Engagement

Engagement with the local Harrisonburg community has been a central part of my teaching and creative practice since my arrival at JMU in 2020. My focus has been on creative expression around themes of identity and place.

Below are some examples of community-engaged learning projects that I have designed and facilitated. Some collaborations have taken place over the course of several years (Here + There), and others have been semester-long connections between JMU students and high school students (The Face of COVID) or elementary students (Mindfulness Meadow).

Elisabeth explaining something during a workshop
Facilitating the “Dreams Unfolding” workshop in 2023

Projects


Here + There
Exploring place and identity through creative visualization

Here + There

The Face of COVID
Documenting life during the COVID-19 pandemic

Mindfulness Meadow
Exploring mindfulness and kindness with elementary students

Coming soon…

Engagement Activities


Community Service Learning Workshop in Spain

In March 2024 I attended a workshop/conference focused on implementing community service-learning projects in the classroom at Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain.

Poster Presentation at UCDA Educators Conference

In May 2023, I presented a poster on “Here & There: Exploring Multi-layered Identity through Composite Photography,” at the University & College Designers Association Design Educators Summit.

Panel at Broadcast Education Association Conference 

In April 2023, I presented on “From Clients to Collaborators: Community-Engaged Projects in the Design Classroom,” at the Broadcast Education Association convention.