NORTH ADAMS, MASS.—CARE SYLLABUS, a joint project of MCLA’s The Mind’s Eye and MASS MoCA, has received a $3,200 grant from the Cultural Council of the Northern Berkshires.
CARE SYLLABUS’ goal is to put care at the front and center of conversations about building a just and inclusive world in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. By engaging with artists, educators, and academics, CARE SYLLABUS hopes to facilitate critical discussion and strengthen cultural relationships in Western Massachusetts and beyond. Through a combination of public digital programming and online exhibitions, CARE SYLLABUS has mimicked a classroom syllabus to create five modules, guided by guest curators, which examine the theme of care from different perspectives.
The Cultural Council grant will support the development of the next three modules, which will be themed around local and global feminisms, disability justice, and the infrastructure of collective care. They will launch every other month throughout 2021. For more information, please visit: https://www.caresyllabus.org/
The first module of CARE SYLLABUS’ pilot program opened in December 2020 and was curated by artist Wendy Red Star with the theme “Reconnecting Object with their Home,” which explored the displacement of indigenous historical records and objects. The second module, curated by academic Dr. Kimberly Juanita Brown, is titled “Black Elegies in Sight & Sound.” Launched in February 2021, it examines the place of mourning and representations of grief in relation to Black subjectivity. Module offerings include digital exhibitions, panel discussions, and curator talks, all publicly accessible and designed to be used as community resources.
CARE SYLLABUS is co-directed by Dr. Victoria Papa, assistant professor of English at MCLA, Dr. Laura Thompson, MASS MoCA’s director of education and an adjunct professor in MCLA’s Arts Management program, and Dr. Levi Prombaum, the 2020-2021 American Council of Learned Societies Leading Edge Fellow at MASS MoCA.
“We're thrilled to be able to grow and expand CARE SYLLABUS through this grant,” said Papa. “In times of unrest and uncertainty, this project is an opportunity for MCLA students and faculty to access resources designed to place care at the forefront of our creative pursuits, critical inquiries, and civic dialogues. CARE SYLLABUS embodies the potential of cross-institutional collaboration; it represents the synergy between MCLA and MASS MoCA.”
