The Center for Holocaust, Human Rights, and Genocide Education opened on the Brookdale campus in 1979. Its mission was three-fold: educate about the Holocaust, genocide, human rights, promote the elimination of racism and antisemitism, along with all forms of prejudice, and develop creative programs regarding these critical human issues.
One of these programs is the eighth annual student art installation, Historians of Ourselves. The art program seeks to answer one simple question: What do I want future generations to know about this moment?
“Each year, we pick a theme and hold a professional development workshop. Our first installation was themed about the ‘94 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, which was then displayed on Capitol Hill,” said Program Director Spencer Cronin. The project earned national acclaim and led to several years of further projects.
This year’s project is intended to “give students the place and space to grapple with their experiences during the pandemic,” Cronin said.
As the pandemic has gone on, Brookdale students and young people in general, have had to adjust from their preconceived plan to survive with the times.
“Young people have always served as documentarians,” Cronin said. One of the biggest differences in this year’s submission is who is allowed to submit a project.
While submissions have traditionally been open to younger students, Chhange decided to increase the submission pool this year.
“We decided to open it up to Brookdale students instead of just middle and high school students,” Cronin said. With young voices and young experiences of the pandemic shaping this installation, Chhange felt a larger pool of submissions would be beneficial.
“What constitutes a Brookdale student is different in terms of backgrounds and ages, and that’s a really great part of being on campus,” Cronin said.
Indeed, any Brookdale class has people of all types. You are just as likely to find a high school senior getting extra credits as you are to find a “regular” 20-year-old student or a 45-year-old student going back to college.
Chhange is hoping submissions will reflect Brookdale’s diversity.
The other big difference this year is the format of which installations can be submitted.
“Digital, film, photography, music and spoken word poems can all be submitted,” the program director said. Chhange made the decision after realizing “it can be difficult to physically get in a group together,” Cronin said.
For submission guidelines and other details, contact [email protected]. The show will be exhibited in Brookdale’s CVA Gallery from May 11 to June 27.