Diversity Awareness Month
The 2011 Diversity Awareness Month event -- "I have a dream for..." was a two-part
event: a QuiltMaking Workshop in October and a SongWriting Workshop in November.
"I have a dream for..." is a quilt story history project recognized as a university
initiative to celebrate diversity and to promote unity. The workshops are divided
into two-hour sessions.
Students, faculty and staff invited to experience the opportunity of expressing their
creativity and sharing their dreams for...
The InterRelations Collaborative, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization
(funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, United Way, etc.) is introducing its award-winning
educational programs for more than 1000 students at colleges and universities across
New York City this summer (Hunter College, John Jay College, Lehman College, Queens
College, Columbia University, etc.) as well as the Tri-State Area (Yale University,
Yale Divinity School, Berklee College of Music, etc.).
The IRC's arts-inspired programs offer IRC's companion QuiltMaking & SongWriting
Workshops for rapidly diversifying student populations at higher education institutions
throughout New England. Southern Connecticut State University is one of the first
public university to participate in this dynamic program.
IRC's intensive QuiltMaking Workshop was developed in association with acclaimed
artist, Faith Ringgold (Distinguished Professor of Visual Art, University of California,
San Diego) whose work resides in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum
of Art, Guggenheim Museum, Museum of Modern Art as well as major repositories of world
art around the globe. Our empowering QuiltMaking Workshop is facilitated in collaboration
with Patricia Maunder who works with Ms. Ringgold's arts education foundation. For
more info, you may access IRC's Website at:
InterRelations Collaborative
Harlem artist, Faith Ringgold (Distinguished Professor of Art, University of California
at San Diego) presented and launched the exhibit of the InterRelations Collaborative's
9/11 Peace Story Quilt she collaboratively designed with multicultural student populations
across New York City at the 10-year commemoration of 9/11 in the Metropolitan Museum
of Art's Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium on September 11, 2011.
The quilt made at Southern is pictured here (click on the image to open a larger version):
IRC's companion marathon SongWriting Workshop is facilitated in collaboration with
award-winning composer and conductor, Jim Papoulis. Mr. Papoulis is a classically-trained
flutist, and sought-after composer and conductor who works with the Tokyo String Quartet
as well as conducts symphony orchestras, professional choruses and youth choirs worldwide.
He also works with such popular artists as Odetta, Geoffrey Holder, Faith Hill, Shania
Twain, Beyonce, Aretha Franklin and many others. Mr. Papoulis composed a song, CHANGE
WE CAN BELIEVE IN, for President Obama during his first presidential campaign.