Art Incarnate

Rube Goldberg Machine Worship

2012-02-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

What would a worship service centered around building a Rube Goldberg Machine look like? That's what I asked Joseph Herscher, a Williamsburg resident and international builder of Rube Goldberg Machines, including this one:

Considering that these machines arenotoriously complex, what we came up with is actually quite simple. The congregation would read a passage of scripture together. Thenthey would break up into small groups of 2-4 people. In these smallgroups people would share reflections and personal stories that have resonance or dissonance with the passage.

Each group would then be given a largepin-board mounted on a stage flat. Every pin-board would have anidentical pre-set beginning and ending connection of a Rube GoldbergMachine, along with a marble that the group has to get from thatbeginning to that ending. Here's an illustration of the template that a small group would start with:

(the blue ball is the marble, which is resting on a level attached to a string connect to a cup that is precariously placed so that when a marble rolls into it, it will fall, tugging on the string, lowering the level and releasing the marble on the next pin-board)

The small group's goal is to create asmall segment of Rube Goldberg Machine on their pin-board. Eachindividual's reflection on the scripture should somehow berepresented on the pin-board in a way that connects to the otherindividuals' reflections and allows the marble to travel from point Ato point B.

The basic materials out of which thegroups would build would be cardboard and pins, but tape, glue guns, dowels, pipe cleaners, wire, plastic cups, and other random objects would besupplied. To give you a sense of what a pin-board Rube GoldbergMachine looks like, check out this other video by Joseph Herscher:

This process would reoccur over thecourse of several weeks (maybe the length of a liturgical season), atthe end of which, all the pin-boards would be connected to make onegiant Rube GoldbergMachine. Each individual's stories would thus beconnected to their small group's stories, which would be connected tothe whole congregation's stories, which, in the form of this absurdmachine, would embody God's story alive in our community. I'mexcited to try it!

If you'd like a Rube GoldbergMachine for your gallery, museum, and/or event anywhere in the world, contact Joseph Herscher, he's great to work with!

Fisher's Web

2012-01-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

In last week's lectionary, Jesus tells the fishermen Simon and Andrew that he will make them fishers of people. So Simon and Andrew abandon their nets and follow Jesus. Bad move, Simon and Andrew! As a "fisher of people," let me tell you, those nets could have come in handy! I could set up a couple of giant fishing nets in Times Square and have a boatload of people in no time. People there are already packed so tight half of them wouldn't realize they were caught until I dragged them into the nearest subway. This brilliant plan is only foiled by the fact that giant fishing nets are really expensive, and the bishop's office is unwilling to give me funds to buy one. So instead I'm forced to wander around from place to place trying to meet people who'd be willing to talk and listening what their lives are like and learning from them what they want and need from a spiritual community. I've ended up in coffee shops, theatre workshops, police precinct meetings, parties, races, basement concerts, protests, and more coffee shops across northern Brooklyn and Manhattan. To illustrate how much less efficient this is, here is a map of northern Brooklyn (in the southeast corner) and Manhattan (in the northwest corner).

Now here is a map of my meetings for two weeks of January (the black box at the top represents uptown Manhattan).

Each color line represents my movement for one day. Each corner/bend/end of a line represents a meeting (my goal is to someday have two meetings back to back in the same location). I include the initial trip from home but I do not include the return trip home.Looking at the map, I realize that I am creating a net of sorts. It's a web of relationships, woven out of conversations and shared hopes, a web in which hopefully people will find they are meaningfully connected to each other and to God. Still...if anyone has a giant fishing net, let me know.

Games to be Heard

2012-01-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

As a Lutheran pastor, I am called to help encourage faith. Not just any faith. I am called to help encourage a deep conviction that each and every person is unconditionally loved and valued by God. While this is a very simple idea to state, it is surprisingly difficult to believe. We are constantly surrounded by advertisement, social cues, and organizational structures which insist that our ability to be loved and have worth is dependent on how much money we make, what we look like, what groups we are identified with, and endless other criteria.
So how do you help people hold to the belief in their unconditional worth despite a society of evidence to the contrary? Well, Christians have for 2000 years shared sacraments, liturgies, and prayer practices to this end (the least we could considering how often we are the ones who make people doubt their self worth). But I'd like to share three structures for communication that I've run across since arriving in New York City that emphasize the worth of each person by affirming each person's self-expression.

The Chord Game

Group singing has long been used to create a sense of community and belonging from churches to protests to music festivals. But if people don't know the words or the melody to a song (or are just self conscious about their voice), they can often feel just as excluded by singing in a group. From the folks at Living Theatre I learned a simple game that circumvents this problem. Everyone stands in a circle with their hands on the backs of the people to either side of them. Slowly they breath in and out, paying attention to the rhythm of the people next to them in an attempt to match cycles. As people breath out, they very quietly breath out on a note, any note that they choose. Gradually, people breath out a louder and louder note, until the whole circle breathes out a chord as loudly as it can. Then, just as gradually, people slowly breath out a softer and softer note, until the whole circle returns to breathing in near silence. It is an incredible experience that made me feel intimately connected to the people around me and empowered to share with them of myself; yet it required absolute no prior skill or knowledge

Before I Die

Everyone has a dream. Not everyone feels like they can achieve their dream. But what is truly sad, is when people don't feel like anyone even cares what their dream is. Civic Center creative studio has found a way to empower more people to share their dreams. It's the Before I Die Toolkit.

The toolkit consists basically of colored chalk, a stencil of "Before I die _____," and an instruction booklet for how to turn an unused wall in your community into a giant canvas where anyone can share their hopes and dreams with the world. The idea was originally developed in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, but it has been repeated all over the world, including right here in Brooklyn.

The People's Microphone

Taking a page from the books of previous protests, the folks down at Occupy Wall Street have taken the affirmation of self expression to a new level. Out of a need to communicate to a large crowd without a permit for amplification came the People's Mic. The concept is simple: a speaker addresses a crowd slowly and in short phrases, the crowd in turn repeats everything that the speaker says so that everyone can hear her or him. As a result, the speaker receives the ultimate experience of "being heard"-- an entire crowd repeating back the very words that she or he just spoke, regardless of whether or not they agree with what has been said.

It may not be the fastest way to communicate, but it is one of the most affirming.

These are just a few activities that I run across in my first month in NYC.

What other activities or practices affirm each person's value and the worth of their self-expression?

Glow-in-the-Dark Occupy Wall Street Christmas

2011-12-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

The folks down at Occupy Wall Street organized 24 hours of Christmas activities today, and they invited me to participate! So I brought glow sticks, pingpong balls, and dog bowls (i.e. Christmas Plinko) to Zuccotti Park.

Christmas Plinko is much like the game Plinko on The Price is Right, in that players drop a ball down a "bean-machine" style pegboard, and depending on which slot the ball lands in at the bottom, the player gets a prize. Aesthetically, Christmas Plinko has a few unique features: first, its pegs are made out of glow sticks; second, players cover their balls in red, blue, or green glow paint so that the balls leave a color trail as they descend;

and third, all the slots at the bottom are dog bowls.

(the dog bowls did not normally have glow sticks in them; we took this picture when we were cleaning up)

The most unique feature of Christmas Plinko, though, is that instead of cash, the prizes are suggested random acts of kindness (and everyone gets a prize). In its inaugural run, the Christmas Plinko prizes were "Compliment a Stranger," "Offer to Help a Stranger," "Ask a Stranger to Share a Joy and/or Sorrow," and "Point out Something Amazing to a Stranger."

Theologically, the concept came from Jesus' birth in a manger (a feeding trough for animals). Just as Christmas celebrates finding and sharing love and light in an animal's food dish, so too Christmas Plinko invites players to find and share the love and light that they find in an animal's food dish. Plus, it turns a game about getting money into a game about sharing love, which seemed appropriate for both Occupy Wall Street and Christmas.

People really seemed to enjoy playing, and it was fun to see the random acts of kindness carried out and the relationships which resulted. My favorite was a woman who won "Offer to Help a Stranger" and ended up giving an extra pair of socks to a gentleman with cold feet.

The only let down? It turns out Zuccotti Park is really well lit (you can see from the pictures that there are both Christmas lights on the trees and lights built into the brick ground). This is great for the protesters, but problematic for the glow paint. The balls did not create a very impressive painting as they bounced down the board. Still, people had fun playing the game and being nice to each other, and for me, that made a very merry Christmas.

Christianity as a Game and My Ordination

2011-12-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

What if we thought of Christianity as a game?

There are households where young men compete with each other to clean the bathroom because of a role playing game called Chore Wars. There are city centers where teams people commit random acts of kindness towards strangers with the focus, precision, and subtlety of an assassin because because of the game, Cruel 2 B Kind.

In the book, "Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World," Jane McGonigal talks about Alternate Reality Games (ARGs). McGonigal calls ARGs "antiescapist" games. Like all games, ARGs have four basic elements, 1) clear goal, 2) feedback on your progress towards that goal, 3) unnecessary obstacles to reach that goal, and 4) the freedom to choose whether or not to play. Unlike many other games, ARGs allow us to get more out of real life by making it easier to generate "more satisfying work, better hope of success, stronger social connection, and more meaning." Chore Wars and Cruel 2 B Kind are just two examples of ARGs. By giving clear goals, discrete actions with weird obstacles to achieve those goals, feedback, and of course the option of not playing, these games create an alternate reality in which tasks that are normally overwhelming, uncomfortable, and/or tedious become incredibly joy-filled (check out the testimonials on Chore Wars).

Two weeks ago I entered into an alternate reality. I was ordained as a Lutheran minister.

Though I don't believe there was any metaphysical change, there was a change in the rules by which I relate to society. I vowed to proclaim God's love in the world through word and sacrament. And in response, the people assembled around me vowed to receive and regard me as a messenger and servant of Christ. Together we entered into an alternate reality, one in which I had a clear goal of communicating God's love to all people.

This is not a reality or a goal that is unique to me as a minister. It is the reality and goal which every Christian is invited to share. It is a game which every Christian is invited to play. Some might think that calling it a game trivializes it, but I disagree. Calling it a game drives home the basic Lutheran belief that we are free to play it without jeopardizing our relationship to God who loves us whether we win (we won't), lose (we can't), or don't play. And as any gamer who has gone ten straight hours without eating, drinking, or peeing can testify, games have incredible power to motivate and inspire.

The problem is, Christianity is currently not a very good game. It only has two of the four basic elements of a game. It has 1) a goal (foster unconditional love amongst all the world) and 4) freedom in deciding to play, but it lacks 2) feedback on how we are doing towards fostering love and 3) those random unnecessary obstacles which make games fun. I think part of the problem is that the main goal is too massive. There is no way for an individual to get feedback on how their actions are influencing the level of love in the world, much less to have any hope of actually achieving world-wide love (Jesus' job).

I think Christianity needs to be broken down into mini-games with small discrete objects about creating the opportunity for loving relationships. In this way we don't have to measure whether or not we have created love (which may not be possible), instead we can get feedback whether we have created connections in a positive way and affirmed others as having inherent worth. In this framework it is also much easier to come up with silly obstacles that make us think in new and creative ways and give us excited puzzles to solve.

I want to turn Christianity into a game. A game in which everyone wins and the prize is love. Want to help me?

Community Created Family

2011-12-07T09:42:00.001-08:00

When I explain that I want to create a church where worship consists of interactive art and social participation games, people wonder what that might actually look like. I think my wedding is a perfect illustration. I got married in August. Elana (the bride) and I wanted to create an event that embodied what this wedding meant to us: the support of our community in the continuing creation of our new family.

The whole thing took place in a park. Elana and I each started off in tents, whose front flap had a basket attached to a string and pulley.

The ceremony started off with a Rube Goldberg machine that conveyed two kickballs representing Elana and me.

(machine post deployment)

But as compared to most Rube Goldberg machines, ours quickly became composed our friends, to represent the people who had carried us throughout our lives

The human machine culminated by dropping the kickballs in the baskets that opened the flaps to our tents. Then Elana and I walked down through a labyrinth in which our friends and family made the walls. The labyrinth was designed so that Elana and I entered the labyrinth at separate locations, met in the middle, and walked out as a couple. The people were also organized in chronological order, so that our parents and family started at the beginning of the labyrinth, our college friends were in the middle, and our most recent friends were at the end. The result was that we literally walked through the people who have made the path that led us to where we are today.

As we exited the labyrinth, we were guided by more of our friends to the pastor, who asked them and us why we had come. The answer: to create a new family, the McKelahan Family (formed by merging our last names of McKernan and Colahan). The pastor asked who we call upon to help us with this task.

First we called upon our parents. We had asked each parent to bring a piece of rope or cord that in someway symbolized their relationship to their child. At this point in the ceremony, one by one, each parent presented their cord to their child, explained what it meant, and then tied it to the cord of another parent. By the end, Elana and I were surrounded by a circle of bonds that our parents had tied together. The parents laid this circle on the ground around us as the foundation of our new family.

Next we called upon the rest of our family, our friends, all of creation, and finally God, to support us, lay hands on us, and bless us in the creation of the family.

In the center of this circle of relationships, we exchanged vows, rings, and were declared a new family.

Then the party started.

In keeping with the theme of participatory creation, we had lots of interactive art.

A hula-hoop making station

A quilt making station where guests could cut interesting shapes and figures out of fabric to design a quilt that Elana's mother will sew together.

A typewriter so that people could write us poems, or other literary works of greatness:

Empty picture frames hanging from trees with costumes and polaroid cameras with film so that people could create a photo-booth.

Several audience participation plays written by guests

A bowling alley in which people could smash confetti-filled symbols of marriage over contact paper to create a beautiful (or at least colorful) collage even as our expectations get destroyed.

And of course, dancing. We had contra dancing with a caller. The benefit of this is that instructions are explained as we danced and it is more of a group than partner dance. This way, no one would be left out for lack of knowledge of partner.

We even roped our guests into helping us clean up!

The event was truly an act of collaborative art, games, and community that celebrated the relationships that are the ground and source of our being. In a word, it was worship.

Harvest Theatre

2011-11-25T07:54:00.001-08:00

In the fall of 2010, I worked with Highly Impractical Theatre (highlyimpracticaltheatre.org) to win a grant to write and produce a play about my hometown of Milton-Freewater, Oregon.

In December of 2010 I went to Milton-Freewater for two weeks with Elana McKelahan, the artistic director of HIT (and my wife). Together we conducted dozens of interviews with locals and partnered with the Milton-Freewater Area Historical Society to learn about the town’s past. Then we spent a very hectic three months back in Berkeley trying to turn funny, tragic, and haunting stories about a small town into a play. In April, we returned to Milton-Freewater and presented a reading of the script to the community for feedback. The result is what we called a trilogy ‘inspired by the stories of Milton-Freewater.”
Known together as The Harvest Trilogy, three one-act plays traced out an arc of Milton-Freewater’s history by portraying stories from different points in the past of the two towns that form Milton- Freewater. "Fruits of Paradise" looks at the family feud between the Fraziers and Irelands during the founding of Milton and two women who try to keep the town from being torn apart. The division between Milton and Freewater becomes the backdrop for "In the Earth, " as the owner of the local shoe shop searches for the truth behind a young woman’s disappearance. Finally, "New Era/Nueva Era" follows a Latina high school student as she strives for college and love amid the valley’s agricultural changes in the new millennium.
The performances were a fusion of Milton-Freewater and San Francisco. Actual Milton-Freewater high school students played the roles of high school students, and two of their teachers directed "New Era/Nueva Era." "In the Earth" was directed by a local and starred members of the community. Highly Impractical Theatre brought up a troupe of actors from San Francisco to perform "The Fruits of Paradise."
All three plays were performed at the same time in various parts of the farmstead built by the town's founder in the 19th century. Audience members picked which play they wanted to see and then could return two more times to see the complete trilogy. Actors and audience moved through the historic cabin, farmhouse, and barn in a fully-immersive theatrical experience that will literally brought viewers into the world of Milton-Freewater’s past.
Between shows, apple cider and wine made from Milton-Freewater apples and grapes was sold and a local group performed balies folkloricos to celebrate the town's currently cultural fusion.
All in all people really seemed to enjoy seeing stories about their parents and grandparents, or learning bits and pieces about the past of their town. Nearly 400 people came to the weekend's performances and the local paper gave it "four thumbs up." But perhaps most importantly, a lot of people stood around between shows talking about the town's history and future.

Dynamic Space Design

2011-06-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

It's been about a year since my last post, but that's not to say it's been an unproductive year. I've done a couple big projects that I want to share.

I was invited to work with Jamie Michaels, Paul Arensmeyer, and Staci Imes on doing the space design for the annual Earl Lectures at the Pacific School of Religion. This year's topic was, "Our Daily Bread: Faith, Work, and the Economy." The planners for the lecture series drew inspiration from the Quaker hymn, "Not One Sparrow is Forgotten."

The lectures last three days, and so the space design team came up with a concept that would change over the course of the three days.

DAY 1

We hung giant paper quadrilaterals of words connected to the problems of economic injustice throughout the sanctuary.

(That's a hose holding up the "trickle down" sign. Other signs not shown were hung with tire chains, trucking straps, fishing line, cords, and other implements of workers.)

Above the altar was a waterfall of fabric.

DAY 2

On the second day, the fabric above the altar started to spread out horizontally. Signs which the fabric touched began to fold. Signs which the fabric engulfed, folded into origami birds.

(A close up of one of the birds.)

DAY 3

The fabric above the altar spreads out almost entirely horizontally and flows out toward the doorways. Nearly all the words of economic injustice are transformed into birds which fill the sanctuary, and lead the way out of the room.

(not all the words have been completely transformed)

A thank you to Jamie Michaels, who took the photos and organized the design team.

I hope to have a post about the other big project next week!

Painting a Presence

2010-05-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

With the economic crash, a lot of property has gone vacant in the Phoenix Valley. The start-up congregation where I am an intern is actually in a shopping center that's completely empty except for us. So to let people know that we have not abandoned the place, we painted our presence on the windows and invited members and friends to join in! The theme was "Growing in Grace."

I love that she added an oil spill.

One of my favorite parts was when people created a line of hand-prints from youngest to oldest.

The baby couldn't grasp the concept of a hand-print, so he did a foot-print.

Easter Connections

2010-04-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Once again Freestyle Arts Association inspires another project. I took the idea of their string-sculpture, and modified it for a neighborhood Easter event. Instead of wooden x's, we made crosses. But people were still invited to take any color of string, any length, and attach it in any way between the two crosses as a way to visualize our interconnectedness with one another in Christ.

The crosses were free standing, that way even without the harnesses, we still had to hold them up and had the opportunity to talk to people as they contributed string to the sculpture.
We also added a station where people could make butterflies which to add to the sculpture. The symbolism being the transformational power of our interconnectedness.

Instead of nylon rope, we collected batches of brightly colored yarn.

My ubiquitous Reed College water-bottle, proclaiming "Communism, Atheism, and Free Love" to the Easter crew.
Some of the kids found a way to attached yarn that I hadn't seen before.
All in all it was a great way to get to know folks, and hopefully give them a joyful and affirming experience in the spirit of Easter.

Easter Transformation

2010-04-16T16:17:00.001-07:00

The cross that was created for Lent was transformed for Easter. Sunday school children made butterflies and engulfed the cross with them as a symbol of new life in the resurrection.

We pounded nails into the cross, and it was these nails to which the butterflies were attached.

We also used some chicken wire to attach butterflies...I'm not sure what the symbolism is there...

Lent as Collaborative Journey

2010-03-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

During the season of Lent the congregation meditated together on the story of the Prodigal Son. Each Wednesday for five weeks we read a little more of the parable and members of the congregation shared their reflections on the story through original poetry, songs, painting, carpentry, and crocheting. Worshipers were invited to stand up and walk around the sanctuary at any time during the service to examine the paintings, meditate on the cross, and feel the prayer shawl.

The shawl was made by a team of people who would hand it off each week and pick yarn that they felt expressed their week's segment of the parable.

The first week's segment is a bright blue with an open stitch and light yarn; all seems well for the younger son as he takes his father's wealth and spends it in foreign lands.The second week's segment is dark, mixing red, black, and brown in a tight weave as the younger son has spent all his money and finds himself living with pigs, forbidden to eat even the food that the animals receive. The younger son realizes he needs to return home.
The third week returns to the original stitching as the younger son returns home and his father runs out to meet him with joy. The color is now a dusty green as the father throws a party to give new life to his road weary son.

The fourth week's color is a dark red, as the elder son hears of the celebration for his brother and becomes angry that someone so irresponsible should be welcomed with such joy.

The fifth week does not receive a new segment, but instead a trim and surrounds the shawl. This is the constant love of the father that surrounds both brothers. Each side is a different color. One is black and one is white, signifying the father's words to his eldest son about the younger, "he was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found." One is green and one is yellow, signifying the congregation's own journey through Lent, from the season after Epiphany (green) to Easter (yellow).

Though this first canvas looks blank, it's actually been covered with gesso, a substance which gives the canvas roughness and texture so that it can bring the image to life. Also, if you look closely, there are blue streaks.

Our painter was sick one week, hence only four paintings, but she's planning to do more for Maundy Thursday.

"Sign" Vocational Discernment Game

2010-03-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

The Fund for Theological Education, sponsor of last summer's art adventures has struck again!

Apparently a lot of young folks graduate from college and think, "I have no idea what I want to do with my life; I'll volunteer for a year!" And then after a year of service they still have no idea what they want to do with their lives. And so FTE has hired a group of 6 young people, including me, to develop a three day vocation discernment retreat for volunteers in religious volunteer programs like Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, etc.

We are coming at the project from the perspective of story. What is my story? What is my community's story? What is God's story? How do they connect? (sound familiar) One of the things we wanted to do was talk about how other people have been shaped to live out their part in God's story. As such, we developed the following game based on Clue:

Various characters include:
Anna Mow, one of the first women ordained to ministry in the Church of the Brethren, was a minister, teacher, missionary, seminary professor, author of many books and sought-after speaker. Her influence spanned the globe, but she is most remembered for her ability to care deeply about each person she came into contact with and her loud, raucous, infectious laughter.

Dorothy Day was an American journalist, social activist, former anarchist, and devout Catholic convert. Dorothy spent most of her young life fighting injustices as a crusader journalist. She believed that religion was did not address the social concerns of the day, but gradually found faith after her daughter was born. In the 1930s, Day began publishing the Catholic Worker, a newspaper specifically designed to let working people know about dignity of life that Christianity taught. When people began coming to the paper’s office looking for food, Dorothy and the staff did what she could to feed them. This led to establish the Catholic Worker movement, a nonviolent, pacifist movement that continues to combine direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf. Her writings and lived example of a total dedication to the Gospel, especially voluntary poverty, communal living and pacifism, continues to be a challenge to Christians everywhere today.

Jeff Johnson, realizing the societal harm that comes from systemic obliviousness to any segment of humanity, Jeff Johnson has worked in various capacities to make visible and empower the gay and lesbian community, people with AIDS, immigrants, and workers. Despite being approved for ordination before the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America banned non-celibate homosexuals from ordination, Jeff co-founded Lutheran Lesbian and Gay Ministry and the Extraordinary Candidacy Project to create a means for other homosexuals to be ordained within the Lutheran tradition.

In Bodily Form Like a Dove

2010-02-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was preaching on Luke 3:22, "and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

My point was that the God speaks to us through everyday objects and interactions. So the week prior I told everyone to bring a camera or other digital picture taking device to worship. Then during the sermon, I sent them outside to walk around the area and take pictures of where they saw God in the neighborhood. When they came back I asked them what they saw and encouraged them to take pictures throughout the week of where God speaks words of affirmation to them. They were to email me the picture before Friday, and the next Sunday we had a slideshow of what people saw.

Here are a few of my favorites:

To see the complete collection, click here, or visit http://desertcross.org/Default.aspx?tabid=255 and look for "Do You See God at Work Here Too?"

Advent--Means of Meditation

2009-12-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

Advent is a time of prayer and contemplation as we await the coming of Christ at Christmas. Yet different people pray, contemplate, and meditate in different ways. With this in mind I tried to create a variety of prayer opportunities using both the sanctuary and the newly made memorial garden outside. The worship services occurred Wednesday nights, following a soup supper, but many of the pictures are taken during the day for lighting reasons.

By the inspiration of the youth group, the fire for burning prayers doubles as a s'more making station.

I provided biblical and theological justification...

Inside the sanctuary were more traditional opportunities for prayer--lighting candles, icons for meditation, and healing prayer with a minister.

I tried to create a sense of sacred space by marking the memorial garden with luminarias.

After about half an hour of individual prayer at these stations, the congregation gathered in the sanctuary to sing Holden Evening Prayer.

Micro-Collaborative Monologue

2009-12-02T19:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the best collaboration takes place between just two people. I wrote and acted out the following monologue, but what really gave it shape was the directing by Elana McKernan. As we worked together to tell to the story of Pontius Pilate we inspired and feed-off one another; both gained an appreciation for the biblical figure that we otherwise would have never had. When I performed the monologue, I brought this experience to it. However, for the vast majority of the congregation, I feel this sermon was simply a passive event created by the professional entertainer pastor. Perhaps if there were a series of such monologues created by different pockets of micro-collaboration, the congregation would see each performance as coming out of the community as a whole, and hence, in some small way, as coming out of each member individually.

Who Do You Say That I Am? Museum

2009-10-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

I inaugurated my first sermon in Tempe with my first major interactive/collaborative art project. The sermon was on Mark 8:27-38, in which Jesus asks, "Who do you say that I am?" Following the theme of identity I gave sincerest flattery to Project X and developed an interactive museum that was designed to elicit stories about parishioners that they would share with me and each other.

The main feature of the museum is a recording station which prompts visitors to record stories about themselves (for some reason Blogger insists on displaying these sideways).

Next to it, is a listening station where visitors can listen to the stories that have previously been recorded. The stories can also be heard online at the church's website.

We've collected about ten stories so far. People seem hesitant to record their voice. The other exhibits, however, have been receiving a lot of attention.

It turns out we have a significant European population, as well as someone from Libya and Colombia.

You can see more pictures (and some old that are properly oriented) here.

Beautiful Light

2009-09-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

My search for interactive art in the greater Phoenix area has not been in vain. Of note, last week I spent a couple days helping to assemble "The 4 Letter Word Machine," a giant interactive display that can form four letter words out of lights.

It's interactive in so far as different people can put up messages. The manifestation that I was helping to assemble is headed to an art festival in Toronto where it will be placed on sky-scrapers.

Being a part of the construction was fascinating. The artist has a large shop in a Phoenix industrial district and then he seems to command an army of volunteers/interns/friends/administrative assistants for several straight weeks to create the project. There are people in his shop 18 hours a day for what appears to be no money.

Interactive Art in the Suburbs

2009-09-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a while, I've been getting settled into my life in the suburbs of Phoenix.

The Phoenix suburbs present a unique challenge for interactive public art compared to urban or small town settings because in the suburbs, people seem to either be inside or in their car. Walking is simply not done (especially in Arizona). You may have noticed that most of my past projects relied upon people wandering by and being able to stop and participate. That's considerably more difficult when people are zipping past at 50mph.

Still, this is the context in which I find myself and the group of people whom I am called to serve for the next year. So perhaps with a bit of help from my readers I can come up with ways to engage members of the community and encourage them to create with one another.

Here are some pictures of the street by my church to give a sense of what I'm working with (this is a fairly typical street).

Nearly every street corner has a shopping center.

There is a park across the street, but I have yet to see anyone in it. I am told that in a couple months the weather will cool down and people will start to go outside.

There is a considerable amount of space between the church and the street, so it might be possible to uses this area to get people's attention. However, the city has a strict sign policy. All signs have to be registered, which costs around $200 a sign.

Inside it's campus, the church has a couple nice outdoor spaces. This fountain is undergoing repairs and should be working soon. There are also plans to build a memorial garden around it.

A nice fenced in back lawn which is completely unused. Boy Scouts are building a fire-pit with benches on the dirt.

Next to the lawn is a labyrinth made out of gravel and rock.

The locals tell me certain shopping centers and malls are the main places where people hang-out, so I'm looking into the possibility of doing art there. The adventure continues!

Off to Arizona

2009-08-21T22:41:00.000-07:00

It was great to hear about all the other projects that the other fellows did this summer. Only one other was kind of similar to mine. A woman was learning how to combine music and justice and part of her project involved writing music for a very specific community with which she spent some time.

My presentation of my project went well; I did a quick slide show of what I considered the major catagories of community art that I encountered: interactive art that requires no skill, collaborative art that makes use of the skills people already have, art that serves to create a sense of place, art in which the content is determined by the audience/community and then constructed by professional artists, and Theatre of the Oppressed.

Also, I got chance to lead another interactive theatre project with the group (it turns out that one of the fellows has an M.A. in theatre and used to do this type of work all the time but never thought to bring it into her ministry). The mood was very different this time around as the occasion was the fair-well session for a cohort which has become close friends. It was tough to get people to focus and there was an interesting dynamic in that the group was very comfortable and familiar with eachother, but not with the type of activities that we were doing. But with a few modifications to the activities that usually go into ensamble building, we were able to explore some interesting emotions and ideas about ourselves as a group and have a fun time doing it.

Now I'm off to Arizona to begin my year-long internship at Desert Cross Lutheran Church.

Off to Atlanta

2009-08-15T21:41:00.000-07:00

I'm headed of to Atlanta for the official end of my fellowship, debriefing with the Fund for Theological Education, and hanging out with all the other awesome fellows as I hear about how their summers went.

Apparently we'll be in a monastery with no internet access, so no updates for the next 5 days.

Interactive Storytelling/sharing, or, In Search of a Better Name

2009-08-14T12:47:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday evening I appropriated the theory and techniques of Augusto Boal and Michael Rohd to create an event I called "Interactive Storytelling/Sharing" (I think this name is terrible; after you read this post, please help me come up with a better one). Augusto Boal was a Brazilian who noted that Aristotelian theatre is basically a tool that supports the status quo. A few actors do all the thought and action on stage, while the masses passively watch, experience catharsis, and are purged of their "anti-social" emotions so that they can go home happy and placated. Boal sought to create theatre in which the audience became the participants and were encouraged to actively analyze what they saw and change what they didn't like by becoming part of the scene. He saw this as training people to stop being passive and change the world in which they live. Michael Rohd is the founder and artistic director of Sojourn Theatre, with whom I spent a week in July. In the 80's, Rohd independently started doing work similar to Boal's to create a safe environment in which people could talk honestly about AIDS and the issues surrounding it. Then, Rohd met Boal and combined the techniques and has been using them ever since to create a portable form of theatre which can be used to facilitate dialogue, civic engagement, and conflict resolution in any number of situations.

From these two sources, I crafted an Interactive Storytelling/sharing experience that pursued three goals: First, to have fun. Non-competitive play is a wonderful manifestation of the foundational Lutheran theological premise of God's unconditional love for all people. There are no winners and losers and we get comfortable being with each other, laughing with each other, and loving people for who they are. As Michael Rohd put it, "play is community."
The second goal was to connect and communicate using our bodies. Once again, this stems from the Christian concept of the incarnation. God entered into physical reality and became one with it. We are not spirits trapped in flesh; we are whole beings with undivided body and soul, and our flesh is essential and inseparable to our relationship with the divine. Unfortunately, western society and Protestantism seem to forget this. For many, at work their bodies are mechanized, whether it be digging ditches, fitting parts on assembly line, or typing for 8 hours. At worship, bodies tend to be ignored, with only sitting, standing, and the occasional kneeling permitted. My goal then is to reclaim the body as a spiritual tool, one that allows us to express ourselves and connect ourselves in disagreement (and agreement) without the loudest or most eloquent voice silencing the rest. Physicality also lets us communicate with those who speak a different language. After all, God's greatest message was sent to us not on stone tablets or in books, but in a human body which we could touch.
The third goal was to use scripture and our own experiences to create stories that explored themes, questions, and possibilities which mattered to us. Both Boal and Rohd are adamant that they do not create "message plays." That is to say, they do not presume to have the answers to problems and wish to communicate them to the audience through theatre. Instead, they use theatre to help people actively explore their worlds, their difficulties, and their options. Solution may arise, or the questions might just get more complicated. The point is not to make all the problems go away, but instead to empower people to think and act on the issues themselves.

To achieve these goals, I structured the evening so that we would first get comfortable playing with each other, looking at each other, and touching each other. We started with a game called, "Thumb Grab," in which the participants stood in a circle with one thumb pointing down and resting on a another person's palm, and someone else's thumb resting on their thumb. Then on the count of three, everyone tried to grab a thumb and prevent theirs from being grabbed.
Then, we walked around the space and got used to looking people in the eye. When someone stopped moving, everyone stopped moving; when someone started moving, everyone started moving. Similarly, when one person dropped to the floor, everyone dropped to the floor. Then we took suggestions for other things we could add. People suggested that when someone jump, everyone jump, when someone spin, everyone spin. We played a few more games, including one where people partnered up, froze in a handshaking pose, closed their eyes, separated, and then tried to find their partner and return to the pose with their eyes closed.
To get people comfortable making stories with their bodies, each person in the room created a single action that they had done that day (examples included checking the time and putting on a backpack). Then they shared the action with the other people in the room. Each person picked two other action and added them to their own in any order to create a sequence of three actions. When these sequences were performed for the whole group, individuals made up stories that the sequences might be demonstrating. The point was not to guess what the actor intended, but instead to notice how three simple movements can be interpreted to make any number of different stories. At first, the group was hesitant to interpret the sequences, but eventually they started creating very intricate and imaginative narratives from the very mundane actions.
Then we read a passage of scripture (1 Kings 19:4-8). And talked about what themes and issues it brought up for people. We wrote these down on a piece of paper. And then played another game in which partners shook hands and froze. But this time, one partner would unfreeze and assume a different position in relationship to the 2nd partner based on one of the themes. The 2nd partner would then unfreeze and assume a new position based on what the first partner did as well as the theme. This continued for sometime with occasionally different themes being thrown in.
Then the partners were asked to sculpt each other into frozen images that represented the themes. They could move their partners' limbs or model for their partners, but they could not talk. One set of partners had finished sculpting, they could walk around and look at the other sculptures. Then the partners would switch roles of sculptor and sculpture.
Finally, I had one of the participants sculpt everyone in the group into an image of one of the themes that was connected in someway to his life. When he had finished, I asked him to insert himself into the image. Then, one by one, I replaced each frozen participant so that they could see the image that was created. Without having anyone talk, or having the original sculptor share any more about the image other than the theme, I asked each participant to think about who they were in the image and what their relationship was to everyone else. Then I asked them to rearrange themselves to what happened right before this image occurred (once again without talking). When they had done that, I once again replace them so that they could see the image. Then, I had them arrange themselves to what happened right after the original image. Finally, I had them go through each of the three images in chronological order to create a "flipbook." They did all of this without talking, or knowing what story the other participants were imagining, but still they created a coherent and very compelling narrative.
Afterwards, we talked about what thoughts and emotions the experience had brought up for people, both in terms of their own lives and the theme we were exploring. We also shared what each of us imagined the story to be and who our characters were. Finally, we re-read the scriptural passage and briefly had the option to speak any new questions that the text had for us. We concluded by sharing the peace.

In general, I was very pleased by how the process went. Most people sort of knew each other, but a couple didn't at all, and yet by the end everyone was very comfortable playing together. Afterwards people talked about the experience and seemed very excited about it. The first two goals of fun and physicality were definitely met, and I feel confident I could lead this activity with a mixed group of English and Spanish speakers. I'm unsure about how deeply we explored the themes and how they concretely connect to our lives, but people said they thought about the text in a whole new way (it had been one of the readings the previous Sunday). This is probably what I will tweeking most in future. And as Elana pointed out to me, I can't expect to accomplish everything at once. For my first attempt with people who had never done this type of work, it was probably good that I focused more on the skills and comfort required to do it. Plus, the people that I talked to seemed to have connected with others in a way that valued them for who they were--so I guess the gospel was proclaimed.

Interactive Live Action Comic-Strip!

2009-08-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

The goal was to create interaction between people in front of the downtown Berkeley BART station that was both fun and caused people to reflect upon the space in which they exist.

To this end, passersby were asked to offer adjectives, people types, etc. that they associate with the area. Three actors interpreted suggestions to create a tableaux that interacts with the physical space. Passersby were then asked to pick random numbers; these numbers corresponded to quotations overheard and recorded earlier in the same space. These quotations were written on giant poster-board "thought bubbles." When two numbers are picked, the corresponding "thought bubble" quotations were placed behind actors to create a single-frame cartoon. Business cards were handed out with this address so that passersby could see the pictures.

(clicking on a photo will enlarge it)

We had great participation from the people walking by, and people seemed to really enjoy seeing what their suggestions produced.

Soap Bubbling Painting!

2009-08-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

My first community interactive event was painting with soap bubbles.

I added clothing dye to large pans of bubble solution and made giant bubble wands out of coat-hangers.
Then I took the set-up to the park and started catching bubbles that Elana made with a huge piece of foam board. When the bubbles landed they would leave colorful splats, wavy circles, and drip lines. When people saw the bubbles and the bright colors on the board they wandered over and we invited them to join in.
We got a couple of waves of little kids. They had difficulty making the giant bubbles. In future, I would probably have more small bubble blowers (I only had two) and smaller pieces of foam board so that the kids would have an easier time of it. But they had a lot of fun popping the bubbles.
We provided smocks, safety goggles, and gloves, but they kids wouldn't always use them, especially the gloves. Smocks were fairly accepted.
Because there is no way to control where soap bubbles will fly, painting with them is an inherently team-building process. One person makes the bubbles, and another person holds the foam-board and tries to catch them.
People seemed to meet each other and make connections.

After 2.5 hours we had gotten around 25 people from children to retirees who participated, and many who stopped and watched. All in all it went well.

The completed products

The second foam board

Sometimes bubbles would leave nice circles with wavey soap-oil patterns.

If you're interested in seeing more of this sort of thing, my inspiration was Free Style Arts Association in New York.

Berkeley Activity Schedule

2009-08-08T00:55:00.000-07:00

Now that I've finished with most of my travels, I'm entering into the synthesis phase in which I internalize what I've seen by making my own community creating collaborative art.

I have three events planned.

Friday, August 7, 5pm-8pm: Painting with giant soap bubbles! Soap suds mixed with dye mean that when bubbles pop they leave a giant colored stain. Everyone can join in on the art making. Inspired by Free Style Arts Association. Willard Park, Berkeley.

Sunday, August 9, 2:15-4pm: Living Cartoon. The goal is to create interaction between people in front of the downtown Berkeley BART station that is both fun and causes people to reflect upon the space in which they exist. To this end, passersby will be asked to offer adjectives, people types, etc. that they associate with the area. Three actors will interpret suggestions to create a tableaux that interacts with the unique physical space. Passersby will then be asked to pick random numbers; these numbers will correspond to quotations overheard and recorded earlier in the same space. These quotations will be written on giant poster-board "thought bubbles." When three numbers are picked, the corresponding "thought bubble" quotations will be placed behind actors to create a single-frame cartoon. Digital pictures will be taken and uploaded to www.artincarnate.blogspot.com; business cards with this address will be provided to passersby who participate or inquire. Inspired by Elana McKernan.

Wednesday, August 12, 7:30-9pm: Interactive Story-telling/sharing. An evening of sharing and creating stories from your own experience and biblical narratives. Wear clothes you feel comfortable moving in, because your whole body is a tool and repository of knowledge for storytelling. No acting, movement, or storytelling background is necessary; guidance will be provided and you can choose your level of participation. Theory and technique inspired by Augusto Boal and Michael Rohd. University Lutheran Chapel (corner of College and Haste).

Community TV Revisited

2009-08-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Six weeks ago, Nick and I created a "Community TV" in the Albany Bulb. The goal was to create a piece that would encourage others to add and change it positively and within the same spirit and artistic vision.

A week later, a friend took this picture. The TV seems essentially unchanged.

Yesterday, Nick and I returned to find that the back was completely tagged over and the antennas were knocked over (though from the pile of rocks, it seems someone tried to prop them up).

The murals by Sniff are still visible, though they have a few more tags on them.

The front, however, is a success! Someone has added a great new screen within the TV frame!

"REKN" has written on the top (still respecting the TV frame), "Brake UR T.V."

So Nick and I repositioned antenna, and all is well.

The remote is still looking good.

All in all, I think my first attempt at creating community interactive art went well.

Also, I briefly met with Ava, the founder and director of We Players, a Bay Area theatre company that does large-scale site specific work that aims "to bring communities together, reclaiming local spaces for public discourse and civic celebration through art." Readers may remember the production of Macbeth that took place in Fort Point last year. Ava talked about her desire to bring a sense of magic and wonder at the artistic beauty that constantly surrounds us in our life, if we would only notice it. Her work stems entirely from the the space which she encounters, and she picks the plays she does based on what feels right for the space (for instance, she did a production of the Tempest at the Albany Bulb). Currently she's the artist in residence for Alcatraz, so if you're in the Bay Area, keep an eye for events happening there over the next year.

World-Class Theatre in the Sticks

2009-08-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

On my drive from Seattle to Berkeley, I stopped by two of the biggest names in ensemble and community-based theatre.

Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre is located in Blue Lake, California, population around 1100. Dell'Arte moved to Blue Lake about thirty years about right when the logging/salmon debates were just getting fierce. Being the artsy type, Dell'Arte was expected to side against the loggers and therefore encountered significant initial hostility. Instead, Dell'Arte committed themselves to becoming a member of the small community; they sought to learn, tell, and poke fun at both sides' stories. Three decades later, Dell'Arte is a central and much-loved part of Blue Lake.

When I asked what the key to their success was, Dell'Arte cited simply living in the same space as everyone else. In a town as small as Blue Lake, you couldn't help but get to know your neighbors. To accent the point, they gestured to the cafe next door where everyone in the town stops to get their coffee. It's the local rumor mill; spend any time in there, and you'll know what's happening in town. I did, and sure enough, everyone who entered was greeted by name and shared what was new in their life.

Second, Dell'Arte stresses community service, and not just through their art. They sign up for the help cook at the Rotary Club's pancake feed, and if there's a town clean-up, they pitch in. The service they felt was most influential was volunteering to teach theatre in the local schools. When parents saw their kids being more confident public speakers and capable of giving strong presentations, they began to see the value in what Dell'Arte was offering.

Students at the school of physical theatre are required to be involved in the local community from meeting the elders of the town at a Rotary story swap, to volunteering, to living and working with a specific community within the town or even smaller neighboring towns to create specific theatre pieces for that place.

I also stopped by Eureka, California, where my friend Stacia is working with Cornerstone Theater (based in L.A.) this July to create a production for, with, and about the northern California town.

Cornerstone goes to a different community each summer and does a community-based piece with them. From one day's worth of watching the tsunami of activity that goes into creating a show in a month , this I what I've gathered from their process. The company first picks a community based on where they have some pre-existing contacts and where they can find space to house a small army of theatre folks for a month (in Eureka's case, they knew a drama teacher in a Catholic high school with dorms). Before the summer comes, they send in a playwright who interviews people in the town and holds story-circles to get a feel for the place and the narratives of those who reside there. The playwright takes these interviews and stories and uses them as inspiration to create a rough script. When summer arrives, the theatre company rolls into town and starts a massive community engagement campaign. They advertise through standard media, but also through organizations that they have connections to (local arts organizations, religious groups, fraternal orders), and by walking up to random people on the street. But Cornerstone isn't trying to get people to come see their play, they're advertise to get people to help make their play. They gather quotes, take pictures, invite people to audition and help with the production. About half the cast ends up being people from the local town, most of whom are without much theatre training. Cornerstone doesn't try to make actors out of these people, instead, they just focus on helping them carryout their roles. As the newly formed hybrid ensemble rehearses, they adapt and refine the script to include the insights of the community members as well as to take into account the venue that they are using. In Eureka, the show is being performed in a functioning lumber and woodworking mill, and the cast makes good use of the space. Old boat hulls, log stumps, and working forklifts are all put to use as the show climbs about the the mill's workspace.

(photos by Stacia, to see more, click here)

By the end, so many people are involved in the production, they can't help but have a huge turnout. From the rehearsals I saw, the show looks really good, so if you happen to be in Eureka August 6, 7, or 8, check out Jason in Eureka. Also, there is an official blog with photos that records the process.

(not only is the photo of this poster by Stacia, but she also made the poster on a nearly century old hand-press in the mill)

Gathering Water

2009-08-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

There's a couple interesting collaborative art projects in Seattle based on the premise of individuals bringing in pieces that they've either made or gathered and then having an artist put the pieces together into a coherent whole.

The first is called Mater Matrix Mother and Medium and was commissioned by Seattle Public utilities to increase awareness and conservation of local streams and watersheds.The artist met with different groups of citizens and had them crochet blue patterns, which she then combined to form a "river." The river begins by rising out of an actual stream in an urban forest located in Seattle.

(Abbey and Will, with whom I stayed in Seattle)

(little drops of rain in the river)

Eventually, the river returns once again to the same stream bed from which it originated, but it does so in a place where the water has run dry. Just as the stream peters out, the crochet trains off with a single thread.

Another similar project occurred at Faith Lutheran in Seattle (where Abbey, featured above, is a pastor). In this project, parishioners were encouraged to bring rocks to church which had some meaning to them. An artist gathered the rocks and created a pattern in which to utilize them for a mosaic. Parishioners continued to be part of the project by gluing the rocks to netting on which the pattern was laid out. The artist later came back and filled in the cracks with grout. The whole mosaic was placed in the frame of a old doorway that was no longer being used after a renovation. Member of the congregation can (and did) point out the rocks they contributed and glued.

Church of the Apostles

2009-07-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Church of the Apostles (COTA) is an Episcopal/Lutheran church in the Fremont district of Seattle that has been creating quite a buzz. The idea of COTA started when Pastor Karen Ward realized that in all her time hanging out with her friend in their local pub, she was actually providing them with pastoral care. Karen decided that she wanted to provide a more formal ministry to this group of people who clearly wanted pastoral care and community but were for whatever reason not receiving it at a church.

Unfortunately, Karen's bishop at the time in Chicago was not receptive to the idea; however, a bishop in Seattle was. So Karen moved to the Northwest and before she could even begin starting a church, word got around that she was trying to create a congregation that would serve the needs of "Gen-Xers" (which is not how she would describe her ministry). Suddenly children of pastors (and bishops) started coming out of the woodworks. These were people who had grown up in the church and appreciated the benefits of a religious community, but hadn't found a congregation that fit them. Karen began meeting these disaffected pastors kids (PKs) and asking them what they were looking for in a church.

What resulted was a tea shop (coffee requires too much equipment to make) with stage. As Fremont is very arts oriented, people would wander into the tea shop and ask if they could use the stage for their band or to host an anime marathon. Karen would always say yes (prohibiting only hate speech and other material which she found offensive by fairly liberal standards), point inquirers to a computer with an sign up sheet, and soon the tea shop became a hub of artistic activity. The congregation would use the sign up sheet just as would any other organization, and for two hours a week the venue would host a church service; immediately after the service, the same space would be filled with a punk rock band.

COTA used this time to develop relationships with people and organizations within the neighborhood. When an old church building across the street became vacant, COTA decided that Fremont needed a community arts center. They purchased the building, started a separate non-profit organization to run the arts center. COTA followed the same model of allowing the community to use the space at all times during the week, signing up just like any other organization when the congregation wanted to use it for worship. COTA does not do heavy advertising; instead they rely upon word of mouth, the visibility of their actions, and the relationships they develop with community members to attract parishioners. This means that many people do not know that the arts center is connected to a church (when I first entered looking for vespers, I asked a swing dance instructor where the service was, and she had no idea that a church was in the building), but it also means that COTA has created a thriving community in a neighborhood with only one other church of any type, and in which a Lutheran congregation had closed 5 years earlier.

COTA also has a unique style of worship. They follow a very high-church Anglo-Catholic tradition, but they truncate some of the normal parts of the ordo (the liturgical pattern which most western church follow). With this extra time, they take about 15 minutes in between the sermon and the Prayers of the People for "Open Space," during which parishioners have the option of choosing a variety of prayerful activities--everything from lighting a candle in front of an icon, to a space for meditation, to painting, to making sandwiches for homeless people. It's an interesting technique that allows for the preservation of the historical ritual and aesthetics that Episcopalians and Lutherans so love, but also including an active element where people can choose to incorporate newer spiritual practices that speech to them.

Community-Based Exhibits

2009-07-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Wing Luke Asian Museum has been a leader in creating community-based exhibits for over a decade. Their model is ask to around within the community that they want to work with for 12-15 people who would be willing to make up a Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Wing Luke tries to ensure that the CAC represents a wide cross-section of the community and then invites the committee to think about what kind of topics, messages, stories, moods, and displays they would want exhibit about their community to include. In addition to providing conceptual direction for an exhibit, the CAC also provides connections within their communities for oral history, artifacts, and other primary-source resources. They also play a major role in publicity and will even help set up exhibits, especially if a display features something with which they have special knowledge, like how to dress a mannequin in traditional garb. Basically, the idea is using the professional skills of the museum staff to help a community tell their own stories and express their culture in a way that give the most possible agency to the community.

Exhibits often feature materials borrowed from people's homes.

Here an artist has gathered letters written by immigrants. Visitors can send the artist a copy of their own family's letters to be included.
Opportunities for the community's voice to be heard do not end with the opening of the exhibit. Almost every room contains a display where visitors can add to the exhibit through their own experience of knowledge. For instance, time-lines will have a book where people can add other significant events that they know of in the life of the featured community. Pictured below is a wind-chime in an exhibit about immigration and deportation; visitors are encouraged to add the names of people they know who have been deported.

Wing Luke has become so famous for their model of community-based exhibits that they now have a handy manual for people like me that describes step-by-step their process in creating an exhibit.

Seattle Behind Fences

2009-07-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Seattle has a wonderful waterfront area outside of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that was designed by five artists working collaboratively to create, essentially, community.The most famous part of this work is called the "Sound Garden," which is essentially a large clumping of wind-activated tone-pipes surrounding benches where you can sit and listen to the music of the breeze.
The area also includes a walking path lined with thick bushes of blackberries and wild roses.
Bridges bearing quotations of Moby Dick span the occasional stream.
A dock was built to allow boaters on Lake Washington to pull up to the art area and perhaps enjoy a picnic at the lookout point.
All in all it is an idyllic setting, perfect for an afternoon stroll or a moonlight picnic. Unfortunately, since 9/11 the area has been given a security threat code "yellow" and has been fenced off. To enter, you have to come during weekday business hours and pass through a check point where you show identification and may be subject to search.
To be fair, I don't believe that the US Government thinks the Sound Garden itself is a terrorist target, but rather NOAA on whose property it is built. Still, what was designed to be a place of beauty and gathering for the people of Seattle has been completely abandoned. Meanwhile, teems of families play and walk their dogs in the park on just the other side of the fence, and boats float just off shore.

Contrast this with another Seattle community art project behind a fence, "23rd and Union." This project takes as its subject the corner of 23rd and Union Street, the center a formerly predominately African American neighborhood that is now gentrifying.
A team of artists worked to collect thoughts and stories from passersby about the intersection. Then, in a bulldozed and fenced-in lot awaiting construction, the artists constructed "a series of five improvised structures built using found materials. They suggest shelter in what can be a turbulent intersection." Part of these structures include giant portraits of some of the original people interviewed.
Now, when visitors walk past the intersection, they see signs encouraging them to call a hotline.
When they call, they encounter an automated and interactive voice-messaging system which first asks whether or not they are at the corner of 23rd and Union. If they respond yes, it gives them the option to either listen other people's stories and thoughts about the intersection, or to record their own for others to hear. Prompts include, among others, "Whose Corner is This," "What Needs to Happen," and "Rap/Pray/Sing."
Through the creative use of technology both old and new, this installation is managing to honor and create place and identity in a changing neighborhood despite being behind a fence.
The website and the hotline both work--check them out!

Place

2009-07-22T23:18:00.001-07:00

There's a wonderful organization in Portland called "City Repair." Their goal is to turn space into place. That is to say, to turn the physical space where people live into a place to which people feel connected, feel invested, feel a sense of identity and belonging. City Repair does this by helping neighborhoods organize the transformation of intersections and street corners through murals, benches, bulletin boards, and more.

I think the concept is brilliant and essential now more than ever. My generation is especially transient and tends to have very little connection to the place in which the live. We are far more likely to find our community online or in clubs or causes that are rooted in ideology or hobby than in our local neighborhood. Because of this we often never meet our neighbors and pay very little interest to issues that effect the area in which we live. We are more likely to expend energy on the plight of a people halfway across the world whom we have never met than we are for the homeless man on our street or the family experiencing foreclosure on the other side of it.
Yet just as we become aware that we are connected to the entire world, we are also becoming more aware that to be sustainable, we are going to have to start living more locally. This means relying upon the people and the land physically surrounding us, which means getting to know and love the people and land surrounding us.

But even beyond the economic and environmental reasons to appreciate place, I think a person's soul benefits by having a physical place in which to belong. Personally, I always feel a sense of peace when I return to a city in which I have lived for many years. We know who we are by what we see reflected in the world around us. If we look out our window and see an unknown void, we feel that emptiness inside ourselves. If we look out and see place that we hate, we feel that loathing inside. But if we look out and a place of beauty that we love, perhaps we will also feel that inside. I think this is what City Repair is trying to do.

An intersection by my friends' house

A tea stand with free hot water, tea, and mugs (also a bucket to place dirty mugs)

A hut for the local free community newspaper (The Bee)

Place is a great topic for my transition to Seattle, which has a huge public arts (particularly sculpture) program designed very much to create a sense of identity within the city.

Sand and Water

2009-07-21T23:46:00.000-07:00

Each year in Portland there is a sand-sculpting fundraiser in the central square called "Yoshida's Sand in the City." The money goes to support "Kids on the Block" a volunteer puppet program that goes into schools to teach children positive messages about themselves and others.
Businesses pay money to get a sandbox and in exchange get some advertising. Around the sand there are some booths with information about Kids on the Block, and a few other organizations have minor crafts projects for kids.

While the art is always cool, there's not really a whole lot of community building happening. The event is free and in the middle of downtown Portland, so it's nice to stroll by, but there's no reason to interact with other people. There is a sandbox for children to play in and make their own castles (kids get all the fun), but it's not much. Of course, it's probably a good bonding exercise for the company employees who make the sculptures.
Take in comparison two fountains located in downtown Portland which are permissible to enter. Both are always present, unmonitored, and free. Architecturally, they're fun to play in.
As compared to the tiny sandbox above, the fountains attract people of all ages. From children and grandparents to young lovers, these fountains become gathering and relaxing points for the city on a hot summer day.
(it should be noted that this fountain continually changes its patterns throughout the day to reflect the tempo of the city)

You can see more pictures of the sand sculptures here.

Bultmann and Me

2009-07-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading Rudolf Bultmann's "New Testament and Mythology," and it has helped me articulate what I'm trying to do with this project (or at least write incoherently for a while) .

The premise of Lutheranism is that people cannot love unless they are loved. The story of Christ is the means by which we as the church communicate to people that God loves them unconditionally. But for most people I know, the story doesn't work.

Bultmann thinks this is because ever since the rise of modern science people realize that the material reality presented in the story doesn't match with the material reality they encounter everyday. There are no demons in this world; there is no place in the sky where angles fly or place underground where Satan dwells. Most people don't change when they are baptized or receive communion. No one has yet risen from the dead. The reality of the Gospels is not the reality of people today, and so they reject the story of Christ as irrelevant.

But Bultmann contends that these "mythical" elements (virgin birth, miracles, resurrection) are misunderstood if taken to be historic. For Bultmann, the Gospels are not histories, they are instead stories which invite the hearer to participate in their existential (not material or metaphysical) reality in this life. Miracles and mythical metaphysics are attempts to communicate intangible experiences of human existence in a tangible and comprehensible (for the audience at the time) form; the goal of the preacher is to extract the message about human life. For Bultmann, the central message that the New Testament is attempting to communicate is an existential freedom to be who we are and to love others based on an openness to the suffering in this world and the assurance of God's unconditional love (keep in mind he's writing from and for the context of well-off white folk, which, to be fair, so am I). Bultmann thinks that if this de-mythologized message of the gospel is preached, people will be able to once again connect to the divine story, experience God's love, and love one another.

This is where I have a problem. Understanding the New Testament as inviting us to participate in an existential reality communicated through non-historical story (though Bultmann acknowledges the crucifixion as fact), is great. However, I don't think talking at people from behind a pulpit is an effective invitation into any story. Most people are keenly aware that the story of Jesus has been forced on to listeners as a means of control. Hierarchies have used the gospel to ensure the conformity of those who heed it, and to exclude those who do not. When one authority figure stands before a mute crowd and does all the talking, it doesn't come across as an invitation to participate in a story, it comes across as a narrative of coercion. Even with the best-intentioned clergy, the very format of speaker and audience trains the congregation to be passive, to leave the existential reality of grace in the walls of the church and in the hands of the pastor instead of taking up the story for themselves and actively telling and shaping it in their daily lives.

This then is my goal with collaborative art: First, to reclaim the existential value of story, particularly the story of Christ. Second, to embody the gospel notion of unconditional love by inviting all people to actively speak their own story in a non-hierarchical setting. Third, to invite people to participate in the existential reality of the gospel by connecting their story to Christ's story. Fourth, to facilitate community and the love of neighbor by connecting the personal story and Christ's story to the neighbor's story. Fifth, to imagine a world that better reflects God's love for all people through the use of art.

I believe artistic mediums to be particularly useful for these tasks for three reasons. First our culture tends to accept what an individual expresses through art as both subjectively unique and not requiring external validation. Second, art allows for differing expressions to be combined into a coherent and meaningful whole without compromising the integrity of the individual expressions. I view this as different from how conversations around theology are often approached. When two people with differing views want to come together and proclaim a common faith, or even have a friendly conversation, there is often the notion that one person has to convert the other, cause the other person to give up his or her view. With art, different views can be join in harmony (or aesthetic dissonance) without winners or losers; without one experience being right and the other being wrong. Art has the power to move conversations beyond a zero-sum game.

Finally, what makes tools of art so important is that they require us to make our dreams tangible. Just as God entered into human flesh to communicate with and transform the world, so too, bringing imagination into the stone of a sculpture, or the actors on a stage makes something comprehensible, something that cannot simply be ignored or forgotten. Imagination in physical form inherently changes the world because it is a part of the world that has been changed.

Bishop Beats Me to It!

2009-07-19T13:33:00.000-07:00

The bishop of the Oregon Synod, Rev. David Brauer-Rieke (under whose auspices I serve), has preempted my plans to turn collaborative art into worship!

This past week he led a vespers service at Holden Village (a hippie Lutheran village in a remote area of the Washington Cascade Mountains above Lake Chelan that is almost entirely self-sustainable--seriously, they have their own mini hydro power-plant, farms, and complex waste/recycling/compost system). I've compiled the following from emails that he sent me along with pictures:

"Last night we did Vespers. I [Bishop Dave] had this great idea a few months ago of a kind of artistic/poetic improve deal where Sandy (Roumagoux) would do some drawing live during the service and I would kind of vamp on a biblical theme (the Holden theme - clay jars.) It seemed like a good idea at the time. So, Sandy brought charcoal and a huge role of paper. We had one of the Mavericks [a type of staff worker] make her a 4' x 16' easel (two sheets of plywood end to end on 2x4s) and sort of took over the place. We also found a cool guitar player, so for about 15 minutes - 4 segments of 3 minutes each - he played, I made up poetry on the spot (sort of tone poems, more like the Desmond Tutu poem - repetitious, staggered words) and Sandy drew four images.
"The service began with a very brief explanation of what we were going to do - the four themes idea around the Holden summer theme, earthen vessels/treasure. I had Sandy take a moment to explain the "gesture drawing" that she was going to do. It is a very fast, emotive sketching - suggestive more than precise--it is not necessarily intended as a performing art, in fact it can be rather personal. She was nervous about attempting it in front of a large audience (unnecessarily, of course!!). Then the congregation stood for a hymn (noting the gift of artists, poet, painter, hymn writer) and then they sat for our "homily."

"Sandy and I had plotted out an idea, variations on "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." First was we being the earthen vessels, human beings, creatures of clay - and the treasure was just life. Sandy sketched me during this first part.

"Secondly, the idea was that our earthen vessels were cracked and we are losing the treasure - sin/fall, whatever. I rambled on about putting a mock treasure in plastic jugs or 55 gallon barrels. Sandy sketched an image of a man dropping pots in front of him. I believe it had some relation to a old painting.

"Thirdly is was scripture scrolls (the treasure) in clay jars - Qumran, the synagogue. Sandy sketched a bunch of pots.
"Finally the "earthen vessel" was the Church, a community of living, clay, stones and the treasure was the Gospel proclamation. Sandy sketched a parade of people, led by a woman carrying a pot on her head. Each segment was three to four minutes long. Anthony (the guitar player) played different music to go with the mood of each segment. I had some sense of interplay with Anthony - eye contact and inter-relationship. Sandy says she could hear my poetry and that was cool for her.
"When we were done there was a closing hymn, prayer and dismissal so the congregation was fairly passive in a physical sense, but I think mezmorized in another sense.

"As I had hoped, Sandy sketching live on a 4'x 16' easel was pretty engaging. The congregation had very little eye contact with me. When I would look up (which was not often) they were all glued on Sandy. We were all really nervous and felt out of comfort zone, but people REALLY seemed to like it. We've been getting a lot of positive feedback. Nadia (that tatooed pastor) said afterwards that she totally forgot to get her knitting out she was so enthralled. (Tonight she was knitting and looking bored again.) So that was fun, but I'm glad its done. Tom, one of the directors, said that in the 1000s of vesper services he's been in here at Holden he's never seen anything like it. (That was a compliment.)"

Action/Adventure Serial Storytelling

2009-07-17T16:58:00.000-07:00

Mainstream theatre has the same basic problem as mainline Protestant churches: The constituencies of both are composed primarily of the aging white middle-class. Action Adventure Theatre in Portland has been making waves because it has developed an incredibly loyal fan-base composed primarily of hip young 20-somethings. Yesterday I met with co-founder Devon Granmo and asked him about what contributed to the company's success.

Action Adventure creates a unique form of theatre. They take for their subject matter the lives of hip 20-somethings living Portland. Instead of writing out whole scripts, the writers create detailed outlines of what happens to the characters, and then let the actors improvise the dialogue. They rehearse each show for a month, so the actors aren't making up their dialogue cold, but Devo said that it still retains a lot of the energy and spontaneity of improv without digressing into meaningless humor just for the sake of laughs (though there is still a lot of randomness and humor.

The other unique feature is that Action Adventure does their productions in a serial format. Each production features the same cast of characters and picks up where the last episode left off. Like a good television series, there's a dramatic arc within each episode, but the season also has an arc which makes you want to come back and see what happens to your favorite characters. Each episode runs one weekend and a season lasts a month.

The company saves money by performing their shows on the set of another theatre company. This means the plays go up at 10:30pm, which is fine for the demographics (although they also have a loyal following among some folks in their 60ies). They have a Sunday Matinee at 8:30pm.

Finally, Devo suggested modestly that the company is so successful because it's made up of young 20-somethings who are all very cool. He has a point. People love to feel that they are part of a hip, attractive, and interesting circle; live theatre in a serial format by and about this type of people offers audiences the sense of being part of the in-crowd.

Another interesting thing that Action Adventure does outside of its serial production is the "Inspired By" events. Prior to these events, fans of Action Adventure are encouraged to write short (less than a 100 words) stories. The stories are then handed over to artists of a variety of genres (theatre, painting, music) who are asked to interpret and present the stories in whatever manner they might wish. The work is then presented at a fundraiser.

The church year is also structured in a serial format: the liturgical calendar. However, each week is rarely designed to build to the next in a dramatic manner that leads to climaxes (Christmas, Easter). This is an instance where historically dominate forms of worship actually match up with what I'm encountering in the arts world--most churches just aren't using the serial nature of the church year to its full potential.

Art as Medicine

2009-07-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Throughout my travels I've been struck by how often art is used to benefit marginalized members of society: youth, the homeless, the incarcerated, the hospitalized, the elderly. These are groups without access to "normal" forms of self expression and institutions of societal and political control. It makes sense that organizations that want to empower these groups use art to give them voice and a sense of identity.

But why is it that the non-marginalized population of our society does not make art to give themselves voice and identity? With the exception of professional artists, it seems that most healthy middle-class adult Americans do not create art, and even fewer do so in community or put it on public display. Very rarely have I come across art organizations serving well-adjusted and financially stable adults. From a Marxist perspective, this group of people as a class has its self-interest well looked after by bourgeois media, cultural, and political institutions; they do not need to make art, professionals do the privilege-maintaining work for them. But from a spiritual perspective, this group is nearly as disenfranchised as any other. Average Americans rely primarily upon Hollywood to tell stories for them. They do not tell their own tales, but watch those of corporations and hope that one is close. Surely this must be deadening for the soul.

Furthermore, if hospitals find art to be healing, prisons find art to be restorative, and youth programs find art to be empowering, why is a daily regiment of art not as trendy as a daily dose of high fiber? Is art only to be used in instances of trauma, like emergency room surgery? Or could art be viewed as preventative (and maybe even transformative) medicine, the regular use of which leads to healthier living.

Anyway, enough rant based on my envy of all the fun kids' art activity at which people give me dirty looks when I try to join in.

An organization in Portland that is doing amazing work with street youth is p;ear.
p;ear has a drop-in center in the Pearl district where homeless and low-income youth can hang out, make a variety of art, and get healthy (they even make a point of trying to do organic and fair-trade) meals. A unique feature of p;ear is that the view that for street youth to become "productive members of society," they first have to encounter a healthy version of that society. For many street youth, the larger society only interacts with them through the contexts of abuse, drugs, and prostitution. p;ear tries to expose the youth to a different perspective on that society. First, they model it within their institution by providing a safe, reliable, and non-judgmental environment. Recycling, composting, using organic food, and having organizational transparency with the youth are also part of this modeling of what healthy society looks like. As compared to many other shelters in the area, p;ear has giant windows without bars or coverings that look out onto the ground floor of the street so that the youth can observe the daily activity of the city from a safe space. Finally, they take the youth to high culture venues to show them that they are worthy of such places.

p;ear is also planning to set-up a coffee stand with which they can train "pearistas" and give the youth employable skills.

A large open gallery to display the youth's work; the space is also rented out and serves as a major source of income

A band practice room. It was designed to be sound proof, but apparently its not quite.

There's actually a lot more to p;ear, but because it was full of youth, I couldn't take pictures.

Imago Dei Community

2009-07-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

One of the major reasons why I decided to come to Portland was to visit Imago Dei Community. Imago Dei is a church with an interesting mix of theology, art, and social engagement. Two of their core values are "authentic community" and "worship and beauty," which is what originally caught my attention. They take very seriously the idea that "the creator God has displayed his wonder for all of us to see..."and have an active arts ministry that occasionally features people actually painting on stage during worship. They combine this with a heavy service emphasis on serving the city of Portland (currently they are major supporters of the Love Portland project and regularly meet to pray for the city). They also root themselves in a verbally inspired and infallible understanding of scripture that leads them to keep women from the highest levels of church leadership.

Within five years of their start in Portland, they've gained a weekly attendance of over 1400, the vast majority of whom are under 40.

I visited their Sunday worship this week and met yesterday with the Pastor of Arts at the church's Art's Loft located in the trendy Pearl District. Here's a few thoughts from my experience:

Imago Dei does not have its own building, instead, it uses a high school on Sundays and a variety of house groups throughout the week. Because they are located literally inside the school, they are aware of its community's needs and choose to actively support it--such support not only creates goodwill and builds relationships, but often also supports the community (for instance, they installed a new sound system in the assembly hall, which the school uses during the week). Also, because they do not have to maintain a building or pay a mortgage, they can channel more of their funds into staff, of which they have a huge amount. This let them build more meaningful relationships with more people than one or two pastors could ever do. Relationships are further strengthened by their network of home communities. These home communities meet on a weekly basis in people's houses; people are encouraged to attend the community in their neighborhood and not divide into demographically homogeneous groups. In these intimate settings people get the opportunity to really share what's happening in their lives and get immediate support, as well as having access to the views and experiences of people from a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. If someone mentions a concern or a crisis in one of the home community meetings that needs to be referred to a pastor, there is a system in place to do so, instead of hoping that somehow the pastor finds out through the grapevine.

In terms of art, Imago has a large mix of professional and amateur artists. The Pastor of Arts talked about both allowing the professional group space to meet and talk as professionals separate from the rest of the community, and finding ways for people of all skill levels to share their art together. One of the ways in which Imago is facilitating the mingling of artists is through their "Grid Show." They made an open invitation to the people in their community to cover a 1ft sq tile with whatever they wanted on the theme of "touch." The pastor was clear that the tiles did not have to be explicitly Christian, but he did encourage people to make the creation a spiritual practice. At first there was some hesitation among people who were not professionals to make a tile, but as more and more tiles were brought in, they inspired other people to try to make their own. Currently 50 tiles are exhibited in the Loft.

Imago also offers classes at their school of theology. Classes can both be for people who want to learn to make art (there was recently a course on Photoshop), as well as for people who are already making art (troubleshooting for Macs). The pastor says that in all of these classes (as well as in occasional sermons) he tries to communicate the idea that our creativity is a gift from God--a gift that when developed, can be given as an offering in service to both the divine and our neighbor.

I was disappointed not to see any active art-making (aside from music) in the service that I attended. When I asked about this, I was told that having someone try to create a painting in 30 minutes on stage often became distracting, and people had a tendency to spend worship critiquing the art. The comment brings up some excellent issues about performance and quality that I will have to contemplate as I try to shape worship around creative expression.

Currently, Imago integrates art into worship in more subtle ways. As people express talent in various areas, the Arts Pastor puts them to work on discrete aspects of the worship to be completed ahead of time. For instance, a graphic designer creates the slides on which the music is projected. Poets write prayers using language and imagery taken from the daily lives of the parishioners (which replaces a lot a pastures and sheep with asphalt and hangovers). It's not a terribly new model for art and worship, but it does allow people to express their art in their own terms, instead of requiring it to fit Roman era aesthetics.

Check out some of the art that members in the community are making.

Art Drive!

2009-07-12T22:20:00.000-07:00

Several folks have been asking about my newly acquired transportation. As such, I've created a quiz.

Which of the following vehicles (all of which have been part of my travels) is mine?

A)

B)

C)

D)

E)

If you guessed E), you're correct! It's a two-door Honda Civic with a manual transmission.

A) and B) were buses used at the Network of Ensemble Theaters national summit to transport people to plays.

C) is a van that I passed each day on my way to the NET summit

D) is a car owned by the director of Children's Healing Art Project, an organization that uses at with sick children at hospitals. The car is taken to various fundraisers where people donate a dollar to paint it. The director then drives it around (and yes, it has gotten very heavy through the layers of paint).

Random Thoughts from Theatre

2009-07-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

Play builds community: I've spent a lot of time this week trying to figure out how to fit the content that I want into what I'm learning in this theatre workshop. But the other day Michael Rohd (artistic director of Sojourn and workshop leader) commented that playing builds community. I realize he is right, especially with theatre play. Playing in general requires people to acknowledge one another, to communicate with one another, to enjoy each others' presence. Play that asks people to create a story or an image together goes even farther. In these games you share a common goal which requires the cooperation the people you are playing with. If the game involves improvisation, you must listen closely to the other people, be willing to change in response to whatever they say, and trust that they in turn will react to your statements. Laughing together may often be more profound than praying or philosophizing together.

If theatre is a combination of oral and physical performances, it seems that historically it has primarily been the oral performance which is recorded and preserved for future generations (that is to say, the script). Physical movement is left to each new production to imagine in totally new ways. Must this be so? Why couldn't physical movement such as blocking or choreography be preserved and each production insert new words to fit their context? It seems through time the words people use change, but the basic motions which our bodies go through always stay the same.

Sojourn does a lot of theatre that is done in non-traditional locations and/or is interactive. One of the things they talk a lot about is how people are invited into an experience for which they may not have any clear notion about the social rules or expectations. They make a point to "articulate a contract" with the audience about what the company will do and what they will ask of the audience. This is done in their promotional material and through instructions throughout a performance. But a large component is also setting the mood of the event prior to the beginning of the performance. How do churches articulate a contract with parishioners about what is expected of them, not just with instructions printed in the bulletin, but the whole mood of the event? How do churches that follow non-traditional models of worship communicate what will be expected to newcomers?

Another technique that Sojourn uses frequently is having small groups within the company create work separately, and then having the different groups watch each others work. After watching each others' work, they then are asked to take elements from other people's work and either incorporate it into their own or expand it into something new and larger. This means whatever final product is eventually produced, it contains components imaged and shaped by everyone in the ensemble. Thus the work is simultaneously created by each individual and the community as a whole. It is seems like this could be a useful model for understanding scripture, both how it was created and how we can use it today.

Performance as Interlude

2009-07-08T23:05:00.000-07:00

The more time I spend with Sojourn Theatre, the more impressed I become with their work, both its quality and its philosophical foundation. Whereas many people use theatre as a vehicle to spread their message, Sojourn honestly seems concerned with primarily getting people from different viewpoints and backgrounds to listen and interact with one another in respectful and meaningful ways.

Recently they did a project around the issue of gentrification that took them to three different cities (including Portland, where they are based). In the same situation, some groups might have written a play that expressed their views on the issue; some might have gone around and interviewed people and made a documentary drama. Instead, Sojourn spent time with various communities affecting and affected by gentrification and developed an interactive event that allowed those diverse groups to come together to explore the issue in a setting that was framed by occasional site-specific performances developed out of experiences with those groups. From what I can tell, this combines the best of allowing people to be heard, listening to others' stories, and interacting cooperatively and creatively with people who may differ is someway.

There's an interesting video of the gentrification project, called Built. It doesn't have a lot of explanation, but you can sort of figure out what's happening.

BUILT @ PICA:TBA 08 from Sojourn Media on Vimeo.

Building Theatre

2009-07-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

I'm currently at a workshop called "Devising Civic Theatre," which is taught Sojourn Theatre. The goal is to learn how to create community engagement and dialogue through theatre. In large part, this means encouraging people who don't self-identify as artists to express themselves through dramatic forms.

I've been very impressed by the basic technique that Sojourn uses. In essence, participants begin by creating a very specific, very simple action or pose within set parameters from their personal experiences. Gradually they create additional movements/poses/phrases and develop a "vocabulary" -- essentially building blocks which they will combine in different ways. Overtime they may begin layering actions on top of previous actions or to combine their building blocks with those of others. Out of this can come visually fascinating images and tableauxs, to which participants react by posing questions which are evoked, or they may create scenes and stories which explore the thematic issues that arise. Very profound conversations can manifest out of what began as the simple repetition of a daily action.

Particularly for people who don't feel comfortable creating a play out of whole cloth, or wouldn't know where to begin expressing their emotions through physical movement, this very gradual building of discrete movements based on personal experience seems like a non-threatening and power means to creative self-expression.

In Portland

2009-07-07T01:01:00.000-07:00

In Portland...doing theatre stuff...will write more soon...

Art Party

2009-07-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Each Friday night, the de Young Museum in San Francisco has "Cultural Encounters" where the museum stays open late and offers a variety of interdisciplinary arts programs, including performances and interactive art projects for kids and adults. In addition to its usual cafe, there is also a no-host cocktail bar to help people enjoy the evening. This week's theme was celebrating the return of the Tutankhamun exhibit to the museum, which had originally presented it thirty years ago.

I was really excited by the idea of turning an art museum into a giant party. I thought people would have fun creating and mingling with a little social lubricant. Instead of the inane small talk that usually accompanies cocktail parties, guests could start conversations with strangers by commenting on a three thousand year-old sculpture. I was sorely disappointed.

There was almost no mingling, and very little creating of art. I feel the main factor contributing to this was space. The museum was set up so that the central lobby area and a few small rooms were accessible free of charge. Entering any of the exhibits required buying an admissions ticket, and visiting the Tutankhamun exhibit required a special pass (around $30). Food and drink were not allowed in the exhibit spaces. Also, the interactive art, bar, and food were all closeted away in small rooms, while the lobby housed spectacular belly-dancing and Mideastern music performances.
The result was that people had to actively choose between being a silent and seated witness to sensual music and dance for free while enjoying their beverage of choice, painting clay rocks in a room on the other side of the building (the interactive art), or paying to look at the exhibits. 95% of people choose the free belly-dancing.
The result was that the evening basically turned into a performance venue with some activities to entertain children. The exhibits were left barren and empty, giving them a cavernous tomb-like feel that was even less conducive to conversation than usual.
While I understand concerns about having food and drink close to exhibit pieces, it seems like there could be a way to bring the performance, interactive art, exhibits, and drink closer together so that there could be a free flow of movement between the areas. People could make art while watching the performance, or look at paintings while listening to music. It might help reduce the feeling of being either in a concert hall or a crypt, and feeling uncomfortable taking in either.

Still, I'm interested in going back sometime in the future and seeing if the feel is any different with less enticing performances.

Youth Spirit Artworks

2009-07-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I stopped by the mural project studio of Youth Spirit Artworks, an interfaith organization whose mission is to use art to empower and transform the lives of youth, giving young people the skills, experience and self confidence to meet their full potential.
Youth Spirit Artworks has a simple yet ingenious organizational model. Various organizations in the area refer homeless and low-income youth who are passionate about art to Youth Spirit Artworks. Youth Spirit Artworks then provides them them with commercial artistic training (color theory, design, etc.) during which the youth receive a stipend. The youth practice their skills painting furniture which Youth Spirit Artworks sells/auctions; the youth get to keep half the money that their furniture brings in.
Currently, they're also working on a mural in south Berkeley. The youth are being led by the famous muralist Edythe Boone, who was one of seven artists to create the mural on the Women's Building in San Francisco. Yet even under the guidance of a professional, the youth are active collaborators in the design of the painting. As a group they pick out images from magazines and other sources that fit with the music theme of the project. Boone then determines the existing skills of the youth and matches them with images to which their strengths are best suited. Currently they're developing their skills by practicing on paper before they put their brushes to the wall.

The area outside the studio is scattered with benches also painted by the youth.
Youth Spirit Artwork's youth participants, staff and board are praying and discerning about the start up this fall of weekly Sunday afternoon (2pm-4pm) interfaith Scripture sharing and visual art making at their art studio at 1769 Alcatraz Avenue (near Adeline St.) in S. Berkeley. They envision this being a time that would be open to both the homeless and low-income youth they empower through their interfaith arts program, and also to other folks from the community who might be interested in participating. This would be a special opportunity to ground the ministry YSA is undertaking in art and worship as they begin each week. There are lots of ways this could evolve as diverse members of the interfaith religious community play a role incorporating their own traditions in the sharing and art making time.

I'm particularly excited about YSA's considered art worship because of the many churches I've visited, most limit their arts ministry to hosting outside arts organizations or displaying historic artwork. Art often feels like a tangential or subsidiary component to the religious understanding of parishioners. YSA's visual art making in response to various scriptures would bring active creative expression into the center of the spiritual experience of participants.

Unfortunately, I won't be around next year, but if you're in the area, I recommend checking it out.
For more information or to provide input on this idea contact: Sally Hindman at 282-0396 or email: shindman@youthspiritartworks.org

Social Coercion = Collaborative Participation?

2009-07-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of activity, I've taken a bit a break at the halfway point to process what I've seen and relax for a bit before I begin my three-week tour of the Northwest.

This weekend I went to a performance of Frank Moore, an artist with cerebral palsy who gained notoriety in the early 90's after being singled out by Senator Jesse Helms as an artist who received money from the National Endowment for the Arts and created "obscene" work. Moore is noted for creating shamanistic (he founded his own religion) and interactive performance art, so when I saw a poster in Berkeley, I was intrigued.

While I found the art aesthetically boring, I was fascinated by the by the atmosphere that was established. Whereas I have spent much of my project trying to create an atmosphere where people overcome our culture's discomfort interacting with strangers and publicly participating in art, Moore has far overshot my goals. He creates a culture in which it is more uncomfortable to NOT participate in making art with strangers (often nude).

I've been reflecting on how this happens, and this is what I've come up with: First, the space is setup to create a hierarchy with Frank at the top. Frank is seated in his wheelchair and the audience reclines on the floor at Frank's feet, literally looking up to the artist. Frank's crew sits behind the audience making music and filming.
Second, because Frank has cerebral palsy, he can only communicate by using a pointer strapped to his head and pointing at letters on a board in front of him. His pointing is then interpreted and vocalized by an assistant who is also seated next to Frank and above the audience. This means that it is impossible to directly communicate with Frank. You can't really have a normal conversation because of the lag time involved, which results in Frank controlling the conversation. Also, anything that Frank says inherently has the weight of two people saying it. This also means that the audience's reaction to any comment is colored by first viewing the interpreter's reaction to it; as the interpreter is an middle-age woman who seems utterly devoted to frank, her reaction is always positive. Audience reaction is also guided by several assistants who sit mingled with the audience and seem completely willing to do whatever Frank asks without hesitation or indication that his requests are strange. There is also the dimension that our culture gives more leniency to someone with cerebral palsy, perhaps out of discomfort or guilt.
Finally, Frank begins the evening by having 5-10 minute conversations with each member of the audience, getting to know each one of them personally. Often he uses information gleaned from the conversation to ask people initially to start doing simple acts (for instance, pick up one of the toy instruments available and play along with the trance music in the background). Once he's gotten to know everyone, he starts asking people to perform more boundary pushing acts like undressing one another and dancing nude while images are projected on to them. Act this point, it feels like you have a relationship with Frank, and you get the sense that everyone expects you to agree to what he asks. If you don't say yes, you feel close-minded, like you're rejecting a cripple, and insulting someone's beliefs. So everyone I saw either said yes, or slipped out the back before they were asked.

In my mind, this creates an ethical dilemma. I feel people could benefit from overcoming their shyness, fear of intimacy, and reservations about their ability to create art. However, Frank Moore's solution seems to achieve this through social and psychological coercion. People are not free to express themselves because they are pressured into behaving in whatever way the artist commands them. Feeling free not to interact is just as important as feeling free to do so.

If you'd like to check out Frank Moore's work, you can visit his website: www.eroplay.com (warning, it's definitely not for all audiences)

Community TV Incarnate

2009-06-25T20:10:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already done so, I recommend reading yesterday's post "Albany Bulb" in order to understand the context for what happens in this one. Also, this post is very video intensive; if you would like to follow the project through still photographs, click here.

I was walking through the Albany Bulb yesterday with my friends Nick and Jess, when we passed a couple of concrete chunks and the following conversation occurred:

Nick: You know, those two concrete slabs kind of look like an old television monitor. It would be cool to turn them into one.

Ben: You free tomorrow?

The blocks at one point were covered with murals painted by a homeless man named "Picasso" and "Sniff," the team of artists that first began turning trash in the Bulb into art. However, in the past decade, the murals have been covered by graffiti tags. We in turn covered what we considered graffiti.

We wanted to preserve what remained of the Picasso and Sniff mural. To incorporate the remaining sections into our sculpture, we tried to create the appearance that the TV had broken open in a couple spots and the mural was peaking out from inside.

We used a lot of tape to create layers of color for buttons, vents, and jacks.

We then wrote in words by hand.

We had hoped that passersby would contribute to what was playing on the screen. However, few people passed by while we were working, and of those who did only one felt comfortable painting something (apparently next time I need to create a project which people feel requires less technical skill to participate in). The one person who did participate was a homeless woman named Sara. She added a silhouette of a "Hello Kitty." With a bunch of empty space on the screen, we decided to write the phrase "Community TV" in hopes that future visitors would be encouraged to add art to it.

no TV set is complete without a remote...

final product

back

with artists on top

Albany Bulb

2009-06-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

From 1963-1984 the mudflats of Albany, California were used as a landfill for various construction projects. Then the city closed the landfill and two years later declared it a public trust. In 1990's a homeless population moved in and artists led by a team called "Sniff" began to transform the trash into art. Since then, the "Albany Bulb" has been filled with art and people walking their dogs.

The bulb brings up questions of what to do with public space. I feel it's of great benefit to the community to have a public place where anyone can express themselves and share it with the world, especially when doing so reclaims a dump. However, whenever people are given free reign to do what they like, there will inevitably be conflict and ideas expressed that others find offensive. In the picture below, you can see a giant mural created by the original Sniff team that has been painted over by what I see as graffiti. The same freedom that creates such beauty in the bulb is also what destroys it.
There's a fascinating documentary about the homeless population of the bulb that was made about a decade ago called, "Bum's Paradise." The homeless population has decreased considerably in the past few years, but one institution that was created three years ago still thrives: the Bulb Library.
You're free to take whatever book you like--no fees, no due dates, no rules at all.
Jimbow, one of the builders of the library. At night he lays out a mattress and sleeps here. He's also featured in the documentary (he hasn't lived here all ten years; he left for about six of them). Jimbow is a poet whose work, along with other bulb related material can be found at ipoet.com

There are way too many things to document. I've taken a bunch of photos, but there are plenty of sites on the internet that catalog the Bulb. This one includes a blog about the community that uses it.

Models of Theatre: New and Old

2009-06-23T00:05:00.001-07:00

A large topic of conversation at the Network of Ensemble Theaters Summit was how to create sustainable models of theatre. Current most theatre companies function in a charity mind-set. They are non-profit organizations which receive at least half their revenue from grants and donors, the largest of which is often the government. Donors tend to look upon theatre as a luxury--something to give money to in times of excess because theatre provides "culture" and people with money are supposed to like "culture."

Most of the (non-theatre) people I know rarely go to see plays. From conversations I get the sense this is because plays are often boring, irrelevant, and pretentious (sounds like church), not to mention people pay high-prices for what feels like gratifying the performers' egos. The popular blog, Stuff White People Like did a humorous post on this phenomenon. The fact that the blog is called "Stuff White People Like" is also a telling sign, as most major theatres tend to be inhabited by aging white wealthy people (another similarity to main-line Protestant churches).

I see theatre's insustainablility and its cultural isolation to be connected. In a recent discussion with Elana McKernan we discussed how making theatre explicitly serve a community might make it sustainable. In the previous post I discussed community-based theatres which go into a community for a short time, write a play, and then leave. What if instead a theatre company was dedicated to continually gathering individuals' experiences within an community and sharing them on a regular basis with the community at large? City councils or neighborhood associations could hire a group to be full-time listeners to the drama and comedy of daily life in an area. Actors would function as constant and informal census workers, poll takers, and neighborhood watch patrols, trying to understand the pulse of a region. Once a week they would craft what they observed into a subsidized performance for the community. This would allow people to understand what was happening with parts of the community that they weren't normally aware of. It would bring problems to the attention of city officials. It would provide an acceptable space to mention the unmentionable, much like a court jester. It would provide entertainment for the population as a whole and improve constituents satisfaction with their government because it would make them feel that they were being heard (which goes a long way towards improving moral). It would also give the community a great sense of pride and common spirit.

And as opposed to much publicly funded art which causes controversy when some people don't like it (as will inevitably happen), this type of theatre has the advantage of being informed by the people who will be watching it. Whether or not they like it, they will always be interested to see what it looks like.

When I suggested this type of thing at the NET summit, a couple of people seemed concerned that it might restrict the artistic integrity of the theatre company. To this, I must respond that yes, it will. I'm more and more coming to feel that if artists expect to be supported by a larger community, they must also expect to be accountable to that community.

On a lighter note, I just wanted to mention that the NET summit ended with a parade and a cabaret featuring performances by a variety of the companies present. There's nothing new or innovative with parades or cabarets, but they are a very simple and effective way to create community events by letting people share their art. I guess some of the old-fashion theatre models can still be some of the best.Also, I promise my next post will have more pretty pictures and less rant.

Being Heard

2009-06-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

An interesting characteristic about going to a conference about ensemble theatre is that none of the sessions really function as lectures. These are people who are used to having everyone in the room make a contribution. This mentality also crosses over into the Network of Ensemble Theaters' organization. Yesterday there was a conference-wide gathering in which the National Coordinator (and sole employee) of NET sat across from an empty chair. Everyone was encouraged to run up the the chair when it was empty and speak for 30 seconds anything they wanted to the National Coordinator about NET. Each person was timed, and each person's thoughts were written down. In any organization where access to the person in charge is necessary for change, such an event seems like a useful tool to ensure that every voice has an opportunity to be heard. When I went up, I encouraged NET to consider religious organizations as potential partners in theatre as source of finical and community support. Clearly NET is not opposed to working with religious organizations (the conference is being held at a Jesuit university and a major member is Traveling Jewish Theatre) but in all the discussions about possible partners and sources of collaboration and support, I had never heard anyone mention religious organizations.

Afterwards I encountered several different reactions. One person said she had done ministerial study and was now doing theatre, and was interested in the potential mixing of the two. A whole table of ten people with whom I ate dinner all said that they either currently or at some point housed their theatre offices in churches. And one man whom I sat next to during a show comment that he was surprised by my comment because religion and theatre "are worlds apart."

But I don't see religion and theatre, especially community-based theatre, as very far apart at all. Many companies at the summit are engaged in doing theatre that is based on interviewing members of marginalized communities and making their voices heard. Many go into divided communities, interview various sides, and bring them together in the theatre to watch and understand what they normally try to ignore. Many push forward social-justice in our nation. This kind of theatre, and I believe many religious communities, are trying to make the world a better place through human understanding, support of the oppressed, and being a voice for the voiceless. Religious organizations have a wide knowledge of the under-served, strong community connections, space, and resources; theatres have the skill and the passion to present human stories as art that can transform the heart. Much would be gained if they would work together.

Project X

2009-06-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

I'm currently at the national Summit for the Network of Ensemble Theatres. I'm taking in so many interesting ideas about how to create theatre as a collaborative group and how to derive plays from specific communities that I can't really process it all. However, I wanted to mention Project X, which Hand2Mouth Theatre is presenting at the Summit.

Project X is essentially a collaborative museum. Visitors share and record their own stories, and then listen and read the stories of visitors who have come before them.

The types of sharing range from pushpin maps, to anonymous surveys, to live moderated conversations with other visitors via headset and microphone. All of it is sorted through and complied for future visitors to experience.

Neon themed equipment helps get people in the sharing mood (?)

Listen to what others have recorded.

Project X is highly mobile and can be adapted to a variety of settings (as this 6 minute video demonstrates, along with more info on the project).

Project X: You Are Here, 6-minute overview from Hand2Mouth Theatre on Vimeo.

Back in Berkeley

2009-06-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Here's an abundance of photos from my time in New York.

Check out pictures of art in the subway system.

Also art on the streets.

More from Figment.
(I haven't figured out how to turn the videos, so think of watching them as stretches for your neck!)

Art in "Official" Spaces (including places already talked about on this blog).

Posts will probably be about everyother day for the next couple of weeks.

University of Trash

2009-06-14T20:40:00.000-07:00

A quick mention of an interesting organization. The Sculpture Center has an exhibit called University of Trash. The goal is to create a forum for the exchange and fostering of ideas about radically rethinking how we live in our urban environment. To this end, they've had artists create interior architecture to reflect a new vision of public city space. Information about self-sufficient and self-organized urbanism is freely distributed (I picked up a copy of Indypendent Reader's "The City from Below" issue). Free classes on do-it-yourself art, and grass roots politics are offered throughout the summer, and anyone can sign-up to teach a class that fits the theme.

Silk-screening was been taught when I stopped by.

Giant calendar and chalkboard to inform about upcoming events.

Freestyle Connections

2009-06-14T19:50:00.001-07:00

It's only fitting that the last organization I visit in New York was also the first. This time, Free Style Arts Association was part of the Live at the Gantries free performance series in Queens. Their project this week consisted of inviting people to tie brightly colored rope across a frame held up by two people.

People could choose from a variety of colors and pick the length of their rope.

Then they would weave their individual strand into the collective whole in whatever manner they would like.

The organizers have done this same basic project without having people holding up the entire contraption, but by adding the human element they are able to move the structure around to different locations. I noticed that it also allowed passersby to come up and ask them about what was going on without having the awkwardness of approaching someone behind a desk. When explaining what was happening, Freestyle constantly used the word "art," emphasizing that passersby could themselves "make art." As a result, I've heard a constant chorus of kids shouting "I've made art!"

Another perk about the human element is that the organizers are inherently present and aware of what's happening, which means they are able to give encouragement to participants without the sense of looking over their shoulder (though, of course, they were). It also meant that, when kids would get overly violent with the project, the organizers

could give them a positive action of adding string as an alternative.
By the end of the evening, the people at each end of the project had literally been brought closer together through the tension in the weaving. You can also see here the project being paraded away. This mobility is something that the borough of Queens is putting to use. Freestyle arts is being sent to various neighborhoods that normally would not see official arts programs in order to interact with the people on the streets. In an area that's undergoing a lot of gentrification, this seems incredibly useful. Freestyle's projects have the ability to make random people interact on a physical and cooperative level with others to whom they normally wouldn't even speak.

The Freestyle guys let yours truly carry the cross of the web. Just holding one end is an inspiring experience as you can feel every movement against each strand of the weaving.

Figment

2009-06-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

So I'll admit it, New York is growing on me. This is in no small part thanks to Figment, a weekend-long festival that transforms all of Governor's Island into a giant outdoor free museum of installation and collaborative art. For my readers familiar with Reed College, think of a G-rated version of Renn Fayre set on an island and backed by the creative force of all of New York City.

In my continuing quest to not only get concepts for collaborative art, but also understand what makes people excited and willing to participate in it, I was struck by the casual attitude with which people would go up to exhibits and join in. Many exhibits simply set out materials with little explanation and often no facilitator, yet people happily picked up brushes, or markers, or ribbons, and started making art.

Several were strikingly similar to the Advent Fig Tree (parts 1 and 2) which I organized in my congregation last fall, in that they were based upon people attaching hopes to trees.

A mobile on which people hang what they want to be.

Here someone participates in the Vedic tradition of tying flowers to trees.

Ribbons containing people's hopes

Religion theorists talk about the distinction between sacred and profane space, how they are kept separate, and how we bridge them. I think Figment benefited from being able to create a space that is separate from the rest of NYC reality--a sacred precinct for art, if you will. First of all Figment is located on an island. The only way to reach the island is by ferry. The only people going on to the ferry are people who want to participate in the festival.

The ferry, the ferry station, and the ferry workers are all decorated for the event. Inspirational quotations about art are plastered everywhere.

When people get off the ferry they are immediately greeted by the rhythmic pounding of giant drums made out garbage can upon which they are encouraged to beat their own rhythm. In addition to all the crazy sculptures and art that they are about to encounter, the pre-existing architecture on the island is all early twentieth-century brick fortresses, furthering the surreal experience.

By the time people are passed the off-loading area of the ferry, they have truly entered another world--a world where social norms and expectations are totally different. In the world of Figment, people are not supposed to mind their own business and not look too closely at what the people on the side of the street are doing; here, they are supposed to notice everything and be a part of it.

I'll put up more pictures when I get back to Berkeley (Monday), but no one camera can truly document this festival. I encourage you to visit the site setup by the organizers where everyone who attended the event is invited to post their pictures for others to see. The art and community of Figment lives on online!

As a side note, Figment hosted lectures by (among others) The Wooster Collective (which documents street art from around the world) and LoVid (which combines electronic and human interaction to create some amazing art). Check out their websites, they're really cool.

Ontological-Hysteric Theater

2009-06-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brendan Regimbal, the stage manager for Ontological-Hysteric Theater and curator for Ontological-Hysteric Incubator (he was also my first director in college). The Ontological-Hysteric Incubator seeks to help guide emerging theatre companies from workshops to full productions. As Brendan explained it to me, the main qualification for being selected by the Incubator is not what the final performance looks like, but the method of getting there. The Incubator is looking companies that are not based on the model of writer, director, actors, and designers. Instead, it seeks to foster productions where a basic theme or collection of texts are developed by all the members in the group through a collaborative process.

There is someone who takes on the role of "director" in order to give coherence to the work. There are also people who have the role of being on stage during the performance, as well as people who are assigned to be in control of lights, set, etc. But instead of being confined to one specific role, are all present and active during the entire creative process and each has the opportunity to provide input on what the production as a whole should look like.

As you can imagine, combining so many creative minds to produce a production from such a loose foundation can take a lot of time (Brendan mentioned on show that took three years). It also requires a lot trust between the company members--trust that everyone will bring ideas to the table, trust that ideas will be listened to and lifted up, trust that rejection of an idea will not equal rejection of a person, trust that trying something utterly ridiculous will not be ridiculed, and trust that someone will speak up if something doesn't work. It sounds a lot like church.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to a rehearsal of "Behind the Bullseye," a show based on interviews about why people shop at Target. True to form, the rehearsal started of with the director distributing books about installation art (which is a major aesthetic in the production) and then asking the cast to throw out themes and imagines about what was going on in the world the show created. When the actors did a run-through of the show, they were given free reign to move about the space and interact with the props (consisting of lots and lots of Target bags and products) based on the themes with only very minor instructions. As the actors experimented, so did the director, overlaying various pieces of music at different points and seeing how the actors interacted with it. When notes were given, they were always encouraging actors to think of new and and unexpected things. I'm told that soon decisions will be made about what to keep (the show opens in two and a half weeks), but for now, the cast is having a lot of fun playing with extremes, and as an audience member, it was great to watch. If you're in New York at the beginning of July, I highly recommend getting tickets--the interviews are fascinating and the thematic options being toyed with are insightful.

Churches and Broadway

2009-06-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's only appropriate that churches in Manhattan have sprung up throughout the years to serve the unique culture of those working in the entertainment industry. Many seemed to have developed their connection with theatre around the turn of the last century when acting was a disreputable profession and actors were shunned in many other churches.

The Church of the Transfiguration, an Episcopal congregation, became connected with theatre when a neighboring church refused to perform a funeral for an actor. The snubbing priest mention that "there's a little church around the corner where they do that sort of thing," and The Church of the Transfiguration has been called "the little church around the corner" and served actors ever since. Today, the church's main support has been institutionalized and separated from the official working of the congregation. It now takes the form of the Episcopal Actors' Guild, which provides "[c]haritable help for performers of all faiths, and none." The Actor's Guild provides direct relief to performers in the form of money for rent and medical bills as well as scholarships, network connections, and a variety of other services. At this point it's only loosely affiliated with the Episcopal Church, it's main connections being a few priests on its board, being housed in the Little Church, and an awareness of the religious communities of all sorts that support the arts. The office in Manhattan is its only branch, but Executive Director Karen A. Lehman told me they'd be happy to open another site if anyone wants to set it up.

The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Malachy's, known as the "Actor's Chapel," has historically more actively sought to serve the Broadway community on a spiritual level. Simple acts such as having services at midnight and 4am in order to accommodate the schedules of theatre workers, and encouraging performers to come in, say a prayer and light a candle before opening nights, have gone a long way in making this church the haunt of string of stars. It also didn't hurt that a long line of priests have made it a point to get to know the artists in the neighborhood, visiting them in green rooms and dressing room, and providing comfort to actors' unique fears of failure and age, and the public venue in which they must live their lives.

Both the Little Church and the Actors' Chapel seem to have more of a historical connection to Broadway at this point. However, Middle Collegiate Church, located in the East Village of Manhattan is actively cultivating its community of artists. Middle supplements its worship with two sets of artists in residence, an organist, and the Omega Dance Company, as well as with a gospel choir. They also actively encourage the artists in their congregation to organize events in which to share their talents. Literature professors from New York University put on poetry readings by their students and colleagues, and a member's improv troupe performs in the church. Members' talents are identified through a form which they fill out when they join in which they describe their passion and talents; a minister then meets with them one on one to figure out how where the member might best express his or her own sense of vocation, or if the member might want to create something new.

So as not to let my Christian bias completely overlook the ministry of other faiths to Broadway, I should mention The Actors' Temple. It seems to fall largely in the historical theatre connection category, though they've recently started their own theatre company.

Sculpture Parks

2009-06-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

New York has a few sculpture parks. However, the surrounding community seems to interact very differently with each of them, and I'm trying to understand why. For instance, the temporary exhibit "Anthropodia" in the Park Avenue Armory, located in midtown Manhattan is teaming with with young children and their mothers. The exhibit explores how our architecture is a sort of second skin with which we surround ourselves, and it blurs the line between organic and inorganic edifices. The exhibit also pushes people to interact with each other in an art museum the way they would in an outdoor public places. The exhibit does this so well that it actually seems to encourage people to interact more than they do in public spaces (at least within a very limited demographic: white, wealthy, and under 7).

The hanging sacks contain a variety of materials; the one featured here contains cinnamon.

A ball pit

In contrast, Socrates Sculpture Park, located on the shore of Queens was completely devoid of people when I visited. The park features rotating exhibits of large scale outdoor sculptures and frequently features events. The theme when I visited was "State Fair" and seemed to feature surreal larger than life urban features placed in a park setting.

It's been fairly wet the past couple of days, which may also have something to do with why people would rather visit the indoor Armory than the outdoor sculpture park.

One of the few bits of truly interactive art currently on display. It's called "Remote Arm Wrestling." As compared to normal arm wrestling, it has an equalizing factor of a counter-weight. The closer one person gets to winning, the more that person has to work against the counter-weight. Featured are Mark and Morgan, two fellow Reedies who joined me in my

sight-seeing.

With a stead trickle of occasional visitors sitting on its steps, the sculpture garden of Saint John the Divine Episcopal Cathedral (where interestingly enough, they bless the Broadway Season each year) provides a third perspective. The sculptures here center around a large allegorical sculpture surrounded by rings of little sculptures created by school children, some of which focus on such liberal heroes has Gandhi and Mark Twain. The Cathedral is located in uptown Manhattan.

My current theory is that location has the largest role to play. Located in the dense urban heart of the city, the Armory and Saint John's easily lend themselves to people just wandering in. Also, the "Antropodia" exhibit is in a controlled environment which you have to pay to enter and which has staff monitoring it, which probably makes parents more comfortable letting their kids run freely through it. Also, it has a unique weirdness with which the others just can't quite compete. If people have other thoughts has to what might attract people to one park instead of the other, I'd love to hear them.

Center of the City and Center for the Arts

2009-06-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Saint Peter's Lutheran Church is located in bustling midtown Manhattan. It's current building has intentionally been designed to more than church, but also a permeable living and working space for the New York financial district. The building (which is connected to Citibank's headquarters) contains offices, apartments, gyms, restaurants and more. The building was also designed to intentionally be a center for the arts. In addition to a myriad of permanent art works commissioned by world famous artists, the church has two gallery spaces that are always open to the public and dedicated to showing work by emerging artists.

(Sorry about the quality of pictures, I didn't realize how bad they were until I left)

(What I'm trying to show in this image is one of the galleries doubling as soup kitchen)

The basement houses the separate York Theatre Company, which benefits from a great location and below-market rates.

Perhaps Saint Peter's strongest relationship with the artistic world is through jazz. 40 years ago, a pastor at Saint Peter's began to learn about the unique lives of jazz musicians, many of whom came out of Baptist traditions which frowned upon dancing, drinking, and "non-conventional sexual arrangements." This pastor didn't worry about any that, instead he cared for the lives of the people who made the music he loved. Eventually Duke
Ellington composed the tone poem "The Shepherd Who Watches Over the Night Flock" from his Second Sacred Concert in honor of the pastor.
To this day, the church has several jazz services throughout the week, allows emerging jazz musicians to perform weekly concerts, offers jazz in the outdoor square during the summer, provides studio spaces for musicians to practice, and continues to serve jazz professionals in their spiritual journeys.

Spontaneous Human Expression

2009-06-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Visiting the site of the World Trade Center is an experience in the extremes of collective human expression. In the gaping hole you see the violence and hatred of a small group of people, but in the memorials you can also read of the tremendous support and love of a nation. And while that contrast has been touched upon already by many commentators, there is another that I found even more fascinating. In Saint Paul's Chapel, right across the street from the former towers, reside the remains of the shrines, memorials, and mementos that flooded the site following 9/11. These objects documenting human grief, anger, and confusion were created spontaneously, by people from all over the country and the world. Some are incredibly unique; some fall into common tropes. But they occurred immediately, honestly, and they served the cathartic need of those who created them.

Remnants from the fence in front of the chapel

Paper Cranes

In contrast, the "official" memorial for 9/11 has taken nearly 8 years to even get a plan together, and has barely started construction. Perhaps it's because billions of dollars as well as politicians' careers are on the line. Or perhaps it's simply because one object cannot encompass the entirety of the world's emotions. Whatever the reason the official memorial is taking so long, I'm glad Saint Paul's Chapel could provide a space for a more grass-roots and diverse response.

Queens Museum of Art

2009-06-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Because I'm operating out of internet cafes, the posts for the next week will be shorter than usual, and you'll have to wait until I get back before I upload large galleries of pictures. Still, I've got some interesting stuff to report.

I went to Queens Museum of Art, outside of which Free Style Art Association had an awesome interactive art project: remote-controlled cars with pens attached to them driving on a giant piece of paper.

The idea is ingenious because it completely bypasses the need for a technical knowledge of how to create art, and kids are instantaneously attracted to it. This sort of interactive art that anyone can join in without needing skill or large time commitment is precisely what Free Style Arts specializes in. For the past ten years they've been pushing community-based art in Queens and have successfully teemed-up with businesses organizations and the city to make institutions in the area very conscious about creative public engagement. I'll be seeing more of their work next weekend.

The Queens Museum of Art also had a "Mobile Museum" cart filled with art materials that anyone can use for free. The cart is pushed around Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (which is actually larger than Central Park and has some amazing attractions and sculptures) and passerbys are invited to check it out.
There was also a free puppet show. Afterwards, once the kids had gotten all excited about puppets, there was a free puppet-making workshop.

In NYC

2009-06-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

Successful travel. More to come....

Incarnation

2009-06-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today I visited InterPlayce. InterPlayce's explicit mission is surprisingly similar to mine, in that through leading participants in "movement and stories, silence and song, ease and amusement" they seek to "unlock the wisdom of our bodies and the wisdom in our communities."

In practical terms, what this means is that they've created a community that elevates theatre games into spiritual discipline. Perhaps "discipline" conveys the wrong tone. The experience is as open to silliness, exuberance, and spontaneity as it is to stillness, contemplation, and serious conversation.
The space is essentially a dance studio in the heart of Oakland. A variety of objects ranging from a Virgin Mary votive candle in a singing bowl to Krishna painted on an ironing-board give it an eclectically sacred ambiance. The "InterPlay" class I attended began with stretching exercises for the body and voice. We were then given free reign for 10 minutes to move about the space in whatever manner our bodies desired. Much to my surprise, people actually took this opportunity to run, jump, roll on the floor, or whatever they felt like, regardless of what the people around them were doing.

This was followed by walking games where we moved about the space randomly. Every so often the facilitator would suggest we try various things like, "change direction," "run," "walk past someone and nearly miss," "if you run into someone, say 'Thank you.'"

We also broke into groups of three and worked on more intimate levels by creating a point of contact with our hands and then moving that point around the room, experimenting how we could change the physical nature of the contact and still remain connected.

Verbal connection also had a place in the class. In our groups of three we told a circle-story (where a story is formed by one person in the circle saying one sentence in the story, and the next persons coming up with the next) based on an object that we given.

The theatre devotees who follow this blog are probably familiar the the power of these types of activities to build bonds of friendship, trust, and repartee within a cast. InterPlay uses these techniques to create the same kinds of bonds between random strangers. And because there is no performance towards which the group is working, there is no rush to move on to something else. Instead, the simple interactions and random self-expressions are lifted up as intrinsically good. And this is what truly makes InterPlay unique. Everything is done with constant affirmation and celebration. There is nothing to criticize, because when play is done for its own sake, there can be no failure.

The combination of physical movement, touch, story, and encouragement is incredibly centering. Protestant spirituality has a distressing tendency to overlook our bodies. Personally, I have a lot of trouble praying or meditating while sitting still. It's in movement, walking, jogging, hiking, that I can disconnect from my thoughts and connect to the divine. InterPlay allowed me to access that same energy, but with a room full of people.

While InterPlayce has no explicit religious connection, I think churches would do well to incorporate their techniques into the the spiritual lives of their congregation. It would incredibly easy for a church to create a small group that did this each week. Who knows, there might even be a place for it within worship. Some churches have "prayer stations," why not a "dance station?"

InterPlay groups can be found all over the country, but it looks like they're mostly in Oakland and Seattle. Here in Oakland, they charge $15 per class, but every first Sunday they offer a free class at 2pm.

On an another note, the trouble with incarnation is that it ends. I passed an ad hoc memorial for a homeless man on the side of the street and was touched.

Through a Mirror Dimmly

2009-06-04T19:24:00.000-07:00

I'm back at it!

This evening I visited the Berkeley Art Center to see Co Motion: Video Installation by Cheryl Calleri and Thekla Hammond.

The two artists were present and had a discussion about their collaborative process on the work. They talked about how their common interests in transparency, movement, and the human form had initially caused them to want to work together. However, they soon found extreme differences in method. One is a very message-oriented painter--the other, a very process-oriented collage-maker. It was only after each artist realized how she worked that she was able to compromise and collaborate with the other. A nice story about how in order to understand another we have to understand ourselves, and vice versa.

What really fascinated me, though, was how the community reacted to the installation. The rotating glass panels through which the film is projected have enough space in between them that you can actually walk through as they are turning. The docents at the museum demonstrate this to visitors before the film starts while the house lights are on. But when the docents turn off the lights, start the film, and leave the room, no actually does this. I suspect the reason for this lack of engagement is two-fold: First, when we enter a room with a large screen and chairs, I think most of us go into movie-watching mode and passively stare at the film. Second, in most settings, it's rude to walk in front of a performance that other people are watching.

During the artists' talk, the film was projected three times. Only once, when, immediately before the film started, the audience was explicitly told to stand up and walk around did they actually do so. The experience was wonderful. Walking through the glass panels was extremely disorienting. Because the film appeared both on the glass and the walls of the room, it was difficult to determine what was right in front of you and what was yards away. Also, the previous example of the docent was the only evidence you had that the panels wouldn't rotate in such a way as to squish you. Walking through this visual chaos was nearly an act of faith. The best part was watching the little old ladies help each other through the madness.

In Live Oaks Park across from the art center, someone left this for the world to enjoy:

Unforseen Hiatus

2009-06-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of initial activity. I'm recovering from the flu. Looks like I'm nearly better, so more posts in the next couple of days. Also, I'm headed to NYC on Saturday.

Capitalism and Community Art

2009-06-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

It's only appropriate that I begin my art odyssey from my home of Berkeley, California.

This past weekend, Berkeley celebrated its thirteenth annual Chocolate and Chalk Art Festival. The festival is based on simple logic: Berkeley has a neighborhood that is chock-full of fine restaurants (affectionately known as the "gourmet ghetto"). Encourage people to create art on sidewalks outside the restaurants, then lure them inside with chocolate samples, and not only do the people have a fun community event, but they also get great exposure to the local dining establishments. It's a win-win situation and an example of the positive potential of capitalism done right.

A high percentage of the sidewalk art was actually advertisement for the local shops. Businesses were encouraged to have some chalk on the ground before the start of the festival. This meant that a random visitor didn't have to be the first person to start drawing on the sidewalk. Instead, when people arrived, they were greeted with an already vibrant atmosphere of color and numerous examples of what could be done.

People of all ages seemed comfortable plopping down and drawing.

Most chocolate samples were acquired by purchasing $1 tickets and entering a restaurant. Cafe Gratitude, however, was kind enough to offer free samples on the street.

It wasn't just businesses that used this opportunity to advertise.

Some true Berkeley Art

The caption reads, "Save the planet, it's the only one with chocolate!"

One of the best things about sidewalk chalk is that it makes meeting new people very easy--you just walk up and comment on their art. Several people remarked that the world would be a better place if cupcake plants really did exist.

For more pictures, click here

Welcome

2009-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

The adventure starts June 1. Please visit again then.