The Burlington City & Lake Semester is filled with partnerships. (Amazingly, BCL15 has collaborated with more than six dozen community partners!) Some of these take the form of singular meetings. Other partnerships, like our work with the Burlington Harbormaster, Outright VT, The Family Room, and BHS’s Principal, include multiple sessions. Only one partnership, however, spans the entire semester: a project with our artist-in-residence.

This semester, our artist partner is Kristian Brevik, who works in a wide range of media, including sculpture, zine publishing, set design, and puppetry. In the Spring of 2025, when we began to talk about what direction a project with students might take, he identified a through-line that connects his work as an artist to his experience as an activist: art role in social change movements. Given BCL’s focus on what it takes for a community to thrive, this felt like a natural fit.

As the project unfolded, students learned about the ways that art is a catalyst for change. They explored big ideas about protest and social movements; they tried their hand at several different media; they met with artists, activists; they spent time in studios and galleries; they envisioned and created both individual pieces and a massive collective banner, designed to inspire change; and finally, they conceived, organized, and hosted a public event that celebrated art and activism.

When each collaboration with an artist-in-residence begins, we never know exactly where it will lead. But this is the reason BCL is committed to semester-long residencies. They force us to design for emergence. By definition, this means that we don’t necessarily know what the outcome will be. And while it is always harrowing to head into the unknown, it is invigorating to do so together.

Without fail, our final public art event–which in past semesters has taken the form of a story slam, an immersive theater experience, and a Church Street block party— is one of the most empowering parts of the semester. There is no match for designing and hosting a vibrant community gathering, where pride and inspiration are shared.

It was fun to see people’s different ways of sharing a message through short words.

• Leahna

It felt really good to write and make art about something that’s so relevant.

• Emanuel

When creating art, I thought a lot about the time we spent with Jen Berger. She told us about her many protests that she attended and created art for. I knew protest art was impactful, but I usually imagined that it came in the form of simple posters with lettering and simple designs. Jen’s art was giant and interactive and jarring. It often created the protest, rather than being just an aspect of it. One she attended that stuck out to me was when Bread and Puppet theater organized a protest against the war in Iraq, using puppets of mothers carrying dead children to convey their message. I wrote in my journal, “I wonder in what ways art can sometimes disarm protests and sometimes make them more powerful.” This connected back to my own art, when I decided to do a more ambitious media than I had originally planned, making it a large banner with a bold design.

• Miranda

Art plays such a pivotal role in building community. Over the course of the last few weeks I have learned how essential it is to keep public art alive for the benefit of the community that surrounds it. The description for Embrace and Belonging [installed in Dewey Park,] states, “The sculpture embodies a form inspired by two entwined Sankofa birds that call us together to build a greater sense of belonging. The artwork proposes an evolution beyond mere tolerance to true integration, beyond mere acceptance to building enduring communal bridges.” Art builds belonging within communities. Art connects communities together. Art allows us to connect beyond language, culture, or background, it is an expression of our collective being.

• Cal

For me, the piece that stood out was [Mary Lacy’s hummingbird mural]. Why does the piece stand out?  Because of the colors popping against the brick, and its impressive scale. It shows nature’s beauty, fragility, and power. The vibrant colors [bring the] artistic wild into downtown and spark joy and curiosity, and the sheer scale of the bird emphasizes the tiny creature’s incredible power and endurance.

• Koleta

We took a winding walk from the Old North End to City Hall Park, stopping at various installations of public art along the way. Some of the pieces I had seen before, like Anthology, a sculpture on the southern border of City Hall park. This piece includes a ton of interesting small trinkets and pieces solidified in a sort of resin, and is a colorful outpost in the heart of downtown. A drawing in my journal depicts the arched shape of this piece of public art, and a note beside it highlights its ability to invigorate.

Public Art is an important medium, because it presents a unique opportunity to reach a diverse and expansive audience. It presents much fewer possible barriers than some other mediums, and is among the most accessible forms of activism I have seen. It has an ability to “tell the story of the city, create a unique sense of place, contribute to neighborhood vitality, and stimulate new economic activity” (BCA).

• Jesse

When activism looks different than expected, it can surprise people, making them more open to the message. The Why We March mural at the Howard Center is a good example of this. What I found most meaningful is that it wasn’t just made by professional artists but by lots of community members. The signs in the mural include messages like “Fear less love more,” which came directly from people in the community. The Lead artist who we met with in City Market, Julio Desmont, said these messages matter because “they’re actually things that can happen, if we collectively make them happen.” I like how the mural isn’t hidden away somewhere but instead displayed for all to see next time at a grocery store. It shows how art can turn everyday spaces into places for reflection and conversation, making activism feel more real and connected to people’s lives.

• Felix

I thought a banner may help my message be seen. I included a “slogan” as well as having a few other simpler details such as a heart in the middle and the number 988. What I was trying to achieve with 988 was getting the number out there so that people knew who to call if they are having thoughts of not wanting to be here any longer… At the end of our art show, I was very touched. A woman who works at BHS, Heather Washburn, came and told me she wants to advocate for my art piece to get hung up in school. I think that small action helped me feel those words, “YOU ARE NOT ALONE”. The words became reflected onto me, and I really understood further the impact of just those four words. Overall, learning about art, as well as art and activism, really deepen my knowledge on how small choices can make a huge different while trying to convey a message.

• Lucy

. Coming out of that event made me realize just how much art is underestimated by the world. Sure, there is a lot of people who give art the flowers it earned, but I feel like even still, there is something truly special about art… Seeing all of these people taking vastly different perspectives of just the same amount of importance of pieces of art that looked like nothing closer than an ancestral cousin, is wild, and cool. Art has always been a big part of my life, books, shows, video games, movies, art has truly had a very powerful effect on me.

Thanks to the experience I had at the SEABA Center, I am remembracing art… I plan on keeping art as a part of my life, and I hope others do too. Because honestly, no matter what emotion any piece of art makes you feel, we need art more than ever, to combat the increasing amount of stuff like AI, that is trying to drain all the emotions and lessons of art. Art is the lifeline humanity needs, I just hope everyone is willing to hold on to it.

• Skylar

When we went on a walk in Battery Park with Neil Preston at the beginning of the semester, I learned about how some people don’t feel safe going to Battery Park because there are homeless people there. They also shut down the fountain–which was public art–because there were needles in it… My question is why are they shutting down fountains and other things, but they can’t help house people struggling with housing and drug addiction?

On my banner I wrote “Housing is a human right” and “Affordable housing for a thriving community.” I made this banner because I noticed that there is not much housing for people to go to and I wanted to spread awareness on it. I remember noticing people living outside in the winter and year round. I noticed it when I was younger, but now it is a lot worse. My poster’s messages relate to people that are struggling with housing and don’t have housing. These messages are aimed toward people who can make a change.

• Jasmine

My goals were for people to see our art and have fun. I think both of those things happened. I liked when people came up to me and asked me questions about my art. I thought it would be a lot hard, but it was easier when it happened. I also got to see people I haven’t seen since I was younger which felt nice.

• Anzal

Being able to see an event like this be done on such short notice gave me a lot of faith in my future with community programs and events. A huge experience I had was being able to share my experiences and leaning with my parents to help [my mom] understand what I’ve been doing all semester.

• John

I was surprised by how many people said that they felt moved by our art. I loved hearing that my art had a real impact in others. saw everyone connecting with others, sharing their art and laughing. It felt fun and was great to see everyones art displayed. I loved how inspired people were.

• Harper

It was such a wonderful experience to see everyone. It is no small fact that people took time out of there days to come see us and our art. I think we put on a wonderful show.

Something that inspired me was all the people who came up and asked me questions about my art. It is heartening to see that people were interested. Also that they cared enough to ask questions.

• Sam

During our art event, and after it, I felt  proud of my work and contribution because of how other people viewed it. When people asked me about the work and what part I did brought an unexpected smile to my face. I realized in our final circle with community members and parents that what we created emotionally affected our guests. Knowing that something I helped create and something I personally created actually brought attention and motivation into people gave me a different perspective on my work this semester. 

• Eamon

It was really cool to show my art to friends and family. I loved seeing everyone pieces and asking questions. It felt really odd because it does not feel like the BCL semester is ending, but sadly it is. I hope that everyone that came to the event left thinking about something bigger!

• Vera