Convenings

Past Learning Exchange Reports:
Minneapolis, March 8–10, 2002

Andrea Assaf
2002

The Minneapolis report is also available in PDF format.

Learning Exchanges 
The Animating Democracy Lab encourages cultural organizations, artists and dialogue practitioners to experiment and test ideas and approaches to arts-based civic dialogue.   Animating Democracy Learning Exchanges are opportunities for Lab participants to come together periodically, to share and build knowledge that can help the projects meet their full potential for success.  Learning Exchanges (LEs) encourage critical thinking about the philosophical and practical dimensions of arts-based civic dialogue projects, through peer feedback and exchange.  The intent of these convenings is to enable practitioners in various disciplines to inform each other about their work, explore common questions or problems, and draw on differing perspectives.  Exchanges occur as the projects are evolving, providing a forum for ideas to develop, as well as in-process analysis of principles and practices of arts-based civic dialogue work.  LEs range from 70-125 participants, including programmers and artistic directors, cultural organization leaders, community partners, artists, and dialogue specialists associated with Lab projects.  Although Learning Exchanges are geared to serve the interests of Lab participants, a small number of guest artists, curators, arts and cultural institution leaders, critics, scholars, and civic dialogue leaders are invited to diversify perspectives and enrich discussion.  It is hoped that Learning Exchanges promote a sense of community, cumulative learning, and collective growth.  Animating Democracy encourages participants to maintain contact in-between Exchanges and to extend their learning to the broader field.

Documentation 
Animating Democracy reviews notes from all Learning Exchange sessions to identify key findings, and questions for further discussion or investigation, for reporting purposes.  A by-product of that process is a summary document compiled, organized, and carefully edited by Animating Democracy Project Associate Andrea Assaf.   For participants in the Exchange and other interested readers, this summary captures the key points raised in presentations and the substance of discussion around those key points. This is not a transcript. Material is arranged under clear headings that allow readers to browse or jump to the topics in which they're interested.  Session formats vary.  Some material has been omitted to respect confidentiality. The editor has tried to represent all voices with accuracy but was dependent on the quality of notes from each session.  

Intermedia Arts, Children's Theatre Company, and the Perpich Center for Arts Education hosted an artist-centered Learning Exchange in Minneapolis. This Exchange offered artists, practitioners and all interested a focused opportunity to explore questions and issues of artistic practice and civic dialogue.  Through experiential learning and inquiry, it provided an opportunity to look deeply into methodology, to share and reflect on approaches, to engage in rigorous and stimulating peer learning among artists, dialogue specialists, and others engaged in this work.  Participants contributed to the design of the program by offering questions and areas of inquiry important to them prior to the convening. Some questions included:  How do we balance the goals of artistic excellence and civic dialogue?  When and how is artistic process dialogic in nature?  What are the challenges and approaches to making the transition from response to the artistic experience to dialogue on civic issues? 

Content

  1. Artists Questions
  2. Case Sessions
    1. Intemedia Arts, People, Places, Connections
    2. Cornerstone Theater & NCCJ, Challenges and Possibilities of Art & Dialogue Working Together
  3. Topic Sessions
    1. Civic Dialogue and the Multiple Phases of Performance, Presentation by Jan Cohen-Cruz
    2. Neutrality and Multi-partiality (forthcoming)
    3. Heartspace / Headspace: Moving From Personal to Public in Arts-based Civic Dialogue
  4. Open Space Sessions : An Introduction to Open Space Technology
    The following summaries of Open Space sessions are a combination of key points, notable quotes, and report-backs shared with the entire convening.  The amount and type of information for each session varies, depending on notes available.
    1. Of what use is an artistically animated democracy?
    2. Civic Space:  What is it?  How do you find it?  How do you create it?
    3. Artistic Control and Community Engagement
    4. Beyond preaching to the converted:  How do we get others to engage? / Partnering with Large Institutions
    5. Icebreakers:  Working with people who don’t consider themselves artists
    6. Success Stories and Train Wrecks
    7. What is the place of ritual in arts-based civic dialogue?