UC Davis English Professor Gets Grant to Write About Olfactory Art

Hsuan Hsu, professor of English, has received an arts writers grant to research and write an article that will explore olfactory art — or art that explores the sense of smell, not just the visual sense. He is currently working on a book about olfactory aesthetics and environmental risk.

Hsu, who has affiliations in geography and cultural studies at UC Davis, will explore the intersections of deodorization, olfactory art, and environmental risk in an upcoming article. He will be visiting olfactory art studios and interview olfactory artists as well as visit the Institute for Arts and Olfaction in Los Angeles.

Past articles on the subject he has written include “Smelling Setting,” and Olfactory Art, Transcorporeality, and the Museum Environment”

Music professor gets composer award

Laurie San Martin, professor of music, will receive the Andrew Imbrie Award in music given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. San Martin is among the eighteen recipients of this year’s awards in music, which total $225,000.

The awards will be presented at the Academy’s annual Ceremonial in May. Candidates for music awards are nominated by the 250 members of the Academy.

The Andrew Imbrie Award of $10,000 is given to a composer of demonstrated artistic merit in mid-career.

More information here.

To read about the latest award in the Department of Design, go here. Assistant Professor Katie Vega won  “the coolest scientific achievement or discovery that before 2017 was only possible in science fiction.”  Hint: It's about tattoos. There's a video too.