Activist-Artist in Residence

The Dolores Huerta Research Center for the Americas at UC Santa Cruz is committed to bridging Santa Cruz County communities and the university through a rigorous engagement with public scholarship and art. Inspired by the Activist-in-Residence program at UCLA, the Huerta Center launched its own activist/artist residency in the 2019 Winter quarter. This residency program is an ideal way in which to introduce new collaborative opportunities for students and faculty with community leaders and local artists.

 

The Huerta Center understands the identity of “activist” to be defined broadly. An activist can be an artist, a community change maker, an educator, and/or a community advocate. An activist is someone who is committed to social change, to progressive reform, and to strengthening our local community. Too often, activist work is unrecognized, tiring, and demanding. The objective of this residency is to give the selected applicant an opportunity to access university research resources, be creative, and have the time and space to engage with UC Santa Cruz students and faculty on their ongoing or future social justice oriented work in line with the Huerta Center’s mission. 

 

We have difficult social issues facing our community, state, country, and world. The hope is that this residency program gives a non-UC Santa Cruz community member an opportunity to be in dialogue with prospective collaborators at the university.