Ethics and Values of Community Arts PracticeWhile in town in advance of our two-day symposium last month, the wonderful writer/speaker/activist/consultant Arlene Goldbard treated CMW staff to a fascinating interactive workshop about the ethics and values of community arts practice. In Arlene's own words: "As more and more artists get involved in the exciting field of community cultural development, they encounter the unique ethical challenges of participatory arts practice. How is it possible to balance the commitment to a funder or sponsoring organization with commitments to community participants? Is the community artist’s role to channel others’ creativity without intruding, or should the artist’s own aesthetics, values, and priorities be part of the mix? How do you handle censorship, conflict, disruption?" A listing of other workshops that Arlene offers is available online here. We hope to have her back to Providence! |
