Convenings

Past Learning Exchange Reports:
Los Angeles, November 15–17, 2002

Andrea Assaf
2002

The Los Angeles 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. 

The Los Angeles Program
This Learning Exchange offered an opportunity to explore challenges and issues related to dialogue and diversity. We collectively investigated questions arising directly from the experiences of Lab projects, sharing and reflecting on productive, dialogic and creative approaches to addressing the challenges of diversity.  We looked at diversity inclusively, discussing different kinds of diversity, as well as a range of impacts diversity can have, informing, enriching, disrupting or challenging our work in arts-based civic dialogue. This convening provided an opportunity to think through various inter-group dialogue models, collaborative conversations and approaches to art, inter-group partnerships, and diversity within groups.  Some questions that emerged prior to the convening and informed session development included:  How do we address bias, power, assumptions, prejudice, or inequity in our projects?  How do we sustain difficult dialogues around diversity?  What are the variables or attributes of meaningful inter-group collaborations? What are the special contributions and challenges of art in supporting, celebrating, or revealing the significance of diversity?

Case study sessions included Cornerstone Theatre’s Faith-based Theatre project and SPARC (Social and Public Art Resource Center). All participants attended Cornerstone's production of ZONES, illustrating part of their Faith-based Theatre project. We also traveled to SPARC visit its Digital Mural Lab, and to hear about arts-based civic dialogue activity related to selecting and designing images for The Great Wall of Los Angeles mural through the last four decades.

Additional case presentations included Dell 'Arte Company (The Dentalium Project), MACLA(Ties That Bind), Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities (Imagining Robert), and the Arts Council of Greater Lima.


Contents

  1. Getting Grounded
    1. The “Other L.A. Tour”
    2. Metaphor-Making with Judy Baca
    3. Grounding Principles & The Difficult Moments Team
  2. Diversity and Dialogue Sessions 
    1. Surveying the Landscape: Story Circles with John O’Neal
    2. What’s Particular About Race? 
      (A Dialogue Process by Diane Burbie, NCCJ, & artist Marty Pottenger)
    3. Sustaining Difficult Dialogues
  3. Case sessions
    1. Cornerstone Theatre
    2. MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, Ties That Bind
    3. SPARC, The Great Wall of Los Angeles and Great Walls Unlimited
    4. Dell ‘Arte International, The Dentalium Project
    5. Massachusetts Foundation for Humanities, Imagining Robert