Engaging Practice
Making Cultural Spaces for Local and Transnational Dialogues
Tuesday, October 11, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Buses for offsite sessions will depart from the main entrance of the hotel at 2:00 pm on Tuesday.
Organized by Amy Kitchener, executive director, Alliance for California Traditional Arts; Frances Phillips, program director, Arts & The Creative Work Fund, Walter and Elise Haas Fund.
Presented by Marion Coleman, artist; Russell Rodríguez, independent scholar and musician; Deborah Wong, chair and professor of music, University of California, Riverside.
Recognizing that audiences seek experiences beyond the observational, this session explores vibrant cultural participation in three Bay Area communities involving artists, informal networks, and institutions. Demonstrations and perspectives will be offered by three presenters who are creating African American quilts; Son Jarocho music, verse, and dance; and Taiko drum music. Each of these practices has achieved a critical mass of participation within and between culturally-specific, multi-cultural, local, and transnational communities, all of which are fostering new dialogues, practices, and collaborations. This discussion will involve contemplating ways we can learn from culturally-specific participatory practice in thinking about new modes of audience engagement; support structures for nurturing participatory practice; roles and relationships between institutions and artists; and epistemology within community contexts.
Founded in 1970, session host Galería de la Raza's mission is to foster public awareness and appreciation of Chicano/Latino art, while serving as a laboratory for artists. The Galería supports Latino artists in the visual, literary, media, and performing art fields whose works advance cultural/social justice and promote intercultural dialogue.
