Student Projects
Meet the Authors
Rosella Camte-Bahni
Rosella is an Ibalois, one of the indigenous groups in the Cordillera Administrative Region in northern Philippines. In 1987, Rosella co-founded IGOROTA Foundation, Inc. (IFI) and became its Executive Officer in 2002. IFI is a non-government social development agency that partners with women's organizations to attain the vision of women's holistic development for self-sustaining communities through its Gender and Development, and Ancestral Domain programs. IFI implements its programs through transformative trainings, education, advocacy and organizing. Rosella is currently a graduate student in the M.A. Program in Cultural Production at Brandeis University.
Oral History as Creative Process to Social Change: An interview with Ann Brown, by Rosella Camte-Bahni
This paper analyzes the approaches of the Rural Organizing and Cultural Center (ROCC) and the Community Culture and Resource Center (CCRC) to attain its goal of social change in Holmes County, Mississippi by integrating research with an interview with the organization’s founder, Ann Brown. The organizations aim to transform a legacy of racism and inequity through a dynamic oral history project because Brown believes the history and culture of the community is the backbone of our work ... because our work is grounded in who we are and where we come from. This helps us to determine where we are going and how we get there.
Liz Canter
Liz holds a B.A. in Social Change and Education from Tufts University and an Ed.M. in Learning and Teaching from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She enjoys experiencing the world from many perspectives — as a visual artist, a creative educator, and a completely smitten mother. Currently, Liz teaches 4th grade at the Eliot School in Boston.
Recording Visions: An interview with documentary filmmaker Molly Blank, by Liz Canter
Molly Blank received a Fulbright in 2005 to go to Cape Town, South Africa to make a film about education in the Townships. She arrived uncertain of the exact story she wished to tell. By becoming a teacher in a local school, she not only immersed herself in the local community, she discovered many important voices, each with a unique story.
Hannah Chalew
Hannah, a New Orleans resident, is an undergraduate at Brandeis University in the class of 2009. At Brandeis, she studies anthropology and fine arts and is interested in pursuing a future in the field of community art.
Bridging Past and Future: Claudia Bernardi and The School of Art and Open Studios in Perquin, by Hannah Chalew
Claudia Bernardi is an Argentinean painter. She arrived in El Salvador as part of a team conducting exhumations of mass graves. Year after year, she returned, becoming more engrossed in the community. In 2005, she founded the School of Art and Open Studios in Perquin to foster artistic growth and community development projects within this traumatized town. This is one of two perspectives of Claudia Bernardi’s story, as told by an up-and-coming muralist.
Daniella Gold
Daniella received her B.A. from Brandeis University in Art History, International and Global Studies, and Peace, Conflict, and Co-existence studies. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in museum education, focusing on the role that the arts can play in conflict resolution and community engagement. The Arts of Building Peace was one of her favorite classes at Brandeis and solidified her interest in this field.
In Search of Dialogue: An Interview with Barbara Schaffer-Bacon, by Daniella Gold
Animating Democracy, founded and directed by Barbara Schaffer-Bacon, is an organization that promotes civic dialogue as a means to strengthen democracy. Animating Democracy uses the arts to create spaces for public discourse, invite participation and open up difficult conversations to address conflicts or societal issues.
Adi Grabiner Keinan
Originally from Israel, Adi graduated from Tel Aviv University with a B.A. in History. Adi is currently pursuing her M.A. in Cultural Production at Brandeis University. Her research deals with Israeli school memorial ceremonies for fallen IDF soldiers and how they can be used as an educational tool. As part of her graduate studies she pursued an internship with the American Friends of Parents' Circle-Families Forum, a grassroots organization of bereaved Palestinians and Israelis that promotes reconciliation.
Vision and Practice: An interview with Mohammed Sawalha, by Adi Grabiner Keinan
Mohammed Sawalha is the founder and director of the Palestinian House of Friendship (PHF), an organization that strives for peace and democracy in the community by addressing social, cultural and educational needs. Among many projects, the PHF coordinates volunteers to monitor elections, runs a summer camp for Palestinian youth, and is working to create a radio station by and for the community.
Molly Haas-Hooven
Molly is an undergraduate at Brandeis University in the class of 2009. She is majoring in Theater Arts with a concentration in acting. She is also pursuing studies in peace-building and social justice.
Sun in Skies, Birds in Trees: The Story of a Cultural Worker, by Molly Haas-Hooven
Claudia Lefko is a preschool teacher and founder of the Iraqi Children’s Art Exchange Project. Since 2001, she has organized a cross-cultural exchange of drawings between Iraqi and American children. She hopes the children’s personal images will offset the violent ones in mainstream media.
Fernanda Senatori
Originally from Brazil, Fernanda has a Bachelor's degree in Social Communication and specialization in Radio and TV. At Brandeis, Fernanda is a graduate student in the M.A. program in Cultural Production. She is interested in the study of globalization and the effects of mass media on local cultures. She intends to examine the importance of promoting cultural diversity while maintaining cultural identity.
The School of the Arts and Open Studios of Perquin: An interview with muralist Claudia Bernardi, by Fernanda Senatori
Claudia Bernardi is an Argentinean painter. She began working in El Salvador with Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (AFAT) to exhume mass graves and uncover human rights violations. She explained that When you start an exhumation, you start to exhume yourself. Her experiences with the AFAT helped form her visions as an artist and community worker. She founded the School of the Arts and Open Studios in Perquin to encourage community healing through the arts. This is one of two perspectives of Claudia Bernardi’s story, as told by a fellow South American.
Crystal M. Trulove
Crystal received her B.A. and M.A. from Brandeis University. She is part Cherokee Indian and felt a particular interest in Polly Walker, who is also part Cherokee. Crystal feels that being an artist has to do with the way one sees the world around her, and puts her unique vision into whatever she creates. She finds inspiration and humbleness in the presence of her daughter and looks forward to many years of growing together with her family. She hopes to find employment that uses her newly developed conflict resolution skills.
Artist and Peacebuilder: An interview with Polly Walker, by Crystal M. Trulove
Dr. Polly Walker is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. She works in mediation and in conflict transformation with both indigenous and non-indigenous people of the northwestern U.S. and in Australia. She works with groups to create storytelling rituals and ceremonies as a way to solve conflict and understand the interconnected world.