What's New and Cool at the 2009 Annual Meeting

"hard work is what we do – it might not look like work to you…”
(lyrics to a favorite Alternate ROOTS song)

Work.  Study.

These are two words that we all know the importance of in our lives.  We are our best selves when we have work that excites, challenges, and sustains us.  Ongoing study—in all its various forms—is also key to living a full, actualized life.

When you link these two words together, however, a very specific image comes to mind—the way you got through college, right?

This year, in the spirit of “rebirth,” we’re throwing out some old structures, and reinventing the way we conduct the Annual Meeting.  These structures, we came to understand, were not serving us in the ways that we hoped they would.

Rather than having work-studies – people who paid a reduced fee to attend the Annual Meeting and in return served a certain number of hours to “earn their keep” – WE’RE ALL GOING TO WORK.

That’s right, folks, every participant at this year’s Annual Meeting will join what we are affectionately calling the “work co-op.”  It takes a village to make this event happen, so please be ready and get right in your heart with having the opportunity to serve.

Now, with that said, let’s talk about all of the other stuff that will make this year’s Annual Meeting a week to remember…

Uprooting Racism Training – We are contracting with professionals from the People’s Institute to engage in an all-conference training in Uprooting Racism.  Through workshops, special performances, and story circles, we will together delve into ROOTS’ mission of addressing oppression in all its forms.

Performances – I’ve been to several Annual Meetings at this point, and trust me, this year’s performances will be so compelling, diverse, and worth your time, you’ll wish you could TiVo them so you could watch over and over again.  Some sneak peeks include Race Peace (a collaboration between M.U.G.A.B.E.E. and Mondo Bizarro), a new piece by marquez rhyne, many contributions from brand-new ROOTS members, and a return to the mic by both Saddi Khali and Omari Fox. 

Studios – Much like the excitement of the performance line-up, this year’s studios will keep your mind a-buzzin’ with all of the information they have to bear, including: new models, important skills, and some flat-out arts-based play (did I hear someone say STILTACON?).  Studios will range from 90 minutes to 6 hours, and will feature a variety of disciplines and concepts, including masks, grant writing, partner dance, community organizing, and lots of fantastic case studies.  We had 35 studio applications and roughly ten hours to program, so the opportunities provided here are the product of some very tough decisions!

Honoring Boal – As many of you know, we lost one of the “Jedi Knights” of community-based artmaking this year.  There will be multiple ways to honor and memorialize Augusto Boal, including workshops, use of Boal techniques during all-conference programming, and a memorial installation.

MORE – MORE – MORE! – In an effort not to “over-program” this year, we are, in fact, providing more opportunities to get to know your peers – longer pool hours, a “conversations project,” multiple all-conference arts installations, and a closing ceremony Saturday not to be missed.

Now read on!  We can’t wait to see you at this year’s Annual Meeting.

In community,

Shannon Turner
AM Coordinator