Jessica Harris
director, educator, researcher
in the news
Get to know arts, education and equity champion Jessica Harris
VPM | By Terri Allard
Published December 14, 2023 at 4:17 PM EST
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"'A patchwork quilt … an amalgamation of the people who have supported me and poured into me.'
That’s how Jessica Harris describes herself.
It’s a fitting description, as Harris’ work in the Charlottesville community is vast. She is passionate and driven — especially when it comes to the arts, education and equity..."
New York Stage and Film 2023 Founders’ Award and Pfaelzer Award Recipients...
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"The Pfaelzer Award was created in honor of former NYSAF artistic director Johanna Pfaelzer‘s 20-year commitment to the company. It includes a monetary award, residency time during the summer season, and mentorship from Pfaelzer. This year’s finalists include Alisha Espinosa, Jessica Harris, Lauren Turner, and Rebecca Wear..."
Virginia woman on new landmark that honors ancestors: 'We are never forgetting where we came from'
By: Greg McQuade
Posted on Sep 29, 2023
"The University of Virginia is one of the nation’s premiere institutions of higher education with roots stretching back more than two centuries. But on the grounds of this renowned school, a new landmark of learning encourages students and staff to ponder the past in a new light.
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Jessica Harris, the president of Descendants of Enslaved Communities at UVA, says the Memorial to Enslaved Labor honors the estimated 4,000 forgotten men and women who built and maintained the school from the early to mid-1800s..."
Twelfth Night: A Community-Engaged Performance
Published Fall 2023
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"...The project was officially launched thanks to a Faculty Research Grant for the Arts from UVA Arts and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts. Dalton soon found the perfect partner to pull it off in Jessica Harris, a UVA Drama grad who currently works on ways to use the arts to connect community members at the UVA Equity Center. 'I was super excited to work on this production,' Harris said, 'and particularly to work in that space between art and community, which I think go hand and hand and can be used in so many ways to empower each other in a way that I think benefits everyone.'..."
Elf Jr. the Musical, breaks box office records at Carysbrook
By Page H. Gifford
Published January 3, 2024
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"For the first time in its history, Carysbrook Performing Arts Center not only sold out for a theatrical performance but because of popular demand added another performance the same day. Elf Jr. the Musical smashed box office records.
The show performed by The Empowered Players, a Fluvanna-based youth group, was so popular that the Fluvanna County Arts Council and Empowered Players decided to add another show on Dec. 10. The popularity of the EP Christmas shows and other performances throughout the year has been growing...."
