Experiential Learning Design Accelerator

Community-Engaged Learning with the Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land Exhibit

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 14:38:12 +0000

Community-Engaged Learning with the Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land Exhibit Arielle Wiedenbeck Fri, 06/26/2026 - 08:38

Lisa Schwartz , Michela Ardizzoni

In Spring semester 2026, Associate Professor Michela Ardizzoni’s Introduction to Social Change in the Arts class partnered with the Museum of 91��Ҹ� to co-develop an art exhibit that centers the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people–past and present. The exhibit, Colorado’s People of the Sacred Lands, invites viewers to rethink what they know about the histories of Colorado’s historic tribes and learn about the present day, lived experience of Native Americans. Key findings from the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission (TREC) Reports are featured, paired with artwork by Native artists addressing the personal impact of these histories.

Ardizzoni’s community-engaged teaching and learning (CETL) course was developed in partnership with Emily Zinn, the Museum of 91��Ҹ�’s deputy director of community engagement, and through Ardizzoni’s participation in the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator program (Accelerator). The Accelerator supports faculty with the design of CETL courses and is a collaboration with CU 91��Ҹ� Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES), the Center for Teaching (CTL) and the University of Arizona.

CU 91��Ҹ� students from Ardizzoni's Social Change in the Arts class attend the opening of the People of the Sacred Land exhibit at the Museum of 91��Ҹ�, April 24, 2026

The focus of Ardizzoni’s class was to co-develop the exhibit with the museum and the participating Indigenous artists. Fifteen students worked directly with the TREC Reports and interviewed featured artists Chris Chavez, Sage Deal, Maxx W Lake, George Curtis Levi, Halcyon Grace Levi, Skye Little Cloud and Raelene Whiteshield.

“This knowledge has the potential to change the ways our community views ourselves and each other,” said Zinn. “To work alongside students and see them grow and develop relationships with the artists was a fulfilling way to make sure there was meaningful dialogue that went along with the exhibit. The artists made a huge impact on them, and I was humbled that they entrusted us with their art and stories."

Ardizzoni, associate professor and incoming chair of the department of French and Italian, and an affiliate in the department of Media Studies, co-created the undergraduate certificate in Art and Social Change that the course introduces. Like her students, Ardizzoni had never worked on an exhibit. Together with Zinn, they curated the artwork that includes paintings, textiles, ledger art, and wampum and is interspersed with excerpts from the TREC Reports and artists’ oral histories.

“The objective with this course was to introduce students to engaged community practices and to give them the opportunity to work directly with local Indigenous artists. It was essential that they understand how deeply Native communities are woven into the history of Colorado. It was equally important for students to understand that this kind of collaboration should not be extractive, but should be rather rooted in reciprocity and respect. In that spirit, we envisioned the exhibit as a window for local Indigenous artists, and the oral histories students collected will become part of the Museum of 91��Ҹ�’s archival materials. Through that collaboration, students were able to connect what we studied in the course with lived experience and a much fuller sense of history,” said Ardizzoni.

Student Learning

In addition to the course learning objectives (see below), Ardizzoni developed tables of student and museum goals and outcomes related to the exhibit:

Student Goals	Community Partner Goals
Develop a sense of accountability to communities beyond the classroom	Strengthen connections between the museum and local students
Cultivate reflective practices that link personal experience with broader social issues	Enhance the museum’s reputation as a site for community collaboration
Build collaborative and listening skills by engaging with museum staff and artists as co-creators	Increase contextualization of Indigenous voices/art

Student Goals

Community Partner Goals

Develop a sense of accountability to

communities beyond the classroom

Strengthen connections between the museum and local students

Cultivate reflective practices that link personal experience with broader social issues

Enhance the museum’s reputation as a site for community collaboration

Build collaborative and listening skills by engaging with museum staff and artists as co-creators

Increase contextualization of Indigenous

voices/art

Student Outcomes	Community Partner Outcomes
Completed oral histories, interviews or stories, properly documented and archived	A collection of oral histories or stories that can be archived or incorporated into future exhibits
Public-facing project components (exhibit panels, recordings, digital media, etc.)	Exhibit-ready materials co-created with students
Reflections, journals or artist and contextual statements	Documentation of the project for internal use or grant applications

The course’s learning objectives included critical, analytical, ethical and reflective practices that supported and led to the exhibit’s development. The table below lists the learning objectives coupled with student feedback about their learning.

Learning Objectives At the end of this course, students will be able to	Student Feedback
Understand and explain concepts pertinent to the Certificate in Art and Social Change	"It gave me a more clear understanding of the power and responsibility art has in communicating challenging topics."
Develop critical thinking skills in relation to issues of diversity, social change and civic engagement	"I've realized that… even just existence and persistence can be a form of activism." "My cultural awareness has grown because I had a moment of realization about how much the American education system hides the terrible things that we did to Indigenous people."
Develop informed, culturally responsible approaches to presenting local Indigenous artistic work for community audiences	"Being one-on-one with the artist and hearing their perspectives." "Students need to know about the responsibility of being transparent and taking care of relationships." "For true collaboration, it is important to have reciprocity in the relationship." "Our responsibility is to enter humbly, to listen and see how we can be of service on their terms."

Learning Objectives

At the end of this course, students will be able to

Student Feedback

Understand and explain concepts pertinent to the Certificate in Art and Social Change

"It gave me a more clear understanding of the power and responsibility art has in communicating challenging topics."

Develop critical thinking skills in relation to issues of diversity, social change and civic engagement

"I've realized that… even just existence and persistence can be a form of activism."

"My cultural awareness has grown because I had a moment of realization about how much the American education system hides the terrible things that we did to Indigenous people."

Develop informed, culturally responsible approaches to presenting local Indigenous artistic work for community audiences

"Being one-on-one with the artist and hearing their perspectives."

"Students need to know about the responsibility of being transparent and taking care of relationships."

"For true collaboration, it is important to have reciprocity in the relationship."

"Our responsibility is to enter humbly, to listen and see how we can be of service on their terms."

Professional Skills and Growth

Significantly, students learned situated, professional skills in order to develop a real-world product.

As one student shared, "It made me feel like what I was working on actually mattered."

Students’ end-of-course survey feedback highlighted growth in the following areas–all critical for general career development:

Communication skills for professional work and public sharing (most cited)
Project management
Interviewing
Collaboration
Cultural awareness

Growth in museum and curatorial skills was also a standout achievement for many students.

"The skill I developed, which I never had exposure toward, is that of a museum curator."

Unsurprisingly, the biggest challenges that students faced were project timelines, communication, student small-group dynamics and balancing their workloads.

Overall, students valued working directly with the artists and identified interviews and personal conversations as the most impactful aspect of the project. They also greatly enjoyed getting out of the classroom and participating within the museum space.

CU 91��Ҹ� students from Ardizzoni's Social Change in the Arts class attend the opening of the People of the Sacred Land exhibit at the Museum of 91��Ҹ�, April 24, 2026

Exhibit Feedback

The culmination of the class, the exhibit, was an all-hands-on deck experience for Ardizzoni, the students and Zinn.

“Collaborating with Emily [Zinn] transformed this course and the students’ experiences,” said Ardizzoni. “Students worked side-by-side with Indigenous artists and made curatorial decisions about how those voices would be represented in the exhibit. That kind of collaboration deepened everyone’s understanding of what it means to display someone else’s story with respect and intention. I honestly came away having learned just as much about exhibit design as my students did about local Indigenous cultures, community and representation.”

The exhibit’s opening event on April 24, 2026 was an exciting and well-attended, collaborative event. The presenters and audience included the Indigenous artists and their communities, the students and CU 91��Ҹ� colleagues, members of 91��Ҹ� City Council, the People of the Sacred Lands organization and the general public. Attendees’ comments highlight the power of the exhibit’s development process and product:

"My partner is Chippewa, and we're visiting 91��Ҹ� for the first time. It's great to see these histories told in this way. So often they aren't told at all." - Visitor
"As a longtime educator, I know the mis-education and the disinformation, the importance of erasure in order to have some of the things happen that have happened. I will say, as someone who has deepened my own learning and awareness, and I got to talk with Michela and her class as they were starting their project about their own personal journey. The work is in the mirror." - City Council Member Taishya Adams
"Every single person I spoke to had positive reactions to the artwork, the display and the camaraderie. Those young people were just awesome." - People of the Sacred Land Executive Director Rick Williams
"The exhibit is incredible. The Museum of 91��Ҹ� should be proud." - Visitor

The exhibit is on view until July 5 at the Museum of 91��Ҹ�. CU 91��Ҹ� faculty members and students interested in the Accelerator or a new "sister" program, Students as Partners for CETL (applications due Aug. 17), please contact lisa.h.schwartz@colorado.edu.

Associate Professor Michela Ardizzoni’s Introduction to Social Change in the Arts class partnered with the Museum of 91��Ҹ� to co-develop an art exhibit that centers the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people–past and present.

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Photo Credit: Matthew Jonas, Daily Camera

An Experiential Approach to SPAN 4215, Spanish in the United States

Arielle Wiedenbeck — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:59:03 +0000

An Experiential Approach to SPAN 4215, Spanish in the United States Arielle Wiedenbeck Wed, 02/25/2026 - 10:59

Tracy Quan

Tracy Quan is a member of the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator Faculty Cohort (The Accelerator). The Accelerator supports CU 91��Ҹ� faculty members with the design of undergraduate courses that integrate community-engaged, experiential learning partnerships.

SPAN 4215: Spanish in the United States is a course that addresses the experiences and perceptions of Spanish speakers and Latines/Hispanics in this country from historic, sociopolitical and linguistic perspectives. In my opinion, it is impossible to talk about Spanish in this country without talking about immigration because Spanish is often used to characterize individuals as “undocumented,” “foreign” and “un-American.” I have taught SPAN 4215 countless times, but in 2025, it felt imperative to bring in a human element to the teaching of immigration and other course topics. I wanted my students to explore the (in)humanity behind what was going on, while asking students to use their Spanish language abilities in purposeful ways.

Community Partner Collaboration

In Fall 2025, I began a collaboration with Cartas de Paz, a project managed by Casa de Paz (an Aurora-based nonprofit that supports detained immigrants). My students wrote a series of four letters in Spanish to individuals detained in ICE detention centers over the course of a semester. This included drafting and peer review sessions, along with reflections.

Benefits and Challenges

“Aprendí más sobre las vidas de las personas en los detention centers y sus desafíos.” (‘I learned more about the lives of people in detention centers and their challenges.’)

“Las cartas son una buena manera para practicar la empatía y tratar de entender una situación que no he experimentado.” (‘The letters are a good way to practice empathy and to try to understand a situation that I haven’t experienced.’)

Student quotes from SPAN 4215, in Fall 2025

Many of my students have expressed that they like this project because:

They get to use Spanish for a real purpose,

They are contributing something positive in regard to US immigration, and

Many are interested in pursuing work/further study in law and/or immigration.

However, the collaboration was also challenging because students didn’t always know what to write or what to say. Sometimes they didn’t get responses, or their pen pals would change a lot throughout the semester because the person would be released. Sitting with this discomfort became part of the learning process as my class and I tried to understand the uncertainty of detention and the privilege of our situations, as reflected in the earlier student quotes.

Multimodal Student Reflection

This semester I am teaching SPAN 4215 again and continuing to collaborate with Cartas de Paz. Based on student ideas from last semester, this semester I have spaced out the letters more to facilitate responses. I have also thought of ways to encourage student reflection that uses different modalities. For example, students individually audio record reflections about connections and challenges from the letter writing, then, during class, they do in-person written reflections followed by small- and large- group discussions using classmates’ written responses as conversation starters.

Students as Co-designers in the Learning Experience

One of the biggest take-aways from my participation in the weeklong Accelerator is to ask students for ideas on how to improve the learning experience. As such, I asked my students last semester how we could deal with some of the challenges they faced, and they gave me the wonderful idea of having students who received replies share what they learned so that the class, as a whole, can feel like they are learning regardless of whether they received a response or not from their pen pal. I will be trying this idea out, and I have a feeling it will foster classroom community and create a sense of collective learning.

Tracy Quan, PhD (she, ella) (Accelerator cohort 2025–2026)
Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Department of Spanish & Portuguese, 91��Ҹ� 91��Ҹ�
tracy.quan@colorado.edu | www.tracyquan.weebly.com

Tracy Quan is a member of the Experiential Learning Design Accelerator Faculty Cohort, which supports CU 91��Ҹ� faculty members in the design of undergraduate courses that integrate community-engaged, experiential learning partnerships.

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