Peter Hocking

Peter is an inter-disciplinary artist, teacher, and social activist. His work is primarily concerned with narrative and the construction of identity within the context of contemporary social and political life. He was the Director of the Office of Public Engagement at Rhode Island School of Design while a fellow at New Urban Arts. Prior to that, he was Associate Dean of the College and director of the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University, he led an organization that’s helped to define public service in higher education. As an academic dean, he worked to integrate community practice with the academic curriculum. Locally, he’s worked with dozens of non-profit organizations as a partner, board member and strategic planning leader, including New Urban Arts, Community Music Works, AIDS Project Rhode Island, The Rhode Island Service Alliance, Equity Action/The Rhode Island Foundation, and Southside Community Land Trust. He holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College and a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. In addition, he was trained in leadership for social change and progressive education pedagogy at the Highlander Center for Education and Social Research. Read about his experience as an arts mentoring fellow here.