Creative Citizens in Action
Creative Citizens in Action (CCA@CCA) is a college-wide initiative that promotes creative activism and democratic engagement through public programs, exhibitions, and curriculum connections.
This initiative is funded by an endowment gift to launch The Deborah and Kenneth Novack Creative Citizens Series, an annual series of public programs focused on creative activism that spans the disciplines of art, design, architecture, and writing. CCA@CCA is overseen by the Exhibitions & Public Programming department in partnership with Student Affairs, Libraries, Academic Divisions, Communications, and faculty. Please contact exhibitions@cca.edu with any questions.
CCA@CCA Presents Under the Guard Tower: The Watercolors of Chikaji Kawakami, curated by CCA@CCA Faculty Coordinator Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, on view at the CCA Campus Gallery April 1–May 15, 2026.
Under the Guard Tower is part of the Spring 2026 Deborah and Kenneth Novack Creative Citizens Series, which includes public programming that addresses the 2026 CCA@CCA theme, Hope As Movement. How do we cultivate hope to fight the paralysis created by fear? How can we use the act of hoping to envision and create different futures?
The exhibition consists of 39 paintings made by Chikaji Kawakami (1882–1949, born in Kagoshima, Japan), who created art to document his life and elevate his spirits while incarcerated at internment camps at Tanforan and Topaz during WWII.
Kawakami's artwork is an example of hope as movement; instead of being paralyzed by fear, he chose to respond to his incarceration by using art to portray himself and his fellow inmates with dignity and to find beauty and peace in nature. Kawakami's response is what South Korean philosopher Byung-Chul Hal defines as hope—not merely optimism, but the ability to imagine and move towards something more profound.
Jump to a section:
Events
Check back regularly to learn about new events in the Deborah and Kenneth Novack Creative Citizens Series!
Voting Resources
At CCA, we’re committed to working with students, faculty, staff, and election officials to reduce barriers to student voting. See the steps the college is taking to increase voting access and turnout for its community.
Teaching Resources
CCA@CCA Teaching Modules are designed to support classroom learning related to creative citizenship. They bundle videos, readings, and worksheets produced by The Creative Citizens in Action initiative, together with prompts that faculty can use to facilitate course discussions.
Archive
Opportunities
Faculty Micro Grants
CCA@CCA Faculty Micro Grants support course efforts tied to democratic engagement. Project outcomes are featured within the Deborah and Kenneth Novack Creative Citizens Series.
Courses
Creative Accord
CCA’s Creative Accord is a cultural and ethical touchstone for all members of the CCA community. This collective agreement allows us to hold each other accountable and gives us something to aspire to as a creative community.