BY HEATHER NOEL

Three UNT faculty members have been pursuing creative research projects as 2023-24 Institute for the Advancement of the Arts Faculty Fellows.

Quincy Davis, an associate professor of percussion, will create a new musical composition called Empathy Suite, which is influenced by the confluence of two world events in 2020 — the COVID-19 pandemic and the death of George Floyd. The multi-suite work will be performed by students and faculty musicians on the UNT campus.

Priscilla Ybarra, an associate professor of English, explores Denton’s rich history by designing a public humanities project, titled “Palimpsest Denton,” with her undergraduate and graduate students. A palimpsest makes way for the new while retaining traces of the old. Denton is a place created from many layers of stories. An exhibit with highlights from the project was on display in February at the UNT CoLab in downtown Denton.

Ana M. Lopez, an associate professor of studio art, is studying the expressive potential of the bolo tie, its history in relation to marginalized communities and current relevance as a gender-neutral form of adornment. Through her research, she created a new art piece (pictured above) and co-curated the exhibition “Everybody’s Bolos” on contemporary interpretations of the bolo tie that features works of 30 artists. It’s on display through May 10 on the UNT campus.