Art project connects student with community

Southeast Missouri State University continues to provide students with real world experience. Just recently, the Catapult Creative House opened, a business incubator, which affords students a taste of what running a business entails. Also, the Missouri Innovation Corp. at Southeast presented Dream Big, Start Small as part of National Small Business Week. Now, the community is enhanced further through the college's Bridging Space through Placemaking project.

Senior Lydia Ness took unused space and put it to use, assigning it a purpose that will enhance and beautify the area. She took a downtown Cape corner and transformed it into an art garden.

The Broadway Prescription Shop is the space chosen by Ness, who beat out others requesting its use. The once-empty space now showcases a sculpture by student Ashley Sexton and park benches and greenery donated by the Cape Girardeau Department of Parks and Recreation. Thus, Ness' dream of creating a place for "bridging a gap" between Southeast students and their community has been fulfilled.

Education should be more than four years of classes and books, research papers and tests. Meaningful education takes students' ideas beyond the lecture hall into the real world, where they can actually perform what they are learning. This better prepares them for their tomorrow while enriching their community today.

Steve Hoffman, professor of history and historic preservation program coordinator at Southeast, told the Southeast Missourian in a recent article, "Our goal is to have students do real work, real activities. If we can engage them in projects that make a meaningful difference, I think that's a more powerful kind of education, and I think it's something our program excels at."

Stop by 701 Broadway. Check out the sculpture. Enjoy the scenery while relaxing on one of the park benches. You'll get an idea of what our students are capable of with some help from our community.