The Refugee Experience

Final Documentation

Heather Gale & David Monroe

Goals

• The title was chosen because we wanted viewers to feel the experiences of refugees through pieces of art.
• Our main goal for the project was to educate the Stockton community of the refugee crisis, to evoke empathy for situations that refugees find themselves in, and to encourage social or political action.
• Our secondary goal was to create an experience on campus, and to invite curiosity from the students and staff.

Target Groups

• Stockton Community - To be aware of the crisis
• Stockton Artists - Exposure for their art
• Stockton Professors - To be encouraged to discuss the subject in classes

Permissions

• Cynthia Grove
• To install an art display in Upper F-Wing Cynthia Grove
• *Key Person*
• To use the ceiling beams to display art
• *Key Person*
• To allow donation boxes at the tabling

Public Relations

• Advertised in the Student Digest email
• Flyers posted by Event Services
• ARGO article
• Seen in Stockton’s GO page under events
• Class announcements
• Tabling at Campus Center (Brielle)
• Tabling at Art Garage in AC during an event
• Contacted current/former professors and encouraged them to invite students
• Requested advertising on TV screens around campus (approved, although we didn’t see them)
• Requested LED street advertising
• Additional advertising as part of “Refugee Crisis Awareness Day”

Activities Timeline

• Project/concept design
• Project construction blueprints
• Approvals for general concept Prof. Rubenstein
• Applied for Civic Engagement grant
• Developing themes with Prof. Lakew
• Appeal to students for artistic work
• Gaining permissions for project
• Presenting project in art classes to gather artists
• Meet with construction team to discuss logistics
• Consult with carpenter for box construction/hanging
• Contacted Stockton student clubs for collaboration
• Redesign/simplification of project
• Submit list of supplies needed to Service Learning
• More class presentations
• Collaboration with Office of Global Engagement, Amnesty group & Narenj Tree group begins
• Artists assignments confirmed

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• Flyer design
• “Refugee Crisis Awareness Day” consulting
• Supplies collected from Service Learning
• Completion of the boxes’ construction
• Hand out the boxes to the artists
• Artist bios collected
• More class presentations when artists drop out
• ARGO article, written & submitted
• Brochure handout design and writing
• Banner made
• Collecting the boxes from the artists
• Tablescape created; brochures collected
• Art installation set up begins at 8am, day of event
• The Refugee Experience, open to the public at 10:15am
• Take down of installation at 6:30pm
• Dioramas stored with Dr. Zhou, Office of Global Engagement

Resources

• Material
• Project materials through Civic Engagement grant/ Service Learning
• Table through Lisa Warnock
• Print shop for brochure printing
• Power tools and table saw from Luis Billini
• Intellectual
• SL department for direction
• Dr. Melaku Lakew - specialist on refugees & migration - for box themes
• Student Artists
• SOBL for processing print job

Collaborations - Experts

• Experts
• Dr. Melaku Lakew - specialist on refugees & migration at Stockton - meeting to come up with box themes after attending special lecture on subject
• Neil Galloway - carpenter - telephone conversation about constructing and hanging boxes
• Cynthia Gove - project coordinator at Stockton - for permissions and connecting to construction team
• Russell Konrady & Stephen Brown, Stockton construction team supervisors for install
• Luis Billini - carpenter - aided in the box construction

Collaborations - Groups

• Target groups
• Art Club
• Creative Collective
• Art students / professors: project presentation in art classes
• Support groups
• Amnesty student group (educate): offered to allow petition signing at installation site, although no one from group showed up
• Narenj Tree Foundation student group (action): offered to host donation collection at installation site
• Jiangyuan Zhou - Office of Global Engagement
• Coordinated with all groups to create “Refugee Crisis Awareness Day”

Performance

• Set-up began at 8am
• Heather & David & construction team
• Setup took longer than expected
• Event began at 10:15
• Counted 99 visitors!
• Survey to every 5th person (19 responses)
• At display at all times except for classes/lunch. Handed out brochures explained artwork. Advertised other “Refugee Crisis Awareness Day” events
• Installation officially ended at 6pm
• Traffic slowed significantly after 5pm
• Take-down began at 6:30
• Evening construction crew not aware of take-down

Evaluation & Assessment

• Counting visitors results: 99 people
• Survey Results
• People were able to empathize with the situations of refugees
• The different themes and aspects of refugees lives expressed in the art were well received
• Visitors wanted to have more events focusing on refugee issues on campus
• Certain dioramas allowed visitors to consider specific aspects of being a refugee that they previously had not thought of
• Other Feedback
• Visitors wanted the display up longer than one day
• Some noted that Stockton allowing & encouraging this type of student event was special

Individual Response: Heather

Overall I thought the advocacy art installation was hugely successful. It was a lot of hard work in coordinating it but we pulled it off with the help of many people and departments.

Our goals were to educate the Stockton community about refugees in the world, to evoke empathy for the situations of refugees using art, and to inspire social and/or political action for the rights of refugees. I believe we accomplished these goals. However, had we not depended on another group we may have been able to do more to encourage political action.

I am very pleased that the art installation will live on past my time at Stockton.

Individual Response: David

I am satisfied how the event worked out. I was even more surprised by the amount of responses from the artists and the crowds during Refugee Awareness Day. The combined assistance from the many professors and groups helped made the project better.

Overall, we did achieve our stated goals in educating the Stockton community and bringing awareness to the Refugee Crisis. The project was helpful for me in utilizing social action and artistic talent in a public space.

I will be happy to work on the refugee project next semester, though I would let someone else to build the boxes.