Angeline Gragasin, Faculty Member at Parsons, Awarded Yaddo Residency
Since 1900, Yaddo has been providing artists and creatives with a quiet retreat in upstate New York, where they are given the time and space to develop new projects in a supportive environment. Some of the most influential and groundbreaking artists of the 20th century and today have participated in Yaddo residencies, including Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Annie Baker, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copeland, Chloe Zhao, Miranda July, Tamara Jenkins, and many more.
Recently, Angeline Gragasin, a faculty member in the School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons, completed a Yaddo residency in the Film and Video discipline, where she developed a new feature-length screenplay.
“I’m honored to have been invited to Yaddo, one of the oldest and most prestigious artist residencies in the world. It’s especially validating considering Yaddo has a blind selection process, which means my submission was completely anonymous, and therefore the decision was made solely on the merit of my work. This award is particularly meaningful because there was no personal nor political bias to interfere with the perception of my work and its value. This alone is extremely gratifying.”
In addition to her work as an educator, Gragasin is a writer and narrative filmmaker, where she is often inspired by the tension between truth and fiction, and how simple shifts in perspective can shift the meaning or perception of an action or image. As a teacher, Gragasin is also inspired by her students, who remind her that she has an infinite capacity to learn and grow.
“I suppose you could say I’m most interested in the psychology of representation,” she explains. “The conflict between perception and reality, and how this is expressed through image, action, emotion, environment—in public or private—is fascinating to me, it’s a goldmine for storytelling.”
Next up, Gragasin will take her new film “Myself When I Am Real” to international film festivals, which stars actors including Tina Chilip, Lianah Sta. Ana, Agnes “Bing” Magtoto, Kristian Espiritu, and Therese Dizon, BA Theatre Arts ‘18. Gragasin was also recently awarded a 2024-25 Faculty Research Fund Grant from The New School.