Creative Works Fellowship
The Creative Works Fellowship (CWF) is a 10-12 week summer program that provides CMC students in the humanities the opportunity to engage in a fully funded self-directed project that culminates in some type of creative output. Past projects include: podcasts, artworks (2-dimensional and 3-dimensional), e-magazines, documentary films, virtual games, etc.
Summer 2023 Creative Works Fellows
Rukmini Banerjee
The Right to Learn - How the Humanities Play a Role in Developing Critical Consciousness
This summer, I am attempting to participate in the project on critical consciousness (as described by Paulo Freire) by teaching a course on critical race theory and structural violence to incarcerated youth at the San Mateo County Juvenile Hall. I will be teaching this class through the Prison Education Program (PEP). I have previously taught Introduction to Philosophy at PEP 3 times online, but this is my first time teaching in person as well as teaching a class that I have designed entirely on my own. While teaching the class, I will explore how the humanities can be effectively taught as a part of the process of critical consciousness. I plan to pursue this inquiry through a series of oral testimonials that I record with my students while also interviewing other teachers of incarcerated students during the summer. I will compile these testimonials and overlay them onto a digital magazine I create throughout the summer in collaboration with my students. I believe this project will compellingly illustrate the power of the humanities and the necessity of teaching it to students. Everyone has a right to learn and critically develop their consciousness, and I believe this project is a striking bearer of that message.
Josefine Byström
Sustainable Fashion Through the Lens of the Fashion Capitals
The fashion industry is one of the largest polluters in the world, with fast fashion companies wasting resources and taking advantage of trend cycles. It is unrealistic for people to instantaneously be more sustainable, but I am passionate about finding doable ways to be more mindful of sustainable fashion. Through the Creative Works Fellowship, I will create a short documentary and write blogs about sustainable fashion’s multifaceted angles by exploring sustainable fashion in New York, Milan, and London. I plan to talk to shop owners, startup founders, investors, and others in the sustainable fashion space to incorporate multiple perspectives. I want to learn what to look for when assessing the quality of clothing items, such as stitching types, materials, and design, so I can share knowledge about the sustainable aspects of clothes people often overlook. I also hope to provide case studies of brands and designers who are successfully implementing sustainable fashion practices. My documentary will incorporate my experiences and interviews in these cities, hopefully inspiring more people to move towards sustainable fashion practices. I look forward to a transformative summer experience that promises to push me out of my intellectual comfort zone and allow me to engage in more adventurous creative outlets.
Ava Kopp
Love & Faith: Stories of Queer Catholic Youth
For my Creative Works Fellowship, I’m traveling to Madrid, San Francisco, and Los Angeles in order to create a documentary that shines a light on the challenges that LGBTQ+ individuals face within the Catholic Church and the inspiring stories of those who have found acceptance and support within their faith community. Additionally, I’m creating a website that highlights stories of queer Catholic youth around the world. Through interviews with priests, nuns, seminarians, church-goers, and individuals of all ages and backgrounds, I hope to create a compelling and visually stunning film that brings visibility to this important topic. I’ll ask questions to which I’ve also searched for answers, such as “How has your faith influenced your understanding of your sexual identity? What kind of environment does prejudice against LGBTQ+ youth and individuals create in Catholicism, and what kind of impact does that have on someone’s identity and existence?” In exploring this project, I want to confront the collective shame, fear, and alienation that many queer youths go through when they exist in Catholic spaces. Through the interviews and production of my documentary, I think I’ll also forge a sense of connection and community as I hear stories from others who have similar experiences and challenges. Overall, this project is an enriching and illuminating exploration of the intersection between sexuality, faith, and identity.
Ivanna Morales Mercado
De-Colonializing Food: A Foodie’s Guide to Colonial Legacies and their Subversion
Our current global and extractive food system is not as modern as it seems; colonial historical legacies define today's global food system. My project explores these historical legacies by writing and publishing an educational cookbook. The book commences with an introduction and analysis of the Caribbean roots of food globalization. This section will examine the agricultural products indigenous to the Americas and their economic and cultural implications there and abroad. The second section of the book will elaborate on the current globalization of food and the impact of sugar on the health of Caribbean people. Today, foods high in sugar can be more economically and agriculturally accessible than fresh, local produce for Caribbean people. In the final section, the book will introduce food sovereignty and zero-waste cooking strategies as remedial solutions to the injustice in today's global food system. Each part of the cookbook will include recipes that highlight ingredients that capture the agricultural and culinary tendencies of the period. Through my project, I hope to provide insight and inspire reflection, so people take steps to cook and consume food with historical, social, and environmental awareness.
Jim Sangsvang
Music Moves Europe: The Evolution of the Culture of Music in Europe
Music is a cultural innovation that is constantly evolving. Around the world, as genres and styles have begun to mix, the ideas surrounding tradition in music have begun to change massively, with each new generation pioneering new blends and blurring the lines between culture. For my project, I wanted to create an e-magazine in which I analyzed the evolution of the classical musical culture of major cities in Central Europe, with a focus on the diversification of the music performed in traditional spaces, and the expansion of education regarding music of the Western tradition. I am spending two months in Central Europe analyzing the program Music Moves Europe, an initiative created by Europe to support music diversity and music education, in order to understand the links between innovation and cultural tradition while also engaging in music, something I have been passionate about my whole life.
Kylee Tevis
Music Across Classes
Socioeconomic status can affect even the way in which people listen to music. For my project, I will spend three weeks in New York, where I will visit both high- and low-end jazz clubs and observe the characteristics that make them each unique, gaining insight from interviewees who visit the clubs, workers, and performers about their experiences and thoughts. I will also be visiting and interviewing local street performers and buskers. I will then write a coffee table book that will include film photography from the trip, poetry, and narrative that expresses the culture of music in New York City. I will explore the question: are musical behaviors affected by social variables? Despite all of their differences, I believe people are drawn to music in the same way. I intend for this book to be a tool to help people realize the power of music despite any cultural or financial barriers they may face.
Claire Vlases
Stopping to Smell Montana's Wildflowers: A Comprehensive Guide to Native Flora
In a world bustling with noise and distractions, it can be difficult to remember to “stop and smell the roses.” This simple phrase is a reminder to take a pause and appreciate the world around you. Roses don’t seek our admiration or demand our attention; they simply exist in the inherent beauty of the present moment. This summer, I took this phrase quite literally. Wild roses are among hundreds of plants native to my home state, Montana. However, many of these plants have been particularly vulnerable to climate change. I spent this summer exploring the greater Yellowstone ecosystem cataloging and detailing the plants and wildflowers I found in a comprehensive field manual. My goal is that anyone can use this manual to find appreciation in the natural beauty in Western Montana, and hopefully inspire conservation efforts. I want everyone to take the time to smell the roses!