Social & Studio Practices at Moore: An interview with Daniel Tucker

Carly: After the program, where do your alumni end up working?

Daniel: We are training people to work as independent artists, educators, and in the non-profit sector as administrators and organizers. There is an expanding field of institutions and organizations hiring people to work as community engagement liaisons, curators, and coordinators. Our students have had experiences doing this work on a part time basis and as fellows at the Allentown Art Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art here in Philly. We’ve only just started less than 2 years ago and have graduated one MA class, and we can confidently say that our students are being prepared through professional development seminars, and workshops and that questions around careers and life practices are integrated throughout the curriculum.

Carly: How does Mural Arts come into the collaboration, and how does having MAP at the table impact the program?

Daniel:  The partnership with MAP is a cornerstone of our curriculum and allows people at Moore to gain insights into the practices of a 30 year old arts organization which has refused to be stagnate and keeps growing and evolving – providing a great deal of inspiration for our students. Current and former staff members teach in the program – Jane Golden and Shira Walinsky have taught students about case studies in Mural Arts history, and Leslie Lodwick and Paul Farber have worked with our students on their thesis. We collaborate on events like our programs with Michael Rakowitz, Liz Thomas, Works Progress, and Damon Rich. And finally, one of our biggest joint efforts is the In/Out Summer Symposium which really serves as a moment of reflection on the most challenging questions and practices taking place within the broad framework of socially-engaged art today. Save the date for our next joint symposium, on July 21 and 22, 2017!

Carly: Is there anything else you’d like to share about the program?

Daniel: We are taking applications for the fall now through February 1, 2017 and are excited to announce that our fellowships have been increased to up to $20,000 annually. We are hoping this will make it much more accessible.

Carly: Thanks so much for giving an overview of the program, Daniel, and I’m excited to see how the program keeps growing!