The "Art" of the Right to the City: Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning in Pointe-St-Charles

Abstract

What does it mean for artists within academia to make art, teach and learn with and in community, in particular the challenged and challenging Montreal neighborhood of Pointe-St-Charles? This article addresses community engagement in "The Point" from the perspectives of a doctoral student and two instructors involved in "The Right to the City" (TRTC), a three-year, interdisciplinary, placed-based teaching initiative of Concordia University (Montreal). Showcasing the student’s graphic novella, based on the oral history interview of a longtime resident, this article affirms the importance of reciprocity—learning with rather than about—within academic and artistic outreach.