What is the Senior Project?

Seniors propose, in writing and through a presentation to community panelists, a project that addresses a need in their community by using their artistic training and learning at BAA. 

Vision

The vision for the Senior Grant Project (SGP) is to have students claim their place as an artist in the community by having an innovative, worthwhile and workable idea that is mutually beneficial by relating to the students’ identity and their community.

Students engage in an internal transition by using skills and knowledge they have accumulated in three years in a new way. Students engage in an external transition by preparing for a world outside of BAA, and fulfill our mission to educate and prepare “engaged citizens in a democratic society.” 

Through committing time and resources to SGP, the BAA community works to present graduating students as capable artists and scholars, train viable professionals, encourage entrepreneurship, develop artist-citizens, hold itself accountable internally and externally, and retain its traditions. 

When does the Senior Project happen?

Starting in the junior year, students begin exploring the needs in their communities.  In addition, they learn about grant writing in general.  In their senior year, students finalize their ideas in connecting their art major with an identified community issue and complete their proposals, presenting their work at the “Senior Grant Night” in mid-November.   University representatives, community organizers, and artists are among the members of the Grant Review Committee.  Students who score exceptionally well are asked to return for the next round, the “Senior Grant Finalist Night.” Students present a full grant proposal to a panel of three judges.  This finalist committee allocates funding for top scoring proposals.

Students who accept funding and successfully complete their projects become “Senior Project with Distinction” graduates.  They are our honor graduates.  Funded projects in the past have included original choreography concerning the theme of eating disorders presented to young girls, a publicly designed mural project, a monologue created and performed to raise awareness of homeless teens, an intensive modern dance program for adolescents, and a steel drum workshop series at a local hospital.

Goals

Student Goals:

• To prove graduation credentials by demonstrating the ability to apply cumulative learned knowledge
• To demonstrate self-advocacy skills (professionalism, articulation, artistic credibility) to an outside audience of professionals.
• To identify individual career goals and to bridge learning toward real world experience, preparing for life after high school
• To design and experience ways that one can make a contribution to society as an artist
• To write in various genres in concise, descriptive and persuasive language

School Goals:

• To wrestle with a shared curriculum as a sounding board for our work together
• To model the redesign of a “high stakes” exit benchmark
• To open up our practice to public accountability
• To distinguish ourselves through innovation
• To engage and service the community beyond our walls 

History

The concept of the Senior Grant Project was born before the BAA opened during an initial community meeting. When asked, “What is the most important thing that emerging artists need to be able to do?” community members cited grant writing. 

While the vision to mark students’ growth as artist-citizen-scholar has remained the same, SGP curriculum has been continually tweaked to move toward a meaningful capstone project. The curriculum has been designed collaboratively and has helped frame our shared work (both artistic and academic, as seminar was originally designed).