During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Karla and Jeff discuss Karla’s conversation with Jasmin Cardenas, theatre director and activist from Workers Teatro. The dialogues focus on the reciprocal and multiple intersections of the arts and labor issues: how can labor improve in the arts and how can the arts contribute to systemic changes in labor?
In this episode you’ll learn:
How theatre techniques, like Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, can contribute to dialogues about labor in Chicago;
What the arts may learn from labor movements in other sectors; and
The ways teaching artists can act as facilitators for important dialogues about worker’s experiences.
Some things from the episode:
About Jasmine Cardenas
Over the past 15 years Jasmin has taught, directed and devised with community members, adults and youth throughout the city for WorkersTEATRO (Co-Founder), Workers Resistance Theater (Co-Founder), Lookingglass Theater, Silk Road Theater Project, Adventure Stage Chicago, Lifeline Theater, Chase Elementary and at Carpenter Fine Arts, to name a few.
In 2019 she facilitated creative youth leaders from across Chicago's city and neighborhoods and organizations to create the 2019 Youth Speak: RIGHTS OF CHICAGO'S CREATIVE LEADERS. This was in partnership with Chicago Park District's Arts & Culture Culture Unit, led be Meida McNeil, and youth leaders from Albany Park Theater Project, Free Street Theater, Kumba Lynx, Move Me Soul, YOUMedia, Columbus Park Inferno Youth Media Team, Free Spirit Media & the adults who support their learning, growing and thriving. Our gatherings were held at Chicago Parks across the city.
Using Theater of the Oppressed she uses the tool of theater for social justice work. With Pastor Phil Jackson she Co-Founded Ambassadors for a United Lawndale; working towards racial reconciliation between African American and Latino Youth on the SW side of the city. Supported by The MacArthur Foundation she traveled with 20 students to Mexico to learn about the African presence in Mexico.
She served on the Board of The Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed (PTO) and was the Lead Organizer of the 2011 International PTO Conference held in Chicago. Along with her students, recipient of the 2010 Public Square (Illinois Humanities Council) Award Art Urges, Art Voyages – Looking for Democracy Film Contest. Using her specialization in Creative Drama Jasmin has been teaching children, parents and educators (across the ages 0-100) of the many literacy benefits that can be experienced in bringing stories to life.
This episode was produced by Karla Estela Rivera. The artwork is by Bridget Woodbury. The audio is edited by Katie Rainey. This podcasts’ theme music is by Distant Cousins. For more information on this episode, episode transcripts, and Creative Generation please visit the episode’s web page and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC.