Convenings
National Exchange on Art & Civic Dialogue, October 2003
Americans for the Arts held the Animating Democracy
National Exchange on Art & Civic Dialogue in October 2003 in Flint, Michigan. Called “one of the signal arts events of the last decade," by Linda Frye Burnham of Art in the Public Interest, this national conference shared the learning and findings of the four-year initiative phase of Animating Democracy. Over 200 people attended from across the United States as well as from Japan, Paraguay, and Australia. The Exchange offered a multifaceted exploration of the philosophical, practical, and aesthetic aspects of arts and humanities activity that intends to stimulate civic dialogue on important contemporary issues. It did this through:
- 24 sessions highlighting Animating Democracy and other projects; notes are available for selected sessions;
- an inspiring presentation (PDF) by featured speaker Grace Lee Boggs, activist, philosopher, and cultural worker from Detroit;
- a captivating groupspeak (PDF) poem by writer and activist Alice Lovelace, presented at the closing session
- two full-evening art experiences featuring Flint Youth Theatre’s production of Alien Soil (with related dialogue opportunity) and a Hair Party by Urban Bush Women;
- showings and discussions in the Video Space, featuring work from Animating Democracy projects;
- opening and closing sessions that framed the weekend around concepts of civically engaged arts and humanities, democracy, and what has been and should be Animating Democracy’s story.
- The National Exchange Program Binder which includes session notes and descriptions, participant biographies, essays and case studies about arts-based civic dialogue work, and links for further information is available for purchase from the Americans for the Arts bookstore.
