Session F2. In Response to Place: Personal Postcard Collage as Storytelling Practice

Presenters:
Laura Pasquini, Visual Arts Program Navigator, Arts Integration Co-Lead, Anne Arundel Community College
Amy Carattini, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology and Arts Integration Co-Lead, Anne Arundel Community College
Bradley Austin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Geography, Anne Arundel Community College
Alex Colucci, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Geography, Anne Arundel Community College 

This hands-on session blends human geography and cultural anthropology to explore how people make meaning through the places they hold dear. Participants will engage in the “Personal Postcard Collage” activity developed by the AACC Arts Integration Hub, reflecting a meaningful place and translating its landscape, memories, and emotional qualities into visual and written narrative. Grounded in an ethnographic lens, the activity invites individuals to consider both a sense of place (what we notice and observe) and the meaning of place (the stories, routines, and connections that shape our experiences). Through collage, symbols, and a guided writing prompt, attendees will create a two-sided postcard that communicates the essence of a place that matters to them. A final reflection activity weaves multiple postcards into a larger story of shared connection. This session provides an accessible, arts-integrated structure that helps students and communities tell their stories through imagery, descriptive language, and shared reflection. Participants leave with a replicable model that supports narrative expression, belonging, and authentic connection across classroom and community settings.