The Town Hall: Social Justice Curriculum

Town Hall is a “national historic landmark venue in the heart of New York City, created by suffragists in 1921 and host to countless cultural and musical milestones.” The Town Hall hired Spark to create a new social justice–focused curriculum for NYC middle and high schools as part of their centennial celebration. 

We worked with the Town Hall’s leadership and education teams to develop a multidisciplinary artmaking curriculum (modeled after effective social justice movements) that fosters self-expression and helps students explore the intersectional, social justice issues in their lives. Throughout a three-act course, students investigate social justice through individual and group art-making, culminating in a final showcase. 

Spark helped Town Hall select, train, and support the teaching artists for the pilot in a Queens middle school, conducted observation, review and feedback sessions, and further revised the curriculum based on the learning from the pilot. 

The result of this work is a practical curriculum where the students aren’t merely learning about social justice; they are embodying social justice by taking on the role of effective activists. Town Hall hopes to implement the program in more schools in the 2022-2023 school year.

You can read more about Town Hall’s school programs here.