Katherine McGuffin

Author: Katherine McGuffin | Majors: Sociology & Philosophy | Semester: Fall 2022

Hello, my name is Katherine McGuffin, and I am a senior in the Fulbright college. I am double majoring in Sociology and Philosophy. Early in the Fall 2022 semester, I received an email regarding upcoming research opportunities that Honors college students could apply for. One project sought out students who were interested in social justice and creating social change through the arts. Being that social justice and art are two of my passions, this immediately sparked my interest. I applied and was lucky enough to be selected. I was soon in contact with my research team, which consisted of two of my peers, my mentor, Louise Hancox, and some faculty members at the Arkansas Arts Academy, an arts-focused high school located in Bentonville.

We planned to work with the students during their advisory periods, assisting them in the development of an art project surrounding social justice they’d like to see. Our specific research topics and tasks were to be guided based on how the project unfolded. My research team and I spent a few weeks researching how social change has been made previously through various artistic mediums. We found local and global examples and put them together in a PowerPoint, presenting it to the students at Arkansas Arts Academy high school. We focused on artists’ intentions as well as how the piece was perceived by various different groups, pushing the students to begin thinking of their pieces with consideration of the ways it could affect or be interpreted by people different than themselves. We hoped to impact the students by instilling an understanding and appreciation of the many ways they can interact with and speak to the world around them. From this point, the plan was to allow the students to discuss social justice issues they would like to focus on and mediums they would like to use. When they had done so, we would assist them with more pointed research. By guiding their research, we hoped to offer them experience with higher-level research and moreover expose them to ways of exploring the world more thoroughly. After the introduction of the project, however, we did not end up working with the students on their research again.

Despite the fact that the project did not turn out how we expected it to, this experience is still one I appreciate deeply. It was an incredible opportunity to spend time delving into something I am passionate about. Not only did I hone my research skills, but I gained a huge understanding of art and art history. It was inspiring to see how much of an impact art has made in creating social change, as well as how many people have worked or are working in this field. I have since gained a new appreciation for the potential of my own artistic and/or reformative endeavors. The nature of the research also taught me important lessons in confidence and connection. As a perfectionist with little formal art background, the idea of presenting and mentoring an art project to students in an art-focused school seemed daunting. However, I followed my instincts and passions in choosing what I wanted to present, and I put effort into conducting thorough research. Despite my uncertainty going into it, seeing how the students reacted to our presentation with such excitement and interest, I was again inspired and amazed by the ways that people respond when you put yourself out there. This transferred into other areas in my life, such as in my schoolwork and communication with those I’m working with (whether it be peers, professors, or bosses). Similarly, I gained invaluable practice at building professional connections, and was exposed to many opportunities through it, such as a relationship with my research mentor, who has since also offered me guidance in other areas.

Now, moving into my next semester, I am going to apply my research skills toward beginning work on my thesis. I hope to spend more time this next semester getting involved in feminist projects, and I am excited (rather than nervous) to build a relationship with my professors, realizing just how valuable connections such as these can be.