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Wanna Make Something Together?
We’re starting a new MA program in Media Arts and Performance, for community-minded artists, media activists, and performers.
I’ve been teaching in the Media Studies department at CUNY/Queens College for the past, gosh, eight years. This coming Fall, I’ll become the new director of the graduate program, where we’ve been focused on media studies scholarship in the context of social change and social justice. It’s been fun and enriching, but increasingly people have been asking for something more hands-on, embedded in community, or expressed in the form of performing arts or media activism.
Luckily, the folks at the Drama, Theater and Dance department have been thinking along the same lines, so we’re going to be joining forces to pilot a new MA track in Media Arts and Performance beginning in Fall 23. This post is my invitation to join us.
Most basically, this is an MA program for actors, dancers, writers, directors, technicians, set and costume designers, media makers, activists, and performance studies scholars interested in performance and media as a form of social practice, activism, or community building. It is appropriate for those pursuing careers in the performing arts, arts education, media arts, arts activism, or performing arts scholarship.
I’m hoping this is where you’d come for an MA degree if—like me—you aspire to be the next Reverend Billy, YesMen, Ali Ferzat, Midianinja, Jenny Holzer, Elevator Repair Service, Museum of Morbid Anatomy, Dr. Sharmell Bell, Amelia Winger-Bearskin, or San Fransciso Mime Troupe. It’s less for performers who want to headline at Lincoln Center than those who want to discover and promote the untold stories of an under-represented community. Less for a filmmaker who wants to make the next Marvel blockbuster than one who wants to experiment with new narrative structures that don’t reinforce existing hierarchies. Less for someone who wants to use AI to create convincing special effects than someone who wants to reveal the hidden biases of AI through live improvisation or an interactive installation.
The program will specialize in integration of media arts and performance, such as interactive theater, online performance, augmented reality and dance, and…
