Social Justice and Social Change Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: David Karen

Field Site: FringeArts

Field Supervisor: Zoe McNichols

Praxis Poster:

Further Context:

My name is Amirah (she/her), a Mathematics senior interning at FringeArts.

What is FringeArts? FringeArts is a contemporary arts organization dedicated to artistic, cultural, and community development through innovative showcases featuring comedy, theater, cirque, and other forms and through engaging, enriching spaces.

What did I do? Work at FringeArts consisted of both administrative and project-based tasks. At my self-scheduled hours during the week, I would start my digital work day going between these tasks whether it was reading relevant research and articles for curatorial and artistic research or corresponding via email to arrange housing and travel for incoming artists.

What did I learn? Learning and work at my placement felt like an intertwined, integral process. Being new to this space and this work, I understood there was much learning to do but, because my placement’s supervisor encouraged and structured this learning into our experiences working (and learning) together, I felt better equipped to engage with newness and complexity, take on challenges, and approach them with curiosity, compassion, and confidence.

Connections to Praxis? Being a part of the Social Justice and Social Change Praxis, my Praxis placement was a site of organizational work where I was able to contribute to social justice and change while, my Praxis course, with its readings, reflections, and discussions, was a site of learning work where I could engage with social justice and change. Because I had these two spaces simultaneously and symbiotically, I had opportunities to create connections between my placement and my coursework that grew my understanding and practices in truly unique, valuable ways.