In our last meeting as a group, we began discussing the possibilities for communities to focus our efforts on. Newark is a great example of a place to focus large-scale projects such as the Brixton Village example, but we started realizing that we need to start close to home. A couple of us suggested that we focus on our community in Pratt CommD, and especially the integration of MS and MFA students as we begin this new program and move into the new space.
This is my attempt to frame the problem: Both MS and MFA students are moving to a new location, so the problem for everyone is adjusting to the work and community space. Another problem will be the integration of MS and MFA students. This is a unique situation to Pratt CommD, and one worthy of study to apply to other populations attempting to integrate. What are the differences in approach to their work/teaching between the two sets of students and faculty? What kind of bridges are there between the two programs? Since MFA workspace and classroom are separate from the MS space, how can we bridge that divide so that everyone feels a unified community spirit?
I just started thinking of ways to get people together and the first thing that comes to mind is creating a campaign. Something like “It’s all one CommD” or “We heart CommD” to show that even though there are two programs, it’s still one community.