About this art piece 'In Community:

Holding Space at MCAD'

What is this? And why now?

What this art piece is:

and what it is not:

This is an art piece created by Hedwig Vinson as part of the graduate MACL program's capstone project. Centered around a Community-Driven Change Phase 1 initiative, this project was created with the idea that to make space for the more difficult conversations, to face what needs to be faced with openness and humility, is to make space for authentic community.

As a current student of MCAD's Master of Arts in Creative Leadership, an alumni of the Comic Art Program, and a current staff member in the Admissions office, I have a deep love of this community and our potential to continue growing to serve artists and creatives.

This piece is meant to engage the larger MCAD community in different ways of holding space for the needs of the community that are not so easily answered by formal gathering spaces.

There is no agenda here, no gathering of data with the intent to attempt to extract meaning. I find deep inspiration in the work of the artist's collective 'Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures' and direct you to their website here.

This is about being present together, and listening to each other deeply. Some of my own guiding questions in the creation of this space have been as follows:

What would it feel like if we had a space like this at MCAD? What would a recurring practice like this mean for our community? Would we feel closer to one another? Would we trust more quickly? Be more able to undertsand one another?

This is an opportunity for us to share what we need held among our community. Do you find yourself with things held inside about your relationship to this institution and this community that you've never felt the right opportunity to share? Can you feel inside that now is the time to share it?

There are different kinds of stories we hold – beautiful ones, tragic ones, everything in-between. For all the stories that had nowhere to go, I offer this space to you now.

I feel it is important to set expectations around the intentions behind this piece.

This is not a formal creation or presentation from current staff and leadership of MCAD the institution. This is an art piece from your fellow community member, holding space for you to be in community in a different format.

While leadership may view this art piece, this is not meant to be a formal presentation and a means of gathering data to present requests or demands for change.

I sense that, once known, these stories will have their own kind of power in our community. I leave this phase 1 project open to how this manifests in change, and ask you to come along with me.

For more information on, well, information! And how these stories will be used, please refer to the Community Guidelines page.

About the artist

Hello! My name is Hedwig Vinson , class '11. I am a graduate of MCAD with a BFA in Comic Art, and a current student in the Master of Arts in Creative Leadership here at MCAD, slated to graduate August 2nd, 2024.