Art, Technology, and Design for Social Change
Spring Semester 2018
“Although her main vocation is art, Johnson — a visiting professor of art and digital and computational studies — also has a background in community organizing. “I am really invested in the idea of connecting teaching with the larger community, and opening the classroom,” she said. “This class allows everyone to have that experience, both learning more about the state they’re living in and contributing to the social justice work that is happening here.” (Johnson was recently recognized for her community-engaged classes by Maine Compass Compact.)”
No Place Like Home
No Place Like Home was an instillation piece created by four students in
the spring 2018 edition of Johnson's course. The students worked with
the organization Avesta Affordable Housing to create a piece that would
educate and engage the Portland Maine public on issues of affordable
housing.
Roadblocks
Students explored refugee and asylee commuting barriers in Maine through
creating a story map of individuals who use the public transportation system in Portland.
This story map was intended to be used by Catholic Charities to convince State Officials
to consider more extensive bus systems or subsidized metro cards for low-income
residents. The students utilized ArcGis to create a cohesive story connecting two
personal testimonies, refugee and asylee statistics, description of Catholic Charities
role, and maps of Catholic Charities' client's commutes.
