Open Call for Artists: What vital signs of life pull at your inquisitive mind and imagination?

The Art & Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI) announces an Open Call for their annual,  international, art-sci competition. The exhibition will be held at the New York Hall of Science, September 1, 2012 – February 3, 2013.

For this year’s competition they are seeking original art inspired by our biological world with a special interest in what lies beneath its surface, and/or reflects upon scientific research questions, processes, ethics, and the stunning discoveries being made in biology and the biosciences today.

This time, the Art Co-Juror will be Patricia Kernan, curator of the New York State Museum’s illustration collection; and curator of the museum’s international, biennial, “Focus on Nature” exhibits; and the Science Co-Juror will be Dr. Dana Boyd, microbiologist and Lecturer in the Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology at Harvard Medical School; long-time collaborator of Joe Davis, the “father” of bio-art.

The Deadline is June 17, 2012.

For more details, click here.

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

The Last Polar Bears on tour

This post comes to you from Ashden Directory

Wallace Heim writes: 

The carbon footprint of a production meets the content of the play in the National Theatre of Scotland’s tour of their climate change play The Last Polar Bears. For the 350-mile tour, everything needed for the show will be carried by the cast and crew on bicycles made from reclaimed bikes. The vinyl panniers are made from recycled National Theatre of Scotland banners.

As part of the production’s legacy, the National Theatre of Scotland will donate to the World Wildlife Fund’s Adopt a polar bear project on behalf of the 18 primary schools on the tour.

Alongside the production, director Joe Douglas will use the tour to interview people, ‘taking the temperature of how people are feeling about climate change.’

“ashdenizen blog and twitter are consistently among the best sources for information and reflection on developments in the field of arts and climate change in the UK” (2020 Network)

ashdenizen is edited by Robert Butler, and is the blog associated with the Ashden Directory, a website focusing on environment and performance.
The Ashden Directory is edited by Robert Butler and Wallace Heim, with associate editor Kellie Gutman. The Directory includes features, interviews, news, a timeline and a database of ecologically – themed productions since 1893 in the United Kingdom. Our own projects include ‘New Metaphors for Sustainability’, ‘Flowers Onstage’ and ‘Six ways to look at climate change and theatre’.

The Directory has been live since 2000.

Go to The Ashden Directory

The challenge of achieving the triple bottom line

Booking is now open for The Theatres Trust’s sixth annual conference Delivering Sustainable Theatres taking place at Stratford Circus, London on Tuesday 12 June 2012.

Conference 12 looks at the sustainable design, development and operation of theatre buildings in relation to environmental, economic and social disciplines, and the challenges of delivering sustainable theatres for future generations.

Conference Chair

• Samira Ahmed

Session Chairs

• Dorothy Wilson MBE, Chief Executive and Artistic Director, mac, Birmingham
• Mark Robinson, Director, Thinking Practice
• Nick Starr, Chief Executive, National Theatre, London.

Keynote Speakers

• Griff Rhys Jones, Chairman, Civic Voice
• Baroness Hanham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government

The event will explore how theatre buildings have addressed the sustainability agenda and introduced new technologies, adapted to meet rising energy costs, tougher environmental building standards, economic constraints and the expectations of audiences – and see what lessons have been learnt.

In addition to showcasing the experiences of the 48 London theatres on The Theatres Trust ERDF funded ECOVENUE project, particular focus will be paid to just what sustainable development means for theatres now, what opportunities exist for theatre buildings in the new National Planning Policy Framework, how funding programmes are now promoting more sustainable capital development of theatre buildings, and what is needed to ensure theatres can meet the triple bottom line head on and continue to thrive.

Conference 12 will be of critical interest to those trying to maximise economic, social and environmental returns from their theatre buildings through redesign, adaptation or new builds. It provides the opportunity to discuss these issues with other theatres, government and arts policy makers, theatre consultants and architects and take part in the debate.

Delegates will have the opportunity to hear from many engaging speakers and leaders including: Dame Elizabeth Forgan, Chair, Arts Council England; Rosemary Squire, Ambassador Theatre Group; John Holden, DEMOS Associate and Visiting Professor, City University, London; Rab Bennetts OBE, Bennetts Associates Architects

Coinciding with the 34th ABTT Theatre Show, the Conference’s timing and location aims to maximise opportunities for the theatre sector, visitors and exhibitors to engage with both events in the dynamically evolving Olympic Borough of Newham.

Industry support is key to producing Delivering Sustainable Theatres and in 2012 The Theatres Trust is delighted to announce the support of the following organisations: Charcoalblue Ltd, Clay Paky, ETC Ltd, ShowTex, ABTT, Audio Light Systems, Martin Professional, State Automation, Northern Light, Arup, Harlequin Floors, Stage Systems, Theatre Project Consultants, White Light, Wigwam, Global Design Systems, Stage Electrics, Stratford Circus and The Society of Theatre Consultants.  Our Media Partners are Lighting & Sound International and The Stage.

The Theatres Trust

Protecting Theatres for Everyone

National Advisory Public Body for Theatres

Ecovenue and Conference 12 are funded by the European Regional Development Fund and The Theatres Trust.

 The Theatres Trust: The Theatres Trust is The National Advisory Public Body for theatres.  The Trust was established by The Theatres Trust Act 1976 ‘to promote the better protection of theatres’.  We are a statutory consultee on theatre buildings in the planning system, we provide expert advice on the sustainable development of theatre buildings, and we help promote awareness and solutions for theatres at risk.  We champion all theatres, historic, contemporary and new, in theatre use, in other uses or disused. Our central London Theatreland-based Resource Centre provides access to a specialist theatre building Reference Library including books and architectural plans. For more information: www.theatrestrust.org.uk

Ecovenue: Ecovenue is a significant theatre-specific environmental project run by The Theatres trust. It aims to improve the environmental performance for forty-eight London theatres and raise awareness of how to make theatres greener. Ecovenue is promoting the sustainability of theatres and the reduction of carbon emissions through the provision of free theatre-specific, environmental advice. Further information on Ecovenue and The Theatres Trust can be obtained from its website www.theatrestrust.org.uk

European Regional Development Fund: London European Regional Development Fund 2007 to 2013: The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is used to tackle regional disparities across Europe. The ERDF supports regional development through actions such as business innovation and support and regeneration. Working on behalf of the Mayor of London, the European Programmes Management Unit (EPMU) at the London Development Agency (LDA) is responsible for the administration of the 2007 to 2013 ERDF programme.

For futher information and images, or to register your interest please contact Suzanne McDougall suzanne.mcdougall@theatrestrust.org.uk T: 020 7836 8591  F: 020 7836 3302.

What can we learn about social transformations from popular culture?

The two- day conference, entitled “Popular Culture and Social Transformation”,  will be held in Oslo on 4-5 October 2012.

The aim of the conference is through a variety of sessions and topics to address how popular culture is not only a mirror of society, but also a crucial element of power; the keynote speakers are Simon Lindgren and Jason Dittmer.

For those interested in joining the conference, the deadline for abstracts is May 15th, 2012.

The call for papers is available here.

For more information about the conference, please visit:

http://www.uio.no/kultrans/aktuelt/konferanser/popular/

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Indigenous communities have long been recognised as being particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to the close connection between their livelihoods, culture, spirituality and social systems and their environment. At the same time, however, this deep and long-established relationship with the natural environment affords many indigenous peoples with knowledge that they have long used to adapt to environmental change, and are now using to respond to the impacts of climate change.

The potential of indigenous knowledge for informing observations of, and responses to climate change is an area of growing interest. The United Nations University published a compendium, available online, which presents a wide-ranging overview of more than 400 projects, case studies and research activities specifically related to climate change and Indigenous Peoples (IP).

That  publication, as well as other resources, can be  found on the website of the Institute of Development Studies at University of Sussex (UK): Click here

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

A free workshop with the Laboratory of Insurectionary Imagination.

Hamburg, Kampnagel. August 2012.

Join us in an intensive workshop merging performance, activism and the design science of Permaculture run by the infamous artivist collective The Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination.  Held as part of Kampnagel’s Summer Festival in Hamburg, the workshop is Act 1 of What is Enough ? the Labofii’s 16th experiment. At the end of the workshop, participants will have the chance to perform in a live piece of art activism (Act 2 – Natural Revenge).

Fear Me No More aims to make productive connections between artists and activists within the framework of Permaculture. A set of tools for building a postcapitalist society, Permaculture teaches us to mimic the efficiency, diversity and resilience of natural ecosystems. This fulltime workshop is an ideal introduction for those wishing to explore new forms of creative resistance and horizontal politics.

“It reminds us of the time when it was still possible for free theatre to try out a loving anarchic social utopia… This is about saying goodbye to representation and is therefore the most radical form of theatre” -Frankfurter Rundschau.

For more information and application forms (deadline May 31st) click here. The workshop will be run in english.

Workshop Act 1:  12th-19th August, Kampnagel.
Rehearsal (optional):  20th-23rd August, Kampnagel.
Performance Action (optional) Act 2:  24th August, 7pm. Kampnagel.

What is Enough? is accompanied by the publication of our film/book Pfade durch Utopia (Paths Through Utopias) in Germany,  with Nautilus.

Suzaan Boettger drew attention to Wendell Berry’s Lecture “It all turns on affection”, given to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Wendell Berry is one of the great advocates for places and for a way of life that is committed to place and nature.  There are some standout parts of this lecture.

His critique of capitalism and philanthropy is damning,

“If you can appropriate for little or nothing the work and hope of enough such farmers [or for that matter any other workers - ed], then you may dispense the grand charity of “philanthropy.”

When arguments are made for philanthropy, remember that there is a choice: perhaps not accumulating great wealth might in some cases mean that more people have had better lives and more environments are less depleted.

But Berry’s argument for imagination is the most important, developed and illuminating aspect of this lecture.

The sense of the verb “to imagine” contains the full richness of the verb “to see.” To imagine is to see most clearly, familiarly, and understandingly with the eyes, but also to see inwardly, with “the mind’s eye.” It is to see, not passively, but with a force of vision and even with visionary force. To take it seriously we must give up at once any notion that imagination is disconnected from reality or truth or knowledge. It has nothing to do either with clever imitation of appearances or with “dreaming up.” It does not depend upon one’s attitude or point of view, but grasps securely the qualities of things seen or envisioned.

I will say, from my own belief and experience, that imagination thrives on contact, on tangible connection. For humans to have a responsible relationship to the world, they must imagine their places in it. To have a place, to live and belong in a place, to live from a place without destroying it, we must imagine it. By imagination we see it illuminated by its own unique character and by our love for it. By imagination we recognize with sympathy the fellow members, human and nonhuman, with whom we share our place. By that local experience we see the need to grant a sort of preemptive sympathy to all the fellow members, the neighbors, with whom we share the world. As imagination enables sympathy, sympathy enables affection. And it is in affection that we find the possibility of a neighborly, kind, and conserving economy.

Wendell E. Berry Lecture | National Endowment for the Humanities.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.

It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

The Ecoart Committee of the Teaneck Creek Conservancy in Teaneck, NJ seeks proposals from ecoartists or ecoartist teams to create an ecoartwork in 2012-13.

The Teaneck Creek Conservancy is a 46-acre eco-park within Bergen County’s 1,200-acre Overpeck Park, this property is being reclaimed and rehabilitated as wetland habitat and for positive public use through a unique “Brownfields to Greenfields” project. Community-based plans for the Conservancy are developed by artists, activists, scientists, historians, educators in a non profit partnership with local government over the past ten years. These plans have created a park with a 1.5 mile trail system for passive recreation, eco art, wetlands research and rehabilitation, and public outreach and education that is focused on the property’s environmental resources, land use, and history.

For this project, they are seeking an experienced ecoart practicioner, who´s capable of responding imaginatively to a recovering urban forested wetland, and will work collaboratively with community students and volunteers, and mentor a local artist in the creation of the piece.The work should build support among the larger community for an understanding and definition of ecoart that is inclusive yet underscores the notion of ecology and our impact on this recovering environment. The process will be video documented throughout the residency period.

The Anticipated total budget including artist(s) fee is a range of USD$15000. – 20000.

To apply, you can submit via email by June 1, 2012 to devery [at] teaneckcreek [dot] org :

1) A brief artists statement of interest outlining a preliminary proposal for this site project. (Interested artists are strongly encouraged to visit the Conservancy prior to making a submission.)

2) Up to 5 images of representative works that address the requirements of this RFP. Images should be smaller than 1MB. A website address can be substituted. They are interested in viewing your work as an ecoart practitioner.

3) C.V. , either via e-mail or associated with a website.

4) Contact information including daytime phone number.

You can check the proposal form at  Teaneck Creek´s website and you can also check www.PuffinFoundation.org  for further information and directions.

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Vertical fall in the Winter call that dances in the spring nocturnal…, 2010/2012 from “A Season in Hell Series, Deadly Born Cry” unique digital chromogenic print 64 x 56 inches In scientific collaboration with Stanley K. Sessions Title from a poem by KuyDelair

Ronald Feldman Fine Arts 31 Mercer Street | New York, NY 10013 | 212-226-3232 | www.feldmangallery.com

Brandon Ballengée, a visual artist and biologist, will exhibit sculptural installations and photographs at Ronald Feldman Fine Arts in his first major solo exhibition in New York.  The exhibition, Collapse: The Cry of Silent Forms, consists of three bodies of work that explore the effect of ecological degradation on marine life and avian and amphibian populations.  Synthesizing scientific inquiry with art-making, Ballengée transforms his field research into metaphors that reduce life to its essentials.

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.

It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

“Renewable Energy can be beautiful”

In partnership with New York City’s Department of Parks & Recreation, the 2012 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition is being held for a site within Freshkills Park (the former Fresh Kills Landfill) in New York City.

Deadline 1 July 2012.

“At 2,200 acres, Freshkills Park will be almost three times the size of Central Park and the largest park developed in New York City in over 100 years. The transformation of what was formerly the world’s largest landfill into a productive and beautiful cultural destination will make the park a symbol of renewal and an expression of how our society can restore balance to its landscape.

In addition to providing a wide range of recreational opportunities, including many uncommon in the city, the park’s design, ecological restoration and cultural and educational programming will emphasize environmental sustainability and a renewed public concern for our human impact on the earth.” – FRESHKILLS PARK

The design brief is similar to that of the 2010 edition. In summary, LAGI 2012 is an ideas competition to design a site-specific public artwork that, in addition to its conceptual beauty, has the ability to harness energy cleanly from nature and convert it to electricity for the utility grid.

The expansiveness of the design site at Freshkills Park presents the opportunity to power the equivalent of thousands of homes with the artwork. The stunning beauty of the reclaimed landscape and the dramatic backdrop of the Manhattan skyline will provide an opportune setting from which to be inspired, and it offers the perfect environment for a showcase example of the immense potential of aesthetically interesting renewable energy installations for sustainable urban planning.

The monetary prize award ($15,000 First Prize, $4,000 Second Prize, $1,000 High School Edition Winner) will not guarantee a commission for construction; however, LAGI will work with stakeholders both locally (NYC) and internationally to pursue possibilities for implementation of the most pragmatic and aesthetic LAGI designs.

For more information: http://landartgenerator.org/competition.html

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.

It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland

“ashdenizen blog and twitter are consistently among the best sources for information and reflection on developments in the field of arts and climate change in the UK” (2020 Network)

ashdenizen is edited by Robert Butler, and is the blog associated with the Ashden Directory, a website focusing on environment and performance.
The Ashden Directory is edited by Robert Butler and Wallace Heim, with associate editor Kellie Gutman. The Directory includes features, interviews, news, a timeline and a database of ecologically – themed productions since 1893 in the United Kingdom. Our own projects include ‘New Metaphors for Sustainability’, ‘Flowers Onstage’ and ‘Six ways to look at climate change and theatre’.

The Directory has been live since 2000.

Go to The Ashden Directory

Artists in all media are invited to apply for the 2012 White Mountain National Forest (WMNF) Artist-in-Residence program

The program, a collaboration between the WMNF and the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, seeks to highlight the ways the arts can be used to explore and interpret the forest environment and forest-related issues.

The residency offers professional and emerging artists from around the country (visual and performing artists, craftspeople, writers, composers and choreographers, eco artists and media artists) an opportunity to pursue their particular art form while being inspired by the surrounding forest and, on several occasions, sharing their work and their artistic process with members of the public.

Deadline for applications is May 18; the artist selected will choose a period of at least three weeks between July and September to be in residence.

Click here for more information and to download application materials.

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

The American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) and the Bateson Idea Group (BIG), a new organization exploring Gregory Bateson’s “pattern that connects,” have joined to hold a conference on the relations among ideas as seen from multiple perspectives. In organizing this conference they seek to find a balance between the spontaneous and the planned. They intend to seed conversations with various forms of presentation, ranging from keynote speakers to workshops and performances; all of which can be considered works of art in the domain of ideas. They will provide many spaces for conversation and innovation.

The three themes of this conference are:

Paradigm

What do our current paradigms determine or enable, and what would changes to these imply? How could we guess what other things would change along with the changes we desire? How would we implement a shift in an ethical and socially acceptable manner?

Recursion

Recursion (like its fellow concepts, self-reference and reflexivity) is open to many interpretations depending on who you are, and the context you are in. We are interested in both what is held in common between these different interpretations, and what is particular to each. We wish to explore not only the implications of acting based on how we understand these ideas, but also what happens when we proceed unaware of the differences.

Praxis

Why are praxis and theory often separated; and how can they better be brought together? In what ways are the ideas of cybernetics and systems inherently concerned with practice? Does the phrase “the paradox of praxis” evoke a resonance?

Program

The program will offer a compelling network of ideas to inspire participants in creating their own ideas, insights and thoughts. There will be a mix of meeting types: plenary presentations, workshops, conversations, and evening performances taking place in the wonderful spaces (and, weather permitting, grounds) of the Asilomar Conference Facility.

The following invited speakers will be making plenary presentations:
Graham Barnes
Eric Bateson
Nora Bateson
Fritjof Capra
Humberto Maturana
Ximena Dávila
Terrence Deacon
Debora Hammond
Klaus Krippendorff
Rex Weyler
Carol Wilder

Nora Bateson will show her award-winning film, An Ecology of Mind, about her father’s life’s work. Other performances will include film, multimedia, theatre, and music. The workshops for this conference will be designed as participatory experiences that in some manner generate or demonstrate ideas and concepts. They will have theme based conversations and also provide many convivial spaces for spontaneous conversations. A full program will be published on the organizers website by early May.

Venue

Asilomar is a National Historic Landmark is located on 107 acres of beautiful and ecologically diverse beachfront land. Asilomar offers a unique and desirable conference experience in its natural setting, its conference facilities, and its suitability for conversational spaces. http://www.visitasilomar.com/
Conference participants must book with the Asilomar site for accommodation and meals.

Important Dates

Apr-30 Proposals for Abstracts (papers and workshops) due
Apr-30 Early Bird Registration closes
May-10 Referees respond to proposals
May-20 Any Revisions to Abstracts due
May-30 Abstracts published online
May-30 Program details published online
July-09 Conference starts

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University, 27 – 28 August, 2012

Historians since Herodotus have argued that climates shape cultures. We can no longer ignore the fact that cultures also shape climates. Today’s climate is increasingly a material effect of the history of industrialisation. The climate of the coming centuries will be an effect of contemporary global society. Recognition of these interactions opens a significant new field to historical inquiry. It brings the economic, political and technological history of the carbon cycle together with cultural, aesthetic and literary reflections of climate, and links the emergence of ecological thinking to broader transformations in the organization of knowledge. Acknowledging that the climate is cultural compels us to rethink many existing forms of historical understanding. It challenges traditional notions of the historical period, of collective and individual agency, of the narrative forms of historiography, and of the basic distinction between natural and human history. It demands new ways of relating the existential and historical moments of human knowledge and action to the dimensions of geological and evolutionary time.

The cultural history of climate change will be of central importance to social, cultural and political debates of the Twenty-First Century. To provide a speculative survey of this field, the Humanities Research Centre will hold a special conference on this theme on 27 and 28 August, 2012, in Canberra, Australia.

Proposals are invited for papers that either:
• examine episodes, works or themes that fall within the cultural history of climate change; or
• address the conceptual challenges posed to historical inquiry by anthropogenic climate change.

Please submit proposals of up to 300 words to tom [dot] ford [at] anu [dot] edu [dot] au by 18 May 2012

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Keynote presentations were made by Terry Gips, Sustainability Associates; Stephen Rueff, The Clean Campaign; and Mary T’Kach, Ramsey County. International case studies were presented by Ian Garrett, The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, and included presentations by Arcola Theatre (UK), Festivals Edinburgh (UK), Julie’s Bicycle (UK), York University (Toronto), Fisher Dachs Associates (WA), and Childsplay (AZ). A complete list of the conference sessions is available at  http://minnesotatheateralliance.org/sit/schedule.php and a list of conference presenters is available at http://minnesotatheateralliance.org/sit/presenters.php.

Follow-up activities to the conference include a summary to be presented Leah Cooper, John Bueche, and Ian Garrett at the national Theatre Communications Group annual conference in Boston, June 2012; an online discussion and document forum for knowledge sharing in the industry; and plans to present the conference again. Local initiatives being discussed in Minnesota in response to the conference include expanding the membership of the Twin Cities Sustainable Theatre Group; more frequent convenings to share knowledge and plan collaborative projects; consideration of a shared reusable sets and props inventory, either physically or virtually; and collective purchasing of green materials.

As reference materials from the conference are gathered and additional plans develop, more information will be available at http://minnesotatheateralliance.org/sit/about.php.

The conference was planned and presented by a volunteer task force made up of artists and administrators from Bedlam Theatre, Bemidji State University, Brave New Workshop, The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, CostumeRentals, Guthrie Theater and Minnesota Theater Alliance.

The Archers, courtesy BBC

This post comes to you from Ashden Directory

Kellie Gutman writes;

The BBC have looked into soap operas as agents for social change and have discovered in some cases they have changed the world.  From the longest-running program, The Archers, which encouraged farmers in the 1950s to increase production by trying out new techniques, to a BBC radio program in Afghanistan, calledNew Home, on women’s rights, which taught listeners how to avoid land mines, the soap opera has had a significant influence.

A two-part programme on Your World (part 1, 21 April; part 2, 28 April) can be heard here.

“ashdenizen blog and twitter are consistently among the best sources for information and reflection on developments in the field of arts and climate change in the UK” (2020 Network)

ashdenizen is edited by Robert Butler, and is the blog associated with the Ashden Directory, a website focusing on environment and performance.
The Ashden Directory is edited by Robert Butler and Wallace Heim, with associate editor Kellie Gutman. The Directory includes features, interviews, news, a timeline and a database of ecologically – themed productions since 1893 in the United Kingdom. Our own projects include ‘New Metaphors for Sustainability’, ‘Flowers Onstage’ and ‘Six ways to look at climate change and theatre’.

The Directory has been live since 2000.

Go to The Ashden Directory

Polly Higgins and indigenous activist Raven Courtney earlier this year working to spread news about ecocide in Canada and North America

The above statement is a startling statistic at odds in how we may conventionally view war. Yet acknowledging the enormous and accelerating violence and destruction to humans, non-human species and our sustaining habitats as war is a critical step if we are ever to halt such activities. It is this key concept that drives UK lawyer Polly Higgins in her work to make ‘Ecocide’ legally recognised by the United Nations as ‘5th international Crime against Peace‘. Polly and her organisation are working towards presenting these new laws at the upcoming June 2012 Earth summit and she has recently made an urgent call, particularly to the women of the world, who are often most affected, to understand this concept and to spread it amongst their communities and to bring it to the attention of their political leaders.

Ecocide, as Polly describes in her award winning book ‘Eradicating Ecocide – exposing the corporate and political practices destroying the planet and proposing the laws needed to eradicate ecocide’, is a relatively new term. It was first used to characterise the massive and ongoing environmental devastation that occurred in the Vietnam war with the widespread use of toxic defoliants to destroy local forests. Today it is a term that is growing in agency as the world is beginning to recognise the grave and now imminent global peril that humanity and other species face due to the mostly uncontrolled, unsustainable and ultimately suicidal behaviour of our local and global businesses and corporate industries. Ecocide literally means the killing and destroying of our habitats, and is derived from the Greek word oikos meaning ‘house, dwelling place, habitation, family’ and the suffix ‘cide‘ from the French and Latin words to ‘kill or slay’. For the purposes of international law and building on definitions of ecocide from previous war crimes, Polly defines ecocide as ‘the extensive destruction, damage to or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been severely diminished’.

Building on her extensive knowledge of international environmental law, Polly has over a number of years built a very strong, credible case to firstly explain the history and the current situation about why legal compromise, recommended environmental policy and regulation all continue to spectacularly fail in preventing environmental destruction, as seen in the recent Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. She likens the need to legally criminalise ecocide to the effects such similar laws that criminalised and led to the abolition of slavery. Polly’s aim is to eradicate ecocide at its roots, outlawing ecocidal activity in all business activity to the point that business is forced to radically change and move in the opposite direction. As she says ‘ we need business skills to be applied elsewhere and very fast..’

Youtube: Polly Higgins organised a successful mock ecocide trial in London in 2011 with leading human rights lawyers

While I’m often pessimistic about environmental actions and politics in general halting what I see as the unstoppable consequences of a society that promotes unlimited economic growth and profit over everything else, I have been encouraged by Polly’s work and the historical and recent examples she presents where such legal changes have made a difference. There are certainly enormous challenges in getting such legal changes adopted and then enforced. However, it is possible and one country, Ecuador, has in 2010 already enshrined these values into its national constitution. Perhaps this is because it is in Ecuador that the largest criminal prosecution against corporate ecocide, against the ‘big oil’ company TEXACO, has succeeded with a $27 billion of damages awarded to 30,000 Amazonian peoples (the 18 year struggle for this landmark case is the basis of the award-winning documentary Crude (2009)).

So if you have a few minutes, please visit Polly’s website www.thisisecocide.com, packed with information and suggestions on how to spread the word about ecocide and its need for its to be recognised at every level, locally, nationally and internationally as a crime, not just against the environment but against peace. Do share this article , particularly before the June 2012 United Nations Earth Summit at which Polly will be presenting this groundbreaking work.

_________________________

What follows are Polly’s 10 reasons why Ecocide is a crime against Peace

1. stop ecocide and we stop the mass destruction of the planet;

2. ecocide is proposed as an international law which applies to all people and all nations;

3. which will rapidly become a national duty of care as well when each country has to put in place parallel laws;

4. governments, corporations, organisations, and any person who has rights over a territory will have an over-riding legally binding obligationto ensure their actions do not give rise to damage, destruction or loss of ecosystems;

5. action can be taken against any human person, not the fictional person (the corporation). As an international crime against peace, no-one escapes liability;

6. we already have the international court structure in place to prosecute ecocide. The International Criminal Court was created in 2002;

7. ecocide creates a strong legal burden of responsibility to ensure prevention;

8. restoration will take precedence over simple payment of fines;

9. the Law of Ecocide will ensure a shift from personal interest to public, environmental and society interests;

10. Peace.

Ecocide sends a powerful global message to the world, not just to those involved in business or during war, to take responsibility for the well being of all life.

This article also appears on hercircleezine.com and ecoartfilm.com

An Arts & Ecology Notebook, by Cathy Fitzgerald, whose work exists as ongoing research and is continually inspired to create short films, photographic documentation, and writings. While she interacts with foresters, scientists, and communities, she aims to create a sense of a personal possibility, responsibility and engagement in her local environment that also connects to global environmental concerns.
Go to An Arts and Ecology Notebook

We’re down here in the hot Texas sun, working with the Fusebox Festival to look at te environmental, economic and cultural impacts of the festival. One of the centerpieces of this venture is a data visualization project looking at the density of participation in the festival over the course of the afternoon and evening. It’s been interesting in the complexity it’s shown with how people interact with the city. Here is a sample of the work, which we’re also presenting large scale as handmade objects this weekend. If you’re in Austin, com check it out!

EXCERPTED FROM: Julie’s Bicycle – News.

Last Month a re-imagining of Strindberg’s cruelest love story, Miss Julie, opens at the Young Vic after a week of previews. Set in England, July 1945, After Miss Julie takes place during the celebrations of the Labour Party’s landslide election victory and follows events which, over the course of a single night, turn Miss Julie’s world head over heels.

Adapted from the original by Patrick Marber and directed by Natalie Abrahami, After Miss Julie is also a “Classics for a New Climate” production, which has been investigating approaches to making more ecologically sustainable theatre in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle. Prompted by the Mayor of London’s target to reduce London’s emissions by 60% before 2050, the Young Vic set out to reduce the energy used to produce After Miss Julie by 50% compared to other shows that have been staged in the Maria Theatre previously.

Heating, cooling and ventilating are the three systems that use up the most energy within the theatre space, and the Young Vic has an efficient system in place thanks to a refurbishment to the building which reopened in 2006. Initiatives that this production has put in place to reduce energy further have involved using natural ventilation as a substitute for heating and cooling as much as possible. This explains why the temperature in the auditorium varies slightly and why they’ve asked audience members to wear layers.

To read the full article CLICK HERE: Julie’s Bicycle – News.

In addition to the conference in Minneapolis, there will be many presenters and participants who will virtually attend with the help of Google+ Hangouts. People from across the US and from 4 countries will convening to talk about the impact of theater and its intersection with sustainable development.

It’s not too late to get involved! Head to http://minnesotatheateralliance.org/sit/about.php to learn more!

Downsized: Real Stories of Homeless Children, A Multimedia Exhibit

Trailer Trash is taking it to the streets.  We want to tell the stories of children living with their families in cars and trailers parked along the streets of Los Angeles.  We’re also want to hear from children whose families are facing foreclosure.  To get started, we need to buy a used van to tow our mobile recording studio – a 1972 Aristocrat trailer. Trailer Trash is a member of Fractured Atlas. Donations through our Indie GoGo Campaign are tax-deductible!

Our Mobile Recording Studio

CLICK HERE TO DONATE THROUGH INDIE GOGO

 ”…a  concerted effort to place children’s rights at the centre of urban decision-making is the only way to narrow the gaps [of inequality] and build a more equitable and prosperous urban future.”                                                             -UNICEF’s  State of the World’s Children 2012

This post is part of a series documenting Sam Breen’a Spartan Restoration Project. Please see his first post here and check out the archive here. The CSPA is helping Sam by serving in an advisory role, offering modest support and featuring Sam’s Progress by syndicating his feed from http://spartantrailerrestoration.wordpress.com as part of our CSPA Supports Program.

“Trans-cultural, trans-national, trans-species histories in performance”

Since our first ASTR Working Group session at the 2010 conference in Seattle, the Performance and Ecology Working Group has spawned symposia, anthologies, and publications.  Foremost among those is a new volume that grew out of our 2010 session: Readings in Performance and Ecology, eds., Wendy Arons and Theresa J. May (Palgrave 2012).  Our Working Group has continued valuable research on numerous fronts, including:  Earth Matters on Stage conference at Carnegie Mellon University (2012); the Staging Sustainability at York University (2011).  Participants in this Working Group have published an array of new material including; Ecology and European Drama by Downing Cless (Routledge). Networks and journals in the field such as, The Center for Sustainable Practices in the Arts Quarterly, the “Fieldworks” issue of Performance Research (eds. Pearson, Roms, Daniels, 2010), and the “Performance and Ecology” section of Theatre Topics (2007) attest to scholars’ acute awareness of environmental politics and ecopoetics praxis in an imminently changing world.  The rising tide of this focused research indicate not only a growing concern and mounting artistic will in the realm of ecological sensibility, but also faith in the imagination as a critical aspect of our individual and collective ecological identities.

In 2012, as part of ASTR’s “Theatrical Histories” focus, we turn our attention to trans-cultural, trans-national, and trans-species performance in anticipation of a second volume of ecocritical writings on theatre and performance.  Our questions for the upcoming 2012 Working Group session include:

• How do transcultural and transnational performances re-map our understanding of what May has called “ecodramaturgy”?
• What constitutes “theatre e of species” (Chaudhuri) and how might these trans-species performances rearrange or reinterpret understandings of representation?
• How do the material characteristics of artistic sites condition the aesthetics of the work produced?
• What kinds of geological and geographical histories emerge alongside socio-cultural storytelling?
• How do intersecting histories – indigenous, place-based, community-driven – play out on stage in performance?
• How do ecological transitions, transmigrations, transmutations, transformations and transference shape artistic practice and meaning-making in the theatre?
• Other questions, approaches and  topics that clearly address trans-national, trans-cultural, trans-species topics in performance.

Please send a 500-word Abstract as attachment to both Working Group conveners below:

Theresa May, University of Oregon (tmay33@uoregon.edu)

Nelson Gray, University of Victoria (ncgray@uvic.ca)

Session Format:

Working Group participants will exchange papers in advance of the conference via meetings.  Depending on number, participants will read a selection of 3 to 4 papers each and develop questions that arise from the intersection of the ideas and research.  At the conference, these “pods” will discuss their findings and share them with the entire working group.  The conveners will facilitate a discussion leading to a possible frame (for instance, for a volume of essays) and key questions that the working group would like to see addressed as the research moves forward.

Current Publications

Opinion: Sonatas for Sustainability: How Musical Training Imparts Important Qualities and Skills for Sustainability by Chrissie Bausch

Feature: New Moral Problems and New Approaches: Millennials Compared to Baby Boomers and Generation X by Jathan Sadowski, Thomas P. Seager, and Evan Selinger

We will publish a variety of art, feature, research and opinion pieces in a rolling format over the next two weeks. We urge you to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook for updated content. We look forward to your comments – enjoy!

Warmly,

The 2011-2012 Editorial Staff

P.S. For those of you in Tempe, we hope you will join us for our year-end event tomorrow afternoon (4/17): Seeds for Conversation: Land-Use Change in Art and Sustainability.

The Theatres Trust, The National Advisory Public Body for Theatres, has launched its sixth annual conference, ‘Delivering Sustainable Theatres’ -the challenge of achieving the triple bottom line.

Taking place on 12 June 2012 at Stratford Circus in London, next to the Olympic Parkin East London, the Conference will explore how theatre buildings are managing their building’s resources and addressing their future sustainability.

With its timing scheduled to take place the day before the ABTT Theatre Show, Conference attendees and sponsors will be able to take advantage of these co-located events, and network with the UK’s theatre sector as they congregate in London.

The 2012 Theatres Trust Conference will address the question of‘ Delivering Sustainable Theatres’looking athow theatres are addressingthe sustainability agenda in theserapidly changing times, and how they are providing a catalyst for social and economic recovery in the communities they serve. Conference speakers, sponsors and delegates will explore how UKtheatres arecoveringthe cornerstones of sustainability and merging green building principles whilst offering unique cultural experiences.The Conference will look at how theatre design, engineering, IT infrastructure and the use of space is changing to help navigate economic pressures, provide space for hospitality and social activity, and meet the challenges of environmental change.

With rising costs of buildings management, cuts to public subsidy and a massive change in the public ownership of theatres-what does it mean to be a sustainable theatre?Is the first rule of sustainability simply to stay in business? And significantly, what of the role of the theatre in sustaining our cultural and spiritual lives?

Four years on from when The Theatres Trust Conference addressed how theatres could become ‘greener’, it is time to explore what has been achieved in terms of sustainable development given the challenges of rising energy costs, tougher building regulations, and even more difficult economic times. A key feature of Conference 12 will be the case studies from the 48 London theatres on The Theatres Trust ERDF funded ECOVENUE project.

Mhora Samuel, Director of The Theatres Trust said, “With theatres facing challenging times ahead, our conference next year will be a really important event for anyone trying to maximise the value oftheir theatre building through redesign or adaptation. As a sector we’ve come so far since our Building Sustainable Theatres Conference in 2008 and I’m delighted that we’ll be looking at some of the success stories since that time. What we clearly and urgently need to do now is establish how we take the three pillars of sustainable development -economic, social and environmental -and relate these to a theatre’s ability to sell a unique cultural experience and make sure our theatre buildings have the capacity to deliver what’s needed for today, and into the future. I’m delighted that we are offering a platform to address this topical issue head on in 2012.”

During the day, up to 250 delegates, sponsors and speakers will debate the subjects raised and in the evening, participants will have the chance to informally unwind at the Conference Reception, drawing together both ABTT exhibitors and ‘Delivering Sustainable Theatres’contributors, sponsors, delegates, and invited guests.

‘Delivering Sustainable Theatres’, presented by The Theatres Trustwill providea high profile platform for companies and individuals in the theatre community to support the better protection of theatresanddemonstrate the industry’s commitment to the sustainable development and cultural influence of theatre in our society today, and into the future.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW KICKSTARTER

Going Green the Wong Way is being presented by CalArts Festival Theater this August 2012 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland– the world’s largest fringe festival.  This show looks at the hilarious trials and tribulations of sustainable living, most notably, creator Kristina Wong’s experiences of running a car on vegetable oil, and subsequently, living in Los Angeles without a car.

“Going Green the Wong Way might be one of the most ridiculous shows we’ve ever seen, and we mean that in the best of ways…. Wong took a seemingly overworked topic like sustainable living and turned it into a surrealist, hilarious ride.”                           — Miami New Times

See the show in Los Angeles before it goes to Edinburgh!

This Kickstarter campaign is also a way for us to get the word out about the Los Angeles run of GGTWW at the Bootleg Theater June 28- July 22.  A donation of $35 or more will secure general admission seats for the run of the show and help us get to Edinburgh!  (See details on your right!)

More About Going Green the Wong Way:  

In her lifelong quest for sustainable living, Kristina Wong purchased a 1981 pink Mercedes that ran on vegetable oil, and endured a nightmare of never-ending car repairs and near death pursuits for the used cooking oil to fuel it. When the car finally burst into flames on an L.A. freeway, Wong lost the largest line item in her monthly budget, and gained the inspiration for this premiere production.  GOING GREEN THE WONG WAY brings our contemporary urban environment to life, revealing just how tricky it is to “do the right thing.”  Based on Wong’s true-life adventures, but elevated to surrealist heights, the production takes us from Kristina’s confrontational 6th grade science project, to her wandering years as a missionary of recycling, to her true calling as Los Angeles’ patron martyr of carbon-free living.

Going Green the Wong Way was originally produced by Mad Cat Theatre Company in November 2010 and premiered at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, FL as an ensemble piece.  It premiered as a full length solo work in San Francisco last summer (produced by Mad Cat Theatre Company and Circuit Network).  It’s also played at the Comedy Central Stage, Upright Citizens Brigade, South Coast Rep, and the Contemporary Art Center’s “The Off The Strip” Festival in Las Vegas.

“Kristina Wong is a funny — no, make that an extremely funny — performer with a wildly imaginative, sometimes raunchy sensibility.”  — Miami Herald

“Kristina Wong is a terrific physical comedienne whose love of dry humping, scrambled TV porn, reusable female necessities, scatology and vegetable oil make her highly qualified to be an ecological martyr.”   — Miami Art Zine           

“When things go wrong for performance artist Kristina Wong, you know it’s going to be a spectacular mess… There are hundreds of ways to go wrong when attempting to go green, but going Wong can only ever be right.”
– San Francisco Bay Guardian

“While her hilarious tales of being a “missionary of recycling” might make her audience laugh, the sustainable schtick isn’t just an act. Wong is serious about practicing what she preaches.”  — Good Magazine

Full of artifice and animal appetites, Super Nature will engage the wild, the domestic, and the civilized aspects of human nature to create a radical ecological melodrama. It will premiere at the Walker Art Center October 25-27th 2012.

In Super Nature directors Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad will be joined by Bessie award winning composer Zeena Parkins and visual artist Emmett Ramstad. The core cast will include dancers Justin Jones, Timmy Wagner, Emily Johnson, Anna Shogren, Otto Ramstad and special guests. Additionally an ensemble of local performers will participate in the research installation and performance.

“In an empty gallery, one member of the public will meet one performer and have a non-verbal interaction,” Bieringa says. “Both performer and audience will have agency to transform the energy of the space through their behavior and social interaction, sometimes very subtle and sometimes extreme. In Super Nature we seek to engage an audience’s visceral response over their need to immediately make cognitive meaning from what they see. In other words, we will endeavor to choreograph empathy.” Says Assistant Curator Michèle Steinwald, title, “It will be very sweet. Your non-verbal actions and reactions will truly help the company formulate their show.”

Super Nature will be co-commissioned by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Performance Space 122, NYC; and PadlWest, San Diego. Super Nature is supported by the MAP Fund, American Composers Forum, National Performance Network Creation Fund, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Impulstanz Festival, Lily Springs, Studio 206 and the McKnight Foundation.

via Super Nature.

They want you to be part of the journey and are buildinga new website to collect and share stories from the trail (and far beyond!). It will launch at our How To Lose a Mountain interactive performance at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (for more information on this event, click here.

They’ve also teamed up with United States Artists to create a way for you to donate towards our long-distance journey. Receive exclusive, amazing perks like postcards and photos from the walk, even your very own deck of 500 Miles/500 Stories playing cards for making a contribution.

Where you can join the journey

• April 3 @ 5:30pm, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, free
• April 10 @ 6pm, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, free
• April 30, time TBD, McGuffey Arts Center, Charlottesville, VA
• May 10 @ 8pm, Claytor Nature Center, Bedford, VA
• May 19-20, time and details TBD, in partnership with Virginia Tech, Pearisburg, VA

EXA-CT’s unique emphasis on art practice, human rights, and peacebuilding in international settings provides students with the skills and experience to use art in the public sphere for social change.  Artists, humanitarians, therapists, conflict transformation professionals, peacebuilders and policymakers are encouraged to apply.

2012 Summer Session Dates in Saas-Fee, Switzerland

June 12 to July 4: Expressive arts, digital arts, and media
July 10 to August 1: Expressive arts in conflict transformation and peacebuilding

US Federal Government student loans, and limited scholarships from the European Graduate School, are available for eligible EXA-CT students.

Applications are due by April 30, 2012

Late applications will be accepted on a case-by case-basis.  For more information, please contact the Interim Program Director, Prof. Ellen Levine (ellen.levine@egs.edu), follow us on Facebook, or visit the European Graduate School’s website:expressivearts.egs.edu

Program Description

The EXA-CT M.A. is a three-year low residency summer program concentrating on the use of creative methods through the arts to address conflicts within teams, in communities, and across cultures. The EXA-CT program provides students with frameworks for merging the arts with conflict analysis interventions, restorative justice, trauma awareness and healing, mediation, humanitarian response, and research. EXA-CT’s emphasis on art practice, human rights, and peacebuilding in international settings provides students with the skills and experience to use art in public settings for social change.

Distinguished faculty in the fields of the expressive arts and conflict transformation provide instruction during three summer school sessions, with continued support and supervision throughout the year as students complete their internship, thesis, and community of practice.

Summer residency in Switzerland

Students spend three summer sessions in residence in the beautiful Alpine resort town Saas-Fee, Switzerland. Students needing additional prerequisites may complete the coursework over five summer sessions.  Each residential session is 21 days long.  During the first two summer residency periods, students follow courses on the principles and practice of both expressive arts and conflict transformation and peacebuilding. Within each course, students are challenged to experiment with the application of the arts in conflict transformation and peacebuilding paradigms, along with group discussions and reflective exercises. During the third summer session, students complete oral and written exams, and defend their master’s theses.

Sample courses include:

• Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts: Aesthetic Responsibility in Action
• Conflict Transformation and Arts-based Approaches to Peacebuilding
• Community Arts: A Collective Response to Conflict and Crisis
• Project Design and Implementation in the Field: A Multi-System Approach
• Conflict and Crisis Intervention: Human-Rights Perspectives
• Building Resilience in Refugee and Displaced Communities
• Trauma and Resilience: Expressive Arts Perspectives
• Biography as a Resource in Humanitarian Interventions
• Professional Ethics In Community Based Interventions

Non-residency requirements

In between the summer residencies, EXA-CT students are expected to complete a prescribed self-study plan, an internship, and a master’s thesis supervised by an EXA-CT faculty member. Students also participate in the design and creation of the EXA-CT in an ACTION group project and meet in a virtual classroom to discuss assigned readings and videos.

To receive a full description of the EXA-CT program, please visit: expressivearts.egs.edu/academic-programs/masters-programs/master-of-arts-in-expressive-arts-conflict-transformation-and-peacebuilding

For additional information, please contact Prof. Ellen Levine, EXA-CT Interim Program Director: ellen.levine@egs.edu

European Graduate School
Arts, Health & Society Division
Alter Kehr 20
CH-3953 Leuk-Stadt
Switzerland
T + 41 27 474 99 17
F + 41 27 474 99 18
expressivearts.egs.edu

via Expressive Arts in Conflict Transformation & Peacebuilding, M.A. at the European Graduate School, Switzerland | Art & Education.

Article in the Huffington Post: “Sustainability Has Become a Growing Focus of Artists’ (and Art Schools’) Attention”

A recent article in the Huffington Post notices the growing interest in sustainability and eco-art at some US American art schools (such as e.g. the Maryland Institute College of Art). To read the article: click here

Cultura21 is a transversal, translocal network, constituted of an international level grounded in several Cultura21 organizations around the world.

Cultura21′s international network, launched in April 2007, offers the online and offline platform for exchanges and mutual learning among its members.

The activities of Cultura21 at the international level are coordinated by a team representing the different Cultura21 organizations worldwide, and currently constituted of:

- Sacha Kagan (based in Lüneburg, Germany) and Rana Öztürk (based in Berlin, Germany)
- Oleg Koefoed and Kajsa Paludan (both based in Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Hans Dieleman (based in Mexico-City, Mexico)
- Francesca Cozzolino and David Knaute (both based in Paris, France)

Cultura21 is not only an informal network. Its strength and vitality relies upon the activities of several organizations around the world which are sharing the vision and mission of Cultura21

Go to Cultura21

Design won’t save the world on its own regardless of the tag line of this weblog, but performing a life differently can make a real difference – 30 years of improvising a forest.   Wonderful story. 

ecoartscotland is a resource focused on art and ecology for artists, curators, critics, commissioners as well as scientists and policy makers. It includes ecoartscotland papers, a mix of discussions of works by artists and critical theoretical texts, and serves as a curatorial platform.

It has been established by Chris Fremantle, producer and research associate with On The Edge Research, Gray’s School of Art, The Robert Gordon University. Fremantle is a member of a number of international networks of artists, curators and others focused on art and ecology.
Go to EcoArtScotland