About Us

Conversation and coffee–these two symbols of connectivity and community–will most likely greet you when you visit Maxwell Hall, the home of Creative Campus. A student-centered arts advocacy organization, Creative Campus is dedicated to building relationships that will serve as a voice for the cultural arts. The interns at Creative Campus–forty students with various majors and personal backgrounds–are constantly working with students, faculty, and community members in order to engage the University of Alabama and Tuscaloosa with innovative ideas. Interns partake in this process, with each year at Creative Campus unique and organic in its own way, that usually results in a cultural event or an on-going project. Over the past few years, projects and events have included, for instance, a Quidditch World Cup, an LGBTQ art show, a putt-putt golf hole design contest, and a UA Sketchbook Project. Additionally, interns have worked to bring speakers to campus, such as Daniel Pink, Neil Gaiman, and Norman Fischer. However, none of these ideas would have happened without the collaborative help of well-established partners. The interns, by developing cross-campus relationships, not only learn how to work as a team but also build skills in work-ethic, organization, planning, and marketing, which, ultimately, culminates into a new-found sense of professionalism that translates into any field of work.

Mission

Creative Campus is dedicated to building a collaborative environment where students can connect with each other, faculty, and their community in turning innovative ideas into action.

Vision

In support of The University and its dedication to excellence in teaching, research, and service, Creative Campus is structured on the following visions:

  • To provide a student internship experience that enhances curriculum, leadership, and creative thinking, allowing students to become the best possible individuals
  • To develop in students an innovative way of approaching the areas of art, education, economy, and leadership
  • To foster creative student-led activities, programs and events that better UA and the Tuscaloosa Community
  • To give the opportunity to all students to be a part of a nurturing environment open for cultural exchange across academic departments and colleges
  • To serve UA and the Community, by providing recognition and celebration of both cultural arts and creative innovations
  • To assist UA in the recruiting of the best and brightest students, faculty and staff

A Note from Hank

"Work and play. Those are two of the strands that get woven together in Maxwell Hall, the highest point of the original UA campus. From the university's old observatory, we are doign more than observing: we're putting ideas into action. It doesn't matter if you are an artist or not. Our Creative Campus (paid!) interns come from all colleges and majors. They have one common thread: fresh ideas, and the desire to enrich the cultural life of UA and the Tuscaloosa community. Come by Maxwell Hall--the coppper-topped dome building on Stadium Drive across from the stadium--to join the conversation and to see what's possible for you."

-Hank Lazer, UA Associate Provost & Executive Director of Creative Campus

History

Creative Campus began as a proposal from undergraduate honors students in Dr. Scott Bridges' Arts and Public Policy seminar in May 2005. From the very beginning, students have suggested that the Creative Campus is an unprecedented attempt to broaden the scope and to deepen the experience of arts, culture, and creativity through collaboration, cohesion, and connectivity. In addition, they foresaw the new initiative as being the bridge between the campus and the community by using arts and culture to reengage the citizenry of both. During the 2005-2006 academic year, two student interns toiled in a grassroots effort to shape Creative Campus, raise awareness about the group, and engage the University community through events and projects. The Initiative became fully operational during the 2006-2007 academic year, hiring a director, a coordinator, an executive secretary, a graduate assistant, and several student interns and work study students. Additionally, Creative Campus moved into its permanent home in Maxwell Hall.

Maxwell Hall

One of the four remaining antebellum structures of The University of Alabama, Maxwell Hall sits at the highest point of campus. Maxwell was the only observatory west of the Appalachians at the time of its construction in 1844. The space was renovated 2005 specifically for use as Creative Campus headquarters with the grand opening event on May 4, 2007.

Under the iconic dome of Maxwell, lies the original pediment on which used to sit the telescope. The pinnacle is marked with the signatures of Creative Campus staff, interns, and honored guests. Because the dome is the most recognizable feature of Maxwell Hall, Creative Campus has adapted its image as part of its logo.

 Maxwell Hall is a flexible space that meets the varied needs of Creative Campus as a workspace, art gallery, movie theater, and meeting place.

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