Engagement with the local Harrisonburg community has been a central part of my teaching and creative practice. My focus has been on creative expression around themes of identity and place.
Below are some examples of community-engaged learning projects that I have designed and facilitated. Some collaborations have taken place over the course of several years, and others have been semester-long connections between JMU students and high school students or elementary students.
![Elisabeth explaining something during a workshop](https://i0.wp.com/www.elisabethkvernen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cws-workshop.jpg?resize=1008%2C672&ssl=1)
Projects
The Face of COVID
Documenting life during the COVID-19 pandemic
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.elisabethkvernen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/face-of-covid-overview2.jpg?resize=714%2C714&ssl=1)
Here + There (CWS)
Exploring Multi-layered Identity through Photography
![Here + There Workshop](https://i0.wp.com/www.elisabethkvernen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/workshop-hands-edited.jpg?resize=714%2C714&ssl=1)
Here + There (Skyline)
Photography Workshop at Skyline Middle School
![Photography at Skyline Middle School](https://i0.wp.com/www.elisabethkvernen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/skyline-workshop-edited.jpg?resize=720%2C720&ssl=1)
Dreams Unfolding
Exploring Storytelling and Identity among Refugee Youth
![Dreams unfolding workshop](https://i0.wp.com/www.elisabethkvernen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DreamUnfolding.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1)
Mindfulness Meadow
Designing an outdoor learning space with elementary students
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.elisabethkvernen.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mindfulness-overview.jpg?resize=714%2C714&ssl=1)