino’s symposium will introduce UI faculty and administrators to the workings and benefits of Writing in the Disciplines (WID) programs, aiming to establish one on campus and bolster Iowa’s reputation as the “Writing University.” Severino will bring to campus three faculty experts in WID programs. These visits follow on the growing momentum to establish a program to strengthen academic writing across the institution, with the aim of cementing Iowa’s reputation as the “Writing University.” The symposium will include presentations, discussions, and meetings with experts, building on workshops hosted by the Teaching with Writing Working Group at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies.
Standard Grants
Björn Anderson, associate professor, School of Art, Art History, and Design, CLAS
Continuity and Transition in Southern Jordan Project 2025
Anderson’s project will address a gap in Eastern Mediterranean historical studies during the late Iron Age (539-300 BCE) in Southern Jordan, a critical hub between Mesopotamia, Egypt, Arabia, and the Mediterranean. Beginning in Summer 2024, Anderson’s team surveyed 12 sites near Petra, chosen for their Iron Age remains and evidence of the Nabatean kingdom, which emerged at the end of the Iron Age. Using real-time GPS and photogrammetry technologies, the team documented tombs, rock carvings, and architectural features, developing 3D site models. This summer, the team will survey 12 more sites and use the data to select a suitable excavation location.
Monica Correia, professor of 3D design, School of Art, Art History, and Design, CLAS
Hand Woven Seamless Upholstery Design
Correia will acquire a wide floor loom to create a three-dimensional wall piece, a seat, and a rug using natural fibers such as cotton and wool. This endeavor will deepen her research into seamless upholstered furniture and home décor items by employing advanced double-weaving techniques and sustainable materials. The loom will enable Correia to produce works for national and international exhibitions and to develop portfolios for grant applications. Additionally, she will share the techniques explored through this research with future generations of designers, enriching the 3D Design curriculum. Correia also plans to use the knowledge gained through this process—and textile weaving more broadly—as a platform for fostering collaborations with universities abroad.
Jose Fernandez, assistant professor, Latina/o/x Studies program, CLAS
A Publisher's Revolution: Arte Público Press and the Making of Latinx Literature
Fernandez will study the influence of the Arte Público Press and its founder, Nicolás Kanellos, on Latinx literature in the US. He will conduct archival research at the Arte Público Press Papers and offices at the University of Houston. There, he will also interview Dr. Kanellos and current editors. Fernandez will also study archival materials at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College-CUNY, focusing on three New York Puerto Rican authors published by Arte Público: Tato Laviera, Miguel Algarín, and renowned scholar Juan Flores. This research is part of Fernandez’s book project on Arte Público Press and its work over the past fifty years.
Denise Filios, associate professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, CLAS
The Routes of Jewish Life in Béjar, Spain
Filios will research a book chapter on the Marcha la Salamanquesa, a 14-kilometer guided walk that commemorates Isabel González, a Jewish convert to Christianity who was condemned by the Inquisition in 1494. The walk follows traditional roads that connected the Jewish communities of Béjar, La Calzada de Béjar, and Candelaria, highlighting medieval Jewish history and natural landscapes. Filios will attend the 2025 walk, observe the guides, and survey walkers on their experiences. Her book project will highlight the few Jewish and Islamic heritage walking routes in Spain and explain how they add complexity to the dominant narratives in Spanish tourism, which center on Catholicism.
Sang Jung Kim, assistant professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, CLAS
Conversational AI in Visual Examination (CAVE): A Humanistic Framework for Unveiling Biases in American Photojournalism
Kim and her team will develop a framework called Conversational AI in Visual Examination (CAVE), enabling researchers to analyze biases in photojournalism archives through an interactive, dialogue-based process with AI. Humanities and social science research has shown that American photojournalism influences public perceptions through portrayals of identity, reflecting the perspectives of socially dominant groups. Kim’s CAVE framework will facilitate large-scale analysis while preserving interpretive agency, significantly complementing existing humanities scholarship focused on examining biases in visual imagery.
Kristin Marrs, associate professor of instruction, Department of Dance, CLAS
Chalk: A Dance Theater Excavation of Miscarriage and Motherhood
Marrs, collaborating with theater artist Anne Marie Nest, will stage Chalk, a dance theatre production exploring the hidden pains of infertility and miscarriage. Drawing from their own challenging fertility journeys, Chalk highlights the frequency and effects of child loss and infertility and the lack of support across socio-economic and cultural lines. Marrs and Nest will stage performances in Denver and Iowa, with a filmed version distributed online. The production includes a post-performance panel of artists, healthcare providers, and policymakers, and audience members can share their experiences on the set’s chalkboard floor. Created with support from the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, the performance seeks a compassionate dialogue around reproductive health issues while honoring individual stories.
Christine Shea, associate professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, CLAS
Mi Herencia y Mi Identidad: A Class for Spanish-Speaking High Schoolers
Shea’s project will analyze how a new yearlong Spanish for Heritage Speakers (SHS) class at an Iowa City high school affects Latinx students’ sense of identity. Spanish heritage speakers are bilingual individuals who are more comfortable speaking English despite growing up in Spanish-speaking homes. In September 2025 and May 2026, the researchers will gather both quantitative data from questionnaires and qualitative data from observations, work analysis, and focus groups. The study could guide and encourage other Iowa high schools interested in implementing SHS curricula.
Nick Yablon, professor, Departments of History and American Studies, CLAS
From the Skyscraper to the Wildflower: C. G. Hine's Photographic Survey of Broadway, 1905
Yablon will develop a digital project to accompany his book, ‘From the Skyscraper to the Wildflower’: C. G. Hine’s 1905 Photographic Survey of Broadway (Columbia University Press, January 2026). In 1905, the amateur photographer C.G. Hine photographed Broadway from the bottom of Manhattan to the top, documenting the sweeping changes to the urban landscape. He assembled 302 photographs, 88 newspaper clippings, and an essay into an album, titled “From the Sky Scraper to the Wild Flower.” Yablon will create an interactive website, hosted by the New York Historical Society. The centrepiece will be a map of Manhattan showing each of Hines’ photographs and the accompanying newspaper clipping. He will also re-photograph all 302 sites from Hine’s exact vantage points. This website will allow readers to explore the spatial dynamics of urban development, and its implications for New York’s human, animal, and botanical populations.