Calling all art and activism enthusiasts

In full transparency, this was not my first choice for my First Year Seminar course at Barnard; the original course I wanted immediately filled up (shoutout Vergil), and I randomly chose one that would fit into my schedule. But retrospectively, I have never been so happy to not get my class of choice. 

The course is one of many First Year Seminar classes offered at Barnard. It examines the “ways in which art and performance have shaped activism” and is taught by Shayoni Mitra. Growing up I was heavily involved in the arts and performance – I sang, did pre-professional ballet, theater all throughout high school, and so on. I also was interested in activism and carried out a large amount of volunteer work. But, I had never considered what it was like to put the two together. I always saw them as separate, both necessary, but not necessarily something that would be combined. 

At the start of the course, we began by examining our individual relationship with activism. What kinds of activism have you been a part of? What causes speak to you the most?  We wrote a short essay detailing our own experiences with activism, and this alone started to change how I viewed activism. Activism itself can mean many different things and contain many different causes. A lot of the work I did in high school could be considered activism, but I had never viewed it that way before. We also got to hear about the activism different students participated in, which I believe enriched the seminar even more. All of us had such different backgrounds and experiences with activism throughout our lives and each one of us could bring different perspectives to the table. 

An additional aspect of the class that I loved was the introduction to the Barnard Archives. Prior to this class, I had no idea what the archives were or what they even entailed. We got to spend time exploring the archives as a class and on our own, utilising them to further our research. Barnard’s own history of student activism was fascinating to learn more about, and I was barely able to scratch the surface of what the archives entailed.  Reading first-hand accounts of Barnard students made me feel more connected to not only their stories, but the school as a whole. 

After the first couple of classes introducing what activism and performance are and how we define those terms, every week or every two weeks, we would focus on a different topic of activism. This included feminist solidarity, campus movements, border and refugee crises, LGBTQIA rights, Black Lives Matter, and so many other topics. There were so many movements and causes I got the chance to explore, and Professor Mitra has a plethora of knowledge to share with the students about each topic. 

About halfway through the course, we split into groups and gave presentations about activism we were passionate about and the specific ways individuals promoted these various forms of activism. The group I was a part of chose gentrification at college campuses as our cause, including Columbia University, University of Southern California, Yale, and University of Pennsylvania. How have different schools monopolized communities and how have activists chosen to respond? How do each of the schools respond to activists’ demands? 

At the end of the course, we each wrote a paper combining all of the work we had completed in the class – your own experiences of activism, archival research, and group work that you completed. 

I now view art and activism as something very interlinked. Activism encompasses so many forms of resistance and critique, and covers an extensive array of topics. Everyone engaged with activism in different ways, and what is important is just to engage in a way that is meaningful and purpose-driven for you. For any Barnard baddies looking for a FYS course, choose this one! My perspective on activism is much deeper than what it was in August. 

Image via Bwarchives