JANUARY - FEBRUARY

JANUARY 19TH - MCLA-IAH Spring 2021 Highlights Release

Similar to our Fall Season Preview, the interactive IAH Spring Highlights features exemplary work of Berkshires arts organizations that embrace and push forward the inclusion, diversity, equity, and access principles. Use this preview to plan curricula for your classes, spread the word to students and colleagues, or make personal plans to engage with the exciting art and humanities being produced in the Berkshires.

JANUARY 20TH - Faculty Fellowship Deadline

The MCLA-IAH Faculty Fellowship Program connects faculty, students, and community members with area arts and humanities resources to support the development of interdisciplinary curricula, student research, community involvement, and more. We invite you to apply for this fellowship by submitting proposals for experiential projects and/or interdisciplinary collaborations that address and investigate issues of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) by capitalizing on the area’s unique, cultural resources.

FEBRUARY 1ST - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 1

FEBRUARY 3RD - IAH Student Mini-Grant Program Application Deadline 1

Grant funding is available to support student-led projects and interdisciplinary collaborations that engage the community and/or capitalize on the area’s unique, cultural resources. Students interested in this opportunity are encouraged to apply to receive funds (of up to $1000) for innovative projects, activities, or program initiatives that strategically address notions of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA). Those whose projects are selected will be expected to document and present the outcomes of their project. Examples of fundable projects are listed below.

FEBRUARY 10TH - IAH Student Advisory Board - Applications DUE

The MCLA-IAH Student Advisory Board is a committee of students with an interest in promoting Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) on campus through review and revision of MCLA-IAH programming. Already, the Institute aims to engage students in its mission by inspiring active participation in events and resources. However, MCLA-IAH also recognizes that appealing to students’ needs and wants from an institutional standpoint can fall out of focus without their voices in the mix. In an effort to engage students more thoroughly in the IAH mission and make steps towards further curating programming to their needs, we want to include student voices in MCLA-IAH planning.

FEBRUARY 15TH - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 2

FEBRUARY 25TH - Resume and Portfolio - ZOOM Workshop

A workshop focused on informing emerging arts and culture students about developing an excellent resume and portfolio, MCLA-IAH will be inviting community arts professionals to lead students through the do’s and don'ts of resumes. Featuring professionals working in the industries of theatre, arts management & entrepreneurship, and fine arts, students will be given the opportunity to ask questions and learn from those who could potentially review their resumes in the future. This workshop will serve as the preliminary event of the two-part series, which will conclude with a 1-on-1 resume and portfolio review in April. Guests and time to be announced.

MARCH

MARCH 1ST - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 3

MARCH 15TH - Unlikely Conversations Part I

Launched at the 2020 Day of Dialogue, MCLA-IAH hosted a 3-part conversational series, “Unlikely Conversations”, that tackles the questions that emerging arts and culture professionals may be thinking. Facilitated by students and MCLA-IAH interns, Declan McDermott, Destiny Rivera, and Drew Thomas, the series invites Berkshire arts and culture professionals to participate in discussions where they respond to the tough questions we want answered. “Why are internships for emerging artists still unpaid and how do you plan to change this within your organization? How can we create more visibility for future generations of BIPOC artists and people? How can you effect change in a system where art is viewed as merely ‘entertainment’?” All these questions will be addressed in constructive discussions between arts and humanities professionals and MCLA community members throughout the semester.

We are excited to announce that we have extended the Unlikely Conversations Series, and it will be continuing into Spring 2021! Conversation Topics and Panelists to be announced.

MARCH 15TH - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 4

MARCH 24TH - IAH Student Mini-Grant Program Application Deadline 2

MARCH 29TH - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 5

APRIL

APRIL 5TH - 1-on-1 Professional Portfolio Review

Following the resume and portfolio workshop led by Berkshires arts professionals, MCLA-IAH will host representatives from arts and culture institutions in the Berkshires to participate in 1-on-1 resume and portfolio reviews in their field. Students will be able to sign up for a 15-minute time slot where they can present their materials to their representative and receive invaluable feedback regarding their portfolio. Through this collaboration, students will not only receive strong revisions to their portfolio, but will be introduced to professionals in their industry, putting them in line for future career opportunities. Representatives, sign-up information, and times to be announced.

APRIL 8TH - Unlikely Conversations Part II

Conversation Topics and Panelists to be announced.

APRIL 12th - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 6

APRIL 18TH - Empowered Voices Collective: Submissions Close

Created by MCLA-IAH intern, Destiny Rivera, The Empowered Voices Collective is an online platform, housed on the SM[ART]COMMONS website, where BIPOC students can submit and present their creative work and engage with others' creative forms. The platform will feature poetry, short stories, freewrites, photography, and artwork from BIPOC and aims to address cultural disparities by engaging the MCLA community in these diverse art forms and experiences. Altogether, the collective is an outlet for students of color to be vulnerable about their emotions and express their own experiences through their personal vehicle of expression.

APRIL 22ND - Undergraduate Research Conference

APRIL 26TH - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 7

APRIL 28TH - IAH Student Mini-Grant Program Application Deadline 3 (Projects to Launch in Summer/Fall 2021 Semesters)

MAY

TBD - Empowered Voices Collective: Platform Launch

MAY 10TH - MCLA-IAH E-Newsletter Issue 8

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES & PROGRAMS

Palimpsest Project

Embracing the collection process of Sara Katzoff for MCLA Theatre’s pal-imp-sest: 2020 remixes, MCLA-IAH will produce graphic collages of text, imagery, and anonymous quotes that are representative of responses to Katzoff’s prompts. As a part of her devising process, Katzoff encourages participants to respond to imagery, ideas, and words in personal ways, describing what it makes them think of, how they feel, or what it means to them. These responses will be anonymously shared in graphics designed by Drew Thomas as MCLA-IAH’s #fridayfeature’s for the Spring 2021 semester, embracing an overall sense of inclusion and representation of MCLA at this moment in history.

Sm[ART] Commons Blog

Through a collaboration with the blog and IAH intern, Destiny Rivera, MCLA-IAH will be expanded our voice onto the Sm[ART] Commons website. We will respond to campus events, both within and outside IAH, that document and record their impact and significance on campus. Additionally, the blog will be used to house the Empowered Voices Collective and to document the collection process of Sara Katzoff and the pal-imp-sest: 2020 Remixes team. Altogether this blog will become an interactive place for IDEA and MCLA's campus to flourish in one virtual location.

Social Media

To keep up with the latest updates and details regarding MCLA-IAH events and programming, Berkshire arts and culture organizations, and more, follow our social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook.