The University College of Citizenship and Public Service (UCCPS) has given senior Iris Halpern $1,150 to publish the first issue of the Feminist Art Dialogue, her new campus magazine. The publication will feature student submissions from all genres of literature and visual works.
"The works published will be focused on the issue of gender. Art will be used to have a more flexible statement, and silent voices that never had a chance to speak up will have the opportunity to say what they want to," Halpern said. "This will be a chance of interacting with many people, as different people with different experiences will have their works collected in one magazine."
To qualify for a UCCPS grant, the publication had to be community service related. Halpern said that the establishment of the Feminist Art Dialogue is a service to the community because it will address feminist issues and give voice to people who have not felt comfortable speaking out in the past. The magazine will also accept submissions from students in other countries, she said, building ties between Tufts and other institutions around the world. A graduating senior, Halpern said she is unsure but hopeful about the magazine's future.
"I got really good reactions and I got many submissions from 20 states and three countries including Israel, Canada, and the Philippines." Women's studies professor Sonia Hofkosh, who was involved in the committee that gave Halpern the grant, explained how the magazine met UCCPS's goals of encouraging active citizenship.
According to Hofkosh, the grant is for faculty, staff, and students who propose to encourage the development of citizenship and facilitate dialogue that brings people together toward a social goal. She said the magazine meets these criteria. Halpern said the magazine will try to create a dialogue among diverse people to encourage increased understanding of social differences and similarities.
"The feminist perspective the magazine hopes to convey... more about being conscious of difference and how it works and how it could bring people together rather than about promoting a particular political position or idea. It is about social responsibility." Hofkosh said. "What makes her magazine different than others at Tufts is that she has submissions from other countries as well." Hofkosh said the magazine was a good candidate for the award. "There are some offices and departments that encourage the development of senior projects but the UCCPS money is meant especially to help develop initiatives relating to the variety of ways individuals can be responsible, active citizens in large social world."
