When Nina Bhattacharya, a Master of Science (MS) student in global health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, learned her favorite Indian artist-activist was painting a mural on her block, she dropped everything to join in the collaborative painting process.
Shilo Shiv Suleman, an Indian illustrator and designer, initiated the Fearless Collective following the 2012 Delhi gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student by four men, which triggered public outrage, protests, and new laws in India against rape. Suleman wanted to spark discussion about women’s access to public spaces. Since then, the movement has evolved into “participative storytelling,” to highlight and reclaim important community narratives within public spaces. Partnering with the multidisciplinary, Cambridge-based innovation center, NuVu Studio, Suleman’s current project in Central Square explores the theme of “belonging.”
Ms. Bhattacharya, a student fellow at the Global Health Education and Learning Incubator, has been working closely with Drs. Sue J. Goldie, Faculty Director of the Incubator, and Cherie Ramirez, Deputy Director of the Learning Studios, to develop a series of workshops on emerging visual techniques for knowledge translation and dialogue. This summer, she will be collaborating with the Human Outreach Project in Tanzania to explore visual methodologies for public health communication, as well as community engagement and empowerment.