Project Description
The BLC Field School is a public humanities initiative that brings together community experts and university scholars to co-create a people’s history of Milwaukee. Each summer, our team gathers oral histories, place-based narratives, and archival materials; each spring, we collaboratively translate this research into podcasts, reports, exhibits, and performances. These materials are shared widely to foster dialogue, reflection, and deeper civic engagement. Community collaborators participate at every stage as co-creators of knowledge, ensuring that the work remains iterative, reciprocal, and grounded in lived experience. In Spring 2026, the SURF project will continue its collaboration with partners to develop vision maps and conceptual designs for the Walnut Hill Community Garden and the Lynden Hill Garden. We will also complete a multimedia piece on a community garden in Sherman Park, created in partnership with the Humanities Action Lab at Rutgers University. In addition, the Milwaukee team will host scholars and community leaders from Puerto Rico to initiate translocal conversations about the evolving role of community gardens in place-making, environmental sustainability, and neighborhood pride. Throughout the year, students will also advance their individual research projects in preparation for presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research or the Urban Affairs Association conference.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will work closely with the BLC Field School team to complete the Climates of Inequality Media Project. In Spring 2026, the student will focus on completing the media project that was begun last semester: a five-minute documentary on a community garden in Sherman Park. They will take on several concrete tasks to bring the project to completion. Their responsibilities include finalizing a detailed storyboard for two one-minute media segments; selecting and editing audio using Audacity; identifying photographs that complement the audio tracks; and producing two polished one-minute media shorts. They will also conduct additional research as needed to strengthen the documentary’s narrative and ensure accuracy. Throughout the semester, the student will participate in weekly team meetings every Friday from 10–11 AM, allowing them to receive feedback, ask questions, and learn collaboratively within the research team
Desired Qualifications
None Listed.