On a sunny Saturday afternoon in December, hundreds of community members gathered for the second annual MassArt Common Good Awards. The room buzzed with energy and hope as attendees gathered to honor individuals whose creativity and dedication are transforming lives and communities. 

“When we center art and culture in our work, we can break down barriers,” shared MassArt President Mary Grant in her opening remarks. “Art and design are central to civic life and allow us to work toward a common goal.”

The ceremony featured powerful stories from each honoree, sharing how art has shaped their lives, their work, and their unwavering commitment to serving the greater good.

Frances Euphemia Thompson Award for Excellence in Teaching recipient, May Chau (‘07 BFA Art Education), credited her mentors with sparking her love for ceramics, inspiring her to use art as a common language in her teaching practice. 

Toni Elka (BFA Painting ’86), Distinguished Alumni Award recipient and Founder of Future Chefs, reflected on how her time at MassArt gave  her the tools to help others pursue their own dreams. 

Common Good Award recipient  Thaddeus Miles, photographer and founder of the Black Joy Initiative, reflected on being told as a child that “painting wasn’t manly,” a moment that shaped his eventual journey into photography. He issued a powerful challenge to the audience: to get involved in their communities and use the arts as a tool to foster compassion, celebrate resilience, and build stronger connections. 

With a full Western Massachusetts entourage, awardee Shirley Ann Session Edgerton, community activist, educator,  and founder of the Rites of Passage and Empowerment (R.O.P.E.) program, reminded us of the importance of community empowerment, particularly for young women of color.

You could hear a pin drop as honoree Yinette Guzman (BFA Architecture ’08), Senior Project Manager of Design and Placemaking at the North Shore Community Development Coalition, shared a deeply personal moment, speaking in Spanish about the unwavering support of her family and the transformative experience of being a first-generation college student at MassArt. Guzman highlighted the importance of community in her work and invited her mother to share in the moment, underscoring the collective nature of her achievements.

To cap off an unforgettable afternoon, honoree Frederick Wiseman, spoke of challenging systems through his decades of work as an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. He recounted the difficulty of telling complex stories and emphasized the importance of standing by one’s creative vision.

Each honoree received a custom-made, inscribed artwork by Sam Kim, a Lowell-based ceramics artist and MassArt graduate (BFA Industrial Design and Ceramics ’18), his work embodying the creativity and impact of the honorees themselves.

At MassArt, the Common Good Awards celebrate the profound ways art and design influence civic life, advocacy, and education. This year’s ceremony exemplified the college’s mission to lift up individuals who use creativity to foster positive social change and strengthen their communities. To explore more about the Common Good Awards, as well as this year’s honorees, visit https://massart.edu/massart-common-good-awards/.