At the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD), well-being, especially mental health, is a high priority. Since 2018, the Eisenberg Family Depression Center, the SMTD Wellness Program, and the EXCEL Lab have partnered up to fund the SMTD Mental Health Awareness Microgrants.
These microgrants support student-led projects that use the performing arts to increase awareness of mental health issues and that positively impact the creators’ long-term careers in the arts. Primary applicants are current undergraduate or graduate students in SMTD. Projects may include presentations, performances, research studies, or media campaigns.
Recipients of the microgrants receive funds (up to $750) as well as mentorship, which is especially valuable given the delicate nature of addressing mental health through the arts. For example, a project may involve a production that tackles a sensitive topic like suicide or sexual abuse. We want to ensure that the cast members, crew, and audience have resources available to them in case they are triggered or need additional support.
A 2023-24 Mental Health Awareness Microgrant supported “All in Your Head,” featuring dancer Madison Rogers (BFA ’25, dance), on February 9, 2024. This project was produced by NeuroArts Productions, which was founded by Sasha Gusikhin. Photo: Grace Frielink
This production of Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf was made possible by a Mental Health Awareness Microgrant during the 2023–24 academic year, with Reese Leif (BTA ’25) as the lead grant recipient. Photo: Ellie Vice
In the fall 2024 grant cycle, six students received SMTD Mental Health Awareness Microgrants: Aquila Ewald, Kiana Cook, Mira Walker, Rj Dion, Sasha Gusikhin, and Dana Gray.
Aquila Ewald (BFA ’25, musical theatre) will facilitate a 12-week independent study of Julia Cameron’s book/program, The Artists’ Way, with faculty advisor Cynthia Kortman Westphal, including Q&A sessions with guest speakers.
Resilience in the Arts: A Night of Conversation, Performance & Connection, an event initiated by recipient Kiana Cook (MFA ’26, dance), will focus on identifying mental health maintenance strategies for BIPOC student-artists at SMTD.
Represented by Mira Walker (DMA ’26, piano pedagogy & performance), the U-M Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) chapter will perform three concerts in a Sensory-Friendly Family Concert Series specifically designed to create an inclusive and engaging environment for audience members with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, or neurodiverse conditions.
Rj Dion (MM ’26, composition) will produce a multidisciplinary event titled Threads Woven: An LGBTQ+ Mental Health Awareness Concert, featuring dance, poetry, electronics, instrumental music, and animation collaborations that convey the connection between mental health issues and LGBTQ+ rights.
Recipient Sasha Gusikhin (BM ’25, voice) will serve as executive artistic director of Art-Making as World-Making: Reimagining Mental Health Care, a lecture-recital exhibition by NeuroArts Productions that explores the power of the arts in public practice and highlights the importance of person-centered approaches in mental health care.
Worn Shapes, a project created by Dana Gray (BFA ’25, interarts), will feature a five-look costume collection and fashion performance film that aims to take historic understructures worn under clothing and distort them to magnify the perceived flaws that lie beneath. This project will serve as a lens for difficult conversations about the harmful body ideals that exist in both the costume industry and society at large.
Performing arts students, educators, and staff members often face mental health struggles like performance anxiety, negative body image, inclusivity concerns, and depression. Additionally, communities important to those at SMTD and audience members who attend performances may face mental health concerns. Funding and supporting projects like those described above empowers SMTD students to speak up against mental health stigma, bring awareness to mental health issues, and promote positive mental health in their communities.
Cristina Gonzalez, who graduated in 2024 with a BMA in voice performance and a BA in psychology, serves as the editor for the SMTD Wellness Program’s Performing Well blog. Paola Savvidou is the SMTD Wellness Program manager and a Lecturer III in wellness.