CFA Community Engaged Learning, Teaching and Research Value Statement (finalized Spring 2020)
The College of Fine Arts and related affiliate organizations believe the arts inherently foster collaboration, strengthen human connections, and weave together communities. We value how the mutual exchange of shared knowledge between campus and community creates reciprocal benefits for community members and partners, students, faculty, and staff. Our efforts include: offering creative curricula which engage students in opportunities to apply content-specific skills as they work with the community; providing a diverse range of participants access to thoughtful, inclusive, and supportive arts experiences; learning from and with community partners; and supporting faculty and student research which advances our understanding of how the arts impacts our world on a local, national, and global scale. Arts-based community engagement efforts through teaching, learning, research, and experiences are fundamental to the University of Utah’s goal of improving the health and quality of life in our community.
Interested in Community Engaged Learning opportunities?
There are a host of different community engaged classes and learning opportunities, so contact your home CFA academic unit to learn more. Here's an example of one:
ART 4185 Urban Art Works: Kim is a Professor of Drawing and Painting who has a strong and sustained commitment to an engaged art practice. Since 2003, Kim has worked with more than 400 University of Utah art majors and approximately 1,000 community members to paint over 30 community-based murals across the valley. This happens as part of her Urban Arts class that was created to allow students to connect with people and communities both on and off the University campus. Students gain first-hand experience in collaboratively creating and implementing their ideas with community youth and adults. She teaches a mural class where students learn the rigorous formal and conceptual skills needed to create this form of public art as well as transform the greater community through painting their murals in public spaces throughout the valley. The mural experiences often have a profound impact on both our students as well as the young people who participate in the free mural arts programming. See more in this video.
Learn more at the Bennion Center website.
