How can artists more directly affect their world as an essential part of it and not be left to react to it as a non-participant?

Ronald Thomas


Welcome to the Art and Community website! This page provides a short history on the development of this site.

In the Fall of 1996, a group of individuals representing various arts organizations, public school arts programs and university arts departments from around the state of Florida met on the campus of The University of Florida for a conference sponsored by the Florida Higher Education Arts Network (FHEAN). The purpose of this meeting was to explore ways to implement Goals 2000 legislation and the National Arts Standards in public school arts programs and institutions of higher education.

During a break-out meeting at this conference, a number of arts professionals and educators from North Central Florida met and agreed on the need for greater involvement from university arts students in community-related activities. As an outcome of this meeting, faculty from The University of Florida School of Art and Art History decided to explore the possibilities of developing a course which would enable art students in the department to work in collaboration with others as community participants.

In the Spring of 1996, a dialogue continued within the School about the structure and goals of a "community-based" art course. Various art faculty involved in "public art" as well as "art made in the public interest" contributed to this discussion. Mel Alexenberg, Dean of the Visual Arts, at the New World School of the Arts in Miami and Wally Wilson, Chair of the Art Department, at the University of South Florida in Tampa also provided ideas for the development of this course.

From these beginnings, a syllabus for a new course titled Expanded Contexts: Art and Community was written by Dr. Craig Roland, Associate Professor of Art Education. The course was offered for the first time during the Fall 1997 term on the UF campus. It has also become a part of the BFA curriculum at the New World School of the Arts in Miami.

This web site was developed to serve as a online instructional resource for this course. At the present time it includes the course syllabus, descriptions of the course projects, a gallery of selected student work, and a list of links to various web sites which offer content related to the goals and theme of the course.

There is also a listserv called ARTCOM-L that has been set up to faciliate teaching of the course as well as to encourage dialogue among students currently enrolled in the course. We will be exploring other uses of this listserv including online discussions with visiting artists and speakers who present in person during the course.

Suggestions for related artists, works of art, print and electronic resources, and project ideas from people who visit this site are welcome. We hope that this site will continue to grow and serve as a valuable online resource for persons interested in the arts as a catalyst for engaging community and affecting positive change.

Send suggestions and comments to: Craig Roland.

To search for the good and make it better, this is the real challenge for the artist.

Estella Conwill Májozo



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