Composer and musician Molly Joyce (2010 Classical Music) has an impaired left hand from a car accident she was in 20 years ago. Since then, she’s been on a journey from denying her disability to embracing it as a centerpiece of her artistic practice. This spring, Joyce began her time as an inaugural YoungArts Artist Fellow, receiving funding, space, networking support and project consultation for the development of her work Left and Right, a performance collaboration with dancer Jerron Herman and director Austin Regan exploring the traditionally cursed and dark left side of the body and its relationship to the healing and beneficent right side.
“Specifically in this work, we wanted to look more on the mythical and biblical, all the stories of the left throughout history, even up to contemporary times. About a year ago it premiered virtually, and I was seeking out a live performance but didn’t see it realistically happening…until I got this YoungArts Fellowship. It really made it seem like much more of a reality,” said Joyce.
On June 9, 2022, Joyce, Herman and Regan will premiere Left and Right for audiences at the renowned National Sawdust in Brooklyn, New York, a transformative and high-profile step in the evolution of the work from its beginnings as a video project to its current form as a fully produced live performance.
The YoungArts Artist Fellowship deepens and expands previous on-campus residency support for mid-career artists to now include funding, space, networking support and project consultation for the development of new work. Encouraging experimentation with new ideas and excellence through rigorous artistic practice, the fellowship is awarded annually to two artists selected by a panel of artists and staff. Learn more about this and other creative opportunities.