ProArts Panel: Emersonians Discussing How to Amplify Community Voices

Three members of the Emerson College community are participating in an upcoming ProArts Consortium panel series about highlighting artists are focused on social justice and community engagement.

The trio is taking part in the Amplifying Community Voices panel on October 8 from 12:30-1:30 pm EST, which is being moderated by Visual and Media Arts affiliated faculty member Elisa Hamilton. The panels are free and open to the public, and registration is required by visiting eventbrite.

Hamilton’s (MA, ’19) latest project is Jukebox, a community storytelling project that is an actual old fashioned juke box that will have community members of Cambridge, Massachusetts telling stories. Jukebox is also going to include numerous public programs

“I’m thrilled to be moderating this panel about such an important, timely topic. Now, more than ever, we are in need of creative approaches to social justice,” said Hamilton. “All of the artists and practitioners on this panel are doing essential work around this issue, and I’m looking forward to an energizing discussion!”

Hamilton will be joined by Journalism Assistant Professor Lina Giraldo. She focuses on interactive storytelling leading to social change, and explores the questions of being Latinx, the impact of humans on our surroundings, and the power of collective storytelling.

Giraldo said she’s looking forward to discussing the importance of including communities of color in the process of making and applying new technologies.

“We need to create ownership and understand identity using technology and storytelling,” said Giraldo. “The communities of color must be makers and not consumers in a world where a few design everything. During our design process, while working with the project ITS, Identity Technology and Storytelling, we worked together for a year within the community of Hyde Park. The intergenerational group learned from electronics and coding to create HD video cameras to interview the community using recycled materials for the body and electronics and coding for the software and hardware.”

Nalanny Guerrier ’20 will also be a participant on the panel. She is founder of Youth Artists and Innovators Culture (YAI Culture). YAI Culture is a social media project that amplifies voices of young artists in Boston through interviews published on their website

“As a young artist of Boston, I am committed to promoting and uplifting other young individuals and their artistic endeavors, through social platforms. So I created YAI Culture as a media project to fulfill this goal,” said Guerrier.

Guerrier said she’s looking forward to speaking about the importance of amplifying local artists’ voices, and learning more effective methods from the other panelists.

The Professional Arts Consortium is an association of seven Boston-area colleges, including Emerson College, dedicated to the visual and performing arts.