Art and Society Intersect in a New Organization

The Jesuit spirituality of Boston College calls the university community to unite and serve others who are in need. This “men and women for others” mentality has brought to fruition an organization that strives to actively uphold this mission on campus: the 2009 project deemed the Center for the Arts and Social Responsibility comprises an essential component of this undertaking.

The Center for the Arts and Social Responsibility (CASR) seeks to actively engage students in a series of lectures, courses, and presentations using art forms to communicate societal problems and potential solutions to college students of a changing social landscape.

The Center’s mission also aspires to encourage Boston College students to become involved in the efforts of promoting social responsibility through creative means. By not only imparting an awareness of social injustice, but also providing the means of communicating and alleviating such injustices through the arts, the CASR is working in pursuit of a world in which injustice is less prevalent.

The CASR has a wide range of functions, and it encourages students to contribute to the group. Students may volunteer in leadership positions, propose projects, and suggest speakers or presentations to educate the broader university community. The pursuit of justice takes place both inside and outside the classroom.

In addition to organizing events on campus, the Center offers a series of courses that promote the mission and ideology of this group. Many of the courses offered through the Center for the Arts and Social Responsibility are interdisciplinary. They include courses in the Communications, Film Studies, and Theater departments. For instance, one may enroll in Holocaust and the Arts (FM 220), a course that examines the events of the Holocaust through the lens of film, music, and literature.

By shifting the interpretation of such events to explore social injustices from creative perspectives, students learn peaceful ways of communicating and dealing with social injustices. The CASR emphasizes the significant impact a single person can have, and the positive effects of a community with purpose.

Further, if students have taken a course designated as part of this program, they are invited to review it, so that others may learn more about the class and consider undertaking such an experience themselves. A further offering of the CASR involves its provision of the resources needed for students to create their own art. The Center invites students to produce their own documentaries portraying social issues, and it provides necessary resources and support for those who wish to do so.

The Center for the Arts and Social Responsibility features a series of upcoming events. These include a “Twenty-Four Hour Theater Experiment,” which will take place on February 6 at the O’Connell House. Interested students may sign up for teams in the Robsham Theater Arts Center and compose ten-minute plays. The group then has 24 hours to produce the play before they perform in O’Connell House at 9 p.m. on Saturday night.

Another upcoming event is “The Music of Social Justice” on February 13, a performance by the University Wind Ensemble. Each piece in the performance will reflect upon an array of social events, commemorating tragedies such as the Columbine shootings and the September 11 attacks. The concert will be held in the Irish Room of Gasson Hall at 8 p.m.

This initiative is part of a larger effort in pursuit of justice, peace, and equality. Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP) is an international organization that harnesses the creativity of artists around the world to offer solutions to social justice crises and to empower other people. Boston College’s Center for the Arts and Social Responsibility has established its own chapter of the organization.

For more information, multimedia resources, and applications for any of the opportunities offered through the Center, visit www.bc.edu/casr.

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