The arts are integral to justice education at the Institute for Social Concerns because they show us the realities of injustice while providing visions of what a just world might look like. Arts engagement happens through art exhibitions, course offerings, and community projects. 

Each year, we host the Arts of Dignity student exhibition, displaying student artwork that explores themes related to social justice and human dignity. Pedagogically, art provides a medium through which students can process their immersive experiences beyond the verbal or analytical. Further, encounters with people on the margins are fundamentally incarnate experiences, and art channels ideas into concrete images. 

Every academic year Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College, Holy Cross College, and IU South Bend undergraduate and graduate creatives submit work for the Arts of Dignity student art exhibit and competition.

The exhibit opens during Walk the Walk Week and hangs in the Institute for Social Concerns through the end of the semester. Walk the Walk Week is a week-long series of events to help us consider how we — both individually and collectively — can take an active role in making Notre Dame more welcoming and inclusive.