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Papers by Amy Shimshon-Santo

Urban Education, 2023

Breaking stereotypes and changing generational outcomes of historically excluded students require... more Breaking stereotypes and changing generational outcomes of historically excluded students requires educators who are willing to be what civil rights leader John Lewis called “good troublemakers.” Transformational, culturally competent educators can make a significant impact in the lives of students, classrooms, and communities. This research studies the impact of teaching experience of the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Servant Leader Interns on young educators themselves. This study reveals how Servant Leader Interns were transformed by the process of teaching in ways that influenced their sense of self-authorship, their career aspirations, and expectations of how education should be.

Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management, 2022

Introduction to the book Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management. Et Al imagines kaleidoscopic possi... more Introduction to the book Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management. Et Al imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for the stewardship of culture and land as decolonizing practices. Culture and the arts can enhance society by strengthening our connections to each other and to the earth. This arts management book was born during a racial reckoning and accelerated by a global pandemic. What exactly is the business of no-business-as-usual? The ethical challenge for arts management is far more complex than asking how to get things done; we must also ask who gets to do things, where, and with what resources? Our task is to generate cultures that refuse to annihilate themselves or each other, much less the planet. Et Al. contributes to the conversation about arts and cultural management by providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights on justice-centered arts management praxis — ideas tied to action. The book makes space for people to publicly reflect, write, and share insights about their own ideas and ways of working. Its polyphonic voices speak to pragmatic strategies for arts management across cultures, genres, and spaces. Its stories are told from the perspective of individuals and families, micro businesses, artist collectives, and civic institutions. As a digital publication, the platform lends itself to multi-media knowledge objects; the experiences documented within it include ethnographies, qualitative social research, personal and communal manifestos, dialogues between peers, visual essays, videos, and audio tracks.

ENCATC Scholar, 2021

As technology evolves and the society we live in changes, so do the ways we learn and engage with... more As technology evolves and the society we live in changes, so do the ways we learn and engage with information. A challenge faced by higher education is to find new ways to engage students and diversify the voices represented in curricula. One way to approach this challenge is by using podcasts. Podcasts allow students to learn about current issues in the field, hear from new and myriad voices, and provide new ways for students to engage with material. Teaching students to develop their own podcasts increases their knowledge and practical skills as they learn the software
used to record, edit, and share podcasts. For these reasons and more, podcasts are an effective and desirable way to achieve several educational goals.

Co-Authors:
Dr. Xela Batchelder (Waynesburg University); Thomas Karr, MFA (Wayne State University); Dr. Brett Ashley Crawford (Carnegie Mellon University); Brenda Lee Johnston, MAM (Butler University); and Dr. Amy Shimshon-Santo, Ph.D. (Claremont Graduate University)

GeoHumanities, Routledge, 2021

If we possess the land,” cultural activist Ben Caldwell said, “we can become erasure proof.” The ... more If we possess the land,” cultural activist Ben Caldwell said, “we can become erasure proof.” The essay reveals how BIPOC community arts spaces negotiate spatial sovereignty that fortify ecologies of culture and place. The work analyzes a culminating activity in a participatory action research process structured around the themes of land, story, memory, and leadership. The axis of the paper is an intergenerational conversation with cultural producers and arts administrators at Self Help Graphics & Art in the Latinx neighborhood of Boyle Heights, Kaos Network the African-American neighborhood of Leimert Park, and Visual Communications in the Asian Pacific Islander led neighborhood of Little Tokyo. The conversation is set in Los Angeles—a megalopolis on the Pacific Rim recognized globally for its creative and cultural production. “How to Become Erasure Proof” provides a robust conceptual framework, and highlights BIPOC strategies for community organizing that cherish culture and land. The discussion contributes to broader movements centering BIPOC imaginaries, creative flourishing, and organizing for spatial justice.

Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 2018

This article presents synergies between arts education, political consciousness raising, and lead... more This article presents synergies between arts education, political consciousness raising, and leadership development for youth, and suggests roles for the arts in community organizing for personal and social change. Arts education is seen as a strategy to unleash creativity, affirm cultural assets, cultivate multiple literacies, critique oppressive social practices, and ignite freedoms. Rooted in the US civil rights movement of the 1960s, Freedom Schools became a national network committed to youth development. The case study, set in the Freedom School of South Los Angeles, introduces readers to geographical, cultural, and institutional contexts for the work; outlines a critical methodology for participatory action research; and shares transformational autoethnographies of teaching and learning in arts education classrooms. It is grounded in intersectional feminist methodologies, and is aimed at educators, artists, urbanists, and cultural studies practitioners. The work invested in youth voice and professional development of novice teachers by activating creativity and intergenerational mentorship to reimagine alternative futures. Short term project outcomes are conveyed, alongside longer-term implications for systemic change that values the lives of black and brown youth, families, and communities.

Critical Planning, 2018

This personal essay pays homage to the life and work of Jacqueline Leavitt, feminist urban planne... more This personal essay pays homage to the life and work of Jacqueline Leavitt, feminist urban planner and professor, by analyzing the experience of being a pregnant graduate student in a client project facilitated by Professor Leavitt with Ms. Nora King, President of the Resident's Council in Watts, California.

See links to the essay, and the entire collection, honoring Jackie Leavitt and Edward Soja:

"In her tour de force, “My Grandma Was a Radical,” Amy Shimshon-Santo reminds us “We must be vigi... more "In her tour de force, “My Grandma Was a Radical,” Amy Shimshon-Santo
reminds us “We must be vigilant so that evil is not normalized. Without
communities, refugees remain on the margins: stateless, voiceless, and powerless. Silence equals complicity, Rabbi Prinz said. It is everyone’s responsibility to try and see things clearly and defend human rights for all.” - Gayle Brandeis, Editor, Tiferet Journal

This praxis-informed essay analyzes a school-wide arts integration project with high school stude... more This praxis-informed essay analyzes a school-wide arts integration project with high school students in East Los Angeles that performed participatory research on Safe Routes to School (SRTS) in the neighborhood. The essay outlines a social engagement research design, conceptual framework, and case study analysis. The theoretical discussion shares philosophical ideas about social justice-driven teaching and learning through the arts. The case study reveals micro-transformations that took place in classrooms committed to youth empowerment. Studying the city through the arts allowed teenagers to amplify local knowledge, practice leadership, and envision alternative futures. Along the way, students cultivated personal and social agency as the heroes and heroines of their own stories, and learned new ways to intervene in urban systems that impact their daily lives.

This article shares critical reflections on cultivating community partnerships through arts educa... more This article shares critical reflections on cultivating community partnerships through arts education
and provides an analytical framework for community building. It is argued that increasing access to
arts education requires attention be paid not only to content issues in arts education, but, also, to
holistic approaches that address the contexts of diverse learning communities. Findings are based
on multi- year qualitative analysis with participants in urban secondary schools and communities
in Los Angeles County.

Arts Impact summarizes lessons learned at the ArtsBridge Program. It is informed by in-depth part... more Arts Impact summarizes lessons learned at the ArtsBridge Program. It is informed by in-depth participant observation, logic modeling, and quantitative evaluation of program impact on K-12 students in inner city schools and arts students at the University of California Los Angeles over a two year period. The case study frames its analysis through a literary overview of the following social issues: 1) how educational attainment relates to poverty in California; 2) the importance of the creative economy in Los Angeles; and 3) the failure of California to reach federally mandated goals in arts education--particularly for under-resourced neighborhoods. Data finds statistically significant positive impacts on participants’ views of self and others. This case study suggests important roles for higher education partnerships with under-resourced K-12 schools, the significance of quality teacher preparation in the arts at the university level, and the positive impact of arts education for empowering student and teacher learning.

The #Elara Moves Project used the arts to engage teens in transportation planning research in Eas... more The #Elara Moves Project used the arts to engage teens in transportation planning research in East Los Angeles. Amy facilitated youth research on active transportation from a sustainability and leadership development approach. The project was a collaboration between CREO WorldWide and the East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy (ELARA) made possible by a grant from Exploring the Arts.

The aim of this publication is to capture the collective memory of the project, to affirm the teaching and learning process, and to amplify students’ views and visions of Los Angeles.

Books by Amy Shimshon-Santo

Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management, 2022

Et Al. imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for decolonizing arts management. The arts and cultur... more Et Al. imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for decolonizing arts management. The arts and culture can enhance society by strengthening our connections to each other and to the earth. This book was born during a racial reckoning and accelerated by a global pandemic. What exactly is the business of no-business-as-usual? The ethical challenge for arts management is more complex than asking how to get things done; we must also ask who gets to do things, where, and with what resources? Et Al. contributes to the conversation about arts and cultural management by providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights on justice-centered arts management praxis — ideas tied to action. The book makes space for people to publicly reflect, write, and share insights about their own ideas and ways of working. Its polyphonic voices speak to pragmatic strategies for arts management across cultures, genres, and spaces. Its stories are told from the perspective of individuals and families, micro businesses, artist collectives, and civic institutions. As a digital publication, the platform lends itself to multi-media knowledge objects; the experiences documented within it include ethnographies, qualitative social research, personal and communal manifestos, dialogues between peers, visual essays, videos, and audio tracks.

This open source, multimedia book is structured into six streams which are numbered for their exponential powers: Stream¹: Center is Everywhere; Stream²: Gathering Community; Stream³: Honoring Histories; Stream⁴: Shifting Research; Stream⁵: Forging Paths; Stream⁶: Generative Practice. The book discusses imaginative ways of generating cultural equity in praxis, and is an invitation for further imagination, conversation, and connection.

Co-edited by Amy Shimshon-Santo and Genevieve Kaplan, Et Al. presents an interactive landscape for readers, thinkers, and creators to engage with multimedia and intergenerational essays by the editors, Gerlie Collado, Abraham Ferrer, Julie House, Britt Campbell, Delia Xóchitl Chávez, Sean Cheng, Yvonne Farrow, Allen Kwabena Frimpong, Kayla Jackson, Erika Karina Jiménez Flores, Cobi Krieger, Loreto Lopez, Cynthia Martínez Benavides, Christy McCarthy, Janice Ngan, Cailin Nolte, Michaela Paulette Shirley, Robin Sukhadia, Katrina Sullivan, and Tatiana Vahan.

Publisher/Distributor: University of California Press in association with the Center for Learn... more Publisher/Distributor:
University of California Press in association with the Center for Learning Through the Arts and Technology at University of California, Irvine

Publication Date:
12-01-2010

Series:
Learning in the Arts and Sciences

Permalink:
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/5zp4c70w

Book Reviews by Amy Shimshon-Santo

Book Review in the Teaching Artist Journal of UNESCO's Educating for Creativity: Bringing Arts an... more Book Review in the Teaching Artist Journal of UNESCO's Educating for Creativity: Bringing Arts and Culture into Asian Education (2005).

Urban Education, 2023

Breaking stereotypes and changing generational outcomes of historically excluded students require... more Breaking stereotypes and changing generational outcomes of historically excluded students requires educators who are willing to be what civil rights leader John Lewis called “good troublemakers.” Transformational, culturally competent educators can make a significant impact in the lives of students, classrooms, and communities. This research studies the impact of teaching experience of the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Servant Leader Interns on young educators themselves. This study reveals how Servant Leader Interns were transformed by the process of teaching in ways that influenced their sense of self-authorship, their career aspirations, and expectations of how education should be.

Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management, 2022

Introduction to the book Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management. Et Al imagines kaleidoscopic possi... more Introduction to the book Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management. Et Al imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for the stewardship of culture and land as decolonizing practices. Culture and the arts can enhance society by strengthening our connections to each other and to the earth. This arts management book was born during a racial reckoning and accelerated by a global pandemic. What exactly is the business of no-business-as-usual? The ethical challenge for arts management is far more complex than asking how to get things done; we must also ask who gets to do things, where, and with what resources? Our task is to generate cultures that refuse to annihilate themselves or each other, much less the planet. Et Al. contributes to the conversation about arts and cultural management by providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights on justice-centered arts management praxis — ideas tied to action. The book makes space for people to publicly reflect, write, and share insights about their own ideas and ways of working. Its polyphonic voices speak to pragmatic strategies for arts management across cultures, genres, and spaces. Its stories are told from the perspective of individuals and families, micro businesses, artist collectives, and civic institutions. As a digital publication, the platform lends itself to multi-media knowledge objects; the experiences documented within it include ethnographies, qualitative social research, personal and communal manifestos, dialogues between peers, visual essays, videos, and audio tracks.

ENCATC Scholar, 2021

As technology evolves and the society we live in changes, so do the ways we learn and engage with... more As technology evolves and the society we live in changes, so do the ways we learn and engage with information. A challenge faced by higher education is to find new ways to engage students and diversify the voices represented in curricula. One way to approach this challenge is by using podcasts. Podcasts allow students to learn about current issues in the field, hear from new and myriad voices, and provide new ways for students to engage with material. Teaching students to develop their own podcasts increases their knowledge and practical skills as they learn the software
used to record, edit, and share podcasts. For these reasons and more, podcasts are an effective and desirable way to achieve several educational goals.

Co-Authors:
Dr. Xela Batchelder (Waynesburg University); Thomas Karr, MFA (Wayne State University); Dr. Brett Ashley Crawford (Carnegie Mellon University); Brenda Lee Johnston, MAM (Butler University); and Dr. Amy Shimshon-Santo, Ph.D. (Claremont Graduate University)

GeoHumanities, Routledge, 2021

If we possess the land,” cultural activist Ben Caldwell said, “we can become erasure proof.” The ... more If we possess the land,” cultural activist Ben Caldwell said, “we can become erasure proof.” The essay reveals how BIPOC community arts spaces negotiate spatial sovereignty that fortify ecologies of culture and place. The work analyzes a culminating activity in a participatory action research process structured around the themes of land, story, memory, and leadership. The axis of the paper is an intergenerational conversation with cultural producers and arts administrators at Self Help Graphics & Art in the Latinx neighborhood of Boyle Heights, Kaos Network the African-American neighborhood of Leimert Park, and Visual Communications in the Asian Pacific Islander led neighborhood of Little Tokyo. The conversation is set in Los Angeles—a megalopolis on the Pacific Rim recognized globally for its creative and cultural production. “How to Become Erasure Proof” provides a robust conceptual framework, and highlights BIPOC strategies for community organizing that cherish culture and land. The discussion contributes to broader movements centering BIPOC imaginaries, creative flourishing, and organizing for spatial justice.

Education, Citizenship and Social Justice, 2018

This article presents synergies between arts education, political consciousness raising, and lead... more This article presents synergies between arts education, political consciousness raising, and leadership development for youth, and suggests roles for the arts in community organizing for personal and social change. Arts education is seen as a strategy to unleash creativity, affirm cultural assets, cultivate multiple literacies, critique oppressive social practices, and ignite freedoms. Rooted in the US civil rights movement of the 1960s, Freedom Schools became a national network committed to youth development. The case study, set in the Freedom School of South Los Angeles, introduces readers to geographical, cultural, and institutional contexts for the work; outlines a critical methodology for participatory action research; and shares transformational autoethnographies of teaching and learning in arts education classrooms. It is grounded in intersectional feminist methodologies, and is aimed at educators, artists, urbanists, and cultural studies practitioners. The work invested in youth voice and professional development of novice teachers by activating creativity and intergenerational mentorship to reimagine alternative futures. Short term project outcomes are conveyed, alongside longer-term implications for systemic change that values the lives of black and brown youth, families, and communities.

Critical Planning, 2018

This personal essay pays homage to the life and work of Jacqueline Leavitt, feminist urban planne... more This personal essay pays homage to the life and work of Jacqueline Leavitt, feminist urban planner and professor, by analyzing the experience of being a pregnant graduate student in a client project facilitated by Professor Leavitt with Ms. Nora King, President of the Resident's Council in Watts, California.

See links to the essay, and the entire collection, honoring Jackie Leavitt and Edward Soja:

"In her tour de force, “My Grandma Was a Radical,” Amy Shimshon-Santo reminds us “We must be vigi... more "In her tour de force, “My Grandma Was a Radical,” Amy Shimshon-Santo
reminds us “We must be vigilant so that evil is not normalized. Without
communities, refugees remain on the margins: stateless, voiceless, and powerless. Silence equals complicity, Rabbi Prinz said. It is everyone’s responsibility to try and see things clearly and defend human rights for all.” - Gayle Brandeis, Editor, Tiferet Journal

This praxis-informed essay analyzes a school-wide arts integration project with high school stude... more This praxis-informed essay analyzes a school-wide arts integration project with high school students in East Los Angeles that performed participatory research on Safe Routes to School (SRTS) in the neighborhood. The essay outlines a social engagement research design, conceptual framework, and case study analysis. The theoretical discussion shares philosophical ideas about social justice-driven teaching and learning through the arts. The case study reveals micro-transformations that took place in classrooms committed to youth empowerment. Studying the city through the arts allowed teenagers to amplify local knowledge, practice leadership, and envision alternative futures. Along the way, students cultivated personal and social agency as the heroes and heroines of their own stories, and learned new ways to intervene in urban systems that impact their daily lives.

This article shares critical reflections on cultivating community partnerships through arts educa... more This article shares critical reflections on cultivating community partnerships through arts education
and provides an analytical framework for community building. It is argued that increasing access to
arts education requires attention be paid not only to content issues in arts education, but, also, to
holistic approaches that address the contexts of diverse learning communities. Findings are based
on multi- year qualitative analysis with participants in urban secondary schools and communities
in Los Angeles County.

Arts Impact summarizes lessons learned at the ArtsBridge Program. It is informed by in-depth part... more Arts Impact summarizes lessons learned at the ArtsBridge Program. It is informed by in-depth participant observation, logic modeling, and quantitative evaluation of program impact on K-12 students in inner city schools and arts students at the University of California Los Angeles over a two year period. The case study frames its analysis through a literary overview of the following social issues: 1) how educational attainment relates to poverty in California; 2) the importance of the creative economy in Los Angeles; and 3) the failure of California to reach federally mandated goals in arts education--particularly for under-resourced neighborhoods. Data finds statistically significant positive impacts on participants’ views of self and others. This case study suggests important roles for higher education partnerships with under-resourced K-12 schools, the significance of quality teacher preparation in the arts at the university level, and the positive impact of arts education for empowering student and teacher learning.

The #Elara Moves Project used the arts to engage teens in transportation planning research in Eas... more The #Elara Moves Project used the arts to engage teens in transportation planning research in East Los Angeles. Amy facilitated youth research on active transportation from a sustainability and leadership development approach. The project was a collaboration between CREO WorldWide and the East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy (ELARA) made possible by a grant from Exploring the Arts.

The aim of this publication is to capture the collective memory of the project, to affirm the teaching and learning process, and to amplify students’ views and visions of Los Angeles.

Et Al: New Voices in Arts Management, 2022

Et Al. imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for decolonizing arts management. The arts and cultur... more Et Al. imagines kaleidoscopic possibilities for decolonizing arts management. The arts and culture can enhance society by strengthening our connections to each other and to the earth. This book was born during a racial reckoning and accelerated by a global pandemic. What exactly is the business of no-business-as-usual? The ethical challenge for arts management is more complex than asking how to get things done; we must also ask who gets to do things, where, and with what resources? Et Al. contributes to the conversation about arts and cultural management by providing rare, behind-the-scenes insights on justice-centered arts management praxis — ideas tied to action. The book makes space for people to publicly reflect, write, and share insights about their own ideas and ways of working. Its polyphonic voices speak to pragmatic strategies for arts management across cultures, genres, and spaces. Its stories are told from the perspective of individuals and families, micro businesses, artist collectives, and civic institutions. As a digital publication, the platform lends itself to multi-media knowledge objects; the experiences documented within it include ethnographies, qualitative social research, personal and communal manifestos, dialogues between peers, visual essays, videos, and audio tracks.

This open source, multimedia book is structured into six streams which are numbered for their exponential powers: Stream¹: Center is Everywhere; Stream²: Gathering Community; Stream³: Honoring Histories; Stream⁴: Shifting Research; Stream⁵: Forging Paths; Stream⁶: Generative Practice. The book discusses imaginative ways of generating cultural equity in praxis, and is an invitation for further imagination, conversation, and connection.

Co-edited by Amy Shimshon-Santo and Genevieve Kaplan, Et Al. presents an interactive landscape for readers, thinkers, and creators to engage with multimedia and intergenerational essays by the editors, Gerlie Collado, Abraham Ferrer, Julie House, Britt Campbell, Delia Xóchitl Chávez, Sean Cheng, Yvonne Farrow, Allen Kwabena Frimpong, Kayla Jackson, Erika Karina Jiménez Flores, Cobi Krieger, Loreto Lopez, Cynthia Martínez Benavides, Christy McCarthy, Janice Ngan, Cailin Nolte, Michaela Paulette Shirley, Robin Sukhadia, Katrina Sullivan, and Tatiana Vahan.

Publisher/Distributor: University of California Press in association with the Center for Learn... more Publisher/Distributor:
University of California Press in association with the Center for Learning Through the Arts and Technology at University of California, Irvine

Publication Date:
12-01-2010

Series:
Learning in the Arts and Sciences

Permalink:
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/5zp4c70w

Book Review in the Teaching Artist Journal of UNESCO's Educating for Creativity: Bringing Arts an... more Book Review in the Teaching Artist Journal of UNESCO's Educating for Creativity: Bringing Arts and Culture into Asian Education (2005).