Dowser » arts

Amidst War, An Afghan Renaissance

Dowser — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:55:57 +0000

We often see the arts as only fit for museums, galleries, and film festivals, cloistered in halls only for the intellectual elite. But the arts can help build a nation, or in the case of Afghanistan, are rebuilding a nation, employing its people, and recalling a history forgotten in recent decades of continuous conflict. And a small group of social scientists, architects, and entrepreneurs are using culture as a vehicle to restore Afghanistan, challenging the convention that the arts are only for aesthetics. #

"Cultural conservation is directly linked to development and livelihoods here. The historic sites that we're rebuilding are functioning places, generating revue, providing jobs, and are self-sustaining," says Ajmal Maiwandi, an Afghan-American architect who returned to the country nearly a decade ago to take up a post with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to help rebuild Afghanistan's most historic sites. In that time, Maiwandi explains that AKTC has preserved nearly a 100 sites, even during tense periods of conflict. #

For Washington D.C.-based Dr. Cheryl Benard, the desire to revive the arts in Afghanistan came out of seeing the destruction of Europe following WWII, where monuments were pillaged, destroying not only beautiful edifices but also erasing history with them. As a young child, growing up in post-war Germany and Austria, she then saw the resurrection of what had been knocked down and pillaged-- an experience she explains has made her more sympathetic to those living in conflict-ridden societies. Benard, who founded the Bamiyan Project, a non-profit dedicated to cultural preservation in Central Asia, wants to see that same movement in Afghanistan. #

"[The arts] are not taken so seriously. It's something that people think about much later, when the tourists arrive. But they're fundamental to the process of reconciliation and reconstructing the nation," she says with urgency. #

Maiwandi agrees. As CEO of the AKTC in Afghanistan, he's led numerous successful projects,such as the restoration of the gardens of the Mughal emperor Babur , the Mausoleum of Timur Shah , and urban regeneration initiatives in the Asheqan wa Arefan neighborhood of Kabul . In the old city of Herat, the Trust has revived five notable historic houses, seventeen public buildings, and the gravesite of the Sufi poet, Abdullah Ansari, in Gozarga. #

This flurry of activity has created a local demand for labor. In Herat alone, the restoration has provided for 60,000 work days of employment. And the approach to restoration is "holistic," Maiwandi notes, meaning that not only are old, crumbling building attended to, but drainage systems are put into place, pavements are laid down, and waste is removed. In short, these efforts are not just about beautifying but also redeveloping neighborhoods, investments that have long-term impact, he explains. #

AKTC couples this historical preservation with more hands-on training, offering courses in trades such as carpentry, teaching students how to craft doors, windows, wood carvings, items that go beyond the classroom and have local demand. #

Turquoise Mountain, a social enterprise created by British author and parliamentarian Rory Stewart, takes the training a step further through a global market place for handmade Afghan crafts, having sold nearly $1 million worth within the country and abroad. While Turquoise also tends to urban regeneration in old Kabul, its Institute of Arts and Architectures gives students year-long lessons in calligraphy, woodworking, ceramics, jewelry, and gem cutting -- trades that give them employment in addition to carrying on age-old traditions. #

Such pragmatic art is coupled with large-scale preservation, akin to AKTC's work on Bagh-e-Babur,which fuels tourism. Benard's non-profit, for instance, is restoring the legendary poet Rumi's birthplace in northern Afghanistan. The restoration process, Benard explains, will generate not just local employment during and post construction, but also create an oasis for locals and tourists that will be sustainable in years to come. And in remembrance of Rumi's poems, which often featured lyrical descriptions of nature, the site will house a number of gardens, something that will keep the locals coming after they've seen the touristy bits. Benard notes that the Rumi Gardens are located in one of Afghanistan's "safe pockets," and have never been attacked by militants; even if security deteriorates in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops in 2014, her NGO does not feel particularly concerned about security threats. #

Benard originally started the non-profit in 2010 to help preserve an expansive site in Bamiyan province, one that once housed housing two colossal-sized Buddhas from the 6th century, remnants of the country's more pluralist past that were destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001. Yet in the meantime, another threat arose, diverting her attention again. #

In 2007, The Chinese Metallurgical Group Corp, backed by the Chinese government, leased one of the world's largest untapped copper mines, estimated at $3.5 billion, with intentions to begin mining in 2009. A profitable deal for the Chinese who aspire to tap into Afghanistan's rich minerals, it marks the largest foreign investment in the country, one that could reap nearly $1.2 billion from the mine and the jobs it creates. But the mine sits on another piece of Afghanistan's Buddhist history: Mes Aynak, home to a 5th century Buddhist monastery, whose crumbling statues dot the hilly landscape. To allow for excavation, which would remove the delicate ruins from the site to be placed in a nearby museum, the Chinese have delayed mining until the process is completed. #

Though a reminder of the country's Buddhist past, Bernard says that she was impressed by how local Afghans have made an effort to preserve it. Being an Islamic nation hasn't stopped them from expressing their support for the preservation of the Buddhas, she says, illustrating that the arts can be a catalyst in redefining a country's story. #

Benard continues, explaining that "one piece of the story that doesn't get covered is the risks that people go to save their cultural heritage. For example, earlier, when the locals realized that that Taliban were coming to destroy the [National Film Archives of Afghanistan], they erected walls to break up the collection and reduce the damage. In museums, the staff concealed so many items, taking a big risk on their own safety. This simply shows that the arts are important to locals -- even in war when more basic needs are at stake." #

Benard is now collaborating with other preservationists to develop a plan for some of the Buddha statues to remain in their original form at Mes Aynek, and not be whisked away to museums, so that the site can be visited and admired in its native state. The Chinese will still be able to access the site for mining, though they may need to use a more "gentle technology" to extract the copper without damaging the Buddhas, Benard says. #

Hamid Naweed, an Afghan art historian, has been working closely with Benard and recently traveled throughout the country, talking with locals on the Bamiyan Project, Mes Aynek, and the cultural heritage of Afghanistan more broadly. #

"What amazed me was the response of the Afghan people," said Benard. "They were moved by the discussions, crying even, to hear their history presented in a coherent, positive way. The Afghans have a history rich with achievements as well. So, it's a real game changer for them to hear it first-hand." #

With more preservation projects under way for Benard, Turquoise, and AKTC, the Afghans will not only be hearing it, but will see it unfold in front of them, as the arts becomes a means of employment and a way to reconstruct their nation. #

This piece was completed in partnership with ForeignPolicy.com #

Nuvana brings social technology and arts education together to inspire youth

Dowser — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:30:23 +0000

Artists have long enjoyed the creative space at the intersection of social networking and technology, using the Internet to generate new forms of art and more engaging platforms to experience art. While funding has increased for these kinds of projects in the professional art world, school programs for art and music have been slashed, leaving youth without an outlet for their creative energies and creating lopsided access to this new art-tech resource in society. #

An organization called Nuvana is trying to remedy this. Nuvana is re-inserting art into the curriculum in schools in New York City and San Francisco with a pilot program called Jamboree for Arts & Music that fuses social networking, technology, art, and youth education. #

Over five weeks, students were invited to participate in an online game where they chose and executed “missions” that ranged from creating a mental map of a character’s journey through a story to making a video of a self-directed street performance. The goal was not to keep kids glued to screens, but rather to harness the power of social technology to encourage youth to become more engaged with their communities and more connected to their creative powers. #

Recently, Nuvana hosted a “JAMLAB” event in Manhattan which brought local high-school students in their pilot program to a professional artists' studio, where they met with top-notch artists and musicians for a day of instruction and mentoring. #

Dowser: How did you introduce the Jamboree for Arts and Music platform into schools’ curriculum?
Lily Kwong, East Coast Managing Director: Our goal was to use technology to push kids into their own communities. And we wanted to show the country what a sustainable art intervention looks like. First we linked up with the New School’s Institute for Urban Education. They have six high schools that they work with in all different boroughs. The pilot program was brought to 250 kids, who completed 1,400 missions over five weeks. We asked teachers to sign up their students on the website during class or to have them do it after school. Some teachers made it mandatory and integrated it into their curriculum. We also worked with one school, the High School of Art and Design, that does already have a thriving arts curriculum. Even schools with arts programs have a need for more resources. #

How is the program providing new opportunities for creativity?
A lot of learning interventions that use technology are expensive because virtual worlds require building out a site. But by using a social network as a platform, we’ve created a collaborative workspace that relies on community to provide its content. The goal is for kids to complete deeds that add up on their user profiles. The deeds, or missions, have varying levels of difficulty. Peer-to-peer mentoring is what keeps it sustainable. Kids learn best from kids. #

In what ways have you been able to bridge the gap between underfunded arts programs in schools and a resource-rich professional arts world?
We have professional artists volunteering as mentors on the site. So if a kid wants to take up a mission to make a mural but isn’t sure how to do it, he can ask a mentor. And we approached museums and made a deal that allowed us to build a voucher system into the site so that kids can go to museums more affordably. Also, the JAMLAB event we held recently aimed to create a lab-space, not a museum, where kids could actually be engaged. #

And how did that event go?
You should have seen these kids waking into the studio space. They’re coming from the Bronx, Brooklyn; they’ve never seen anything like this. Then we handed over the equipment. The kids felt so valued. They stayed all day, later than the event was supposed to go. When they showed up they were nervous, actually shaking, but once they were in front of the camera they got confident. I think we created a lot of future photographers and DJs and stylists. One kid said it changed his life. One girl told me that she was going to stop shopping and save her money to buy a digital SLR. High school can be a really small country and we’re helping to expand these kids’ worlds. #

Interview has been edited and condensed. #

Getting life off the page and into the reader's imagination: an interview with Tracy Kidder

Dowser — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:15:19 +0000

Can writers promote causes for social change, and should they? Tracy Kidder is author of numerous essays and books of fiction and nonfiction, and is recently best known for Mountains Beyond Mountains, his story of the life and work of Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, an organization working in global preventative health care. Below, Dowser talks with Kidder about what drives him to write about passionate figures, how he builds empathy in his books, and how to work with “the problem of goodness.” #

Dowser: How did you start writing? How did you start writing nonfiction?
Kidder: I discovered I wanted to be a writer in college. I fell under the spell of a wonderful teacher, Robert Fitzgerald, who took us very seriously and was demanding. I didn’t know what else I was going to do exactly after college. I went to Vietnam as a soldier, came back and wrote this novel about all the experiences I didn’t have. #

Then I went to Iowa, where almost no one at the time was writing nonfiction – it was fiction or poetry there. The company I was in there was pretty humbling. At the time my resources for writing fiction felt like they were drying up – the only fiction I really got off there was one short story. But I wrote this one nonfiction story about Vietnam that made it into the Atlantic Monthly. Meanwhile it seems to me there was a guy named Seymour Kramer has been working on the 'new journalism.' A writer named Dan Wakefield showed up, who was very helpful to me, and helped me to get some nonfiction into the Atlantic. At the time it was great because it was something no one else was doing. I didn’t have to compete with anyone.

What role do you – as the person mitigating the story – play in generating interest in change work, as in, say, the work of Paul Farmer?
I think there was a time when I was quite young when I thought that the written word could actually change something. I’m not sure it ever actually has. I’m told Grapes of Wrath did, or that other books influenced the minds of influential people, but I think that approaching writing from the point of view of thinking you’ll make change has severe limitations. I’ve written a few polemics for the New York Times Op Ed page, but that’s pretty much what I confine it to. I try to mostly keep away from writing expecting to change something when writing narrative nonfiction. #

Someone once said to me something about how I’d been really lucky about a book I’d written, and that kind of bothered me, because I don’t think it was about that. But it’s about writing itself. All stories are created. There’s a lot to do. You need to get to the point where your hands don’t show. Someone once said to me that if you get good as a writer you develop your own style, and if you get very good you learn how to hide it – which is as good a definition of art as any.

Do you see yourself as actively working for social change and human rights as a writer? I know you have direct links on your website for people to support Partners in Health and Village Health Works…
The notion that good writing can try to make changes in the world was never mine. If I had tried to write about Paul Farmer with a burning desire to change issues of poverty and disease, to make people care about those issues – I think it would have been a terrible flop. What I thought was that I had an interesting story, and I wanted to tell it as well as I could. I came to feel that art was possible with nonfiction stories. #

Of course, what’s at the center of the stories I write are human beings. So on that level, of course I was interested in Farmer and Farmer’s cause and I was interested in the things that preoccupied him, but only to the point that made it a good story. And of course I was incredibly moved by things that I saw through him.

How did you first get drawn to Paul Farmer’s work?
It’s really the way I wrote it at the beginning of Mountains Beyond Mountains. I was in Haiti to report on American soldiers there, and I met him completely by chance. I didn’t really like him at first because he seemed to be giving this American captain a hard time, which he was. But then when I met him again by chance on a plane, he was so warm and generous. I got to know him just enough to know I’d stumbled on a really interesting story. I think my first constituency is the vast – or maybe tiny – group we call the 'reader.' Those are the people I look to when I’m writing for some sort of context. I wanted to tell Farmer’s story to them. That required that I start to understand what he was really up to. He was pretty famous within his field at the time, but not the way he is now.

When did you go from seeing yourself as telling Farmer’s story to seeing yourself as involved in Partners in Health?
The way I acted and felt about him and the book when it was published is a different thing altogether. There was a time when I reflectively thought about expressing my support for Partners in Health – but I was thinking about people in journalism who wouldn’t approve. I remember once the book was done having a conversation with [Partners in Health Executive Director] Ophelia Dahl about how I needed to be careful not to seem too partial. And then after the book was done, I thought, really, why was that? It was 2003, in the middle of the Bush administration right then, and there were journalists all around me really sucking up to power in the most disgusting ways. And I thought, 'I don’t care if I express my opinion about this cause outside of the book.' In the end, I care deeply about this subject, but I’m not going to write a book trying to convince someone of that.

Why do you think the book resonates with so many, especially young people?
I can’t speak for them, but I’ve given many lectures and talks to students and communities. Oftentimes they’ll all line up to get their books signed, and they’ll say things like,'Your book is, like, awesome!' or 'Your book changed my life.' I think, well, if you’re eighteen and you don’t have a life-changing experience every week there’s probably something wrong with you! But really, I think there are a lot of Americans who feel how meretricious this culture is, and how filled our culture is with frank consumerism that leads into a kind of selfishness. I think a lot of young people are thinking, 'there has to be something more.' Something that can change communities. I think they see that in Farmer’s story. The great error that young people sometimes make is then trying to imitate Paul Farmer.

When you speak to college or other large audiences, do you see yourself as a representative of Partners in Health, or as speaking to what it’s like to be a nonfiction writer? How do you see your role there?
Usually I’ll retell the story of the book in a slightly different way and only later address the larger questions. One of the first talks I ever gave was at Brandeis, and afterward a very nice woman said to me, 'yes, but the students want to know what they should do.' Then I got that I was in that role. I see it within my role as a lecturer to answer those questions. I don’t see that as a real contradiction. You can section off parts of your life. I wouldn’t convince people of what they should do in my writing, but as a lecturer it’s different. As a lecturer I don’t feel accountable in the same way.

What are some of the other challenges of describing a passionate cause-driven character like Farmer?
Well, the first challenge is the research. Another is delving into things that are difficult for the subject, which I encountered particularly with Deo while writing Strength in What Remains. We often got into memories that were very difficult for him to relive. I offered to stop at those points, but he didn’t take me up on it. I don’t like to think about myself as traumatizing people, but just as stealing their shadows. It’s a lopsided personal relationship - you’re both getting to know one another, but they’re not writing down what you tell them! Writing a book about someone is not a ripe basis for friendship. I think it was very difficult for Farmer to be scrutinized this way.

You said once that the role of a nonfiction writer is 'to make what is true believable' – can you elaborate on how that relates to the way you write?
First, there were a number of reasons for writing Mountains Beyond Mountains in the first person. The decision to do that wasn’t so that I could preach to the reader -- it was to make the story palatable. Farmer presents a pretty daunting figure. Part of that choice to use the first person was to make him seem totally human. When I first gave this book to my editor, he said, 'you have a problem here, and it’s the problem of goodness.' How do you write about virtue? It’s a real challenge, and one I always wanted to undertake. It’s an old idea, but readers need an everyman, someone who they can relate to and understand through.

Did you see that 'problem of goodness' from the beginning, or was it pointed out to you later on?
I didn’t see it from the beginning. I wrote this profile on Farmer for The New Yorker, and I think it missed it on tone. The tone is essentially the attitude of the author toward the events and people in the story. Once my editor pointed out that problem of goodness to me, we set to work looking for the right places to acknowledge that this guy’s goodness might make you feel uneasy. I settled on having some conversation about my own relationship with Farmer’s virtue. I think there’s a reaction that often comes up of people of my generation, children of the 1960s who imagined that they’d be doing something like what farmer does, but gradually they became lawyers, investment bankers – all of which are perfectly fine, but I think there is some of that resentment in seeing that in him.

Are there particular ways in which you want people to empathize with characters in your books?
Sometimes, but I'd only address them after the book is done. Once when I was speaking at a college there was a young woman who really started in on me about Farmer’s wife being alone in Paris. For some reason I started telling her about this horrible disease that affects many poor pregnant woman in Haiti. I said to her, 'your imagination might be better used to imagine yourself as one of those poor pregnant women in Haiti than to imagine yourself as Paul Farmer’s wife alone in Paris.' In the end, Farmer is a guy I’m really glad is on the face of this earth. It’s not that I don’t have a view on him – I just didn’t start out writing the book trying to promote a view. If you set out to try to understand someone, you’ll never find a character who is wholly unlikable, and setting out to understand people is what I do when I write.

When do you consider a piece you’ve written a success?
I try not to read reviews too much anymore. A wise man once said to me, 'every writer needs another set of eyes,' so I have that. I rely on the pleasure of making something, and the pleasure, or at least the illusion, of making something really well. There’s a moment somewhere near the end of the process where I say, 'this is actually pretty good.' I read and edit with friends, and we help each other.

Did you approach Strength in What Remains any differently knowing the impact Mountains Beyond Mountains had on Partners in Health?
I don’t think so. Every book is different. Usually there’s one big problem in every book, and with Strength in What Remains it was really structural. I needed to figure out a way to organize the time in Burundi with the time in New York, and how to organize those around a character who was vastly different from many of my readers. I look at Deo’s story, and I think, would you go back to Burundi after all of that? I doubt it. Yet he did, and started this clinic. I don’t think most people would do that. Readers might not find that much to relate to in him. What I really want to do is to try to get a reader to care about the story.

How did you set up Strength in What Remains to encourage readers to connect with Deo’s story?
In the end, we decided on a very old technique, in media res, and decided to start the book in New York, in a place that was more relatable to readers. So the book starts there, and then goes back, and the sections in Burundi start short and get longer as the sections in New York get shorter. #

I used to say that the whole idea of storytelling was to get life on the page. At some point after I’d been saying this for a number of years, my editor said to me, 'that’s not quite right – what’s really magical is getting life off the page and into the reader’s imagination.' You’ve got to get the reader to that brink of understanding without forcing them to accept it.

This interview has been edited and condensed. #

Critical Exposure: A lens and a student aiming for systematic reform

Dowser — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:30:41 +0000

The photo shows a wall-mounted clock with chunks of glass missing between one and three o’clock. #

"This photo depicts a broken clock in a classroom. It shows how time is lost and how simple things are broken, [and how] a simple thing can affect us in such a big way,” the photographer, identified only as Khalid, wrote. #

Khalid took the photo as evidence of what needed fixing at his school, Ballou Senior High School. Ballou is in Washington, DC’s eighth ward, which is known for high rates of crime and poverty. Though Ballou has an accomplished school marching band and much to celebrate, it, like many schools in DC, has suffered from deteriorating facilities. #

That an inner-city public school has broken clocks and lockers and, generally, could use extra funding isn’t surprising; it’s the type of image that often finds its way into discussions about what’s wrong with public schools. #

It’s also not surprising that a local organization, Critical Exposure, is working to remedy what it says are inequalities in the public school system, where poor neighborhoods have underfunded and under-equipped schools. #

What is surprising, though, is how the organization, working with students like Khalid, tries to remedy what it calls a systemic problem. #

Founded in 2004, Critical Exposure teaches students in disadvantaged schools how to document, with photos, the bad – and the good – of their school experiences. At the same time, the organization advocates changes in education public policy, often relying on the power of the lens. #

Adam Levner, the organization’s executive director and co-founder, says that Critical Exposure is distinctive for its blend of art and advocacy. #

“There are lots of great organization that teach you how to express [yourself] through art. There are lots of great organizations that involve youth in reform efforts. But there are very few programs or initiatives that systematically and intentionally teach students how to use their voices and their stories and their images as concrete tools to secure the kinds of changes they want to see,” he said. #

Public policy is normally the province of self-described “wonks,” those who, so the word suggests, traffic in big ideas, not so much in the gritty problems that occupy most of our day-to-day lives; say, a school’s leaking roof or broken water fountain. #

But Levner, a former 5^th-grade teacher, said that changing public policy is “critical as part of school reform.” #

“That’s what makes [reform] systemic,” he said. “That’s what keeps it from being a Band-Aid and just a quick infusion of a few dollars to fix up a few tiles in one classroom.” #

Still, raising the public’s awareness about schools’ problems remains a core part of Critical Exposure’s mission. Each year, the organization holds an exhibit of student photos, accompanied by often-detailed captions, at a local art gallery. #

“It’s amazing to watch students walk into a nice art gallery, usually for the first time in their lives, and see their photographs blown up and framed and hanging on a wall, and have a whole bunch of strangers standing around, looking at their work, talking about their work,” Levner said. “Equally or more important is that those photos are always accompanied by writing, captions, where the students are telling their stories. For a lot of students, seeing people stand there and read their words is really powerful.” #

Students have learned too that their photos can reach more than just strangers in an art gallery. Levner said that, as part of Critical Exposure’s work with other organizations to increase funding for Maryland public schools’ facilities, students came to the state capitol in Annapolis and whisked away state legislators to share their photos and stories. One legislator was so taken by the photos that he distributed copies to fellow lawmakers. The legislator, according to Levner, said that the photos helped in passing a bill that increased funding for the schools. #

And in DC, Critical Exposure was part of a successful campaign that secured $200 million in annual funding to modernize public schools. #

Still, the organization, like many nonprofits, has had challenges with its own funding. Its revenue comes from a combination of grants, individual donors and fee-for-service programs. Critical Exposure, Levner added, has been extremely fortunate to benefit from the subsidized labor of dedicated AmeriCorps VISTAs. #

But Levner said the organization is still working to develop what he considers a sustainable funding model. #

“Fundraising has been a combination of tireless searching for funds and trying to be as creative as we can about different ways to generate revenue,” he said. #

It’s easy to become fixated on everything that’s wrong with public schools. Newspapers titillate us with stories of urban blight and dreams deferred, and countless films show us scenes of savage inner-city students running amok – that is, until a daring hero or heroine, in one miraculous swoop, turns the school around. #

Certainly there are problems with our public schools, Levner admitted. But it’s important that programs like Critical Exposure also expose what’s good and hopeful about schools. To the surprises of many people, students are very interested in – not indifferent to – having good school experiences, he said. #

Moreover, students need to feel as though the schools are worth fighting for, he said. #

“It’s really hard to get people to invest in something that they think is completely a wreck, that there is no good in,” he said. “We want to make sure that we’re not giving people the impression that public schools are a failure and we need to walk away from them.” #

Photos courtesy of Critical Exposure. #

On Fundraising: Kit Jenkins of Raw Art Works

Dowser — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:26:46 +0000

The best social innovations can get stalled in the ideas-phase without funds to get started. In this series social entrepreneurs discuss fundraising: the strategies, pitfalls and sweat spent on the way to getting backing and raising money. #

Raw Art Works ignites the desire to create in underserved youth. For nearly twenty-five years, the organization has worked with at-risk youth in visual art and filmmaking, fostering a community where children and teens can develop their talents and explore artistic mediums.
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Dowser: What's something concrete you've learned in the last three months?
Kit Jenkins: In a very busy workplace the demands are high, and the risk is high. Every year we have to rebuild our finances as a nonprofit. Very little revenue goes from year to year, so you get people who are good at what they do, like a grant writer. #

The value of getting one well-performing staff member into my office and close my door and for ten minutes say: this is what you bring and for that I appreciate you. Really specific praise and appreciation is important. The attitude of gratitude is important. #

What is a mistake or mishap you've learned from?
A big initiative by a major local funder had been rolled out nine months prior to submitting a proposal. We went for the absolute top-dollar amount for the absolute longest period of time--$150,000/year for five years.We have a fabulous long-term relationship with the funder and have received accolades from them for years. I didn't project the full $150,000 in my budgeting (proposal was submitted just before end of one fiscal year, with announcements coming out in first quarter of new year), but did put a very significant portion of that into our new fiscal year projections. #

The mistake that I made was that I didn’t monitor the results coming from the quarterly cycle funding decisions; there had been three by the time we submitted, and by the time we approved our budget. Decisions were not nearly in line with the original proclamations, and had been diminishing over time. I was too confident, which I rarely am. I should have scanned the horizon, listened to the grapevine, much more closely. We received just one third of the requested amount, so we have had to scramble since then in an unpredictable economy. #

Interview has been edited and condensed. #

Photo courtesy of Kit Jenkins #

Concrete Canvas: NYC public design competition

Dowser — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:00:13 +0000

photo courtesy of AFHny Studio

At its best, public art can transform urban landscapes from utilitarian to thought-provoking and give neighborhoods a renewed sense of ownership. Got an idea for a successful public art project? Architecture for Humanity Studio (AFHny Studio) might have the space for it. AFYny is a New York-based collaborative, and part of the New York chapter of Architecture for Humanity. AFHny Studio acts locally and aims to to improve the urban landscape through “design-driven social change.”
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AFHny Studio is currently offering a competition called “Concrete Canvas,” which invites design submissions for a mural that will be painted in a high-visibility area near the Grand Concourse. The deadline is March 25th, and all are welcome to submit. Details about the format of the design can be found on the AFHny Studio blog. The top 15 entries will be featured in the Bronx Museum, and the grand prize will be installed through a collaboration between the artist and AFHny Studio, including involvement from residents of Carroll Place, located in the site where the mural will be installed near the Grand Concourse area. #

Since forming a year and a half ago, AFHny Studio has carried out installations in the Bronx that add green space to areas adjacent to the Grand Concourse, a major thoroughfare that connects the Bronx to Manhattan and is also a residential area and a registered Historic District. Their installations have been carried out with support of the Bronx Museum, which holds “Family Affair Days” that invite community members to help with the initial installation as well as upkeep such as watering plants. #

Additionally AFHny Studio is raising funds through the online crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to do some maintenance work on their installations in the Bronx. They are aiming to raise the funds to do the upkeep by April 15. #

Retelling and rethinking masculinity

Dowser — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 15:04:50 +0000

Image: Men's Story Project

Why are gender-based issues primarily considered “women’s” issues? Josie Lehrer founded the Men’s Story Project (MSP) to rethink this faulty truism. Intended for local replication, the MSP uses performance and dialogue to create public spaces for men to share their experience of male gender norms and masculinity. Below, Dowser talks with Lehrer about creating platforms for men’s less-often-heard stories and how sharing more of these stories can contribute to broader health and justice. # #

Dowser: Why look at social change through the lens of masculinity?
Lehrer: I believe that dominant-culture prescriptions for 'manhood' and gender relations are a key part of the system shaping many local and global preventable challenges to well-being, health and social justice. Traditional ideas about manhood are often entwined with other oppressions. Men who buy into traditional ideas about manhood are more likely to engage in harmful behaviors. And when men who buy into hazardous gender norms hold positions of power in male-dominated institutions, gender inequality and patriarchy become entrenched through policy -- affecting the ability of all people to live to their fullest potential. #

There are few public forums where traditional masculinity norms are critically examined, and where more healthy and human approaches are highlighted. The MSP helps fill this gap through educational films, public story-sharing, and a growing Youtube library. We want to create a counterpoint to the limited and often oppressive messages of the mainstream media, and to highlight more sustainable forms of male gender expression. #

How did the idea for MSP emerge and how has it evolved?
I was working as a community educator at San Francisco Women Against Rape in 2008, and sent out an email inviting people to a benefit presentation of the Vagina Monologues. At the end of the email, I added: '…and if you’d like to help me put together something similar for men, let me know!' People responded with enthusiasm, so I put out a formal Call for Submissions. As the submissions came in, I quickly saw that this could be a great, replicable way to bring men’s less-often-heard stories and critical reflection on male roles into public forums. #

The first MSP event had a hugely positive response. We were invited to present universities soon thereafter. Our first film was in the San Francisco IndieFest, and I was invited to speak about the MSP on CNN. It’s been gaining momentum ever since. Our first film is being used around the country for teaching purposes. Our second film is almost finished – it is of an MSP production I directed in Chile, sponsored by Amnesty International. Several groups are currently developing MSP productions. #

Image: Men's Story Project

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How do MSP’s performances and community dialogues work?
In each presentation, a diverse group of local opinion leaders, artists, activists and first-time presenters share personal stories with an audience, followed by discussion. They discuss things men don’t often publicly talk about, and challenge stereotypical notions of manhood. We recruit participants through a combination of open calls and targeted recruitment. In Chile and California, participants’ stories have addressed topics including fatherhood, violence, homophobia, HIV/AIDS, bullying, aging, disability and sexuality, and the healing power of self-acceptance, community and love. Mediums have included slam poetry, prose, music and dance. #

What do you think is most innovative about your work?
The MSP helps meet a widespread need to collectively examine and transform male gender norms, by fostering men’s public reflection on masculinities and gender relations. Few public projects have overtly addressed this area. The structure of the MSP model is innovative -- it’s replicable and adaptable, is grounded in research and social change theory, bridges public health and the arts, and views people as having a fundamental orientation towards goodness. It brings real men of different walks of life together, in public acts of self-revelation and solidarity. #

Why did this project have to emerge at this place and point in time?
There is a steadily-emerging global movement of work to foster healthier gender-equitable masculinities. This movement stems from and stands in solidarity with women’s movements for empowerment and rights. There’s an increasing awareness that issues often referred to as ‘women’s issues’ are at least as much, if not more so, men’s issues. #

What is key to a presentation of the MSP being useful or successful?
It needs to be real and presenters themselves need to give it gravitas. It needs to be locally and culturally relevant, and involve respected opinion leaders so that it can’t just be written off as marginal. If presenters discuss changes they made it’s important they describe what led them to change and how they did it. It’s also important to include genuine humor and celebration, so people can laugh and breathe and not be overwhelmed. #

Paint a picture of where you envision your work in five to ten years’ time. What is your strategy for getting there?
I envision the MSP as a live discussion and film initiative created and evaluated in thousands of places around the world. Regularly-occurring MSP events, such as yearly productions on college campuses, will contribute to normalizing critical dialogue about masculinities as part of the mainstream social landscape. Over time, MSP films in different countries will yield a global-view film series on masculinities, health and social justice. Funds raised from live productions will support aligned causes. (You can support us now at our Kickstarter campaign!) Evaluation of local projects will help ensure that we are always a learning enterprise, creating relevant and effective initiatives. #

This interview has been edited and condensed. #

Interview: Just Vision's Ronit Avni on nonviolent leaders in the Middle East

Dowser — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:00:57 +0000

Eight years ago, the human rights activist and award-winning filmmaker Ronit Avni conducted over 475 interviews with Israeli and Palestinian activists to find out what kind of support they needed to advance peace. The overwhelming answer was to become more visible. The pockets of nonviolent activists throughout the region need a space to link and promote their messages. Here, Dowser talks with Avni, the founder of Just Vision, about the value of a megaphone, the protests in Egypt, and how her organization looks to promote unsung heroes of nonviolent activism going forward. #

Dowser: Just Vision is best known for its two award-winning feature-films, Budrus and Encounter Point, but its aims are wide. What are Just Vision’s central goals and how did they emerge?
Avni: Just Vision surfaces success stories of people who are catalyzing change. My background is in human rights work and the arts. After working in partnership with Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations for three years while at the human rights media organization WITNESS, I began to feel that I wanted to work in my own backyard. I am both Israeli and North American. After 9/11 and the collapse of the Oslo process I felt that my backyard was burning, that it was time to apply the skills I’d acquired to the issue for which I felt most responsible. I spent two years interviewing Palestinian and Israeli nonviolence leaders, peace-builders and human rights activists who overwhelmingly expressed that they felt invisible within their own communities and internationally. They felt very silo-ed in their own fields. I decided to launch Just Vision to highlight their untold stories of nonviolent activism, to connect these people to one another, to journalists, to thought-leaders and to the world. #

What distinguishes Just Vision from other human rights organizations or other film-based human rights work?
The human rights field operates by identifying a victim, a violator and a violation and shaming the violator into compliance. But in the case of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the parties don't agree that they are violators and everyone sees themselves as the victim. Just Vision does not mean to replace other human rights work, which is critical, but rather to complement it with models of success and with stories of people working for change in order to motivate others to act. We also seek to highlight the range of nonviolence and peace-building work in the region. #

What were your original projects for Just Vision and how have those changed?
I originally intended to just make one film, Encounter Point, about several Israelis and Palestinians who have lost something precious as a result of the conflict and who still are pushing their communities in the direction of peace. The plan was to create learning tools with which to use the film in educational institutions and communities to educate people about nonviolent activism in the region. The reach of the film completely exceeded my expectations – we reached tens of millions of people in Israel, Palestine and the United States and kept winning audience awards. Many audiences were moved to act and wanted to know how they could get involved. We made Budrus, our next film, to show an example of a Palestinian-led nonviolent movement that succeeded, so that people could see and learn from it. #

Your films and newly-released slideshow of Unsung Nonviolence Leaders focus largely on the individuals who are making nonviolent change. How do the stories and actions of these people relate to larger-scale structural and political change?
Social change on a broad scale requires massive participation on every level. It requires that an educator rethinks how she teaches history; it requires bereaved families to decide how they want to heal and whether they ask for accountability; and it requires nonviolent activists who are willing to put their bodies on the line to make a statement. As we see in Egypt and Tunisia today, it takes every kind of person. Through our interviews, films and slideshows we hope that viewers can find themselves somewhere in the stories and types of activism we present and recognize that everyone has a role to play. #

What is the importance of presenting these stories? How does that lead to change and peace in the region?
People engaging in nonviolent activism in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are often isolated and under-appreciated. We hope that when we present their stories journalists will want to write about them, members of their communities will recognize the value of these efforts, students will want to study their approaches and perhaps volunteer with them, and even those who disagree with their methodologies will do so from a place of knowledge rather than ignorance. Gaby Lasky, for example, is one of the great unsung heroes of this work – she is in the Israeli courts day in and day out defending human rights activists and nonviolence leaders, straining the resources of her firm, and sacrificing a significant part of her life to make this work possible. She deserves broader support. #

How does Just Vision hope to build on this work going forward?
As we grow, we are able to cultivate deep relationships with community leaders, educators and journalists in Palestinian and Israeli society. We have a broader reach and greater capacity to facilitate strategic relationships than we did in the past. For instance, we brokered a meeting between a group of 55 women from Bethlehem who wanted to show support for the women of Budrus and learn about their key role in the successful nonviolent movement depicted in the film. Similarly, we are taking our materials to classrooms, refugee camps, and other strategic locations to catalyze discussion, engagement and learning. #

What connections and opportunities has Just Vision presented that would not otherwise be available to activists in the region?
We act as a megaphone by amplifying the voices that are critical but aren’t being heard. Before the film came out many Palestinians did not know the story of Budrus, about the success nonviolent activists had there in facing down the Israeli army, or about the role of women in that movement. With an issue of this magnitude it is about connecting the dots – the layer upon layer of activism that media and storytelling can help to link together. The very current example of Tunisia shows just how much one successful nonviolent resistance movement can be a catalyst for another. We want to keep making those catalysts possible; to make people see examples of human agency. #

This interview has been edited and condensed. #

Images: Just Vision. #

Broken City Labs: Using public art for urban renewal

Dowser — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 16:14:58 +0000

Can public art projects effectively draw attention to areas of a city that need change? Cyclists from Broken City Labs believe so: they set up these large, brightly-colored letters reading “MAKE THIS BETTER” to call attention to Ontario's "dead-zone" neighborhood known as "Ripper's Valley" (as in Jack the Ripper). “There are numerous complications in working publicly, but that is part of what makes it fun,” said Justin Langlois, the group’s Research Director. The group’s website documents the immensity of research that the group puts into selecting a space for a project and building the art -- art that they lose control of as soon as it is installed. “As much of what we do is temporarily sited and installed, the complexities in the work come from the time spent researching the place ahead of time and allowing artifacts like photos to guide a viewing and experience of the work after the fact,” Langlois said. #

As viewers do not know who precisely is commanding “Make This Better,” the anonymity and temporary nature of the work implies communal responsibility, rather than individual opinion. “We're hoping that Make This Better will initiate a dialogue about not only the places that we, as a community, could take on together, but about who exactly should make this better -- is it the responsibility of the city, the neighborhood, or even just one person?” Langlois asked. #

“Make This Better” is part of an ongoing series of installations in needy areas of Windsor. Past work from Broken City Labs included the Fall 2009 screening of the giant word “WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER” on the Chrysler building in Windsor, where the message faced not only the city of Windsor but its neighboring city of Detroit. Broken City Labs has been called “an art therapy collective for a city in need of triage” and has been presenting work in Windsor since 2008. #

“We don't work on behalf of the community, we work as community members,” Langlois stressed – community members who hope their (literally) large-scale work will bring other community members into a larger conversation. #

Tim Carpenter on aging and the arts

Dowser — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:54:00 +0000

Tim Carpenter, founder and executive director of EngAGE, believes in the potential for continuing education and intellectual growth within senior living centers. EngAGE offers programs in arts, wellness and intergenerational contact in 15 senior apartment communities in southern California, reaching more than 2,000 people residing in low- and moderate-income housing. In his interview with Dowser, Carpenter discusses the importance of reviving the creative spirit of seniors and of integrating a business model with not-for-profit work. #

Dowser: What is the purpose of EngAGE?
Carpenter: We want to change the way people age and the way people think about aging. We deliver wellness, arts, lifelong learning and intergenerational programs to low-income seniors. Unlike programs in senior or community centers or schools, we serve folks at their homes—folks who would not normally access this type of education. #

Tell me more about EngAGE’s target population.
The average age is 72 with an average annual income of under $11,000. These individuals struggle with groceries or medication at the end of every month, so the idea of going to high-end classes to improve their lives is not on their radar until we show up. #

College-level classes include computer/Internet training, language programs and lectures. We offer classes in creative writing, filmmaking, music, dance, visual arts, theatre as well as concerts, multi-arts events and peer groups. We also teach healthy eating, fitness/exercise, strength training, falls prevention, health education, celebrations of life and more. #

EngAGE offers courses on very diverse subjects. How did you come up with EngAGE’s educational model?
We began by looking at colleges. Our classes are taught by professional instructors who we pay. Courses change every few months and people can advance through levels. We’re not talking about art instructors that have groups of seniors sitting in a corner gluing Popsicle sticks together. The art classes are in water-color, life drawing and sculpture; we do college-level writing and acting courses. We produce poetry readings, seniors act in plays written by their peers, and their art is put on display to view by the public. #

Tell me why enhancing the intellectual and creative life of seniors matters.
Getting people turned on to their creative side creates motivation. The core issue is not about art per se, but about creativity. You don’t have to create art to be creative. The reaction of your body, soul and psychological make-up when you create is positive. You can write a bad poem and have the same neurological response that James Joyce had when he wrote Ulysses. #

What’s a major obstacle that your organization faces?
Most of the resistance comes from the seniors themselves. Many don’t feel they are deserving of these classes or of becoming artists. #

Research dictates what to do to age better. But the real question is how do we make these people change their behaviors in ways that will change their lives. Everybody with half a brain knows that if you eat better, exercise, and have a purpose, you are going to age better, but the question is, when you get someone who is 77 years old, how do you get them to take on the behaviors if they’ve never done it before? #

How did the driving ethos of EngAGE emerge?
People talk about 'Aha' moments. Before EngAGE, I was working in senior healthcare and found myself burnt out with the structure and regulation. There wasn’t room to do anything creative. One day, I found a man sitting all by himself in the club room. He was, as it turns out, the right-hand man to [automobile legend] Preston Tucker. After hearing about the exciting life of this elderly gentleman, I asked him, ‘What are you doing here?’ He said, ‘Well, I’m dyin’ here.’ And I just thought, ‘There’s gotta be another way.’ EngAGE sprung out of complete enlightened self-interest, the thought that I’m gonna be him someday and someone’s gotta pay attention to this. #

So what happened next?
I started teaching a writing course at the senior facility and found someone to teach a computer class. We started at one property, and in a year or so grew it to 400. After several years, we had over 2,000 units and a several hundred thousand dollar budget. And it was just that one guy who started me on this path. If I had been in another building at another time, who knows what would have happened. #

Coming from a background in commercial real estate, did you find the jump into running your own nonprofit daunting?
My first nonprofit job was founding one. At first, I had no idea what I was doing. I read books, talked to people as fast as I could and made it up as I went along. As I learned more about nonprofits, I used my background to mold a business model-orientated organization. #

How did you integrate your business experience into EngAGE?
Because we get paid by senior apartment communities for services, we don’t have to raise as much money as traditional nonprofits. We have a minimum fee to pay for what we do—we negotiate, but only up, not down. It’s not a lot of money, but it has huge impact. Plus, I see what we do as having value and that deserves to be paid for. A lot of nonprofits don’t come from that place—they think that doing good means being poor. #

Describe your ideal staff.
We have a very strange way of attracting people to the group. We’re a very non-linear organization. The more experience you have in aging, the less impressed I am. People who come from education, arts and culture impress me a lot more. Give me people who have done community theatre, who have made magic out of nothing. They know how to put on a show! I want people who can make rain. When we hire people here, we want them to bring their whole selves to work: their flaws, dreams and egos. #

How do you measure success?
Meaning and purpose. In essence, our success is based on the fact that we’re giving people a chance to change their lives. #

A Burbank Senior Artists Colony resident, Suzanne Knode, had been in an accident and was really not feeling well. In one of our writing classes, she produced a screenplay that was eventually made into a film called 'Bandida.' She was featured on national television and on The New York Times’ front page, and she’s alive. She’s never been happier in her life. Her story is one of complete and total reinvention at a point in people’s lives where they don’t expect that to happen. #

This interview was edited and condensed. #

Photo: EngAGE #