I am very much a part of the growing consensus that we, as individuals and as societies, need to change our behaviors and systems if we hope to eradicate the inequities these behaviors and systems uphold. While change often involves struggle and discomfort, I have learned to embrace it. Learned, being the operative word, meaning that overtime my cumulative experience with change taught me that I can count on it to be a conduit for good things in my life.
Read moreLearning Unlearning: Rethinking 'Community Engagement' (I'm Talking About You)
I write to you often, as the Director of Community Engagement, whether my name is attached to my words, or not. I also spend a lot of time with your words: reading posts you tag us in, checking out links you share on social media, and learning about what your organizations are doing that impacts our area of interest at the intersection of arts & cultural education & social justice.
Read moreLearning Unlearning: Relational, Personal, Generative, and Communicative Compassion and Curiosity
In the midst of cancelled performances and woefully looking empty diaries – five of us got to rehearse with 7 singers and a small team of production crew, and took La Bohème on tour. The funding for this project had been in existence thanks to some remarkably generous donors. Covid halted preparations. However, when the green light was signaled, the management of Cape Town Opera pulled the whole production off in record time. All 8 shows in 4 cities were sold out before we left home soil. The last time I had seen any of these cities had also been my first time, around 20 years prior.
Read moreFROM THE FIELD | Learning Unlearning: Carefully Unlearning
How many times have you said the phrase, “be careful!”? As a mother and teacher, I’ve said this phrase multiple times, daily. Often, I am not even conscious that I am saying it. The phrase is more reactionary, like an applause after a performance. In bringing my awareness to how and when I use this phrase, I found it being widely applied to almost any type of scenario: my toddler rushing down the stairs, “be careful here!”; a student enthusiastically opening a very full jar of paint, “be careful with that!”; teaching a technique that may potentially cause strain or overextension if done incorrectly, “be careful when you do this!”.
Read moreLearning Unlearning: Deja Tu Huella: Youth Art and Unlearning in Colombia
When stepping into another culture, I always challenge myself to contextualize the sociopolitical issues facing the people in that place. Stopping short of inserting my own views on the issues, I strive to listen louder than I speak. Some of the most important growth in my thirty years of life have come from experiences outside the United States. For me, it’s always about context, context, context. I will never fully grasp the issues facing other cultures I am not a part of, but I can certainly try to weave together an appreciation and an empathetic perception. If you really pay attention, listen closely, and dig deeper to place yourself in the context of what is going on, you can expand your capacity to empathize and build an authentic global understanding. This is especially true when viewing local issues through art.
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