In coursework

Fine Arts majors are required to take at least one internship. Students can fulfill their requirement either within or outside of the school.

During the summer of 2014, as part of my internship, I participated in a cultural exchange. First, an artist from Medellin, Colombia did a series of photography workshops. Students from Lawrence and Medellin photographed their homes, then showed their artwork in a gallery. This project brought insight about how and where each group of children live. Many volunteers from both parties brought pictures of their rooms and possessions important to them.

Later in the summer, I traveled to Medellin, Colombia and taught animation workshops to two groups of children. Directly interacting and experiencing with their culture gave me a better understanding of how Medellin has progressed within the last 20 years. During the reign of Pablo Escobar, Medellin was the most deadliest city on earth until 1993. Now its home to a new public transportation system, libraries, and has a vibrant graffiti community. I also visited Medellin’s Museum of Fine Art and their Museum of Contemporary Art. Traveling abroad is probably one of the most effective ways of teaching Diversity and Cultural Awareness. While most classes study different parts of the world, traveling allows you to live in a new place and directly interact with a different culture. I was able to participate in this activity because of extensive research for programs and travel grants. The bilingual school I stayed with in Colombia, the Colombo Americana, provided a stipend and homestay while I was in residence. I applied for a travel grant through Partners of the Americas which covered my plane flight.

It would be helpful if Lowell could create more international affliations and scholarships for students. Some school such as Middlebury, which has a very competitive language program, require that students go abroad for at least one term. Looking into other UMass' programs more deeply may also help. I've tried applying for study aboad through Umass Amherst and Montserrat, but both schools don't necessarily cover finacial aid for students outside of their universitites.

Even though not all art students go abroad, I feel that many of my art history courses also fulfill the Diversity and Cultural Awareness requirement. When analyzing art, students are often asked to consider the artist’s culture and values invested in their artwork. Art, identity, and culture can usually work interchangably since most artists's work is an expression of themselves, where they live, or a form of social activism. Some of these artist include William Pope L., Cara Walker, and Lorna Simpson who are artists whom explore black identity.

One of my professors gave me the oppurtunity to internship at a local school with students who are learning English as a Second Language. These students are Cambodian and are learning stop motion. They were asked to use fairy tales from their heritage as content for their work. Lowell has a very diverse community and it would be beneficial for Lowell to take advantage of the cultures available to us.

I've also had discussions about diversity in my Introduction to Gerontology course  about the representation and experience of the elderly in the media.