Mission Statement

The Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media began its staffed operations at Columbia College Chicago in March 2005. The first of its kind in the nation, the Institute offers a dynamic and innovative multidisciplinary approach that merges applied arts and cultural production with critical theory and academic research.

The Institute's mission is to deepen understanding and appreciation of how issues related to women, gender, creativity and community shape social policy, culture, history and critical theory. Within this framework, the Institute addresses ideas of access, representation, equity, and participation, as well as race and class, using the arts and media as a central means of research, engagement, public education, and advocacy. The Institute offers a wide range of public programs, including exhibitions, performances and panel discussions, and supports new research and creative work through its Fellowship program and other commissions.

Enhancing student learning and contributing to new bodies of knowledge are central to the Institute's purpose. The Institute achieves this through curricular intersections at Columbia College and far-reaching educational collaborations with other cultural, civic and academic organizations.

Since 2005, the Institute has organized, created and co-sponsored more than 60 acclaimed public programs; supported 15 scholars and artists through the Fellowship Program; and cultivated strategic and long-term partnerships with more than 75 other civic, cultural and academic institutions.  More than 5,000 people have participated in programs, including students, faculty and staff from the College, artists, educators, scholars, activists, community representatives, civic and cultural leaders from across the city and state, and the general public.