
2021 Arts of Respect Drucker Fellows Program
Arts of Respect (AOR) awards projects in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Its focus is respect for humankind and to promote greater understanding of how the arts can help build more cohesive community at Drew University and beyond.
AOR – established in 2009, endowed by a generous gift from Dr. Paul Drucker C’51, P’83, and facilitated by Drew’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict – endeavors to end hatred, move beyond mere tolerance, and to instead promote mutual respect.
Over the past year, India, home to over 1 billion people, has suffered two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and a range of ensuing crises. My home city, Mumbai, often referred to as 'the city of dreams', has turned into a city of nightmares, setting the highest globally recorded single-day rise in cases just a month ago. With these events still ongoing, I hope to learn more about how this pandemic has fundamentally changed the city, and the ways in which people have had to adapt their daily lives.
Through interviews with citizens from diverse backgrounds, I am putting together a documentary to understand how COVID-19 has challenged the residents of Mumbai in different ways, but also helped us to realize those aspects and people of our city that we may have taken for granted. Through these insights into our distinct but interlaced roles in the city, my goal is to promote greater respect and empathy for one another among our broader community, as well as to reveal existing differences of opinions or struggles which made it difficult for Mumbai to unite in overcoming the COVID pandemic sooner. Above all, I wish to convey a sense of togetherness in having survived what has been an unbearably lonely and painful year for so many.
I was extremely fortunate, this past semester, to have participated in the project: "The Way Forward: Drew/San Diego/Capetown" (a national initiative sponsored by Bringing Theory to Practice (Bt2P) and the Luce Foundation) as a part of my classwork in Theatre in the Community: The Newark Collaboration with Professors Chris Ceraso and Judy Tate. This project was created in lieu of working directly with the High School students from Newark, due to the Pandemic.
The work of this new Community can be viewed by searching on Youtube for "The Way Forward Project Drew University," which I was a part of creating, along with K.J. Herwig, Marley Matthias, Skylar Patricia, Kris Perez, Mikaylah Mitchell, Diamani Reed, and Tydai Singleton. I edited the collaborative videos that will remain a part of this project.
I am looking forward to a continuing collaboration by editing the videos for the Newark students who will be on the Drew Campus this summer.
The Theatre 386 class at Drew is an exploration of the field of Community-Based Theatre, and at its core is experiential learning where students serve as both theatrical mentors and fellow creators with our community partners.
Our Project was called: The Way Forward, and was a cross-country and international theatre arts project. We worked in conjunction with Bringing Theory to Practice, a national consortium of university educators who wish to develop innovative and collaborative responses to the multiple challenges facing our nation of the COVID 19 pandemic, institutional racism, economic inequality, and the changing environment.
The RMG Salon engages and interacts with BIPOC students. Due to the current pandemic and controversial topic of police brutality, it is important to make the voices of BIPOC students heard and allow a space for them to share their views of what legacy means.
The theme of this performative arts salon is legacy. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines “legacy” as: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past. BIPOC students from all disciplines in the Drew community were welcome to explore, through performance, how they are the product of legacy; be it familial or societal. During the show students read original poetry, sang songs, performed excerpts from plays and original dance pieces to explore and celebrate the theme of legacy. The salon was established in memoriam of Drew faculty member and community organizer Rodney M Gilbert to continue his legacy.
My project will serve to recontextualize historical Black-Jewish relations through an exploration of contemporary intersections between Black and Jewish experiences. In order to accomplish this, I will be hosting a series of artist talks at Drew that features various interdisciplinary artists engaging in interpretations of Black and Jewish identities.
I hope this series of conversations between artists and the community will play a role in bridging a gap between these two communities while creating understanding of the diverse and complex identity of the Jewish people as communicated through these artists' respective art forms.
Project co-sponsored by Drew Hillel.
My work is a photo exhibition of women from my hometown of Newark, New Jersey. It will showcase the lives of urban women as a way of debunking stereotypes and empowering the urban youth identity through the lens of feminist urbanism. I want to offer women from my community a platform to share their favorite places while also sharing their story, and to steer away from the patriarchal values that dominate our society.
Featured at the Arts of Respect Showcase 2019
Drew University Ehinger Center
A documentary discussing Hollywood's history of misrepresentation and lack of minority representation (specifically Asian Americans.) Through interviewing individuals such as the president of the Asian American Film Lab, Lyla Evans and I hope to understand how Asian Americans are currently redressing racist representations.
Pearl Lee ('18) recommended that I apply for the grant after finishing a documentary about Asian American identity in the United States. She felt that the Art of Respect grant would highlight my passion for understanding and filmmaking. Lyla Evans and I, being Asian American individuals from radically different backgrounds, want to create something that represents the Asian American movement for minority representation.
"The importance of story-telling establishes, fosters and creates community. For first generation college students (FGCS), sharing stories is necessary for support. For this year’s Spring Gala, a different method of story-telling will show the audience a story, rather than tell it. The purpose of the “I am…” to display the pride and strength of being a FGCS.
This video addresses the challenges and the strength that students have to overcome various barriers in the educational system. By relaying this message, this gives an emphasis on the pride that first generation college student and helps breaks down negative stereotypes that members inside and outside of the community might perceive FGCS face. A 5-7 minute docu-video (documentary styled-video) that interviews, and follows the day in the life of FGCS at Drew University.
The premier of this video will be at the DrewFIRST Gala, on April 25th -- a celebratory event that congratulates FGCS who will receive a degree 2018-2019. Additionally, the video will be posted to DrewFIRST’s social media and shared on its Drew Webpage. "
What motivated you to want to organize your project? Multiple things, mainly that I wanted to share the story of first generation college students in an accessible way. I hope this will help break down stereotypes about first generation college students and empower others to claim this status!
In Mexico, people build altars for the loved ones that have passed away on the Day of the Dead. The project consists on building a community altar and having it on display along with information about the holiday.
The project is done in conjunction with ARIEL's annual Cena de Día de Muertos, which brings the community together to enjoy Mexican food and a live band of mariachis.
I am from Mexico, and as much as I enjoyed ARIEL's Día de Muertos celebration I thought it was missing an integral part of it since it did not have an altar on display. This was my way of bringing my favorite holiday to Drew.
A 6-week poetry workshop that extensively focuses on the voices of poets of color.
What motivated you to want to organize your project? A love for poetry and working with students!
Photo journalism project documenting everyday lives and experiences of newcomer refugee and immigrant youth to Oakland, California.
I worked with a non-profit in Oakland, California for two years and thought that the stories of the young men and women who were participants of this program should have their stories told and seen in one way or another.
My work will be an interdisciplinary examination of the role media, fashion and culture play in the respect of women; I will be using visual art, digital media, and written/spoken word to illustrate this.
I am motivated (and appalled) by the consistent erosion of human interaction and civility in general, and that afforded to women more specifically.
Through the medium of photography and digital imaging, I plan on exploring the theme of self respect in the black community by documenting the key physical elements that shape our self esteem; skin color, hair, clothing and body shape. I plan on photo graphing the parts of the black body that often gets misappropriated and disrespected in hope of inspiring self respect amongst the black community.
Growing up, I’ve personally struggled with being confident about my black culture in predominantly white institutions. My goal is to remind students at Drew to respect the beauty in black bodies. I think it’s important to recognize the beauty in diversity at Drew University.
My project will bring street artist Johanna Toruño of The Unapologetically Brown Series to Drew. She will give a lecture/workshop on community organizing and healing through artwork. Students will then have the opportunity to put what they've learned into practice by creating their own posters.
I think that a lot of students have amazing ideas and experiences to share, but feel that they don't have the voice or platform to do so. Toruño has made the streets her platform and is not afraid to speak out about things that are important to her and the community, which is something I admire and feel that students should learn how to do. I think art can also feel unaccessible, especially to POC, but Toruño makes everyone feel as if they are an artist with something important to say.
Project co-sponsored by AOR, Everyday Ethics, The Center for Civic Engagement, The Freedom School, University Program Board, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Drew Residence Hall Association, Ariel.
(in alphabetical order)
Akua Asante (Ghanaian)
Bongiwe Bongwe (South African)
Kassel Franco Garibay (Mexican)
Anna Gombert (American)
Déjà Lewis-Nwalipenja (African American, not pictured)
Maïmouna Kante (Malian)
Yasmin Mustafa (African American)
Mundia Sibongo (Zambian)
Advisor: Professor of Political Science and Women and Gender Studies, Jinee Lokaneeta (Indian)
“The Respect Our Voice Art Exhibition was everything it was meant to be and more. The program brought different communities together to have ‘open conversations’ about issues that youth must face every day.”
“Working with these high school students and seeing how they used art to express themselves was truly an eye opener for me …”
Tanirah Watson (’18). Fifth Grade Teacher and Drew University Alumna. AOR 2018.
Kassel Franco Garibay (’20)
“Franco Garibay is a native of Mexico City and grew up celebrating Día de Muertos, which is her favorite holiday. When she first arrived at Drew she realized she would be missing the holiday for four years, but the Arts of Respect grant allowed her to change that. …” –Drew Acorn
Photo Courtesy of Nina Campli.
The Center on Religion Culture and Conflict invited applications for the 2017 Arts of Respect – Paul Drucker Fellowship Program. The goal of Arts of Respect (AOR) is to promote greater understanding and respect using the arts as a medium of communication and expression. AOR – established in 2009, endowed by a generous gift from Dr. Paul Drucker C’51, P’83, and facilitated by Drew’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict – endeavors to end hatred, move beyond mere tolerance, and to instead promote mutual respect. Students are eligible to receive up to $1000 in funding for their project.
On Wednesday March 2, Newark High School students performed original songs, poetry and monologues at Drew University’s Dorothy Young Center for Performing Arts Directing Lab. The Newark teens took part in a friendly competition as part of the Community Theatre course, where Drew students mentor the young Newark artists.
Pearl Y. Lee, Founder of Drew University’s Korean Culture Club, along with CLA student photographer, Emmanuel Crespo (’16), curated the 2016 exhibition “Generation Z: On the Margin.”
The exhibition focused on the “issues thirteen students of color struggle(d) through,” and featured, as Lee described, “portraits of students and literary works they individually wrote regarding their ‘multi-racialness’,” and a celebration of “the fluidity of identities.”
“I believe that the first-hand accounts of the participating students will allow others to become aware that culture cannot and should not be “something” that can be generalized to one continent,” Lee explained. “Identity does not always have to be based upon one’s geographic origins.”
As Lee compellingly described, “Art often works best when there is attention in it; we do not wish to have any mundane qualities. According to Drew photography Professor Rebecca Soderholm, a good story always has a sense of attention or even drama and conflicts. Professor Soderholm also shared that the best photos have a sense of tension. This conceptualization of tension is what we hope to achieve as race and identity construction are both tense subjects in and of themselves. We hope that providing tangible “proof” of the tension regarding race and identity will help the diverse Drew community discuss and explore the concept of race in a respectful and earnest manner.”
About 40-50 faculty members and peers attended the opening night at Brothers College to celebrate the multitude of identities.
AOR – established in 2009, endowed by a generous gift from Dr. Paul Drucker C’51, P’83, and facilitated by Drew’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict – endeavors to end hatred, move beyond mere tolerance, and to instead promote mutual respect using the arts as a medium of communication and expression.
Fellows receive up to $1,000 to facilitate art projects that explore the theme of RESPECT and encourage members of the campus community to do the same.
The Drew Civic Engagement Awards delivered an extra shot of sight and sound this year as the winners of the Dr. Paul Drucker award for the Arts of Respect 2014 were announced live at the ceremony held on April 24. Each of the three First Prize winners – in Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts – presented their award-winning work to a packed Crawford Hall.
The Drucker AOR Award for Literary Arts went to Amreen Patel (’16). Patel, a biochemistry major who is also President of Muslim Student Association, won for her poem, titled My Nani’s Prayer, which paints a beautiful image of Muslim life in America. Visual Arts First Prize went to graduating senior Jennifer Costa (’14). An Art major, Jen’s photo series titled Portraits of Northern New Jersey offers the viewer a raw and honest picture of a world grappling with social responsibility in an age of ever greater diversity. Jen is a gifted photographer who has been an AOR finalist multiple times, receiving honorable mention 2013.
Finally, the 2014 Performing Arts Award went to Bella “True” Dapilma (’16) for her spoken word performance of A Girl Risen. True, who majors in Spanish, French and Neuroscience, is also President of the Drew African Student Association. A multi-talented artist, True is the first ever two-time AOR winner, earning back-to-back Drucker Awards following her Literary Arts Award in 2013. True’s work spins issues of poverty, racism, sexism, and social justice into powerful lyrics that scream “deal with it”. And so we thank again Dr. Paul Drucker (’51), for giving us the Arts of Respect as one way to help us all “deal with it.”
April 7, 2013 8 pm
Craig Chapel, Seminary Hall
Arts of Respect: Gallery Open through April 12
Library Lobby, Learning Center
April 5, 2013 8pm
Songs of Respect: musical works for Arts of Respect Kiwi Roots
The Space, Ehinger Center
April 9, 2013 7 pm
EOS Student Salon
The Directing Lab, Dorothy Young Center for the Arts
April 10, 2013 7 pm
The Finals
Craig Chapel, Seminary Hall
April 12, 2013 10 am
Sports of Respect: Race, Faith, and Baseball
Crawford Hall, Ehinger Center
March 20, 2013 4 pm
Round 1, 3/20-22
High School Theatre presentations
March 21, 2013 4 pm
Words of Respect: Reading with Reza Aslan and Literary Presentations for Arts of Respect
Mead Hall, Founders Room
What is Arts of Respect and what can it offer to your students? Click here to learn about AOR.
Intructions for running high school and middle school programs
Bring the Arts of Respect to your school with just few simple steps.
Promote AOR on your campus. Brochures and posters are available in PDF format to promote the program on your campus.
AOR-HS-flyer-2013We require students to submit their original work by March 1, either in hard copy or digital format (performance works, such as a dance or song, should be recorded.Note it does not have to be in high definition [HD], we are willing to accept a low quality copy to meet the deadline since the student ideally will have a chance to do a live performance before the panel.)Set up a panel to select three finalists from your school. The panel should be comprised of faculty, preferably art/music/writing/theater teachers faculty and teachers that cover subjects related to the theme (e.g. are there faculty that specialize in diversity?)Judging should be based on both aesthetics and message. In other words, the best works are those that are excellent works of art that speak directly to the theme of respect. Regardless of the number of entries, we urge you to select the top three.
Give names and contact info to Prof. Jonathan Golden (jgolden@drew.edu) by early-mid March
* All participants and their families and friends are welcome to attend the finals at Drew University (date TBA)
“I was proud to bring the Arts of Respect to Millburn High School and I am looking forward to bringing it again this year. It was an extremely successful program and it was embraced by students and teachers alike. In fact, the art department wrote the Arts of Respect into the honors curriculum. The program was an excellent way to open a dialogue among students about such an important topic as respect for all. It provided another means to remind high school students that bullying is not OK, but in a very positive way by creating and viewing works of art. The program was so successful that teachers are enthusiastically sponsoring the program again this year.”
-Ryan Siegal, Millburn High School
In 1947, Jackie Robinson famously broke the color barrier when he became the first African American in the modern era to play Major League Baseball. But few people know that Robinson’s efforts to challenge racism and prejudice at that pivotal time in our nation’s history extended far beyond the baseball field and after his playing career. In fact, Robinson hosted an episode of a television show on the subject of faith, race and business ethics.
In 2009, a rare copy of that show surfaced at Drew University in the collections of the United Methodist Archives and History Center. As a part of the annual Arts of Respect Festival, and in keeping with Drew’s proud tradition of standing against racism, the Methodist Archives, Drew Athletics and the Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict hosted a program called The Sports of Respect: Race, Faith and Baseball. The program included several presenters who discussed race and faith in America as seen through the lens of our National Pastime.
Dr. Vivian Bull,
President, Drew University
Leading off
Dr. Jonathan Golden
Associate Director, Center on Religion, Culture and Conflict
Drew University
Dr. Christopher J. Anderson
Methodist Librarian and Coordinator of Special Collections
Drew University
Mr. David Kaplan
Director, Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center
Montclair State University
Mr. James Gates
Library Director, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Cooperstown, NY
Dr. John Sexton
President, New York University
Author of Baseball as a Road to God (Gotham Books, 2013)
Book available for purchase with book-signing by Dr. Sexton
My painting reflects the current Arab Springs uproar in the Middle East. It is heavily influenced on the post revolution protests of Egypt. The young child and sister in front of a war tank are protesters who demand respect for their basic civil rights and end of corruption. One character invites the viewer in her peaceful protest by handing you a rose which symbolizes her compassion for others and encouraging you to take a stand in respecting humanity and our rights regardless of who/where we may be. The handing of a rose is also a common gesture by Egyptian soldiers supporting their people.
It is not an uncommon occurrence for transgender individuals to be harassed, physically assaulted, sexually assaulted or murdered in men’s bathrooms. “The Wrong Room” is a short memoir about the first instance of anti-transgender bathroom harassment that was directed against me in a men’s bathroom, which happened in September 2011.
AOR, established in 2009, is sponsored by Drew CRCC, which endeavors to end hatred and mere tolerance, and promote mutual respect. In 2012, 105 students from Drew’s three schools, the Newark Public Schools’ Marion A. Bolden Center, and Madison and Millburn High Schools created artwork illustrating what respect means to them, and participated in professional performances and artistic workshops. The program culminates with a celebratory event during which the finalists’ interpretations of respect are displayed, read, heard, and acted out. Monetary prizes are awarded, and each student receives a certificate of participation.
Arts of Respect (AOR) originated at Drew as the brainchild of Dr. Paul Drucker, a member of Drew’s College of Liberal Arts class of 1951 and a retired physician who has a passion for advancing respect among all people. Dr. Drucker and Drew collaborated on developing the concept for AOR to encourage students and the community at large to explore conflict through the lens of art.
Arts of Respect (AOR) is an annual 2-week arts festival and competition in the visual, literary, and performing arts. Its focus is respect for humankind and to promote greater understanding of how the arts can help build more cohesive community at Drew University and beyond. AOR, established in 2009, is sponsored by Drew’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict, which endeavors to end hatred and mere tolerance, and promote mutual respect. In 2012, 105 students from Drew’s three schools, the Newark Public Schools’ Marion A. Bolden Center, and Madison and Millburn High Schools created artwork illustrating what respect means to them, and participated in professional performances and artistic workshops. The program culminates with a celebratory event during which the finalists’ interpretations of respect are displayed, read, heard, and acted out. Monetary prizes are awarded, and each student receives a certificate of participation.
In a world plagued by prejudice, hatred, and conflict, the arts offer a means of building bridges between and among people, of calling us out of ourselves into the imagination of others. The arts invite us to look at the world through different media, and to experience truths we might not otherwise contemplate, motivating us to constructive engagement with others. Arts of Respect (AOR) originated at Drew as the brainchild of Dr. Paul Drucker, a member of Drew’s College of Liberal Arts class of 1951 and a retired physician who has a passion for advancing respect among all people. Dr. Drucker and Drew collaborated on developing the concept for AOR to encourage students and the community at large to explore conflict through the lens of art. While art is sometimes used as a medium for the expression of hatred, bias, and intolerance, Drew’s Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict seeks through AOR to give students of all ages the opportunity explore their perceptions and feelings about social and cultural problems – of a personal and/or a macro nature – in a creative and positive way. AOR was expanded in 2011 to include high school students from the local Madison area and Newark. With further expansion, ultimately reaching schools and communities across the state of New Jersey, the nation, and beyond, we seek to promote the theme of mutual respect among students from diverse socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, enhancing student well-being and creating healthier learning environments.
Today’s world and its mix of races and ethnicities are closer and more intertwined than ever, and the need for us not only to “get along” but to create synergies is crucial to our living in harmony versus violence and strife, and living to our fullest potential. The objectives of Arts of Respect are to: 1) place the topic of respect “on the table,” and raise awareness of the need to acknowledge, accept, and embrace differences in race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic background, to name a few, which underlie the prejudice and intolerance that result in bullying and discrimination at a vulnerable time in students’ lives; 2) give students a venue in which they can safely “put a face” on prejudice and intolerance among their peers, and be heard, as a way to promote sensitivity and dialogue; 3) help students to gain a greater sense of well-being, and thereby create a healthier learning environment in the schools where they can better concentrate on their school work and participate in the classroom, as well as socially; 4) give students the opportunity to develop leadership skills by coordinating participation in AOR in their schools, and leading a sustainability program to motivate continued dialogue about respect, and perpetuate an improved climate of tolerance and acceptance.