Emerge will become an inclusive art and technology space and innovation incubator that connects students, faculty, and alumni of The Ohio State University with the Linden neighborhood community. Together, we will engage in community-driven art, technology, and media production involving the intersecting themes of environmental sustainability, racial justice, and human health and wellness.

Situated in the neighborhood of Linden, this inclusive space will connect the Ohio State University Department of Art, College of Engineering, and the Wexner Medical center, with residents in Linden. The Linden neighborhood sits just on the East side of the University District neighborhood, yet this racially diverse community is not well represented in the university. Linden is an under-resourced community, which suffers from gaps in wealth, health, wellness, and education that stem from racism. This grant addresses these racial and cultural disparities through collaborative, creative projects that foster civic engagement, self-expression, education, and friendships across the university-community divide. Art is well-known to have mental health and wellness benefits, and the inclusion of technology, media, and engineering in the production of projects has the added benefits of empowering future thinking, innovation, and skill-building.

We will take an interdisciplinary approach, with a plan that follows three phases in the first year: