Storytellings Through the Community: Creativities in Arts and Media

This summer, the four of us pursued creative work in small organizations and self-led projects across the arts, media, and nonprofit sectors.

Shane worked remotely from Berlin with Arts Equity Group, a company that helps nonprofits and foundations position themselves as vital community resources. Jasmine Garcia helped create a documentary series on New York City's communities during the World Cup, learning to adapt to a fast-paced production workflow. Ester Merida-Lopez designed marketing and fundraising materials for Gnome Surf Therapy, a Fall River, MA nonprofit that creates surfing opportunities for neurodivergent athletes. Sylvia Polansky wrote, workshopped, and produced a new play, It's Good to Be King, in New York City. Together, we will discuss how storytelling, collaboration, and resourcefulness drive community-centered creative work, and what we learned about working independently and making a lasting impact with limited resources.

Moderator: Flonia Telegrafi

Presenters:

Jasmine Garcia '27 FMT major and Critical Race and Political Economy minorSylvia Polansky '27, English majorEster Merida-Lopez '27, Architectural Studies and Spanish double majorShane Xie '27, Data Science major and Economics minor