The Honey W. Nashman Center Prize for Community Engagement in the Arts and Design
Poem authored by Vance C., a local participant of Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop. Typography design by Abby Kim, a GW student in CGD 2060. View more examples of work emerging from this partnership.
Corcoran student and social practice artist Adele Kenworthy partnered with Empowered DC to create an art installation advocating for park space in DC’s Ivy City neighborhood in May 2020. Following the event, Mayor Bowser announced she would spend $20 million to restore a former school into a community center.
The Nashman Center Prize for Community Engagement in the Arts and Design recognizes George Washington University students who use artistic practice to engage in community relationships aimed at justice, social change, and advocacy. Student projects are conceived, designed, and implemented in the context of authentic partnerships with community organizations and/or community members. Community engagement in the arts and design enhances communities as they work for social transformation, raises public awareness on important issues. It is a catalyst for reflection and discourse on justice. Ideally, community organizations or residents are engaged in the creative process. At a minimum, projects consult with a partner organization or community leader in decision-making and planning.
The Nashman Center awards first and second place prizes, $300 and $200 respectively. The prizes are awarded annually in conjunction with the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design’s NEXT Festival. Any student participating in NEXT Festival programming whose work meets the selection criteria of the Nashman Prize is eligible to apply. Students selected as finalists for the prize present a five-minute artist’s talk to a selection panel. The judging panel is comprised of Nashman Center Faculty Affiliates, the Corcoran Visiting Professor of Community Engagement, community leaders, and Corcoran alumni.
Applications Accepted March 1-April 1
The online application steps include:
• Enter applicant information (name, email, title of the work) project.
• A description of the work, impact for the community, and the community partner’s involvement in the process. This statement should address the selection criteria. (Word limit: 300 words).
• Upload a PDF document with a brief letter of support from a community partner. The letter should describe the outcomes of the project for the community, as well as how they and/or others in the community were involved in the project.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their project on the GWServes system, sharing the project with the Corcoran’s GWServes page. Note: this is not an application requirement, but GWServes Impacts provide an opportunity to share additional descriptions, images, and explanations of your work with the review committee.
• Please address any questions to Wendy Wagner, Director of Community Engaged Scholarship at the Nashman Center. [email protected]
Selection Criteria
• Connection between creative work and community impact/advocacy, including evidence of outcomes where possible
• Commitment to community engagement grounded in equity and reciprocity, including evidence of community participation or consultation
• Demonstration of creative expression and originality
• High quality of the final project, based on the standards of practice of the medium/field