Cracks in the Pavement
The Cracks in the Pavement Grant was awarded by the Mellon Foundation to the University of Michigan-Flint in 2024.
It enables us to examine how democratic cultures flourish in places like Flint, where communities creatively respond to challenges and reimagine democratic participation beyond traditional institutions.
How does democracy flourish?
Affiliated with the Institute for Society and Technology and led by IST directors Jacob Lederman and Kimberly Saks, the Mellon Grant Cracks in the Pavement Initiative investigates the everyday forms of democratic civic and political life that characterize the Flint community and region. The initiative leverages the expertise of IST-affiliated faculty to examine the social implications of technological advancements and grassroots democratic practices.
We aim to explore how residents and organizations in our region are reimagining democratic participation beyond conventional forms of governance to foster new cultures of democracy.
Activities related to the grant will take place during the academic years 2025-28, kicking off with a community-focused Symposium to exchange ideas, share experiences, and engage in collective creation.
About the Grant
The Cracks in the Pavement initiative is supported by a $495,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation, awarded to UM-Flint’s College of Arts, Sciences & Education. This interdisciplinary project seeks to examine how Flint residents are actively reimagining democratic participation beyond traditional forms of governance and electoral politics.
Goals & Activities
- Community Symposium Fall 2025: Launch event featuring local and national speakers discussing innovative forms of democratic engagement. Learn more about the Symposium.
- Curriculum Development: Beginning in 2026, new UM-Flint courses on “Cultures of Democracy” will provide immersive, community-based learning for students.
- Faculty Workshops: Faculty will design learning modules that rethink public engagement, civic identity, and democratic space.
- Student Engagement: Undergraduate students will partner with UM-Flint’s Urban Institute to apply humanities-based research methods in local communities.
- Community Arts Festival: The Dancing in the Streets festival, launched initially under UM-Flint’s previous Mellon grant, will return in fall 2026 and 2027. It will celebrate public art, dance, and local activism.
News & Updates
- Mar 11, 2026: Cracks in the Pavement Symposium 2025 Archived Agenda and Videos of Keynotes + Discussions
- Nov 11, 2025: UM-Flint’s “Cracks in the Pavement” Symposium brings the community together to showcase Flint’s civic empowerment
- Oct 4, 2025: Print-only: Cracks in the Pavement Symposium 2025 Flyer
- Jan 27, 2025: UM-Flint receives $495K Mellon Grant to explore “Cracks in the Pavement”
Upcoming Events & Activities
Fall 2026 Mellon Courses
After meeting with experts during the Winter 2026 semester, faculty have developed a specialized curriculum informed by the Cracks in the Pavement methodology in Fall 2026.
The Mellon course modules created by faculty foster students’ humanistic thinking through meaningful engagement with community members and the contemporary issues that shape our region. Drawing on the diverse disciplinary expertise of faculty across the college, the courses demonstrate how different academic perspectives offer distinct approaches to understanding social change. Through the lens of the arts, culture, history, and contemporary social movements, these courses equip students with habits of mind needed to understand the complex, interconnected histories that shape our communities.
- Anthropology | ANT 100: Intro to Cultural Anthropology (Daniel Birchok). This course explores what anthropologists have called an “ethics of dwelling,” which is basically a fancy way of saying that just being with people — that is, dwelling with our fellow humans and learning about their social worlds and concerns — is an underappreciated skill of democratic ethics. Too often we jump quickly to advocacy, but learning to dwell with others is essential to developing the shared concerns and senses of “us” on which the expansion of democracy depends.
- Anthropology | WGS 100: Introduction to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Jennifer Alvey)
- Art & Design | ART 342: Graphic Design II – Publication and Exhibition Design (Robert Carter). This course will be structured around the themes of democracy in graphic design, exhibition, and architecture. Throughout the semester, students will create a publication and an exhibition based on Riverbank Park’s original design, evolution, community use, and current active redesign and renovations. The exhibition will open to the public on November 20, 2026, at the UCEN gallery.
- Sociology | SOC 471: Social Movements (Heather Laube). This course focuses on the phenomenon of ordinary people consciously, collectively, and with sustained effort, actively working to change (or resist change in) some aspect of society. In this spirit, students will learn about and practice everyday forms of democracy. They will connect and learn with community members who engage in this work. Students will document their activities throughout the semester, and together we will develop an archive of this messy practice of everyday democracy.
- Theatre & Dance | THE 100.01: Fine Arts 2 – Producing Theatre with and for Community (Janet Haley). Students will identify themes of a script’s story to build connection within and across communities; increase understanding and appreciation of a community’s identity as intersectional in culture, gender, generation, and economics. In-person class sessions combined with rehearsals and performance.
Event & Activity Archive
February 2026 Communication Engagement Workshop
Facilitated by Lucine Jarrah, UM-Flint faculty met with several community partners to gain insight into course development that meets community needs.
Community partners included:
- Thomas Hutchison | Genesee County Habitat for Humanity
- Athena McKay | Flint Innovative Solutions
- Regina Laurie | Flint Alliance for Immigrant Rights
- Robert White | Flint Alliance for Immigrant Rights
April 2026 Communication Engagement Workshop
UM-Flint faculty met with NYU’s Gianpaolo Baiocchi.
Baiocchi is known in the field for his work on community engagement and democracy.
Dancing in the Streets: Thresholds
April 11, 2026 | Flint Institute of Arts
Dancing in the Streets: Thresholds is a community engagement project in connection with the Cracks in the Pavement Mellon Grant and in collaboration with Magic Wheel Creative. Join us for an evening of movement and dance performance. Free and open to the public.
Cracks in the Pavement Symposium
November 6, 2025 | Downtown Flint
The Mellon Grant work was kicked off with a day-long symposium held on the UM-Flint campus and at the Flint Farmers’ Market. Featuring multiple keynotes, discussion panels, and breakout sessions, the symposium provided UM-Flint faculty, staff, and students with the opportunity to connect with the Flint community, learn about the work underway to revitalize the city, and forge new relationships in support of the Mellon Grant’s goals.
