Thomas Allen Harris Awarded Montgomery Fellowship at Dartmouth College!

Our very own Thomas Allen Harris has embarked on an exciting opportunity: he is currently serving as a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College!

The prestigious Montgomery Fellowship Program, established in 1977 through gifts from Dartmouth graduates Kenneth Montgomery ’25 and his wife Harle Montgomery, seeks to enrich the experience of Dartmouth students in the classroom primarily by bringing distinguished individuals to the College to live at Montgomery House varying from a few weeks to a full year. 

In addition to introducing the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow to Dartmouth College May 9, there will also be a screening of  “Through a Lens Darkly” at the Loew Auditorium on May 5, followed by a panel discussion.

Harris notes that “interacting with students and faculty this term is exciting, especially because there is so much curricular focus on #BlackLivesMatter  movement which was evolving as a movement as we were editing Through  A Lens Darkly as well as in production on Digital Diaspora Family Reunion.

In a way, our film and transmedia project’s focus on the use of  representation in the battle for civil rights, helps to contextualize #BlackLivesMatter and its use of digital media in combating police violence.

When Harris is not speaking and presenting, he spends his time writing and developing new projects in the offices of the Montgomery House, which Harris describes as “a magical oasis which affords a beautiful setting to be still, think and write in between cooking and walks around the lake. It’s a  good place to call home for a while after two years on the road.”

Harris is the 238th Montgomery Fellow. Past Montgomery Fellows include: Anna Deavere Smith, Chinua Achebe, Toni Morrison, Christo, Gerald R. Ford, Larry Kramer, Frank Stella, Lucille Clifton and Bill T. Jones. Dartmouth Faculty and staff nominate prominent individuals to become Montgomery Fellows and then the Montgomery Endowment Steering Committee meets to review these nominations and narrow down the candidate pool. Harris was nominated by Mark J. Williams, Associate Professor, Department of Film and Media Studies who stated: “We’re so happy to have such a gifted and talented filmmaker and artist come to  Dartmouth. Harris is a true visionary and has already impacted the campus.”