Storytelling is a powerful act.
We tell stories to understand the past, and we tell stories to understand and make sense of each other. We tell them about ourselves—in job interviews and with friends—to communicate who we are. They help define us; they help us define others.
Storytelling is not, therefore, a neutral act, and it is no small thing.
In the age of social media, disinformation, and AI, storytelling is more pervasive and powerful than ever. It can bind communities together, and it can drive people apart. To be a good storyteller, then, is to be able to craft the future and influence the world.
events, workshops & classroom experiences
This year, the Center for Humanities in Action (CHIA) will explore “the power of storytelling” through events, workshops, and classroom experiences. Whichever opportunities you engage this year, CHIA will help you understand, unlock, and harness “the power of storytelling.” Students will have the opportunity to:
- Help Philadelphia arts and culture organizations articulate their institutional stories through grant writing APEX 200: Arts and Culture Leadership
- Partner with a local non-profit to discover the role a book can play in creating community and expanding literacy
- Visit an art exhibition and hear the artist tell her story
- Engage and create climate stories that foster a deeper understanding of our environment and the challenges we all face
- Conduct oral history interviews or listen to Lenape citizens tell their own story as part of the Welcome Home Project
- Attend interview workshops aimed at helping students craft and share their own professional stories
- Investigate the narrative capacity of images in APEX 200: Art of the Photobook
- Participate in Arts in Action excursions to the Philadelphia Photobook Fair and The Print Center to study how lens-based media and book-making projects communicate human experiences
