Abstract
The Equal Justice Initiative’s (EJI, Montgomery, AL) Remembrance Project invites communities across the United States to memorialize victims of racial violence by claiming monuments for permanent reinstallation in their community. Despite the popularity of EJI’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice, many remain unaware of the project or its connection to their community’s history. To increase student awareness of the project and learn more about the topic of social justice, Samford University art and design students partnered with the Jefferson County Memorial Project through a community-based learning course titled “Art and Community Engagement.” In the course, students used a multi-method approach to study the south’s history of racial violence, learn about the importance of memorials to restorative justice, and work collaboratively with a community partner to make creative work around this topic. This paper considers the course, learning activities, partnership with the JCMP, and demonstrates how the experience encouraged students to examine their personal histories to learn about restorative justice within their home community. This study argues classes such as this can be a compelling model for how community-based scholarship provides a basis for building healthier communities through collaboration, experiential learning, and engagement with diverse populations across the local and global community.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Visual Art, Pedagogy, Social Justice
