Research

Call for Chapters: Art and Civic Engagement

Image Leigh Nanney Hersey Book Chapter, Research
Photo by Ian Sterling, Licensed by Creative Commons
Photo by Ian Sterling, Licensed by Creative Commons

I am very excited to announce that my co-editor, Dr. Bryna Bobick, and I are co-editing a book. Dr. Bobick teaches art education here at the University of Memphis. We are combining her interest in art and my interest in civil society to edit the book Handbook of Research on the Facilitation of Civic Engagement through Community Art. We are currently seeking chapter proposals for the book.

We see examples of the interaction of art and civic engagement all around us. The picture to the right is of “A Note for Hope” by Chicago artist Jeff Zimmerman. He was assisted by Rhodes College students and the Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts staff. Zimmermann painted an original, five-story high mural on the east side of a vacant building that is visible from the stands of the Memphis Redbirds stadium. Stax Museum just opened the art exhibition Stax: Visions of Soul which displays works created in response to socially conscious music from the Stax catalog. Motown: The Musical just played here in Memphis. Founder Barry Gordy broke down many racial barriers through the music produced at Motown. The nonprofit organization Playback Memphis seeks to create social change through ‘Performing the Peace.’ This project is based in theatrical practices and brings together formerly incarcerated individuals and police officers to create an honest and open dialogue and strengthen social and emotional relations within the community. These are just a few examples of how art and civil society interact.

How are the arts interacting with your community? Tell the world through this new book. We are looking for chapters from artists, practitioners, and academics. The focus is broad-based and inclusive. For full details on the call for chapters, please check out the website at http://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/1878. We look forward to seeing your proposal.

Social Media and Animal Rescue Survey

Leigh Nanney Hersey Animal Welfare & Rescue, Research

If you could look at my Facebook page, you would see that is full of animals. Everything from local animal shelters to the conservation of wildlife. As I write this, my rescue dog is curled up beside me. I spent the weekend coordinating nearly a dozen volunteers to transport a rescue dog from Texas to Florida. I love animals. I always have. For many years I thought being a veterinarian was my calling.

As I scroll through my Facebook page, I am drawn in by the cute pictures of kittens and puppies, and giraffes and turtles. Through casual observation, it appears social media is an important tool for organizations that work with issues of animal welfare. As volunteers play a large part in animal rescue, I also see the many hours of hard work they put in to make things work.

It is with this background that I decided to do some more research on just how animal welfare organizations are using social media. What is working for them? What is not? How can we share this with those people in the field to help them continue doing the great work they are dedicated to? I asked my “partner-in-crime” Gayla Schaefer to join me in the research. We have already written a book chapter on how one animal welfare organization integrated social media into their communications plan, so it seemed like a perfect fit. Gayla is also an alumna of the University of Memphis MPA program, and it is great to continue working with our former students.

The research is based on a survey, so if you are involved with an animal welfare organization, I encourage you to take the survey, which can be found here: https://memphis.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1yRWzDwzGCkFoUt. Feel free to share it with other organizations you partner with. Thank you for everything you do to support animals.

Hello world!

Leigh Nanney Hersey Research, Uncategorized

Welcome to your brand new blog at University of Memphis Blogs.

To get started, simply edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.

For assistance, visit our comprehensive support site, check out our Edublogs User Guide guide or stop by The Edublogs Forums to chat with other edubloggers.

You can also subscribe to our brilliant free publication, The Edublogger, which is jammed with helpful tips, ideas and more.