Carpetbag Theatre in Knoxville, TN Learning Exchange - May 2009 Honoring and Creating Partnerships By Gwylene Gallimard – Lead Facilitator
“Men are not built in silence, but in word, in work, in action-reflection”, Paulo Freire
THE PLAN:
To re-enact old partnerships and develop new ones at the occasion of Carpetbag 40th anniversary year. The beginning of a new cycle. To see how those partners can be part of a strong cultural movement at this historic moment. Creative impulse + “all art is political”. Problem of resources, “be the conduit in which money flows”. And how the senior generation can pass on their knowledge and other assets.
“The goals that were set for the Exchange by the Carpetbag Theatre were to identify the following: common values, common desires, a simple plan of action, common resources, individual strengths.” Margo Miller
Video by Margo Miller, edited by Gwylene Gallimard
THE TEAM:
Paula Larke, a great mind and musical force, is my ‘shadow’. I have never worked with her but I remember my first training in RSC principles in Georgia years ago. She abruptly reacted against the power of lecturers and academic styles. In my search to move the visual arts from useful exercises (‘make art’) as a tool to research the function of aesthetics, or even art as a lifestyle, I feel the need to work with her. Although I know that, as a lead facilitator, I have to keep everybody on track and lead the flow of RSC activities, I feel I am Paula’s shadow. But she can come only on Saturday.
Kim Ledée, an art professor and local host of the RSC / Orangeburg Learning Exchange is coming with me, wanting to watch a process from beginning to end after the one she has helped to organize: “Bridging the gap between University and Community” at South Carolina State University. I love it.
Omari Fox always late I said a couple of months ago, always here I now say. Maybe partly because I have been his boss for a year in a little French Cafe, I feel secure to have him around me on Saturday. He is also a friend of Kim.
Margo Miller, the local organizer. I have not seen her for years but I have only good memories attached to her. Feels good.
Carpetbag, Linda Parris Bailey, is a role model. She knows more than I do and I am on her turf. I risk my head! And I risk RSC. I read again about Carpetbag on the Community Arts Website: “Carpetbag Theatre Company, Field Notes” by Nayo Watkins. And about the nearby Highlander Center: “A Bridge Conversation on Planning the Revolution over Collards” between Tufara Walter Muhammad and Javiera Benavente.
In New Orleans, Hope Clark and myself recorded some conversations for the MICA project: “Let the process be a bit messy”, said Ebony Golden.
Video by Margo Miller, edited by Gwylene Gallimard
FRIDAY:
Friday is a site visit of sort, with meetings organized by Linda, a youth workshop and a performance by Master singer Horace Smith and music by Luther Vandross. The meetings are the opportunity for others to express their frustrations, needs and projects and for me to understand where I am. Kim Ledée takes notes. We become a team. ROOTS, “an organization always in the state of becoming”, I hear. Sounds good. Not only process and products, but also journeying
The one and a half hour youth workshop becomes a multi-generational workshop. Attendance reaches 19 (17 or so actively involved in community art making. 6 youth/teens. 10 women / 9 men. 9African American / 10 Euro-American. 4 ROOTS members). It ends with three groups drawing along a long piece of paper their idea of community. From the design of a village, to a surrealist game, to the notes for a song, to a rope with mysterious knots: the dream, the process, the tools, the journey... Margo takes group pictures before we depart. Some of the people attending this workshop will also take part in the Saturday six-hour workshop.
Video by Margo Miller, edited by Gwylene Gallimard
SATURDAY:
The workshop starts 45 minutes late. Some expected attendants are not showing up on time. It is Graduation weekend. 18 participants (core of 12-14. 7 men / 11 women. 13 African American / 5 Euro-American. 8 ROOTS members)
We organize the room with an open circle (room for more to enter the circle and with chairs at the door), and three small secure circles with two bricks in the center (they were in the room). Papers start to cover the wall. They have calligraphic titles: “Art”, “Community”, “Shared Power”, “Equal Partnership”, “Dialogue”, “Multiple Aesthetics”, “Transformation”, “Story Circle”. Later two more are added: “The Institute of Economics”, “Values” and “Leadership”, “Follow Ups”.
We have nametags. No need to repeat or highlight what we are doing yet. First develop a temporary community. I set the rules of presentation, borrowing them to a 2006 preparedness meeting for the South East Social Forum: “Say three things about you but one is false; the group will guess which one”. I start, modeling the activity, but the three I am saying are right. I had broken the rules, me the lead facilitator. Six other people out of fourteen will break the rules or play with them. That is setting the tone of the Exchange.
The second activity deals with communities, and a movement to represent them. Kim has become a ‘Note Catcher’. She writes on the walls, under the different headings, whatever she hears and feels appropriate. Of course a Note Catcher is not as thorough as a Note Taker. But all of us are watching the notes being caught and can add more or even cross some. Share power of recording the information? . By the end of the activity, lunch is very ready – such a good lunch – with a ”Vegetarian Gumbo, also named Minestrone in other cultures” announces Bret, the chef. And we are about three hours late according to my schedule! By the way, on that schedule I had: “Assign Roles, at least a time keeper”.
The drums of Paula call us back to the Black Box theatre, our arms rise up, a voice projects ‘welcome’. A couple of new people joined us; others had to leave. Still about twelve, fourteen people the whole time. I explain the original plan and we review the goals to be able to do drastic cuts. It seems that people have been happy to learn new activities they can use on their own territory. We cancel the ‘Story Circle’ as everybody seems to practice it. The main goal of having gone together one step further than yesterday remains priority. We chose one more activity before reviewing RSC principles with examples and case studies to help us outline a simple plan of action. This is a socio-metric activity: we unroll a large and long piece of paper. Wherever we will be in this activity, someone will outline our feet on the paper and add a few of our words. Questions are coming from the participants. Discussions burst out wonderfully, although some people talk too much. Margo is now filming. Here are the questions:
Have you been lately very enthusiastic about something that you don’t do now but have a talent for? - Paula
Do you know where the tools are for your next project? - Kelly
Do you feel you are a good partner? - Gwylene
Are you a good Community Organizer? - Aîsha
All transformations are personal. Yes or No? - ?
The papers on the wall have filled up as well. Find their words pasted below. I bring back the economic issue and explain the model of Social Business developed by Muhammad Yunnus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Paula, then Omari take the lead on facilitating the draft of the idea of an Institute of Economics, Values and Leadership. We are way past time... but the feeling is we have something.
