Sometimes a bubble exists between universities and their surrounding communities. So says Carolyn Meyer, director of Immersive Professional Learning and Special Programs at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She’s also program manager for their burgeoning Committee on Art in Public Places initiative.
CAPP started at MIIS’s big sister school in Vermont, and migrated to Monterey in spring 2015 as a way to encourage exchange between the campus and the place where it resides.
“A transient population is [here], but you have a community too,” Meyer says.
Two prominent and lasting shows that came out of the initiative were Sumaya Agha’s photographs of Syrian refugees, displayed in MIIS’s Samson Reading Room, and photos by Chester Ng of Imagemakers in Irvine Auditorium, both still showing 9am-9pm daily.
Another has arrived. Bursting the MIIS Bubble: Fostering Connections Between Community and Campus is literal in its intent to encourage cross-pollination.
“[The title] sounds academic, but we tried,” Meyer laughs.
It’s made up of 10 portfolios of photos (with narratives) by Chinese student Hanqiu “Tom” Wang, that show 10 MIIS students and what they’re doing locally in pastimes, volunteering and work.
There’s a portrait of a MIIS student with a friend at a rock climbing gym; another working with Communities for Sustainable Monterey County; yet another working at Alvarado Street Brewery. One student from Kazakhstan couldn’t believe they encountered another person from that same part of the world in Monterey.
“I was looking to put more love into the aesthetics of the campus,” Meyer says.
The mission of the CAPP campaign has an almost public relations-like feel to it, but there are things happening that should give it more art credibility and more public relevance.
Faculty from the Vermont art history department are coming to Monterey to lend a boost, Meyer is looking for local arts organizations to collaborate on future CAPP efforts, and MIIS already puts on community events so there are incentives in place for the public to come. Here is another: Their cafeteria, catered by Aqua Terra, is open to the public. Consider yourself invited.
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