Community as Intellectual Space:
Aesthetics as Resistance: The Act of Community Building
4th Annual Symposium
June 13-15, 2008
Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Paseo Boricua, Chicago, Illinois, USA
About the Symposium
What is "Aesthetics as Resistance?"
Community Informatics Initiative (CII) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the
Puerto Rican Cultural Center
(PRCC) invite you to join us as we engage in an active dialogue on art, identity, and cross-cultural community building with
community leaders, artists, educators, librarians, activists, students, and residents.
The vision at the PRCC has been and is to build community grounded in cultural practice. Our work surrounds us in our art:
from murals to poetry, music to the People’s Parade. These aesthetic practices represent deeply creative-and political-acts
to build community that draw on our local social ecology. Community building is, in itself, a collaborative aesthetic that transforms the
social, political, and educational.
CII and the PRCC invite you to participate in meaningful lived moments in the heart of Paseo Boricua as together we redefine knowledge.
See the full conference description at http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/oc/programs/cpd/CIS2008/CISschedule.doc
Who should attend
We invite students, faculty, researchers, activists, and others
interested in community research and action to participate in the life of Paseo
Boricua, gaining first-hand experience with community
as intellectual space.
We welcome K-12 teachers of art, social studies, history, Latin American studies, Spanish,
African American history, cultural studies, educational technology, library media, science,
and others interested in project-based learning to earn up to 16 CPDU hours this early summer.
Sponsors
Institutions are invited to provide sponsorhip for the symposium. Sponsors will receive one
free registration for every $500 donated. Funds will be used to cover facility and equipment rental costs,
set up and clean up support, and supplies.
SPONSOR INFORMATION
Registration and lodging
Registration for the three-day symposium is $95. The fee covers dinner on
Friday night, continental breakfast on Saturday, Sunday morning brunch, and program materials.
Registration form for PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD
Registration form for PAYMENT BY CHECK, PURCHASE ORDER,
OR SPONSOR WAIVER
Lodging is available at a local hostel and various hotels. Please use the following
LODGING INFORMATION link for a listing of accommodations in the area.
Location
The main conference site is the Puerto Rican Cultural
Center (PRCC) building.
On-site check-in will take place there.
If you are arriving for the Symposium and have any questions,
you can phone (773-342-8023) during regular work hours. You may also
phone Ann Bishop, Symposium Co-Chair, at any time (217.369.0014).
Public Transportation and Parking
Parking in the neighborhood surrounding the PRCC will be very
difficult to find. It is best to take public transportation:
From O'Hare airport or other Chicago locations, take the CTA
blue line train to the Division St. stop, then transfer to the
Division St. bus (no. 70 westbound) and get out at the corner
of Division and California. Alternatively, you can
walk/take a cab for the 11 blocks (1.5 mi.) from the Division
train stop to the PRCC.
CTA routes and schedules
Call for posters
The Community as Intellectual Space symposium invites graduate students and other scholars to submit posters for a
presentation session at the symposium.
We invite posters that present studies/research related to conference theme of Aesthetics as Resistance.
Research could be from a variety of disciplines, including (but not limited to): Library & Information Science,
Education, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Art/Music, Ethnic Studies, and Women’s Studies.
Presentations might address any of the following topics and themes:
- The role of communities in creating and producing knowledge
- Methodological and ethical issues related to conducting research in communities
- he role of art and culture in community settings
- Educational programs or approaches
- Community informatics
- Community members’ perspectives on particular issues
- Grassroots and community-based social and political movements
For additional information see
CALL FOR POSTERS handout.
Submissions should be sent via email to:
Laura Ruth Johnson,
lrjohnson@niu.edu
Deadline for submission: May 19th, 2008
Notification: May 30th, 2008
Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships is available for students and others with
limited income. Submit a paragraph describing your interest in the Symposium and
the reason for your request to both Symposium Co-Chairs: Ann Bishop (abishop@uiuc.edu) and Alejandro Molina (alejandro@prcc-chgo.org ).
Childcare
If childcare is needed, please contact Alejandro Molina (alejandro@prcc-chgo.org) by June 1.
Symposium flyer
We encourage you to spread the word about the Symposium. Please feel free to
download and post the Symposium flyer available at this location http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/oc/programs/cpd/CIS2008/CISflyer.doc
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Dr. Ann Bishop,
abishop@uiuc.edu /217.244.3299 or Sharon Comstock
, scomstoc@uiuc.edu
