In mid-January, Deep Breadth hosted a workshop at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) national conference. In partnership with Jerry Yoshitomi of Meaning Matters, who has decades of experience guiding arts presenters, and DB’s experience in social justice, human rights and the performing arts, our goal was to unearth how presenters and artists are beginning to use their spaces and performances as a way to approach healing and social justice in their community.
Our format was to open a dialogue about reconsidering the role of arts presenters as entertainers and to ask participants to reimagine how they could see their role, their spaces and their art as a way to heal and bring their communities closer together. We also hoped participants would learn from their peers and take new ideas back to their organizations and colleagues.
We were moved by the stories of how the arts can create cohesion and build understanding and trust. And we learned that incorporating social justice work within the arts presenter community is still in its early stages.
During the workshop, the group surfaced some possible reasons that arts presenters have not fully embraced the role of serving as a community social justice actor. The first two reasons have questions attached that can help guide presenters or arts organizations to begin the process of transforming themselves into community partners.
A. Arts Presenters need to closely examine themselves.
What might need to shift within organizations in order to transform Presenters into community healers? Have issues of social justice and inclusion been addressed within the organization? Has psychological safety been established internally, so that it can be reflected externally?
Are the right people in the room for these conversations and workshops? Are the boards and leaders of arts organizations involved and supportive?
B. Arts Presenters need to be differently networked.
Are arts presenters embedded in their communities, or associated mostly with elite entities and performers? How often do staff get out of the building? Out of their comfort zone in the community?
Where and to whom do community leaders turn to galvanize and mobilize a community when there’s a campaign? Are arts presenters at the table at the beginning, or at all?
C. There are many ways that Arts Presenters define community work. For example,
Some arts organizations focus on presenting entertainment, and believe that creating joy, allowing reflection, and positive emotions is a worthy focus itself.
Some arts organizations use art as a tool to address other issues, believing that non didactic collaborative approaches are especially effective.
Some arts organizations serve as a convener and healing space, opening their doors when there’s a community crisis, similar to a house of worship.
The arts have a bigger role to play in healing and community building than is currently expected. When you look at these three categories: Presenter’s internal structure, networks, and approach to art as a tool, how do the performances you attend or organizations you work for answer the questions above and where on the spectrum of community work do they fall? What if anything might need to change within your organization to be more engaged and connected in the community and become a space where not only entertainment but also healing and understanding can be found?
How have the arts impacted or helped to heal your community? Please share your examples with Deep Breadth and join us on February 26 th for a webinar follow-up to the workshop where we will further explore these ideas. If you would like to join, please send an email to db@deepbreadth.co.