Focusing on the US/Mexico Border – 2019 Arts and Cultural Management Capstone Team Was Awarded Pratt’s GSEF Grant
Winter 2019
With the partial support provided by the Graduate Student Engagement Fund (GSEF) in the fall of 2018 Capstone, thesis team Fusión – comprised of Arts and Cultural Management program participants Rachel Hines, Marta Kostrzewa, P.H. Lawson, Supakarn Niruktisart, and Carmen Noguera were all able to travel to the San Diego-Tijuana border during the semester break from classes, in mid-December.
“We used this field research to explore first-hand how arts and cultural managers can work with community leaders to enhance cultural resilience in border communities” says P.H. Lawson.
The opportunity allowed not only some of the team, but all of us to travel and do this primary research together, collaboratively, while in the field, and forge professional connections and insights from key community stakeholders. The ability to have made connections with these stakeholders in the arts and cultural field who are making and shaping meaning in this uniquely relevant border region we believe is vital and will prove invaluable to our Capstone.
The Graduate Student Engagement Fund (GSEF) encourages and supports the professional development and advancement of graduate students through their work on creative/critical projects. Applications follow specific guidelines and procedures, and recipients are selected by a Pratt committee.
Fusión is a multicultural team of driven arts and cultural managers who leverage passion, knowledge and experience to partner with experts, thought leaders, and organizations to make a positive social impact in border regions. Fusión’s interdisciplinary background allows a holistic approach to projects; cultivating capital by bridging the “three C’s”: culture, community, and commerce.