New Talks: International Voices for the Arts

By Marissa Giblin, Sara Valbuena, Nakai Falcon

This project was conducted as part of the class “Curating Public Memory” in Spring 2021.

This podcast series is a platform that focuses on the experiences of international students involved in creative practices at The New School during the pandemic. In conversation with a variety of students, we touch upon aspects of education, displacement and community. New Talks is meant to be a reflective environment, engaging others who had to navigate similar and different circumstances. A Year into the Pandemic offers two conversations with different groups of students.

Part One

This features a conversation with Transdisciplinary Design students Lucas Teixeira and Akshaya Narayanan, and History of Design & Curatorial Studies student Peiying Fu. We covered the intensity that arose from travelling to New York from their respective home countries, including new virtual barriers and not having as much intimate access to some of their colleagues past the usual zoom screens. We also discuss how some programs were affected by the conditions of the pandemic and made alterations, such as the Transdisciplinary program changing its focus to STEM.

Part Two

The second conversation features interviews with Jazz & Contemporary Music student Maite Sa and Interior Design student Laura Castro. On this segment our guests share their experiences with building a community during remote learning and their optimistic views on what is to come moving forward in the semesters. We also discuss different creative projects that emerged during confinement and their future endeavors after acclimating to a year of the pandemic.

Additional Sources to Consult:

Anderson, Nick. “Pandemic Leads Tens of Thousands of International Students to Delay Plans to Enter U.S. Colleges, Survey Shows.” The Washington Post. WP Company, November 16, 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/international-students-us-colleges-pandemic/2020/11/13/27e16a66-25d7-11eb-952e-0c475972cfc0_story.html

Berger, Miriam. “The Pandemic Has Damaged the Appeal of Studying in the United States for Some International Students.” The Washington Post. July 23, 2020. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/07/23/coronavirus-international-students-united-states-enrollment-reputation/

Brennan, Rose. “International Students Can Stay in the U.S. - for Now.” The Riverdale Press. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://riverdalepress.com/stories/international-students-can-stay-in-us-for-now,72227

Dwyer, Mimi, Ted Hesson, and Mica Rosenberg. “U.S. Colleges Scramble After New Trump Order on Foreign Students.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, July 7, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-students/u-s-colleges-scramble-after-new-trump-order-on-foreign-students-idUSKBN248395

Elsen-Rooney, Michael. “’Panic and Chaos’: NYC International Students, Colleges React to New ICE Rule on Remote Learning.” nydailynews.com. New York Daily News, July 7, 2020. https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-ice-mandate-visas-online-learning-20200707-vdxiucwn2bg63acb6oiabzo3ea-story.html

“Institutional Research.” Institutional Research | Provost. https://www.newschool.edu/provost/institutional-research/

Images:

Laura Castro, Amazonas, 2020, acrylic on canvas

Laura Castro, La Isla, 2020, acrylic on canvas

Laura Castro, El Llano, 2020 on canvas

New Talks Podcast: download pdf here and audio file here.