UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: The arts of community engagement
On any given day, Houstonians can attend a performance,
exhibition or reading at the University of Houston. In fact, UH hosts more than
175,000 visitors to its campus arts events annually. Yes, the arts loom large
on campus, but the University strives to enhance the creative landscape of the
entire city.
Numerous endeavors go beyond campus stages, studios, galleries
and auditoriums. Many of these initiatives do what the arts do best – entertain
audiences — but a number of efforts focus on educating, informing and inspiring
the public.
A perfect example of UH using its talents to captivate
Houstonians is the Houston Shakespeare Festival (HSF) presented by the School
of Theatre & Dance at Miller Outdoor Theater each year. One of UH’s most
visible community engagement vehicles, HSF celebrated its 40th anniversary this
year with milestone performances of “Henry IV, Part 1” and “ The Two Gentlemen
of Verona.”
“It’s simply not summer in Houston if you don’t see free
HSF shows at Miller,” said Jim Johnson, director of UH’s School of Theatre
& Dance.
While HSF has become an integral part of the city’s
fabric, Johnson added that it does much more than transport audiences to the
Bard’s world.
“While we want to entertain audiences, we also want to
engage them before the curtain is raised,” he said. “We conduct pre-show
discussions for groups and are adding educational activities throughout the
year, including film screenings.” Additionally, HSF contributes to the region’s
artistic growth through its HSF Conservatory, providing professional theater
training to high school students who learn stage skills from veteran actors and
theater pros.
Blaffer Art Museum also works with Houston–area students
through the Young Artists Apprenticeship Program (YA A P). Since 1998, YA AP
has offered arts training for Houston high schoolers, complementing other
Blaffer programs that bolster public arts education, all under the umbrella of
Blaffer’s Art Focus.
“Creative activities are vital parts of people’s lives,”
said Katherine Veneman, curator of education at Blaffer Art Museum. “It’s our
hope that an exhibition or experience might inspire them to have a deeper
understanding of art.”
Students aren’t the only ones who benefit from UH’s
creative reach into the community. For 25 years, Houston high school educators
have learned about literature through the Common Ground Teachers Institute.
Hosted by UH’s Honors College, the summer workshop offers teachers new insights
on classic and contemporary texts. Workshop participants emerge refreshed and
ready to share new perspectives with their students.
William Monroe, dean of the Honors College, who recently
guided Common Ground participants through literary activities, said creative
offerings like this are essential for many teachers.
“We see a lot of burn out in our educators. Common Ground
lets them become excited again. More than that,” he said, “they can recharge
their batteries and be ready when school is back in session.”
Some projects are less literal, aiming instead at
physically enhancing the city. A number of initiatives at the Gerald D. Hines
College of Architecture, for instance, explore creative ways to enrich Houston.
These include the Collaborative Community Design Initiative, which promotes
collaboration with civic leaders and proposes innovative urban designs for
aging neighborhoods. Another notable project is Professor Patrick Peters’
Graduate Design/Build Studio, which contributes functional structures (designed
and constructed by students) to city parks, schools or nonprofit organizations.
Peters’ studio has contributed many special amenities,
including a small amphitheater for T.H. Rogers School, a solar shade tree for
McReynolds Middle School, a solar-powered classroom for Alief’s community
garden and, most recently, a solar-powered education portal for Paul Revere
Middle School. Peters’ projects have connected creativity and community
outreach for decades. His Graduate Design Build Studio just completed its 21st
project.
Meanwhile, new community-oriented programs continue to
emerge including the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for Arts’ forthcoming
INTERSECTIONS. The project will expand awareness of Muslim cultures on campus
and in the community through the work of four artists-in-residence.
INTERSECTIONS uses creativity as a mechanism to
communicate across cultures, and that is the beauty of using the arts for
community engagement, said Karen Farber, Mitchell Center director.
Finding solutions to problems through innovation is a
daily occurrence at UH, but using the arts to do so further connects community
and campus in a special way.
“Only the arts can render complex realities in equally
complex ways,” Farber said. “Artists work outside silos and across disciplinary
boundaries. At UH, we connect artists with subjects in our community and help
them to create something transformational for all involved.”
Source: http://www.uh.edu/magazine/14f/arts/community-engagement.php
