“That school destroyed my neighborhood,” he voiced.I came to an arrant halt over this statement because his outcry brought the issue of stewardship of place right to my feet. After he left, I stood on the sidewalk and simply reflected on MassArt’s perception among locals and how the community *really* thinks about the college.
Colleges and universities across America work tirelessly to assess the neighborhoods they live/work within, and, more than ever, spearhead civic engagement and service-based learning initiatives to help university and community live in accord. But a grandiose paradox cannot be overlooked; while providing educational opportunities and public services for a community, institutions often times forget that massive expansion of its urban campuses gravely upsets its closest neighbors. Another, what seems to be a non-heeded concern, is the vast growth of student populations void of adequate dorm space to house them. This debauchery forces students to seek off-campus housing in Section 8 dominated neighborhoods, which yields escalated rents for everyone, even the locals. And let us not even mention the trash and disrespect produced by America’s best and brightest students. I am not speaking of these issues to be negative, but this realm is the tough stuff on community research that we all succumb to, and more specifically, I will need to cull as part of my neighborhood analysis efforts.
My experience with that local gentleman oriented a host of new questions that MassArt wants answered. In addition to providing meaning for the college’s role in Mission Hill, now campus leaders want to know how does the community perceive the college, and how can the campus community make strides for better relationships and partnerships. The task seems daunting, albeit imperative to understanding how MassArt’s public art programs, civic engagement, and service-based curricula cut against the grain of civic and social responsibility.
MassArt, while naturally flawed at times, truly takes its role in Mission Hill seriously; that’s why I am here – to research and analyze the level of HOW serious the nation’s first art school collaborates. New Student Orientation begins tomorrow and 400-plus students will pile into various parts of Mission Hill and lower Roxbury to explore the neighborhoods that MassArt hopes will provide a collaborative and healthy synergy between locals and artists. Moreover, the Center for Art and Community Partnerships has an impressive amount of public art programs and partnerships ready to go for the fall semester.
In addition to New Student Orientation duties, I began meeting with MassArt leaders to lay the groundwork for my research efforts. By the end of September I will be on the streets interviewing community leaders, distributing asset surveys, and engaging MassArt (and local high school) students to help analyze the data. The research may yield partnerships and collaborations not strongly cultivated by MassArt, and so I welcome and otherwise encourage the art community to help decide exactly how the campus community can further nurture these local organizations. I am also thinking broadly about how my research will be published and disseminated.
One last thing: Many people asked about the galleries at MassArt; yes, most exhibits in our galleries are free and open to the public (with exception to opening nights). More information can be found here: http://www.massart.edu/Galleries.html.
Until next time, continue to inspire without boundaries and make a difference in the communities you live!
Peace, love, and happiness to everyone,
Jeff~
MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA serving Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Jeffrey.Robinson@massart.edu
