Join us by sharing either an individual tile-photo or nine-photo grids.
“A Mosaic on The Heights” is a campus-wide, collaborative, image-sharing platform focused on having critical conversations within the BC community through collaborative design-processes and creative skill-building. The result of wide-scale contributions will be a living, photo-collage that uses individual submissions to construct a composite image of Gasson Hall. The mosaic will be like a modern time capsule that chronicles the experiences of the BC community.
International Education Week
Submit photos highlighting this year's IEW theme "Healing along the fault lines: Enduring Crisis; Maintaining Resilience; Strengthening Engagement; Ensuring Justice" in some shape or form whether that is through customs, places or traditional clothing.
Afternoon-by-Design: Health Equity
You are invited to upload either an individual tile-photo or nine-photo grids responding to the question: What compels you about health equity?
Black History Month
In the month of February, we celebrated and honored the diverse lives and experiences that make up the greater Boston College community. Each week had prompts for music album covers, book covers, local artists, and famous quotes by black musicians, authors, artists, and leaders respectively.
Espresso Your Faith Week
Celebrate your Ignatian spirit and share your visions of God working in your life and on campus!
Submission Topics
Add your voice to the conversation through topics or start a conversation through your submission. Popular topics include: faith, climate, bc2025, gold rush, arts fest, social justice, innovation, schiller, MAD, makebc, ever to excel, dance, theatre
Afternoon-by-Design: Climate Change
You are invited to upload either an individual tile-photo or nine-photo grids responding to the question: What compels you about climate change?
Living the Legacy
Post your experiences at BC through your submission. Popular BC traditions include: Convocation, Bean Pot, Red Bandana, Arts Festival, ALC Showdown, Marathon Monday, Superfans, Student Involvement Fair, Mass of the Holy Spirit, Christmas Tree Lighting, ALS Awareness Game, Commencement
FAQ
What is "A Mosaic on The Heights":
“A Mosaic on The Heights” is a campus-wide, collaborative, image-sharing platform focused on having critical conversations within the BC community through collaborative design-processes and creative skill-building.The result of wide-scale contributions will be a living, photo-collage that uses individual submissions to construct a composite image of Gasson Hall. The Mosaic on the Heights will be like a modern time capsule that chronicles the experiences of the BC community, as it interacts with deep, enduring questions.
Topics of contemplation range from religion and culture, to science and technology, art and education, business and ethics. This project creates a platform for an ongoing examination of our collective human experience, while creating a space for creativity and personal expression through visual storytelling.
History: A COVID Conception
During the 2021 spring semester, the Provost’s Office and the Arts Council worked closely with the President and Founder of Climate Creatives, (climatecreatives.com) Susan Israel, and her team on a series of workshops based on their Quarantine Quilt (quarantinequilts.org) project.
These workshops contributed to the MAD (Making Art and Design) Initiative by fostering community connections through design and a shared concern for social impact. “A Mosaic on The Heights” expands the workshop model and opens the discussion to the entire Boston College community to contribute their viewpoint and experiences through visual storytelling.
In an era where personal interaction is restricted, the threat of social isolation looms large, and communities are left to contemplate hard questions without guidance, BC is creating new ways to communicate, inspire, and live its mission. “A Mosaic on The Heights” represents BC’s resilience and adaptability in a time that will be remembered for its restriction and isolation.
By logging in with a Boston College email: Individuals are invited to upload photographs as either a singular tile or grid, participate in group submissions, campus-wide workshops, and through community prompts.
Who can participate:
This project is open to the Boston College community. Participants from all disciplines, and community members including undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff, as well as alumni are encouraged to contribute.
Ways to participate:
- Casual Posting: In response to the community prompts, individuals can contribute an image to the platform. This kind of casual posting brings individuals’ unique perspectives into the collaborative project.
- Workshops/Group Submissions: Through our workshop-template, anyone can organize a group discussion in response to a provided prompt or a complex problem of their choice. Additional group workshops can be held and moderated through the Faculty, Arts Council, and Provost’s Office.
- Traditions/Events: Contributors can create their own prompt or topic that speaks to a BC Tradition, an event, or other aspect of life on campus. Example topics include espresso your faith, family weekend, arts festival.
- Academic Participation: “A Mosaic on The Heights” project is a tool for the classroom. Faculty can have their classes work on contributing their research and discussion posts into the platform.
Where do I find images for my submission?
The best source of images is you! However, you may look online for additional sources. Only use images with permission, attribution, or those which are assigned to the public domain:
- A Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license or similar release
- The copyright for the image has expired
- Photography Banks: A few sources that can be used freely and without attribution:
- http://bdi.conabio.gob.mx/fotoweb/
- https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/
- https://unsplash.com/
How do I work with a prompt?
What is my/our interpretation of the prompt?
- Where to start:
- Are there any specific issues that stand out? (i.e. environmental, social, economic...)
- What solutions seem important? (i.e. technology, urban forests, energy)
- What are some possible hurdles? (i.e. drought, policy, engagement)
- Do you have a personal story?
- Are there any equity or social issues that have not been considered?
- Are there any specific issues that stand out? (i.e. environmental, social, economic...)
What is a group submission?
Group submissions and workshops bring individuals together with teams of undergraduates and graduate students, as well as, faculty and staff; these discussions and workshops encourage the community to discuss deep topics and incorporate design-thinking methodologies into their submissions to present a personalized, grid of up to nine images.
What are the visual design parameters for group submissions?
How do you unify a group submission to create an overarching identity?
- Possible strategies:
- Visual unity: color, format, form, photography, graphics
- Media: photography, painting, collage, drawing, video, sound
- Text: formatting and style
What is needed for group submissions?
- 9 individual images that have been agreed upon by a group
- Title for the submission and/or team name
- A short description about your submission
- Team members' names and individual photos
- Date (or workshop session name)
- Topics (i.e. keywords or tags)