In this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Madeleine and Jeff check in about their work advancing arts education globally. Madeleine shares her recent conversation with teaching artist, Eric Booth about his new book. Madeleine and Jeff debrief by reflecting on the field of practice, how it has evolved, and where it is going.
In this episode you’ll learn:
About Eric’s new book, “Making Change: Teaching Artists and Their Role in Shaping a Better World;”
How the field of teaching artistry has shifted and will continue to shift; and
Radical new ideas for the future of the work.
Some things from the episode:
ITAC Webpage: “Making Change: Teaching Artists and Their Role in Shaping a Better World”
“Embedding Advocacy Into Your Practice” by Jeff Poulin
About Eric Booth
As an actor, Eric Booth performed in many plays on Broadway, Off-Broadway and around the country, playing over 23 Shakespearean roles (Hamlet three times), and winning “Best Actor” awards on both coasts. Throughout 1981, he performed the American tour of Alec McCowen’s one-man play St. Mark’s Gospel. He has performed many times on television, directed five productions, and produced two plays in New York.
As a businessman, he started a small company, Alert Publishing, that in seven years became the largest of its kind in the U.S. analyzing research on trends in American lifestyles and publishing newsletters, books, and reports. He became a major figure in trend analysis, frequently quoted by the major media with interviews often appearing in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. He appeared as an expert on NBC News, Sunday Today, and several times on CNN. He was given a syndicated radio program on the Business Radio Network, and was a frequent speaker to business groups. He sold his company in 1991 in order to work full time on passion projects in arts learning.
As an author, he has had seven books published. His newest book (2019) is Tending the Perennials: The Art and Spirit of a Personal Religion. This is a companion book to The Everyday Work of Art which was a brief bestseller, won three awards and was a Book of the Month Club selection. He has written three dozen magazine articles, was the Founding Editor of the Teaching Artist Journal, and his book The Music Teaching Artist’s Bible was published by Oxford University Press in 2009. Playing for Their Lives (co-authored with Tricia Tunstall) (W.W. Norton, 2016) sprang from studying El Sistema-inspired programs in 25 countries around the world. His latest book Tending the Perennials: The Art and Spirit of a Personal Religion (2019) focuses on the ways art and spirituality overlap in everyday life. He has placed articles in the Harvard Education Review/Focus Issue on Arts Education, in the special creativity focus issue of Educational Leadership, in Symphony magazine, as well as the creativity chapter in the Routledge International Handbook on Arts Education (2015).
In arts learning, he taught at Juilliard (12 years), Stanford University, NYU, Tanglewood and Lincoln Center Education (for 40 years, where he is now a co-Founder of the Teaching Artist Development Labs), and The Kennedy Center (20 years). He was the Faculty Chair of the Empire State Partnership program for three years (the largest arts-in-education project in America), and held one of six chairs on The College Board’s Arts Advisory Committee for seven years. He serves as a consultant for many organizations, cities, states and businesses around the country, including seven of the ten largest orchestras in America, and five national service organizations. He consults with arts organizations, businesses, boards of directors, state arts and education agencies, national arts organizations and occasionally with high tech and medical firms on their innovation work. He is widely referred to as one of the nation’s most creative teachers and as "the father of the teaching artist profession," and this is one of many topics he consults on. Formerly the Founding Director of the Teacher Center of the Leonard Bernstein Center (and still on the Board of its school reform program Artful Learning), he is a frequent keynote speaker on the arts to groups of all kinds. He delivered the closing keynote speech to UNESCO’s first ever worldwide arts education conference (Lisbon 2006), and to UNESCO's 2014 World Culture Conference (Seoul), and he gave the keynote speech to the first world conference on orchestras' connections to communities (Glasgow 2007). He completed a six-week speaking tour of Scotland and Australia, speaking to over 40 organizations, government agencies, and universities about creativity and teaching artistry, and has subsequently been brought in to introduce or develop teaching artistry in six countries. He was the Senior Advisor to the Music National Service initiative (lead trainer and training designer for the launch of MusicianCorps), and now advises ArtistYear (a service year in schools for young professional artists) and the Academy for Impact in Music, based in Europe. He is a senior advisor to the movement developing El Sistema-inspired sites around the U.S. and world; and he was the founding publisher of The Ensemble (for the U.S./Canada) and The World Ensemble (for the global movement), the two newsletters that are the main communications vehicles of the Music for Social Change movement around the world. He is the Co-Founder and Co-Leader of the Community Engagement Lab in Vermont, a project that weaves bold community engagement into intensive school creativity projects in partnership with community members and organizations. He is the co-Founder of the International Teaching Artist Conferences, which have been held in Oslo (2012), Brisbane (2o14), Edinburgh (2016), and New York (2018), and Seoul (2020), and in 2018 he launched the ITAC Collaborative which goes all year round, building the first global network of artists who work in community and education settings. In 2021, he launched ITAC IMPACT: Climate, and the Climate Collective wife five commissioned teaching artists projects around the world that use creative engagement of communities to change beliefs and behaviors about the climate crisis; the Collective includes a group of dozens of climate-passionate artists who meet regularly to build their network and effectiveness.
He is the first person to receive an honorary doctoral degree (New England Conservatory, 2012) for teaching artistry. He received Americans for the Arts 2015 Arts Education Leadership Award, the most prestigious award in U.S. arts education -- the first teaching artist ever to receive this award. He was named in the "Top 50 Most Powerful and Influential Leaders in the Nonprofit Arts (USA) for 2015" -- the only teaching artist, and the only freelancer, on the list.
This episode was produced by Madeleine McGirk. 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.
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Jeff M. Poulin 00:02
This is why I changed the podcast for Creative Generation. We are your hosts. I'm Jeff.
Madeleine McGirk 00:08
Oh, Hola. Hola, soy Carla. It's Rachel here. What's good, y'all. I'm Ashraf. And I'm Madeline.
Jeff M. Poulin 00:14
Why Change is a podcast that brings listeners around the globe to learn how arts, culture and creativity, especially as applied by young people, can change the world, one community at a time. You're invited each week to learn and laugh while exploring the question. Why change? Alright, let's get started.
Madeleine McGirk 00:36
Hello, everyone, and welcome to this episode of The Why change podcast. I am Madeline and I am here today with Jeff, how are you doing, Jeff?
Jeff M. Poulin 00:46
I'm doing great. Madeline, I am so excited to talk to you. We've actually spoken a few times in the last week, which is wonderful. But it's great to be on the mic with you to chat a little bit about the interview that you are bringing us here today. But before we do that, how are things? What's new in your world? I know you've had a busy couple of weeks.
Madeleine McGirk 01:06
Yeah, I am having an amazing experience. I was invited to the UNESCO conference a couple of weeks ago in Paris, which is one of my favorite cities in the whole world, and was invited as a speaker to talk about their new arts education framework. So that was kind of wild. It was a very big moment for me to like, turn the corner in Paris, UNESCO Eiffel Tower and be like, Oh, my God, I've been invited here. Keep your kill. And so yeah, it was just a really, really gratifying moment. I have to say, What have you been doing? You've been equally all over the place, right?
Jeff M. Poulin 01:44
Oh, yeah, that I mean, that sounds amazing. And I was so happy to follow that journey. For listeners, go back to our conversation debriefing the world Alliance for Arts Education Conference in Madeira, where that process really came to the fore. I was not in Paris, I have actually had a few weeks of no travel, which has been amazing. For those of you who don't know, I travel a lot and to lots of different corners of the world. And to be home and grounded has been lovely, especially as we turn the corner into summer. My garden is flourishing, I've been hanging out with friends and, and spending just a lot of time relaxing with some normal work hours, which is always really welcome. And that has given me actually a chance to dive into you know, some of that backburner work or work that's not really work work. Reading a bunch of books, I've had a pile that has stood on my shelf for a while. And I've made my way through. Many of those, many of them are recently banned books, which I feel like is a calling card for necessary reading. And, you know, just really making the most of, of the time before things get crazy again, although I did just go back to New York for a conference, which was a really good time to be with peers, but not too far. And always want
Madeleine McGirk 03:04
to just travel on your radar. Yeah.
Jeff M. Poulin 03:08
It is. But yeah, so one of the books, though, that I got a chance to read. We're going to talk about this today. So tell us a little bit about the interview that you're bringing to the listeners today.
Madeleine McGirk 03:19
So my interview for this episode was with the absolutely fabulous Eric books, and who listeners have heard from before about his new book, making a change teaching artists and their role in shaping a better world. Eric is someone who I work with a lot. He's a colleague and mentor, and just generally someone I look up to in a pretty big way. So it was just really a privilege. Like I didn't interview him for the podcast before because I know him so well. And I was like, it will not be interesting for people to listen to us. Because I'll forget to ask all the big stuff. So I'm really pleased that we have this topic to focus our conversation and to pick out the bits that I'm particularly interested in. You know, listen back to it. Right. I have, and how did you find it? Because I was sort of like, how do I even begin to approach this conversation? Because Eric and I work so closely on the topics it covers. So it's like the insider insider view of what we're talking about. And I tried hard to make sure it was relevant to people hearing it for the first time. But I would love to know what parts struck you, if any?
Jeff M. Poulin 04:33
Absolutely, well, I too, have known Eric for a long time and he fits that mold for me. Although we don't work together every day. We email quite often. And, you know, the experience of engaging with someone like Eric is one that is always a learning experience. But one that I think is very sort of dialogic in nature. I feel like I'm learning from him. He's learning from me, we're co creating, you know, Whatever it is that we're concocting that day. And that's how I found the interview. And that's how I found the book, I have had the pleasure of being able to read it and look through the work. But I think what's really necessary, Madeline , is actually sort of taking that insider view and turning it inside out. You and I are both grounded in teaching artistry from our practice, and from a lot of our work. So is Eric. But I also think that if we break down some of the elements of teaching artistry, it makes sense to everyone in the world. I think everyone knows what that is. And so I'm really excited about not only this interview, but this new resource that's being put out into the world, because it certainly will help our field advance by kind of flipping inside out and showcasing what it is that we do and the impact that we as a field have. So I don't want to say too much more, because I know we'll debrief it. But why don't we give the listeners a chance to hear from you and Eric, and then we'll come back and discuss on the flip side,
Madeleine McGirk 06:07
find some great ones. Hello, Hi, Eric, and welcome. And thank you for being here to talk to me for the Why change podcast. I am so pleased to be able to talk with you right now, and get to ask you on behalf of our listeners, about your new bid for changing teaching artists and their role in shaping a better world. So hello, hi.
Eric Booth 06:37
So nice to talk about it. In fact, this is the first time I have been invited to talk about this book. So I may kind of fumble all over the place. You've spent a bunch of time inside the book, and then somebody asks you about the book, we'll see how it comes out.
Madeleine McGirk 06:53
Well, I'm glad that I can be a very generous audience for this one. To give a little background for anyone listening, Eric and I know each other pretty well. We work together almost every single day on all things. So Eric is a tax co founder. He's currently on our leadership committee, and probably one of our biggest advocates in general. So I'm delighted to get to be the first one to ask you about the book. Eric has also been a guest on the podcast before for anyone listening. So if you are unfamiliar with his work, I think it's worth giving that episode a listen for some context. And today, I'm just keen to focus on the new book and some of the goals you've outlined for it. So to get us started, can you give us just a quick overview of the IQ, what it's about and what readers can expect to find?
Eric Booth 07:48
Sure, the way I like to describe this book, the title of which is making change, teaching artists and their role in shaping a better world is to say that it's the first book about teaching artistry, written for people who don't know what the hell teaching artistry is. And I would add written for people who should know more about teaching artistry, there's a whole bunch of people in the arts, who kind of know that there's this thing called Teaching artistry, but don't really know the resource that it is don't really know what teaching artists can do for the arts, as well as have social impact in other areas. So really, it's a book whose intent and it's a short book, I didn't know I could write a short book. But I wrote a 112 page book so that it would be inviting for people who aren't in the world that we're in and aren't hearing the insider's language. They can pick it up, they can understand what it's about, they can get excited about this field. And I'll give you a couple of examples from the table of contents. The book answers really basic kinds of questions like, What is the purpose of teaching artistry? And what can teaching artistry actually do? And who are these people called teaching artists? And what is a brief history of the field who becomes a teaching artist? So it's a way it's almost like a business card to hand to people that you want to start a relationship with around teaching artistry that will both bring them up to speed in a pretty reader friendly kind of way, and also will inspire them to go, I hope, oh, man, I didn't know that was possible in the world. So that's the brief introduction to what the purpose of the book is.
Madeleine McGirk 09:46
Amazing. Thank you. Yeah, I feel like it's such an interesting one because I always have this conversation with people about what is a teaching artist, what is teaching artistry, and all the different titles: participatory artists, community artists, culture Will mediator. And then they are so dark and heavy to have to explain because we are in this sector, that something like this, I think is kind of genius because it can be like a mega business card, right? Just like you said, you hand it to someone and you're like, read that. That's what it is. No, no. And then we can chat, right? So,
Eric Booth 10:21
You know, whenever we ask a teaching artist practitioner in the field, or even people who employ teaching artists to talk about teaching artistry, they always have a ton of stuff to say. They usually kind of ramble. It's a little halting. It's not that it's bad. It's just not succinct. If no one had really taken the time to pull together, I would say consensus answers to those basic questions. And for all of our good intentions in communicating, we would kind of make 20 different points, rather than three clear points. So that's what this book hopes to do is to help us make a stronger case for the power of what this work is.
Madeleine McGirk 11:08
Right? So it sounds like one of the key goals here has to do with advocacy and raising the profile of teaching artistry with our own sort of echo chambers. So people who should know or who we want to know, but don't yet. So I'm wondering what made you want to create that bit? And was there a moment or an event where you realized that this was something that our sector needed? So what started that process for you?
Eric Booth 11:35
You know, I'm reminded of a time many years ago, when I led a group of teachers on a field trip during a summer institute to a sculptor's studio. And I was sort of facilitating a conversation with the sculptor, and we were surrounded by his work. And one of the teachers asked the sculptor, how long did it take you to make that piece? And I could see, he was like, a little annoyed at the answer he was going to have to give. So what his answer was, it took me 35 years to prepare. And then about three hours to finish is that. And that's how I feel about this book for 45 years. I've been frustrated, as have so many teaching artists, that the world does not see the work of teaching artists, doesn't recognize how complex and effective the skill set is, and doesn't really appreciate this extraordinary result. And I, as so many others have carried on within that frustration, and underneath the scarcity that it imposes. And then about seven months ago, in just the typical grumbling frustration at the state of this perennial state of affairs, I thought, wow, there's this thing we could make, there's like this thing that would be helpful, which is a really concise description of what we do. And so I, it took me about three months to actually write, I write at the ungodly early hours of about 5: 30 in the morning. So it was invisible to the world that I was actually making a book. And then there were a few more months to get it together and get it polished, and get it ready and get it out. So it's been a pretty quick start to finish since last fall, when I realized that this is like the tool we need, and we've never had, and I should just shut up and write the damn thing. And so I started dedicating my mornings to that, and six or seven months later, here's the thing.
Madeleine McGirk 13:57
Wow. So 35 years or so make the tool. But I do think a tool is a good way of describing this, because obviously, I have read the book, and hopefully those listening will too. But it is such a specific way to advocate for ourselves and to be able to make the case beyond those who would normally hear it. And then the flip side of that is the idea that you've linked to the book around using the momentum of it to create more advocates for our field. So I wonder if you could talk a little bit about that element of your book, which is creating 5000 New advocates. And tell us more about that idea.
Eric Booth 14:41
Sure. At first I'm going to just describe one hidden agenda in the book, and then we'll get to all those new advocates. The hidden agenda is in part two, which is actually for new teaching artists, for people rising up in the field who have never really encountered the basics of teaching artists practice. It's good for a general reader to go, Oh my God, look at all those things they can do. But there's a lot of emerging teaching artists who have never had a clear and simple presentation of the basics of the practice. So I've already been getting some really gratifying feedback from younger teaching artists to say, Oh, so that's what I get now that I'm much clearer about what this field I'm entering is, and, and the kind of key tools I want to keep my eyes on. So that's the hidden agenda, particularly in part two. And now we get to 5000 advocates with the launch of the book. What I was fearful of is, you know, you put the book out, and, you know, our lovely, dear friends get excited. And then, you know, somebody buys their cousin a present for Christmas, and it kind of pedals away pretty quickly. And I just, I'm too old to miss opportunities anymore. You know, it's, it's like the comedian George Burns says, He's so old, he doesn't buy green bananas. Well, I'm so old, I don't want to miss the chance to turn a tool into a tool that works. So with it, I'm launching the 5000 New advocates campaign, which is an encouragement and a support for teaching artists themselves to rise up to disrupt the inadequate status quo that has kept us invisible for 45 years. And the idea is, I've raised some money to support people to get copies of books in their hand. And the encouragement part is for them to do something with those books, to actually take the proactive step of putting it into the hands of a potential supporter, a potential funder, a potential board member, a potential, someone outside the field, who might get interested in working with teaching artists, for teaching artists themselves, and those organizations that work with us to actually take proactive steps to build the support for the field. Because we can, and now we have a tool that can help us.
Madeleine McGirk 17:34
Amazing. And in the book, you do offer multiple strong examples of the power of teaching artistry, and the application that it can happen in relation to social impact. And so I wonder if you have a favorite from amongst that, or if you how you develop those as case studies to help the advocates when they put it in someone's hands, it's a weighty thing to write or to create that tool. And I wonder how you picked those examples? Then you thought these are the ones that will convince someone?
Eric Booth 18:08
Right? Well, Madeline, you and I both had the luxury of lives that are enriched by this abundance of examples, around the world, like every day, you and I are, you know, hearing about some amazing thing a teaching artist somewhere is doing that no one else knows about. So we have this gigantic palette of rich examples. And the selection process was hard. But I kind of left it to intuition for I would imagine a prospective reader. And I would think what is the example that's going to make that typical person go? Oh, I get it. Oh, I didn't know that was possible. Oh, that. That's amazing. So it was often I would like to identify a particular wish for the reader. Sometimes it was a funder. Sometimes it was a medical doctor. And so the examples are the ones that are the ones I find myself sharing just when the moment comes up in natural conversation. And I'll give one example now. One that appears near the beginning of the book is the dream orchestra based in Gothenburg, Sweden who have kids from all over the world who found their way to Sweden as a safe haven when they were refugees. Most of these kids arrived on their own teenagers who went through these horrifying terrifying journeys to get to a SafePlace as a refugee, and found themselves in this unfamiliar country where nobody spoke their language, and they created the dream orchestra, where the kids could meet in a daily orchestra practice, find family in an orchestra, even though they all come from different countries and have had traumatic experiences, and this orchestra became their home. And because of the power of that meeting place in home led by skilled teaching artists, particularly Ron Davis, Alvarez, they have become a successful orchestra that now tours the world, with their finding respect, and, you know, kind of appreciation wherever they go as this posse of powerful people in the world that rose up together from about the worst life situation you could have begun from. So that's one example. And as you know, there are hundreds, there's probably 20, or 25, in the book itself,
Madeleine McGirk 21:08
right. And they're from all over the world and all different contexts. I think in almost every heading, there is an example from a school or hospital, a prison refugee camp, all from different parts of the world, all working in these amazing ways, like you said, just creating this shift on, you know, huge, huge scales for the individuals who take part, but are largely invisible.
Eric Booth 21:33
It's true. And one of them, I guess, I would say, is that I don't usually say very nice things about myself. But one thing I have learned in writing eight books, is that there's a certain rhythm that you want to create for the reader. And in this book, part of that rhythm is sharing some information about teaching artistry, and then just at the right moment, giving the example that grounds the concepts in the story of how it applies, and then taking it a different direction. So the location of the stories in the book, if perceptive readers are looking, is actually almost a musical kind of pattern throughout the book.
Madeleine McGirk 22:24
Well, I think one of the one of my favorites that sort of selfishly, because of what we do every day, is the is when you describe what could teaching artists do with proper funding with big funding if someone came along, and that investment was there, because all of these examples you've just scraped, they are happening on relatively low amounts of money, and punching way above their weight in terms of the impact, and usually kind of individually, right, not in a massively connected up way, or in a way that can really very easily be scaled. So that section of the book really spoke to me. And I wonder if the teaser is for folks listening, if you could share a bit about that pitch that you make there? And what one of the suggestions you make there, for example, what they are and what you hope catches a funder's eye?
Eric Booth 23:18
You bet. And that was indeed the most pleasurable part of it, to actually let the imagination and go for seeing what we already do well, and it's so full of potential, if it could really gain the kind of traction that the world should provide it, what could it look like? And I just thought, let's do something that's really illegal in podcasts, which is I want to take a moment of silence. I'm going to give our listeners a challenge. If and here's the challenge, I'm going to give you a podcast excruciating 10 seconds to think. What would you imagine, you know, stuff listeners about teaching artists, if there were real support for something that they already do, but in more constrained ways? What could you imagine in the world? And here comes that pause? Okay, maybe not 10 seconds that was but here's some of the answers I came up with in the book. I wonder if the listeners know what social prescribing is, that it already exists in the UK. It's where doctors can prescribe arts activities for patients to remedy their medical challenges. Can you see how ready teaching artists are to answer that opportunity to have a doctor instead of prescribing you A particular kind of drug for depression, or a particular drug for loneliness, to actually prescribe an arts activity, a cultural project. I can see that happening. It's already happening in England, there's experiments happening around the US. And I believe that before many years, we're actually going to be knocking on the doors in the US of the medical insurance industry, to say, Hey, you want to save a whole lot of money? How about paying for teaching artists to press to deliver prescribed activities that are proven to produce health results that are at least as good and probably better than the drugs you usually overcharge for? So that's one. And here's another one. I mean, we all know what good teaching artists do in schools. What if schools were to have creativity coaches, a teaching artist, as a creativity coach based in every school to work with every teacher in that school, on the high engagement of their particular curriculum, proven to produce greater academic results, proven to invigorate the academic environment, teaching artists are so ready to do this at a moment's notice. The research that supports it is available, and with a little more visibility, I think it could happen. I'm picturing only giving you one more I could go on. And there's nine or 10 in the book. But another one is we've already proven how much different arts activities in refugee centers make a difference. refugee communities in those, you know, high stress environments, where they do have arts activities and music activities. There's this huge benefit, both in terms of the safety in terms of psychological welfare, in terms of harmony, in terms of the staff of the refugee center, their own positive experience, all of that gets a whole lot better with an arts activity. I think it should be standard practice in every refugee community, in every recovery operation, that there is a teaching artist on staff from the beginning to plan and to build in those arts activities as the contributing part of hopefulness and joy in these high stress communities.
Madeleine McGirk 27:42
It's so exciting because every time I look at that section, because I've obviously looked at the book a few times now, all of the ideas are so doable and actionable. And like we have this network of 1000s of people who do this and could do this and could step into these spaces if they existed and were funded properly. And the social shifts that would happen would be so enormous. And so I always read that part and just think, Oh, we're like one big funder away from a proper shift and culture and a proper shift for our sector in terms of what people see and understand about what we do. So yes, this part really speaks to me. And I would, if we have any funders listening, I really suggest a good read of that section. So obviously, right, these goals are big. And the book is aiming to do a few different things, create advocacy, raise a sector, or raise our sectors profile, I should say, instigating new energy and attracting big funding. And I wonder if you've sort of allowed yourself to go a step further and dream about what the sector would look like if all that happened. So if in an ideal world, this all came out in spades, and we had the money and the visibility and all these things, what do you hope that our sector would look like and see in 10 years? Well, if all that came true?
Eric Booth 29:17
One big funder away, I actually had to write down that sentence because I'm going to live by that. Indeed, the way we're going to get whatever quirky way it is we get to that one funder, it's not going to be one we expect. It's going to come from the person that leads to the person that leads to the person and our chances of accomplishing that are so many hundreds of times multiplied if hundreds of us are working on it. Then if just a few lucky people are what we're going to look like. Boy, I think there's some basics we need to accomplish. I think with some Real funding, we could first get some data about the field itself. It's still a little bit fog sculpting to describe the field. We don't even know how many teaching artists there are in the world. We know they're at work in every country around the world, and that there are 10s, and probably hundreds of 1000s of experienced practitioners. But we need some basic data. We also need some, I guess I would call it collectively agreed upon training, so that we have a clear view of what kind of agreed upon basic practices we have. So we can bring new artists in, so that we can start encouraging artists as they're getting their first ideas of what it means to be an artist, they're getting a sense of being a bigger artist, and artists who can actually have impact in the world. In addition to making those art things that they love to make, I can see any number of ways we could refine training protocols that happen around the world, both online and in person, to really buff up our numbers, make sure our practice is as good as it can be, and start to develop expertise in special areas, like teaching artists working in business, teaching artists working in government, teaching artists working in healthcare, we already have strong practice in all those areas. But we haven't pulled together what has been learned. And with a little bit of funding, we can really learn to steal and transmit what has been learned through decades of practice in 100,000, places into what our field knows, and the kind of difference we can make. So there's just a few of the ideas of the way our field could grow into funding, and really muscle up.
Madeleine McGirk 32:04
And I think that brings me to another question or point that feels worth discussion, certainly, because you mentioned momentum and scale and collective expertise there. And I know that you've done some very generous work to link the book to attack, right. And so I wonder if you want to talk a little bit about what that process was for you. And what is the ethos behind that?
Eric Booth 32:33
Yeah, it was a pleasure for me to write, literally print in the book, and put out in every website and press release and information everywhere. That 100% of the proceeds of the royalty monies generated by sales of this book, go directly to ITAC. So when people buy a book, or buy five books, every dollar that would go to an author goes to ITAC. And I was excited to be able to do that. I like having enough money to live. And I, you know, why not pay it forward, pay it where it belongs. So it also helps me not feel shy about asking people to go out and buy books. They're part of the 5000 new advocates campaign. I've raised some money so we can get you at cost books, or three books for you, for everyone, everyone in the field to become an active developer of new advocates. So we have the support in place, and anyone who wants to support ITAC has a chance both to buy a book and send a few dollars through that or make a direct contribution to ITAC, which is really my belief is the institution that is moving forward the visibility of the global field. And now we have a new way to support it financially. And support it through building new advocates. I'll give you an example. I was at a wedding last weekend and got to talking to this guy. He's like a, you know, Law School professor, and so we're chit chatting. But then I began to start pressing him with questions, found out he's a big supporter of his local symphony, and got a book into his hand. And I'm now talking him into hiring teaching artists for that Symphony so that they can in fact, take the work of that Symphony out into the surrounding community to make it more viable and valuable for their community. That's grabbing the opportunity we have to be advocates for teaching artistry and it made a big difference to be able to put a book in his hand. I knew I would travel with one or two in my backpack all the time. And so I can grab those moments.
Madeleine McGirk 35:03
I do too. And those people here, obviously, this is audio so nobody can tell. But I'm doing a lot of cheering and cheering. So we got this right now. And that this is something that we can actively put in people's hands to save. This is what we're talking about. I took some to the UNESCO summit last week, and I was dishing them out to anyone and everyone who was like, I don't think you quite understand what I'm talking about. But if you did, you'd be really into this. And I think this is how connections start to grow and how people start to take the time to, to hear the message and to understand it. So thank you so much for being such a strong advocate for all of us and for attacks. So yeah, we can dream, right, we can keep thinking the big thoughts until the door opens. So if this sounds like something that those listening want to support, and think is well worth advocating, for in the way that we do, the link to buy the book, or donate to attack is in the show notes, it will be in the bio. And please join us all in getting it as loud as we possibly can about our sector, and establishing the spy phase of new advocates, because everything we've been chatting about today is so possible and attainable. If we had visibility, and if people understood the sheer weight and power of what goes on in teaching artists. So join us and help get that message out there. And, Eric, before we sign off, because I'm conscious, we're running out of time. Is there any final thing you'd like to say or mention which we haven't had the chance to cover yet?
Eric Booth 36:43
Yeah, I guess I would just take a moment to acknowledge the poignancy of being a teaching artist, you know, we've were undervalued, certainly underpaid, and mostly under visible for the enormity of the contribution that we make, for the complexity of the skills, we can deliver an impact that we can reliably make happen in the world. And there's a lot of reasons that within that, teaching artists have not been historically active advocates, haven't been remembered in every conversation to say, I'm a teaching artist, there's a global community of hundreds of 1000s of us. And here's the way we're making a difference in the world. There's a lot of good reasons people haven't done that. And I have such compassion for it. As I have respect for the work we do. And my hope is that this tool can loosen that constraint just a little bit. To help teaching artists feel they actually can become active advocates, they can name teaching artistry, and praise it and describe its power all the time, every time they're asked, including in the grocery store line. And that we can now support that by giving them this 112 Page calling card that they can then plunk into their hands at the right moment to really change the status quo that's been around for my 45 years in the field and change it for this emerging generation. So they are part of a rising workforce that is finally allowed to, to really perform its fullest positive creative impact on the world. So it's an exciting time for me, even though I'm an old geezer of the field.
Madeleine McGirk 38:47
Well, that is an excellent call to action to end on. So I will not change the topic. But thank you so much, Eric, for all of the work, you're doing all of the work you continue to do, and especially for making time to come and talk to us about it. So it's been an absolute joy to speak to you. Thank you so much. My pleasure. Okay, so there was so much information and just yeah, really cool to listen back to actually so debriefing. What's, what's the heartache? What do you reckon?
Jeff M. Poulin 39:28
You know, Madeline, it made me laugh, because, you know, the consummate teaching artists, right with a 10 second pause to reflect right of course, that's gonna happen. Yeah, exactly. But I sort of love that. And I think that gave me a chance to think of, you know, two big ideas that I have been left with from this. And I'll start with the first one and actually go back to the very first time that you and I met and I think we've told this story on the podcast before but it was at the international teaching or Press Conference number four in New York City. And I was only able to attend for a day because it was in the middle of this national visibility campaign that I was running. And I blew in in the morning, met a bunch of people, including you, gave a like five minute talk, and then went to the airport. And it was at that talk in the introduction for the day that Eric got up on stage and said, the era of debating what teaching artistry is, is over. And I think there might have actually been an expletive in that. But it was meant to really rile up people and say, you know, we have to unify as a field, we need to stop arguing about, you know, definitions and terms, and instead unify to advance sort of the common good. And that I know, is a lot of the work of attack and a lot of the key themes in this book and the impetus for the book. But what's really interesting to me, and the reflection I had in that moment, is that that was only five years ago, which just speaks so much to how the field of teaching artistry has advanced, and the discourse that is had in the future visions for what teaching artistry can be. So I just love that. There's an element of reflection and codification in this work. But that has like an asterisk after it that says this is just sort of a snapshot in time and will continue to live on. So I love that, you know, the approach that has been taken and the generosity for the future? Because I know you and I sort of are part of the future in this realm. Certainly not elders in the field. And yeah, and I just that I was left with that I was really struck by that generosity.
Madeleine McGirk 41:55
Yeah, I think generosity is actually a great way of describing this because I think your description of the snapshot in time as this book is so poignant for me, because I think, like I said, this tea already, but I, I kind of my dearest wish is that the book is wildly out of date in 10 years, right, and that the field has advanced so dramatically, the funding has increased, like the change the book is about making has been made or is in process and know something now the realities look different. And so the ability to be able to offer, here's where we are right now, generally speaking, broad strokes, this is what it is, here are some really specific examples of what we're talking about. And then kind of provoke us into how do we get beyond this, though? Like, what is next? How does that change happen? Here are some suggestions to join us in this movement, so that 510 years from now, the book would be different, right? The reality is the broad strokes are not the same. And so as someone who you know, spends my days trying to figure out how to build that movement and get that momentum, it's just such a useful and kind of not necessary freeing, but like, it's such a helpful space to have named that, and then go okay, but what how do we get beyond this?
Jeff M. Poulin 43:19
No, I think it's right. And I think that, you know, that what you just said, invokes a lot of the research and I don't have the information right in front of me to properly cite the author, so apologies to our listeners, but, you know, the research that exists around sort of intention setting, you know, sort of say, this is where we are now. And this is where I sort of see the field being, both through the eyes of younger practitioners through the eyes of elders like Eric, that there's a tremendous impact of setting those intentions. I know people talk about this like, you know, your social media credibility when you start working out or whatever. But think of it like that, right? This is a way that we're sort of publicly declaring, like, this is the future vision of the field. And let's now work towards it. Because that sheer point of saying it out loud, or putting it in print, provides us not only a snapshot of where the discourse was today, the date of publication, but also gives us some guideposts of where to go down the trail. And, you know, everything's possible, right? Who would have ever known that we had a global pandemic or that, you know, society was changing in different ways. But that, you know, we're able to sort of identify, maybe not the North Star, but the stars, you know, to, to head in that direction. And I think that that as an outcome is something that is purely an output of intergenerational collaboration, I don't think and I don't mean to sort of, you know, blow smoke at you right now, but the, you know, the true setup of attack that is founded by elders in the field that really have built a field and community of practice. And the way in which younger and emerging leaders are part of that discourse. I mean, you being a prime example, you know, as the director of the International Organization and being the person that, you know, goes and represents the point of view at UNESCO and things like that, in concert with the elders of the field to put forward this vision is something that is really remarkable. And I know that that was quite intentional for Eric in the book and, and is a point of eldership. And that was the second big takeaway that I had right now at Creative Generation, we're talking a lot about eldership, and about cyclical mentorship and, and the ways in which we work across generations in order to advance work. And this is such a shining example of that, because I think there's so much power when we do come together. Because if you take the field of teaching artistry, right, it was quite advanced in a lot of the Global North. And there's been a community of practice for a long time in the US and some infrastructure that's been built. And now of course, globally with attack. And even the story of the attack is fascinating of how it emerged from a conference of practice to several conferences, now a global organization. But there's some people that are on that same journey that the Eric's and you know, other folks that are on the leadership committee that are elders in the field, that they went through, I don't know, 30 or 40 years ago, that are being that are happening right now in other places, particularly in the Global South. And they're, they're Wayfinding, in the same way that the elders did. And I think when you take those two experiences, and you smash them together, you get such a vibrant picture of the future of this field of practice. And to me, that's so So, so exciting.
Madeleine McGirk 46:37
Yeah, I completely agree. And I'm actually really glad you named the eldership side of this, because Eric mentioned at the end, but like far too modestly, and not in enough detail, all of the proceeds of this book are going to attack, right. So basically, what he's done is create a tool with all of his experience and all of his eldership and then use it to build a resource, then turned over to an organization, which is essentially almost up and said, Cool, take the wheel, let's see if this can help you make the change that I'm describing. And of course, he remains involved in our leadership which is made up of those elders, but it's like, he's just really walking tall, you know, he is, so he's such a good example of that. And even just in things like, he'll get invited to an event, and he can't go into work, you know, who you should hear from really, and then be and that's how I get invited. So it's like, he's such a good example of what you hope you will be when you're older, and you have the doors open, and you're in that position. And, yeah, not to be just like a massive Eric fine. But it's only because my experience is so shaped by the opportunities he offers, and he shares with me. So yeah, I'm, I think eldership is the perfect term.
Jeff M. Poulin 48:00
Yeah, I totally agree. And, you know, I, I, too, have been shaped in that way. And I don't think that there would be another person on the podcast, the first repeat guest, you know, without that guest, Eric, in this case, really embodying these values that I think we've put forward as a collective. And, you know, I think it's also really interesting, as I think about sort of the values that are there, they're not stated in the book. But, you know, we spent a lot of time at Creative Generation grappling with our values. And it sort of led us to say that we're values forward collectively. So everything we do is through the lens of those values. And one of them is sort of a recognition that progress is both necessary and inevitable. And I think that, you know, there's a real opportunity in the sector because I do think the sector of teaching artistry is at a turning point. I said this at the attack conference that was just held in Oslo. And I think that there is a way that people could be safeguarding and power hoarding and putting up boundaries as gatekeepers to what was the teaching artistry that they knew. But instead, and this should be celebrated, the field is like flinging the doors wide open, you know, inviting everyone in, pitching a larger tent for everyone to come under and see themselves in the work and allowing opportunities to redefine and to cultivate new leaders, everything from the young and Emerging Leaders Forum, which attack and Creative Generation co convene, which is starting its third cycle this year, which is wild and it's super popular to the you know, the very nature of sort of who is, you know, answering the questions and who is presenting the information and share During knowledge, it's really tremendous. And I think that the investment in that next generation is something that other sectors could certainly learn from. And I wonder, when you say that you hope that this book is wildly out of date in 10 years? Like, who's gonna write the next one? And question and also should it be one person, you know, I sort of wonder about perspectives from the field and, and to take a snapshot of these next 10 years, which sort of leads me to I know, we're running a little bit out of time, but leads me to the call to action that Eric left us with around aggregating 5000 advocates for teaching artistry as being his primary goal with this. And, you know, as a podcast, the wide range podcast, obviously is very interested in supporting it. I know ITT Tech is clearly behind this, and Creative Generation is throwing its support in as well. And my real hope is that those advocates not only go and advocate for teaching artistry in their community, in their nation around the world, but also that they tell their story. A couple of years ago, I actually wrote an article about embedding advocacy in your practice as a teaching artists for the teaching artists guild, the US affiliate, I guess, of attack. And, you know, it was an element that really said, really spoke to the power of teaching artists, as advocates, we are people who translate language all the time between artistry and education, and are at the core of communities and often sort of Shepherd initiatives that really change lives. Obviously, as outlined in this book. There's many examples. And what that does is it's actually a building of a transferable skill, to how we can be really effective advocates. But I totally agree with Eric, we've had a problem with that as a field we haven't, we haven't taken up that mantle of being our own advocates, we advocate for our students and our communities all the time, but not for ourselves. And I said that back in like 2018, or whenever I wrote that article, and I still think it's true today. So I would really just as we come to a close, encourage everyone to read the book, get involved, and sign up to be part of this growing community of advocates and supporters for teaching artistry, because we are primed to do this work. And we have all of the assets right at our fingertips. And so imagine just what happens when we have that army of advocates moving things forward. And Madeline, I'm gonna go ahead and out on a branch and speak for you and say, both Madeline, I have your back. So let's sign up. And let's do it. And we can certainly move this field forward towards those visions that Eric outlined.
Madeleine McGirk 52:51
I am 100%. Agree. What you've said is perfect. Because all of the assets, all of the strands are there. They're just not connected right now. And they don't have the heft behind them. We need it. But it feels like, you know, like a seesaw. And you're like right on the precipice of it tipping and we're suddenly invited to rooms we've never been in before, we suddenly have a platform and spaces we were never in before. And if we could just collectively move that dial even slightly. I think that tip is right there. And so I agree with you. I think this is just the perfectly timed moment for this call to action.
Jeff M. Poulin 53:29
I totally agree. Well, on that note, we'll leave it there. We'll drop all the links in the show notes. And I think we'll call this episode to
Madeleine McGirk 53:36
a close. Amazing. Thank you so much, Jeff.
Jeff M. Poulin 53:40
All right. Thanks, everyone. Catch you next time. I hope you enjoyed today's episode of why change the podcast for a Creative Generation. All sources discussed in this episode are located in the show notes. If you haven't already, be sure to follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Also, you can write to us at Creative generation.org We would love to hear your ideas, the topics you want to learn about and why change matters to you. This episode was produced by Madeleine McGirk, the Executive Editor is me, Jeff employee. Our artwork is by Bridget Woodbury. Our editor is Katie Rainey, this podcast is about my distant cousins. A special thanks to our contributors, co hosts and the team at Creative Generation for their support.