
Arts, Media, & Culture
Artistic expression opens up the ability to examine humanity at its core. From documentary to paint, journalism to dance—all forms of art and media have the power to preserve and transform culture. The ways in which this may engage social change are endless. Storytelling has historically been used to convey realities and raise critical awareness. Mural paintings can serve as large-scale tools for advocacy and reclamation. Literature and music change the ways in which we share information and look at the world. As a common point of reference, arts, media, and culture ultimately bring people together in viewership, production, and experience and can serve as a critical avenue of social action and change.
Engaged Scholarship Opportunities
There are several ways to get involved with arts, media, and culture on Swarthmore’s campus outside of the classroom.
Arts in Action — A faculty-led initiative of the Lang Center, Arts in Action brings together artists, students, faculty, and staff to engage with the arts for building community and to explore creative and transformative possibilities at the individual and community level.
Storyboard — If you have more experience in filmmaking, photography, and writing, consider joining the Storyboard team, a Project Pericles funded summer program that teaches high school students storytelling for social change.
Engaged Humanities Studio — This program, currently in its pilot year, brings together faculty, students, and community members for projects that combine the humanities with collaborative practices and creative sensibilities to address social issues.
Connect
Lang Center Associates
Natalie Fraser '24 |
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Sign up for an appointment with them on the LCA appointment calendar.
Key Faculty & Staff
- Pallabi Chakravorty, Professor of Dance and Director of Arts in Action Program at the Lang Center
- Ron Tarver, Associate Professor of Studio Art
- Katie Price, Lang Center Point Person for Arts in Action
- Patricia White, Professor of Film & Media Studies, Coordinator of Gender and Sexuality Studies Spring 2022, Centennial Chair
- Rodney Evans, Associate Professor of Film & Media Studies
- Syd Carpenter, Professor of Art, Peggy Chan Professorship in Black Studies
- Paloma Checa-Gismero, Assistant Professor of Art History
- Lei X Ouyang, Chair of the Music Program in the Department of Music & Dance, Associate Professor of Music
- Tracey Stewart, Associate Professor of Music
- Tom Whitman, Emeritus Professor of Music and co-director of Gamelan Semara Santi
- Joe Small '05, Assistant Professor of Dance
- Alexandra Geuydan-Turek, Associate Professor of French and Section Head & Program Coordinator Comparative Literature
- Bakirathi Mani, Associate Professor of English
- Sangina Patnaik, Assistant Professor of English
Centers
- List Gallery
- Kitao Gallery | Contacts: Ella Yadav ‘23, Olivia Marotte ‘24
- Olde Club (Venue)
- Media Center | Contact: Jeremy Polk (Staff)
- MakerSpace | Contact: Josh Jordan (Staff)
- Communications Office
- Intercultural Center
- Black Cultural Center
Student Groups
- War News Radio | Contact: Martin Tomlinson '23
- Voices | Contacts: Nancy Vu ‘24, Tiffany Wong-Jones ‘23
- Rhythm N Motion Dance Company | Contacts: Nzana Thillot ‘25, Fourth S ‘23
- WSRN | Contacts: Derrick Zhen ‘24, Vladimir Soto-Avina ‘23
- Our Art Spoken in Soul (OASIS) | Contact: Prince Tardeh ‘25
- Capoeira | Contact: Paul Seth ‘23
- Drama Board | Contact: Shreya Patel ‘25
- Philosophy GeMs | Contact: Megan Wu '23
- The Orpheus Review | Contact: Clare D'Amato '23
- Mei | Contact: Sylvia Xi ‘25
- SWIVEL Storytelling | Contact: Natalie Fraser ‘24
- The Swarthmore Review | Contact: Ark Lu ‘24
Learn
Relevant Courses
- ARTT 006B. Monuments and Public Space: Studio Architecture
- LING 003. First-Year Seminar: Multilingualism and Language Contact
- LING 025 (SOAN 040B). Sociolinguistics: Language, Culture, and Society
- LING 066. Structure of Thai
- SPAN 012. Imágenes y contextos hispánicos
- SPAN 015 (LITR 015S, ENGL 009F, LALS 015). FYS: Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture
- SPAN 063 (LALS 063, LITR 063S). Latinx Images: Film and Visual Culture
- SPAN 067. Legado artístico y cultural de la Guerra Civil
- SPAN 088. Pasados desgarradores: revolución y trauma en la literatura centroamericana
Act
On-Campus Opportunities
- Apply for a summer grant (each year, one or more students is awarded from the 1961 Fund for Arts and Social Change)
- Apply for an International Reporting Summer Fellowship
- VISIBILITY Magazine
- Write for the Arts Section of the Swarthmore Phoenix
- Write for Voices
- Write for the Swarthmore Review
- Apply for the Pulitzer Center Fellowship| Contact: Katie Price (Lang Center), Professor Emily Paddon-Rhoads
- Apply for an Inclusive Excellence Fellows Initiative
- Attend an Arts in Action event | Katie Price (Lang Center), Professor Pallabi Chakravorty
Off-Campus Opportunities
- WHYY Internships
- Asian Arts Initiative
- Bolivian Express
- Courtyard Dancers
- Dance for PD
- Wayfarer Entertainment
- Centro Arte para la Paz
- YoungArts
- Moving in the Spirit
- Not an Alternative
- NIA Center
- Anderson Sustainable Garden
- NARRATIVE 4
- First Person Arts
- Pig Iron Theatre
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Chester Children’s Chorus
- Kimbell Art Museum
- Mural Arts Program
- Scribe Video Center Internships
- Storyboard
- Village of Arts and Humanities
- The Moth
- Philadelphia Folklore Project
- Ulises
- Slought
- Urban Word NYC
- Folkfilms
- Theater J
- Ruth’s Table
- Chester Made
- TED Fellows
Projects
Storyboard - Storyboard was founded by Rebecca Castillo, Ariana Hoshino, and Tiye Pulley in 2017. Funded by the Project Pericles grant, Storyboard offers affordable programs to underserved youth in urban areas. Throughout these programs, students will learn how to use photography, filmmaking, writing, and graphic design to share their stories and impact their communities by highlight important social justice issues.