CultureWorks partnered with Hope Forward, an entirely new funding model with hopes to eventually provide a tuition-free education for every student at Hope College.
What goes into the growth of a plant? It needs good soil in which to be planted, healthy roots, and tender care. Once it grows, blossoms, or bears fruit, plants typically give back to the ground from which they grew through repeating the cycle.
In January, we had the opportunity to come alongside the first ever Hope Forward cohort for part of their mid-year retreat. Hope Forward is a new funding initiative in hopes of creating a tuition-free experience for students at Hope College. Instead of charging tuition before receiving a transformative Hope education, this “pay it forward” approach will ask students to give to the college after they graduate — providing the same opportunity for future students. Throughout their academic careers at Hope, Hope Forward students learn about generosity and think critically about what that looks like in their own lives. Then, these students will graduate free from the burden of debt and be better positioned to give back to the program that paved the way for their own educations.
Because students who receive this experience are kept anonymous, we worked with their Program Director, Nicole Dunteman, on how to offer a creative experience that could also help tell the stories of these students. Students were asked to consider words they’d written in their applications that describe who they are and who they hope to become. We then looked at the meaning of plants throughout Art History before exploring a variety of botanical meanings. Student then selected flora that reflected the words they’d used, thereby reflecting themselves in the process. These were made into carved linoleum blocks and printed. Students shared about the plants the chose and why; the descriptions they wrote were collected, so that they can accompany images and share the stories of these students without revealing their identities.
We didn’t just think about self growth, though: students considered what it means to grow as a group and contribute to the collective whole of Hope College. To convey this visually, the stamps were placed in a collaborative composition to create a “Garden of Hope”.
Feel free to read more about that day and individual student projects in the article, “Growing Together In The Garden Of Hope” on Hope College’s Online Magazine. We look forward to repeating this experience for cohorts to come, and are equally excited about the fact that the number of Hope Forward recipients have double for the the 2022-2023 academic year.
