In the spirit of Broadway legend and University of Wisconsin–Madison alumnus André De Shields, we at the Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) are empowering a new generation of artists to create transformative work that brings their stories and perspectives to life through our André De Shields Fund grants. We proudly share with you the first award recipients of the André De Shields Fund.
We established the André De Shields Fund in 2023 to uplift and support UW–Madison student artists who are committed to using the transformative power of performing arts to create desired change.
The Fund provides student artists with seed grants between $1,000 and $3,000 and the option of having a faculty or staff mentor to assist with project development, planning, budgeting, financial management, and general advising.
The four award recipients and one honorable mention, chosen for their artistic visions and the transformative potential of their art, represent a wide spectrum of art disciplines, including poetry, music production, and playwriting.
The First André De Shields Fund Artists
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Jordan Waters
Poet, emcee, singer, songwriter, producer, and musician, Jordan Waters describes his art as telling his continually unfolding journey. He believes that all pain can be turned to passion when honed creatively and strives to infuse each of his works with authenticity. Jordan thanks God for his creativity and the space to honor Him in art. He endeavors to continue to create art and inspire others and himself.
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DeOnna Garrison
A senior majoring in African American and legal studies with certificates in theater, criminal justice, and public policy, DeOnna Garrison crafts work that deconstructs stereotypical depictions of black women in media and that each person is complex and unique, shaped by their experiences and the people around them.
Through theater, she aspires to inspire theater-goers to engage in critical thinking about diversity and intersectionality and to give people of color the resolve to turn away media-portrayed stereotypes about them.
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Bri Bernard
Hailing from the Bronx and bringing a wealth of interdisciplinary experience, Bri Bernard is a producer, composer, sound engineer, and interdisciplinary artist. A student of sociology and educational policy and a member of UW’s First Wave program, Bri aims to create music with purpose, composing hip-hop, R&B, and classical compositions.
Bri’s work has included composing for numerous groups, such as The Manhattan String Quartet and The Cassatt String Quartet. Bri hopes to pursue a career in education and research.
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Diya Abbas
A first-generation Pakistani poet, performer, and playwright from the Midwest studying creative writing and South Asian studies, Diya’s poetry has appeared in publications such as Poetry Daily, The Offing, and diode. Diya is a First Wave scholar at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
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Honorable Mention: Teja DeShay Davis
Currently double-majoring in environmental studies and human geography, Teja DeShay Davis is a multidimensional artist whose creative passions span acting, poetry, visual art, and music. She is a member of the First Wave 15th Cohort and a leader and writer at The Black Voice, an online community of news, culture, opinion, and blogging.
Teja strives to create art that teaches while entertaining patrons. Her future art aspiration is to conduct ethnographic work that explores the relationship between people, culture, art, and the planet.
Powering Transformative Art
As the inaugural cohort of the André De Shields Fund, these artists embody WUT’s efforts to bring extraordinary performances to life, and this effort exemplifies WUT as a learning lab for student leaders in a professional setting. We look forward to witnessing and supporting the journeys these will take and the paths they will illuminate for other artists to follow.
The André De Shields Fund is made possible with lead gifts from Jonathan and Susan Lipp and Jun and Sandy Lee, with special support from Deirdre Garton.
The André De Shields Fund is an initiative of the Wisconsin Union Theater at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.