Cecil McDonald Jr.

A More Perfect Union

I am proposing a series of interventions, actions and explorations throughout the Senn campus, I have identified (see attached for locations, materials and methodologies) spaces on campus where these happenings may take place. After a fruitful period of incubation regarding how to proceed, I have decided that it would be best to proceed as an artist working on the campus as an autonomous entity. This would allow the students to observe me and my practice without guidance or scaffolding from faculty, staff and administration. I believe it best that students encounter me and my ideas in an unexpected, arbitrary manner, a thoughtful, gentle interloper. I will be referencing Let America Be America Again, by the American poet and novelist Langston Hughes, this will be my anchor text. I suspect that these series of actions will take me right up to the holiday break. After the break I will circle back to the classroom with the Hughes poem as our guide and anchor engaging the students in a similar fashion; guiding the students to create and execute works based on works that I have demonstrated on campus as well new ideas and methods that may come from teachers and students input and insight. I believe this approach allows the student an opportunity to reflect and more importantly utilize some, if not all, knowledge and skills gained thus far, at the service of making as a civic leader and creative endeavor. Peripherally (but just as importantly) I have reached out (and secured a commitment) to the music department to have an original score created on the same themes hereto outlined. I expected to do the same with dance for a choreographed piece based on notions and concepts of our collected Americaness . I look forward to your feedback, comments and suggestions as we move forward…I am excited to be in this position and fortunate to be at Senn to put these ideas into motion.