鈥淭he only box you have to think outside of is the one you create yourself. If you don鈥檛 create a box, you鈥檙e just free to think.鈥
S. Brian Jones is 桃瘾社区鈥檚 first assistant dean for diversity and equity in theater and media arts, and he鈥檚 on a mission to empower students to think beyond the mainstream power structures in Hollywood and New York.
In addition to overseeing the 桃瘾社区鈥檚 Storytelling for Equity and Inclusion Fellowship, Assistant Dean Jones is working with faculty to develop a new major: writing for diversity and equity in theater and media arts. 鈥淚 have a lot of experience in programming and outcomes. I wanted to make sure that we were creating something that would go beyond the status quo and actually move things forward.鈥
"We can guide underserved and underrepresented communities to see their own power, find the audiences they resonate with, go out and source the money, and then take their work all over the globe.鈥
Jones is looking at how this program can do more to meet the needs of 21st-century students. 鈥淒iversity and equity have become big buzzwords, and everyone comes to those words with a different perspective. What I don鈥檛 want to happen is for people to get caught up in having to figure out what those words mean.鈥 As faculty members have been exploring the kind of citizen artist this program will serve, Jones has been reaching out for input from a variety of top industry professionals.
In theater and media arts, opportunities are passed on through connections鈥攁nd people coming up in the business scramble to get a seat at the tables of power. 鈥淚 want this major to prepare students to excel鈥攁nd also to invert the power structure. Look at artists like Sara Jones or Tig Notaro: They didn鈥檛 try to fit into mainstream standards. They went out and made something successful, and then Hollywood came to them. That only happened because they were able to see the value in themselves. That鈥檚 what this program could do.鈥
鈥淲e can teach students how to find their authentic voice and also how to understand the business side of the business鈥攈ow to write a grant and apply for fellowships鈥攚hile also being able to distinguish between opportunities that move them toward their goals versus the ones that get them off track. We can guide underserved and underrepresented communities to see their own power, find the audiences they resonate with, go out and source the money, and then take their work all over the globe.鈥
Professor and NYC Design Factory director Andreea Cotoranu is teaching students how to solve tomorrow鈥檚 problems. In partnership with major corporations and international collaborators, students have pitched ideas like noise-absorbing drones, massive-scale food cooling systems, and a modern take on teen furniture design.
Singer. Model. Medical assistant. There鈥檚 no end to what Brian Powell 鈥21 can accomplish as a health science major on the pre-physician assistant track who creates art in his spare time. To top it off, he also wrote a research paper on racial patient bias in healthcare.
When Justin Brandon was a child, he loved to take things apart to figure out how they worked. Now he鈥檚 at 桃瘾社区, completing a degree in computer studies with a focus on cybersecurity and computer forensics.