This past October 8, 2019, the group of Franklin students enrolled in the Sustainability and the Studio course taught by Professor Clarice Zdanski, organized "Art Without Borders," a late afternoon of creative time to support funding for the Franklin's Scholarships Without Borders program.
Participants had a chance to buy ceramic tiles or handmade pinch pots that they then decorated. Potting soil and succulent plants were provided if pinch pots were destined for use as hand-decorated planters. As remarked by Professor Zdanski, "the focus of this course is to explore the turn toward sustainability and social engagement in contemporary art. At present, the class is engaged in three projects: 'Sense of Place', in which students perform a daily act of mindfulness to become more aware of their place in the environment, 'Beautify Franklin', still in the planning phases and considering among other things working with local Art School CSIA, and 'Art Without Borders', a repeat of a project successfully done twice in 2016 and 2017."
The twofold aim of this course is indeed to promote creative activity on campus, and through this, show solidarity with Franklin's Scholarships Without Borders program - founded in 2015 at FUS by its directors Professors Johanna Fassl and Caroline Wiedmer - specifically designed to provide university-level education opportunities for refugees, offering select qualified students who have been granted refugee status in Switzerland the opportunity to embark on studies leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree at FUS.
Franklin funds this pioneering program through direct scholarships and in collaboration with cantonal bodies, foundations and private donors around the world. The humanitarian, non-profit organization SOS Ticino contributes to the program by identifying refugees based in Ticino who possess the requisite academic qualifications to enter university studies.