Art, Activism, Policy, Power was created in 2021 by MoCP Curator of Academic Programs and Collections Kristin Taylor as a learning framework for Chicago Public School students in grades 9-12 to engage with artists working at the intersection of arts and activism. The program is designed for students to discover how artists use research in their practice to give voice to the most pressing issues of our time. Students engage in a small series of field trips and workshops, working directly with a professional artist, to create their own artworks. These works are displayed in an exhibition at Columbia’s Community Engagement Hub, as well as online as a permanent digital exhibition. 

In collaboration with Taylor, MoCP’s Jay W. Boersma Arts Education Fellow Kyli Hawks co-creates and organizes educational resources, curriculum, and exhibition programming.

Today, Art, Activism, Policy, Power has hosted 5 annual programs with 1 currently in-progress; generated and sustained relationships with 10 CPS schools across Chicago; and engaged over 500 students. As a result of this program, schools have built MoCP into class curriculum as an approved field trip.

If you are a Chicago Public School educator who would like to learn more about Art, Activism, Policy, Power, please contact Kristin Taylor at ktaylor@colum.edu.