Can a single work of art build community?
Does art show us how place shapes us?

Started in 2021, the Shared Art Program uses a shared experience of looking at art to start conversations about who we are and where we have come from.

During orientation week, the entire first-year class is introduced to the Allen at the Shared Art Block Party—that’s nearly 1,000 new college students all in one place for a three-hour party! The students participate in activities and crafts, listen to music, take student-led tours, and get a sneak peek of the Art Rental collection. A main feature of this gathering is the first look at the artwork selected by a committee of students to serve as this year’s Shared Art.

Later in the week, students participate in facilitated conversations with their cohorts and advisors about the Shared Art work, allowing them to engage with the perspectives of their peers. This shared experience establishes a communal space where students of all backgrounds can begin their Oberlin journey together and helps them recognize the multifaceted ways in which people make meaning.

In addition to providing a starting point for self-reflection and growth, the Shared Art Program underlines that the Allen is an integral part of the Oberlin experience for all students, regardless of their major. The Shared Art work is on view throughout the semester to allow students to return, look again, and discover how their own views shift as they grow academically and personally at Oberlin.

The work for the class of 2026 was Cleveland artist Michelangelo Lovelace’s These Urban City Streets shown above.