Praxis Sessions
Praxis is the act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing, or practicing ideas. These small group sessions will be a time to practice the ideas of the summit and apply them to the participants own work. Paulo Freire said, “Liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of men and women upon their world in order to transform it.” Participants will meet with a consistent group throughout the summit in these sessions.
anna keefe
Anna Keefe is a poet, community artist, and PhD Candidate in Education focusing on collaborative program design with equity-seeking youth. She is passionate about co-creating learning opportunities that allow people to amaze themselves and uplift one another. She draws on extensive professional experience in community development and youth engagement, including with Right To Play, the Ontario Public Service, and Art Starts Neighbourhood Cultural Centre. She also holds an M.Ed. in Arts in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Anna is an American-Canadian of mixed European settler ancestry who grew up in Toronto, Canada.
Eve kagan
Eve Kagan (AiE ‘08) is a performer, educator and mental health counselor who thrives at the intersection of these disciplines. She is currently investigating the role of the arts in reconstructing trauma narratives, transforming and healing individuals and communities through empowerment. Eve holds an MA in Counseling from Northwestern University and works at the Talley Center for Counseling Services at the University of Mary Washington, integrating arts into her therapeutic practice with students.
Jennifer Ifil-Ryan
Jennifer Ifil-Ryan is an arts educator and administrator using socially engaged practices as an approach toward social transformation. Deeply familiar with multicultural learning environments and the educational challenges of impoverished communities, she has expertise in conceptualizing, devising and implementing frameworks for culturally relevant, hands-on, self-driven pedagogy, with an emphasis on incorporating multiple learning modalities, language acquisition, and social-emotional learning. Currently the Deputy Director & Director of Creative Engagement with the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling in Harlem, she is responsible for creating and managing programs that prioritize diversity and inclusion in viewing, discussing and making art. Jennifer is driven by her passion for social justice, advocacy for equitable living conditions, and the belief that the arts are an extremely effective tool for building foundations toward those ends. She is the founder of the non-profit, Urban Soul, where she offers professional development for artists, teachers, administrators, and communities at large in socially engaged art practices, curriculum design, program development and consulting services. Jennifer has been an adjunct professor of Art Education at City College since 2015, holds a masters degree from NYU in Individualized Study, and has presented at a variety of national and international conferences.
marit dewhurst
Marit Dewhurst is the Director of Art Education and Associate Professor of Art and Museum Education at The City College of New York. She has worked as an arts educator and program coordinator in multiple arts contexts including community centers, museums, juvenile detention centers, and international development projects. Her research and teaching interests include social justice education, community-based art, youth empowerment, and the role of the arts in community development. In addition to multiple journal articles and chapters, her first book, Social Justice Art: A framework for activist art pedagogy highlights young activist artists. Her second book, Teachers Bridging Difference: Exploring identity through art describes how educators can use art as a tool to connect people across different sociocultural identities.