{"id":254062,"date":"2026-04-06T13:39:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/254062\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T13:39:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:39:25","slug":"how-social-practice-art-is-emerging-at-sacramento-state-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/254062\/","title":{"rendered":"How social practice art is emerging at Sacramento State University"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Abridged version:<\/p>\n

Arts and humanities faculty at Sacramento State encourage social practice, prompting students to create work with the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat We Carry\u201d is a social practice art project located at Sacramento State that invites people to respond to prompts about culture on a blackboard.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists are not defining the outcome of the work. They make the scaffold and allow people to fill in,\u201d said\u00a0Rey Jeong, an assistant professor of studio art who is developing social practice courses and programs.<\/p>\n

In the exterior corridor of Sacramento State\u2019s Kadema Hall, a two-sided blackboard juts out from the wall, inviting\u00a0passersby to pause and look at the\u00a0colorful words and illustrations\u00a0sprawled across it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the board, a prompt:\u00a0\u201cWhat\u2019s\u00a0an item from your culture that has been passed down to you?\u201d\u00a0Answers vary from physical items,\u00a0to\u00a0concepts,\u00a0and even character traits.<\/p>\n

\"blackboard\"\u201cWhat We Carry,\u201d an art project at Sacramento State that invites people to answer prompts about their culture on a blackboard. (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

\u2018What We Carry\u2019 explores culture and identity<\/p>\n

The blackboard is part of a project titled\u00a0\u201cWhat We Carry,\u201d\u00a0which\u00a0explores\u00a0how people\u2019s cultures shape their identities.\u00a0Throughout the semester, Edward Verdugo, a recent BFA graduate from the university, writes\u00a0prompts\u00a0on the board that ask people\u00a0to share something about their culture. Past prompts include:\u00a0<\/p>\n

What tradition in your culture do you practice today?\u00a0<\/p>\n

What\u2019s\u00a0something you wish people knew about your culture?\u00a0<\/p>\n

What part of your culture are you proud of?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe whole project is to find some relatability and build empathy within or across cultures,\u201d Verdugo said. \u201cThe project is meant to create a space for connection, and so, this opens a small door for that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt came from my own experiences as a Mexican American. I did not always feel connected to that part of myself. A\u00a0lot of the questions that are written on the board are a result of reflecting upon my own cultural identity. This project allows me to share these questions and invites others to ponder and embrace their heritage.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"person\"Edward Verdugo creates the prompts for \u201cWhat We Carry,\u201d an art project at Sacramento State that invites people to answer questions about their culture on a blackboard. (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Impact beyond the blackboard<\/p>\n

While\u00a0Verdugo erases the board weekly,\u00a0he makes\u00a0sure people\u2019s responses\u00a0live on,\u00a0sharing them through social media to a wider audience including those outside Sacramento. \u201cIt allows people\u2019s voices to still be heard,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople are very eager to share parts of their culture when\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0given the space to do so. The board shows how diverse those experiences are, along with the commonalities that exist between them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"blackboard\"An answer to the prompt \u201cWhat\u2019s an item from your culture that has been passed down to you?\u201d (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Projects like this\u00a0are examples of\u00a0social practice \u2014 an approach to art that invites participation from the public with the goal of sparking conversations, improving communities or addressing social issues.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Merging social practice with curriculum<\/p>\n

At Sacramento State, there is a growing effort to\u00a0integrate social practice into its curriculum, specifically in the arts and humanities. Gladys M. Francis, dean of the College of\u00a0Arts\u00a0and Letters,\u00a0said\u00a0the school\u00a0is embracing social practice \u201cnot as an add\u2011on, but as a transformative way of teaching, learning, collaborating and engaging with communities locally and internationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt allows faculty and students to step beyond the classroom and engage directly with the real, lived conditions that shape our region, and increasingly, the global communities with whom we\u00a0are building new partnerships.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"people\"Edward Verdugo, right, talks about his project \u201cWhat We Carry\u201d with Rey Jeong, left, and Tiffany Adams. (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Faculty dedicated to advancing social practice<\/p>\n

In fall 2023, Sacramento State welcomed a\u00a0cluster hire of five professors<\/a>\u00a0to expand opportunities for social practice at the university. The professors teach across multiple departments including art, communication, design and theater, and they meet regularly to exchange ideas and discuss collaborations.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of them is Rey Jeong, an assistant professor of studio art.\u00a0During her time at\u00a0the university, Jeong has been mentoring students to make socially and culturally responsive work within the current curriculum while developing new courses. Next school year, Jeong will\u00a0teach\u00a0two new upper-division classes in the art department that focus on social practice.\u00a0One\u00a0concentrates\u00a0on the intersection of\u00a0art,\u00a0animation\u00a0and social activism.\u00a0Another will teach social practice through\u00a0activities involving stories and play.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"person\"Rey Jeong, an assistant professor of studio art with a focus on social practice at Sacramento State. (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Jeong\u00a0established\u00a0the first iteration of the blackboard at Kadema Hall\u00a0as an alternative way to conduct a survey that faculty typically send to students every semester.\u00a0She wanted a place where students can freely express themselves\u00a0and be interested in contributing.\u00a0The\u00a0first\u00a0prompt\u00a0she created\u00a0was \u201cWe lift each other up\u00a0by ____.\u201d\u00a0The concept was an homage to a project titled\u00a0\u201cBefore I Die\u2026\u201d by artist Candy Chang.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"blackboard\"Answers to the prompt \u201cWe lift each other up by.\u201d (Courtesy of John Vera)<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists are not defining the outcome of the work,\u201d Jeong said. \u201cThey make the scaffold and allow people to fill in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeong hopes that through social practice her students become \u201cresponsible, socially engaged, socially aware and culturally responsive artists, designers and citizens.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reflecting on her interest in social practice, Jeong said it comes from her upbringing in a government-subsidized apartment complex in South Korea. She spent the first 10 years of her life there where she felt\u00a0a strong sense\u00a0of community. There were shared meals and shared child care.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI can knock on other people\u2019s\u00a0door\u00a0and get some\u00a0ramyeon,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was amazing to have the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When the area was demolished for new development, Jeong and her family had to relocate. \u201cI realized that I lost my roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized very recently the\u00a0reason why\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0so into social practice is because\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0missing that part. I wanted to make my work so that I can find somewhere people belong and stories can be nurtured.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outside of campus, Jeong takes social practice into the community with six interns, including Verdugo, at the\u00a0Korean Language and Cultural Center of Sacramento<\/a>.\u00a0On Saturdays, they lead a social practice project\u00a0in which high schoolers\u00a0reimagine a Korean folktale called\u00a0\u201cPrincess Bari\u201d\u00a0by changing parts of the story with which they take issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"poem\"Students block out text from the \u201cPrincess Bari\u201d folktale to create poems at the Korean Language and Cultural Center of Sacramento. (Courtesy of John Vera)<\/p>\n

The story follows a princess who sets out to obtain lifesaving water for her ill father despite the fact that he abandoned her at birth for being a girl when he was hoping to have a boy.\u00a0The\u00a0roughly\u00a02,000-year-old\u00a0tale perpetuates\u00a0a\u00a0patriarchal view of society and is still read\u00a0in\u00a0many elementary school students in Korea.\u00a0However, \u201cthere are not many people in the Korean diaspora who know about this story,\u201d Jeong said.<\/p>\n

Connecting with Korean culture<\/p>\n

The project not only\u00a0provides a way\u00a0for students to connect with Korean culture but\u00a0an opportunity\u00a0to challenge cultural narratives that\u00a0do\u00a0not sit right with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"students\"Students at the Korean Language and Cultural Center of Sacramento create their own versions of a Korean folktale about Princess Bari. (Courtesy of John Vera)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe read along with them\u00a0and\u00a0ask questions to really get the students to think about\u00a0the story\u00a0in\u00a0a deeper way where\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0like,\u00a0\u2018Oh, this\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0quite right in a more modern view.\u00a0Let\u2019s\u00a0change it up into\u00a0this,\u2019\u201d Verdugo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re working on audio poems\u00a0where\u00a0based on the text, we\u2019re blocking out a majority of it to create poems that connect to us,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gets them to think about the impact that they can have on today\u2019s world. If\u00a0they\u00a0all think about it together and they all band together, they can create some change in this world\u00a0that they see\u00a0fit.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeong said\u00a0the project will culminate in a public event\u00a0showcasing\u00a0the students\u2019 work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"poem\"Rey Jeong shows students an example of blackout poetry at the Korean Language and Cultural Center of Sacramento. (Courtesy of John Vera)<\/p>\n

Bringing more awareness<\/p>\n

\u201cNot many\u00a0students are aware of social practice, but\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0some interest in it,\u201d Jeong said. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a need to raise\u00a0the awareness\u00a0of social practice. What\u00a0that is\u00a0and why\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Verdugo, who comes from a painting background, was not familiar with social practice until coming to Sacramento State.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally thought it was a performative art. I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0know that I could have\u00a0a big impact\u00a0on my community.\u00a0When I told my peers that\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0doing this project with the community or\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0trying to do an outreach here, there was a lot of intrigue just because\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not really talked about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Herbal plant installation prompted healing<\/p>\n

Another\u00a0student who has learned more about social practice through the university is MFA candidate Tiffany Adams, whose work reflects a \u201cdeep love\u201d for her community. Adams, an enrolled member of the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, is also\u00a0Konkow\u00a0and Nisenan. She engages in a variety of art forms, from painting to jewelry making and installations.\u00a0Last semester, she created an herbal plant installation at the university\u2019s sculpture building for her final project during a time of high stress among her graduate cohort. It served as a space for healing for her fellow graduates and a few other community members. The installation consisted\u00a0of herbal plants placed below a blanket to create the feeling of a bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think\u00a0everyone\u00a0has relationships\u00a0to\u00a0plants through their culture, whether named directly or carried through practice, memory, care or place,\u201d Adams said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were not only experiencing the work, but also becoming part of it through their presence, stillness and interaction.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Social practice not new to Native people<\/p>\n

Adams says that the concept of social practice is not new to Native people, but she did not know there was a name for it. \u201cThat\u2019s how things are passed on is through community engagement, is through mentorship.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"person\"Tiffany Adams is pursuing an MFA in studio art at Sacramento State. (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Adams met Jeong last semester, and she serves as Adams\u2019 regular adviser.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u00a0feel like working\u00a0with her has really helped me see the work I do differently and see because I always felt like my art practice was separate from the community\u00a0work\u00a0I do. I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0realize the work I do in community with local public health organizations, curating art shows, visual, outward activism for Indian education. I\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0realize that all those things were social practice. I feel like Sacramento State has really helped me find the language to talk about my social practice and acknowledge that work I do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"people\"Rey Jeong, left, talks about the art project \u201cWhat We Carry.\u201d (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Broadening the reach of social practice<\/p>\n

Jeong says\u00a0while the current focus is on developing curriculum for BFA students and students in the College of Arts and Letters,\u00a0she hopes to introduce more people\u00a0to social practice through an introductory course\u00a0that\u00a0is open to all majors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the university, the\u00a0vision is \u201cto build a collaborative ecosystem where art, design, theater, film, community knowledge and cultural memory converge to create new forms of public meaning,\u201d\u00a0said Francis, the Arts and Letters dean.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"blackboard\"Edward Verdugo, left, Rey Jeong, middle, and Tiffany Adams talk about the art project \u201cWhat We Carry.\u201d (Shelley Ho)<\/p>\n

Shelley Ho\u00a0is a producer with PBS KVIE and a visual journalist with Abridged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Abridged version: Arts and humanities faculty at Sacramento State encourage social practice, prompting students to create work…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":254063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[5592,121,123,122],"class_list":["post-254062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-feature","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}