Massachusetts College of Art and Design Receives Two 2026 Campus Compact Impact Awards, Celebrating Civic and Community Engagement Efforts

Campus News
Center for Art and Community Partnerships
President's Office

03/25/2026

President Mary K. Grant recognized for her leadership; Center for Art and Community Partnerships and “sparc! the Art Mobile” honored for excellence in civic and community engagement programming.

Boston, MA – Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) has been recognized with two 2026 Campus Compact Impact Awards, honoring both presidential leadership and outstanding civic and community engagement programming. MassArt President Dr. Mary K. Grant received the Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership, and MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) and sparc! the ArtMobile program received the Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award.

Campus Compact is a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. The Campus Compact Impact Awards recognize higher education leaders, institutions, and programs that exemplify a deep commitment to civic and community engagement, advancing equity, strengthening democracy, and addressing societal challenges through reciprocal partnerships. Campus Compact presented the awards at Compact26, the largest national conference focused on the role of higher education in building healthy communities and fostering a just and equitable democracy.

President Grant earned the 2026 Richard Guarasci Award for Presidential Leadership, which recognizes presidents and chancellors who have demonstrated an enduring commitment to civic engagement throughout their careers. Under her leadership, MassArt has strengthened its public mission by expanding access and opportunity, and championing equity, inclusion, and the power of creative education as essential to building stronger communities.

Four adults stand together smiling at an indoor event, possibly the Campus Compact Impact Awards. One person holds a glass award, celebrating civic engagement at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The background features dark curtains and red chairs.

Left to right: Jessica Howard, Chair, Campus Compact Board of Directors; Richard Guarasci, President Emeritus, Wagner College; Mary K. Grant, President, MassArt; and Bobbie Laur, President, Campus Compact. Photo courtesy of Campus Compact.

“President Grant has consistently led with the belief that art and design education must be deeply connected to the world beyond campus,” said Daren Bascome, Chair, MassArt Board of Trustees. “Her leadership has helped align academic affairs, student success, and community partnerships around a shared commitment to public purpose—ensuring that civic engagement is central to how MassArt educates artists, designers, and educators.”

“Mary K. Grant’s passion for community building, civic engagement, and her belief in the power of higher education to meaningfully contribute to the public good have impacted and changed higher education and our society for the better,” said Bobbie Laur, President of Campus Compact. “The Guarasci award recognizes her commitment to helping young people discover their purpose and prepare for a meaningful life.”

During President Grant’s tenure, MassArt has deepened its role as a public, urban art and design college through sustained investment in community-engaged teaching, learning, and partnerships. She has elevated civic engagement as a core institutional priority, supporting initiatives that integrate creative practice with public purpose—from expanding community-based learning across academic programs to strengthening long-term partnerships with Boston Public Schools, cultural institutions, neighborhood organizations, and civic leaders. Under her leadership, MassArt has advanced access and affordability, reinforced pathways for first-generation and underrepresented students, and aligned institutional strategy around equity, community impact, and student success. These efforts have positioned MassArt as a national model for how art and design education can meaningfully contribute to the public good.

“Civic engagement has always been central to my work as an educator and a leader, so being honored with the Richard Guarasci Award is deeply meaningful,” said MassArt President Dr. Mary K. Grant. “For me, it reflects the shared commitment across MassArt, including our faculty, staff, and students, to using art and design education in service of community, equity, and public purpose.”

In addition to President Grant’s recognition, MassArt’s Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) and sparc! the ArtMobile earned the Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award, recognizing high-impact programs that demonstrate deep, sustained, and reciprocal community partnerships.

Seven women stand together indoors, smiling at the camera. The woman in the center holds a red Campus Compact Impact Awards plaque, celebrating civic and community engagement at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Left to right: Jessica Howard, Chair, Campus Compact Board of Directors; Isabelle Higgins, sparc! the ArtMobile Program Manager; Elena Belle White, Center for Art and Community Partnerships Director; Ivy Wong, CACP Office Manager & Program Coordinator; Ekua Holmes, CACP Associate Director & sparc! the ArtMobile Director; Mary K. Grant, President, MassArt; and Bobbie Laur, President, Campus Compact. Photo courtesy of Campus Compact.

sparc! the ArtMobile is a mobile art studio that brings the power of art and design directly into Boston’s neighborhoods. The boldly painted, retrofitted sparc! van brings creativity to the street level, creating intergenerational spaces for learning, connection, and joy, with programs shaped by a MassArt student team.

“sparc! the ArtMobile reflects what is possible when institutions show up consistently and listen deeply,” said Elena Belle White, Director of the Center for Art and Community Partnerships at MassArt. “This work is shaped by our community partners and the many people we learn and create with across neighborhoods, and it is sustained through relationships built over time. We are honored to see sparc! recognized as a model for how art and design can support community goals and creative agency.”

A group of thirteen people smiling and waving, standing in front of a colorful, graffiti-covered van in a park with autumn trees, celebrates civic and community engagement at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Members of the sparc! the ArtMobile team. Photo by CACP staff.

Powered by MassArt students and staff, sparc! partners with local artists, libraries, and community organizations to offer free, hands-on art programs that deepen engagement with the arts and respond to neighborhood needs for expression and connection. For nearly 15 years, sparc! has traveled hundreds of miles, built thousands of relationships, and demonstrated how art, grounded in care and public purpose, serves as a powerful tool for civic engagement, neighborhood collaboration, and social connection. It reaches over 4,000 participants annually through more than 30 partnerships citywide.

“sparc! the ArtMobile embodies MassArt’s belief that art and design belong in every neighborhood,” said MassArt President Dr. Mary K. Grant. “We are proud of the students, staff, and incredible partners who bring creativity into community spaces and build relations that strengthen both learning and civic life.”

“Receiving the Excellence in Civic & Community Engagement Programming Award affirms the power of long-term, relationship-based engagement,” said Dr. Lyssa Palu-ay, Vice President of Civic and Community Engagement and Dean of Justice, Equity, and Transformation (JET). “sparc! is rooted in listening, collaboration, and creative exchange. We’re honored to work alongside community partners to create spaces where people of all ages can imagine, experiment, and see themselves as artists and change-makers.”

Together, these two national honors underscore MassArt’s distinctive model of civic engagement—one grounded in creative practice, reciprocal partnership, and a belief that art and design are essential tools for advancing equity, strengthening communities, and preparing students for lives of purpose and impact.

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About MassArt

The only independent public college of art and design in the country, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) was founded in 1873 in response to a bold idea: art and design are essential to our daily lives, and key to improving our society and economy. What began as a school to teach drawing is today a bold, comprehensive art and design institution that spans 18 undergraduate and nine graduate programs, certificates, continuing education, and post-baccalaureate study.

About The Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP)

The Center for Art and Community Partnerships (CACP) at MassArt works alongside people and communities within and beyond MassArt to expand access to transformative creative experiences. Through core programs including sparc! the ArtMobile, PartnershipWORKS, Community-Engaged Coursework, and a range of special collaborations, CACP supports creative projects guided by joy, generosity, deep listening, and collaboration among community partners, students, and MassArt faculty and staff.