The Climate and Justice Teach-In is MassArt’s annual, campus-wide event focused on sustainability, equity, and creative practice.
Held each spring, the Teach-In brings together students, faculty, and staff for a day of making, sharing, and learning across disciplines. Through workshops, presentations, and collaborative projects, the event highlights how art and design can address environmental and social challenges.
About the Teach-In
The Climate & Justice Teach-In is organized by the MassArt Sustainability Initiative and the Sustainability in the Curriculum Committee. It reflects MassArt’s commitment to integrating sustainability across art and design education through interdisciplinary collaboration, creative practice, and public engagement.
The Teach-In began in 2022 as MassArt’s first virtual climate teach-in, created in partnership with the Worldwide Climate and Justice Teach-In organized by Bard College. MassArt joined more than 1,000 participating institutions around the world in exploring the connections between climate action, social justice, curriculum, and creative practice.
Since then, the Teach-In has grown into an annual, campus-wide event that brings together students, faculty, and staff for workshops, presentations, collaborative projects, and hands-on making across disciplines.
2026 Climate and Justice Teach-In: Waste to Wonder
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
The 2026 theme, Waste to Wonder, explored how materials move through our studios and across campus—focusing on reuse, resourcefulness, and cradle-to-cradle thinking. Through hands-on making and conversation, participants reimagine waste as a starting point for creative work.
View the Full Schedule
What to Expect
The Teach-In is a one-day, open-format event designed for participation at any level.
Activities Include:
- Snapshot presentations from students, faculty, and staff
- Workshops and skillshares across disciplines
- Hands-on making and demonstrations
- Info tables and campus resources
- Pop-up exhibitions and installations
All MassArt students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to attend, bring classes, or lead a session.
Featured Programming
Programming varies each year and includes contributions from departments across the college, including Fashion, Illustration, 3D Arts, Foundations, Sustainability, and more.
Recent workshops and activities have included:
- Natural and non-toxic material processes (inks, pigments, printmaking)
- Clothing swaps, mending, and zero-waste fashion
- Repair workshops for textiles, jewelry, ceramics, and bikes
- Papermaking and material reuse demonstrations
- Basket weaving and soft sculpture from reclaimed materials
- Resource-sharing initiatives like the Materials Map and Waste Trade
