Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation Program (CAST)

In the borderland between human suffering and human possibility we find artists, cultural workers, justice-seekers and peace-builders acting with courage, beauty, compassion and power. Brandeis™ minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST) will engage you in interdisciplinary exploration of the stories, the people, the actions and the artworks that animate this boundary.

Twenty-first century leaders will be called upon to engage creatively with the large-scale inter-related environmental, political and economic challenges that will confront communities around the world. Through courses where you can explore theory and practice at the nexus of the arts, creativity, social justice and peace, the CAST minor will challenge and support you to develop the capacity for resilience for "bouncing back" intellectually, culturally, ethically, emotionally and spiritually.

By joining CAST™s community of inquiry, and by taking courses in the humanities, the arts, and social sciences, you will become prepared for careers and vocations that link your talents and interests in creativity and the arts with your concerns for the needs of communities, and for social justice and peace.

Create@Brandeis all-arts welcome party!

Friday, September 13, 2019

Time: 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Location: Fellows Garden (rain location: Shapiro Campus Center atrium)

CAST Welcome Back Reception

Meet the Undergraduate Program Representatives and current CAST Minors:

Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
Location: Alumni Lounge in Usdan

Sophiline Arts Ensemble Performing Phka Sla; Choreography by Sophiline Cheam Shapiro

Photo Credit: Sophiline Arts Ensemble

Dance in the Aftermath of Mass Violence

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Time: 2:00 - 4:50 pm
Location: Shapiro Campus Center Theater

Members of the Cambodia-based Sophiline Arts Ensemble will present a lecture-demonstration about choreography in post-genocide Cambodia, and the relationship between legacies of violence and contemporary expressive culture. They'll perform an excerpt from a recent piece developed as an official "reparations" project of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal -- the international court trying Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and genocide.

This event is sponsored by the Minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST). For more information, please contact ethics@brandeis.edu. All are welcome!

CAST Fall Salon

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Time: 5:30-7:00 pm
Location: TBA

Michelle Ortiz

Familias Separadas/Central Americans Held in Detention Centers

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Time: 2:00 - 4:50 pm
Location: Alumni Lounge, Usdan

Visual artist, muralist, community arts educator and immigrant rights activist Michelle Ortiz will introduce her Familias Separadas project -- a series of public art installations in Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, about the horrific impact of family separations.

This event is sponsored by the Minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST). For more information, please contact ethics@brandeis.edu. All are welcome!

Announcement: Appointment of Toni Shapiro-Phim

The Interdisciplinary Minor in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation (CAST) at Brandeis University is delighted to announce the appointment of Toni Shapiro-Phim as Associate Professor of Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation and Assistant Director of the Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts (outside the tenure track). Beginning fall semester 2019, Professor Shapiro-Phim will co-chair the CAST minor, offer its core course (CAST 150b), develop two new CAST-designated courses, and support the program in Peacebuilding and the Arts. Read the full announcement.

CAST Annual Report

Newly released, this report outlines the activities of the minor in Creativity, the Arts and Social Transformation (CAST) in its fifth year, fall 2018–spring 2019. The report includes highlights from CAST courses, Design Labs and other events, student updates and capstone projects, as well as changes to the Advisory Committee and staff, including the appointment of Toni Shapiro-Phim as Associate Professor. Read annual report from this year and previous years.