HIGHLIGHTS
Read Ceremonies of Dance and Song in Native American Peacemaking by Polly Walker
Xchange Perspectives (XCP) is using a Peacebuilding and the Arts report to support their work in South Sudan.
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News from the Field
Acting Together Documentary
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News From the Field - Archive
An archived listing of news and events related to our collaborators.
2013 - Archive
News and Events | Arts | Opportunities and Resources
News and Events
The Odysseus Project
Art Exhibition – Tamziq: Scattered and Connected
A Conversation in Art by Middle Eastern and American Artists
March 21 - April 26, 2013
Artist Panel & Opening Reception: April 22, 2013
Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown, MA
The Odysseus Project seeks to promote open dialogue between artists, veterans, students, refugees, immigrants and members of the Boston community, using art as a means to understand the connections between communities here and conflicts overseas. To respond to the exponential arrival of Iraqi refugees in the U.S. and Massachusetts and the simultaneous large number of U.S. veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Odysseus Project and the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences decided to collaborate on the Tamziq project. The project recognizes the increasing need for dialogue and exchange with and within these communities and a further need to broaden understanding of the cultural influences on changing communities. This project consists of four components: an art exhibit and related events; an artist network initiative; theatre productions; and public lectures and educational programming. More information.
Liberian Women’s Chorus for Change
by Toni Shapiro-Phim
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Fatu Gayflor, joined by Marie |
Toni Shapiro-Phim, dance ethnologist and a program specialist at Philadelphia Folklore Project, writes on its latest project with Liberian women singers.
“On Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in a packed West Philadelphia artist/community space, three women, each an accomplished singer and a survivor of the Liberian civil wars, shared their stories and their voices. Fatu Gayflor began by introducing the song, “Kweyengeh.” In the Kpelle language, it’s traditionally sung by women whose daughters have left for the Sande Society, an association for the initiation of girls in Liberia and elsewhere in West Africa. Wondering how her child is faring…..” Read more.
Film Screening: The Interrupters
March 7, 7:00pm
Golding 103, Brandeis University
The Student Peace Alliance will be screening the film “The Interrupters” which features the story of three former Chicago gang members who are now working to end gang violence within their communities. The Alliance will also be collecting signatures for the Youth Promise Act which would provide funding for programming to offer alternatives for youth gang violence in communities like the ones in the film.
The Philadelphia Folklore Project presents:
Liberian Artists: Changing the World through Song
March 5, 6:00 – 8:00pm
The Cedar Works, 4919 Pentridge Avenue, West Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Folklore Project presents an evening of performance and discussion with noted Liberian recording artists and social justice activists Fatu Gayflor, Zaye Tete and Tokay Tomah, renowned performers of Liberia's National Cultural Troupe. Many local Liberians experience anti-immigrant bias, violence, racism, poverty, and deportations, and the people's current circumstances stem in large part from the legacies of war, loss, exile and trauma. These issues are the subjects of these women's concerns and their art-making, including songs and stories of struggle and hope. They are pleased to have an opportunity to engage with the public about their music and their commitment to making constructive change in the world. The event is free and open to the public, though seating is limited, so it is recommended to arrive early. More information.
Fatu Gayflor in concert |
Follow Me Down: Film Screenings
Screenings: February 26, 6:00pm
Wasserman Cinematheque, Brandeis University
February 27, 5:30pm
College of Fine Arts, Boston University
“Follow Me Down: Portraits of Louisiana Prison Musicians” is a feature-length music documentary shot at Louisiana State Penitentiary, Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, and Elayn Hunt Correctional Institute for Women. It weaves together interviews and performances of extraordinary inmate musicians—some serving life sentences, some new commits and one soon to be released. The film lets the music speak for itself and offers an unexpected look at prison life, pushing viewers to reach their own conclusions about music, criminality, regret, redemption, and the humanity in us all. View the trailer and learn more.
Report from Iraq: The World is Crying for Love by Catherine Filloux
 Conference welcome at the Women’s |
Last November, Catherine Filloux participated in “Women in Action 2,” an international conference in Iraq. The conference took place in Erbil, Sulaymania and Halabja. She sent us a report on her experiences at the conference in these cities. She recounts, “So often at the conferences and roundtables I attend the discussion is about past genocide and violence. But we cannot forget the present, the daily… The world is crying. Poverty robs children of their futures. Clean water becomes a luxury. Let us comfort the world now. Let us turn our attention to its tears and wipe them dry…..” Read more. Watch the slideshow.
Report from Iraq: Breathing Iraq by Jessica Litwak
 Arabic version of “Lorca's House Of Bernard |
Jessica Litwak was in Basra, Iraq, attending a theater festival as one of the international judges and facilitating a workshop there. She sent us a remarkable account of her experience in Basra. Her story sheds light on creating a space for understanding each others through theater. “The creative cultural exchange has the capacity to breathe forgiveness, reconciliation and healing into both America and Iraq. This artistic oxygen gives life, and we are able to find moments of freedom, one breath at a time.” Read more.
Community Arts Lab
Arts Festival and Conference
June 2013
Utrecht, Netherlands
The city of Utrecht in the Netherlands was the site of the 1713 signing of a peace treaty that ended two centuries of religious conflicts in Europe. The organization Treaty of Utrecht commemorating the 300th year anniversary by hosting the Community Arts Lab in June 2013, a festival and two-day symposium aimed at uniting people through art and continuing to develop community arts in the city. It will feature a dialogue component with themes including theatre for development, theatre in prisons, theatre with refugees, youth theatre community opera and dance. An ongoing online dialogue about community art will prelude the festival. Read the latest newsletter from Community Arts Lab.
Discount Offer for the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
January 27, 2013
Symphony Hall, Boston, MA
Offer code: BRANDEIS20
$20 tickets with code (handling fees are also waived). How to order: Enter BRANDEIS20 in the “Promo Code” field on this page.
Arts
“Harbor: Survivors Among Us”
February 27
Framingham State University, McCarthy Center
1:30 and 4:30 p.m. - Installation, Opening and Gallery Talks
7:00pm - Interactive Lecture/Performance and Q & A with Survivors
ElShafei Dafalla, MFA, is an installation/sound/multimedia artist from Sudan and human rights scholar, and focuses on cultural, political and racial differences in his work. His installation “Harbor: Survivors Among Us” focuses on amplifying the voices of torture survivors and political asylees seeking peace and safe harbor in the U.S., some of them right here in the Boston. Dafalla and Dr. Elizabeth Swanson Goldberg, a professor at Babson College, will present the installation, which conceptual artwork with poetic testimonials, based on asylum seekers’ real life experiences. More information.
Histories of Now: Space for Dialogue, Art and Activism
January 30–March 12, 2013
Barbara and Steven Grossman Gallery
School of Museum of Fine Arts Boston
 Skype session with Shaimaa Khalil, |
Organized in the form of a continued dialogue and culminating with the production of a multimedia publication, "Histories of Now: Space for Dialogue, Art and Activism" transforms the gallery into a site of international and local exchanges focusing on current events in Egypt, and uses these events as a means of discussing a multiplicity of contemporary social movements. Participants, collaborators and speakers include artists from the 2012 SMFA exhibition "Histories of Now: Six Artists From Cairo," Egyptian scholars, artists and representatives of Egyptian cultural institutions, international and local activists, cultural thinkers, SMFA faculty and students and those interested in visiting and participating in this intense, multifaceted six-week project… Read more.
Muslim Women in the Arts: Home and Away – Shared Narratives of Gendered Identity
January 20–May 18, 2012
American Islamic Congress
Boston, MA
“Muslim Women in the Arts” is a unique arts and culture series spotlighting the work of four Boston-based female artists from Iran, Pakistan, Morocco, and Saudi Arabia. The series aims in part to address a lack of exhibits by contemporary Muslim artists in Boston’s galleries and museums, a void that reinforces the perception that Muslim art is limited to calligraphy and rugs. In fact, Boston is home to a vibrant scene of stereotype-shattering artistic innovators from across the Muslim world… Read more.
Celebrating the New Year with positive steps!
Hoop Suite: Creative Exchange for Social Change by Anna Myer and Dancers
Anna Myer is a highly acclaimed, award-winning dancer/choreographer and teacher in the Boston area, well known for her innovative choreography with some “gutsy” edge and collaborations with other artists. Inspired by her previous work, “rap opera,” Street Talk, Suite Talk (STST), Myer created her current work, The Hoop Suite Project (THSP). STST paired classically-trained dancers with urban rap and spoke word artists, set to an original score for violin and organ by acclaimed composer Jakov Jakoulov. THSP is taking a giant step farther, adding teen hip hop dancers, drummers and poets, and behind the scenes tech staff and videographers—many from public housing developments. The project is built on a long-term education plan for inner city teens and forge a common bond within and between diverse communities in the Boston area and urban centers across the nation and beyond. Read more and watch the video about THSP and STST.
ICE, FIRE and EARTH Project by Judith Marcuse: Facilitating dialogue through movement-based arts
 "FIRE: where there’s smoke" |
Why art for social change? Judith Marcuse says, “Art bridges the silos that separate us as we confront today’s pressing issues. Art creates new visions and engagement, connecting the head and the heart.” Marcuse’s career spans over 40 years of professional work as a dancer, choreographer, director, producer, teacher, writer and lecturer in Canada and abroad. Among her many projects, the issue-based ICE, FIRE and EARTH projects, each five years long, involved thousands of youth in workshops, national touring, television production and extensive community collaborations across Canada. The ICE Project explored issues that can lead to teen suicide; the FIRE Project looked at how violence is experienced by young people; and the EARTH Project examined issues of environmental and social justice. Read more about this project. Founder and Co-Director of the International Centre of Art for Social Change, she is an advocate for the integration of arts-based dialogue into diverse social change contexts. (ICASC is a global centre for networking, training, professional development, research and community outreach in the burgeoning field of art for social change.) Read more about ICASC.
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| "FIRE: where there’s smoke" production photo Photo by David Cooper |
Fall and Recover: A Case for Using Dance in Peacebuilding by Mariah Steele
This research by Mariah Steele, a Boston-based dancer and teacher, explores how and why dance is well suited to help reach peacebuilding goals such as healing trauma and building community. The research is based on a case study of Irish Modern Dance Theatre's “Fall and Recover,” a dance performed by two professional dancers and eleven survivors of torture and asylum seekers to Ireland. The process of making and performing Fall and Recover was not only incredibly healing for the participants involved, but also helped spread awareness about torture and asylum issues in Ireland and abroad. Steele is also available to give lecture on “Using Dance in Peacebuilding.” Contact Mariah Steele if you’re interested.
nATANDA Dance Theatre of Sri Lanka
nATANDA Dance Theatre is a modern dance troupe based in Colombo, Sri Lanka, founded as a nonprofit organization by Kapila Palihawadana in 2002. Its choreographic style fuses traditional Kandyan dance, ballet, yoga and Bharatha Naatyam. nATANDA investigates the potential of dance for personal development, social inclusion and peacebuilding, and attempts to bridge boundaries of ethnicity, religion and class by seeking to involve dancers of various social backgrounds. Their SINTAMU project consisted of a series of dance workshops and a public performance, working with young people who have been affected by war to explore the expressive potential of dance as an instrument for dialogue. Ranging from ages 14-21, the students and trainers were from a variety of ethnic groups including Tamil, Muslim, Burger and Sinhalese, reflecting nATANDA’s policy of conducting dance workshops without any ethnical barriers. Further opportunities were also given to children from government and international schools to work hand in hand with the children from the School for the Deaf. This valuable experience enabled both sets of children to learn about each other’s worlds. Read more and watch the video.
Call for Peace: Power of hope, tapestry of rhythm, color and dance
Call for Peace Drum & Dance Company (CFP) is a performance arts company that is dedicated to the promotion, practice and understanding of peace, respect and nonviolence locally, nationally and internationally. Through the universal language of dance, traditional drums and contemporary music, CFP breaks down preconceived divisions between different ethnic groups, celebrating the rich and vibrant cultural heritage that makes up humanity. CFP also strives to stimulate and empower youth and adults through education with the knowledge that humanity is not made of subjects apart, but as interconnected racial, cultural and ethnic groups. In communicating this message, CFP aims to recognize the need for global cooperation and the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates’ signed declaration to “build a new culture of nonviolence for humankind which will give hope to all humanity, and in particular, to the children of the world.” Read more.
DNAWORKS: Dialogue and Healing through the Arts
DNAWORKS, co-founded by Adam McKinney and Daniel Banks, Ph.D., is an arts and service organization committed to dialogue and healing through the arts. DNAWORKS is dedicated to furthering artistic expression and dialogue, focusing on issues of identity, culture, class, and heritage. Their philosophy is “art = ritual = healing = community.” Read more.
“Say Enough to All That is Wrong”: Mallika Sarabhai in India
A dancer, choreographer, activist, writer and actor, but above all, Sarabhai claims to be a communicator. Sarabhai is one of India’s leading choreographers and dancers, and director of her own company, Darpana. Darpana works on many levels using the arts for change – grassroots development projects that reach India's neediest populations to live performances created to inspire college youth to think differently about social issues, television shows with strong pro-social content, and more. As a committed social activist, Sarabhai has been advocating for societal education and women’s empowerment in her work to raise awareness on crucial issues in the society. Read more about Sarabhai.
Opera for Fools by Vincent Mantsoe: Exploring apartheid in the shebeen setting in South Africa
Opera for Fools is a physical theatre choreographed and directed by Vincent Mantsoe, one of South Africa's leading contemporary choreographers on the international festival circuit. The work is centered on South Africa's unique shebeen culture and explores a different take on apartheid revealed in the shebeen setting. Shebeens are ililicit bar or club where alcoholic beverages are sold without a license. In South Africa, sheebeens are often located in black townships where under apartheid, black Africans could not enter a pub or bar reserved for whites. Shebeens are still in existence in South Africa today and continue to bring people of different races together through music and dance.
HERE: Art Exhibition on immigration, migration, and/or family trees.
January 12 – March 16, 2013
Spoke Gallery, Medicine Wheel Productions, Boston, MA
HERE is a group show that features the work of: Ahmed Abdalla, Genara Banzon, L’Merchie Frazier, Dell M. Hamilton, Josephine Pergola, Dan McCole, Courtney Moy, and Mario Quiroz. The exhibition investigates immigration, migration, and/or family trees/legacy. The gallery and connected events are free and open to the public. More information.
The Emergency of Love in Times of Terror: Bilingual Reading & Book Signing (Persian & English)
February 3, 5:00-7:00 pm
Touch Art Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Featuring poets and translators, Mahmood Karimi-Hakak & Bill Wolak.
For more information please call (617) 547-0017.
Women Redrawing the World Stage
January 29 – February 23, 2013
SOHO20, New York City
These artists are breaking free of their traditional roles as they leave their homelands, some by choic, and others as exiles. They have traveled to new parts of the world and draw on themes and values from their heritage. Some have struggled to find a voice that bridges the cultural divide, while others have embraced their culture diversity and celebrate it in their work. Each of these artists addresses complex legacies of identity, violence, gender, mobility, dislocation, religion and culture. In "Women Redrawing the World Stage." borders collapse, heritages combine and a new map emerges of a cross cultural mix that is emblematic of our time. Read more.
Keep Alive the Spirit of Al-Mutanabbi Street!
al-Mutanabbi Street Project, a lament and a commemoration of the singular power of words, is seeking to make visible the literary bridge that connects us all across continents, across cultures and the passage of time. What does it mean when any powerful group tries to erase culture, attack writers and artists, and control the free exchange of ideas?
On March 5, 2007, a car bomb exploded in Baghdad's historic literary and intellectual community, named for the famed tenth century Arab poet Al- Mutanabbi. Thirty people were killed; more than a hundred were wounded.
Along with the deeply felt human loss, Baghdad also grieved the attack on its cultural center, a place of lively cafes and thoughtful bookstores, of conversations in tea and tobacco shops. The inventory of al-Mutanabbi Street was as diverse as the Iraqi population, including literature of Iraq and the Middle East, history, political theory, popular novels, scholarly works, religious tracts, technical books, poetry, and mysteries; stationery and blank school notebooks could be purchased on this street, along with children’s books, comics, and magazines. While Arabic was the predominate language, books in Persian, French, German, and English were also represented.
al-Mutanabbi Street Project is a response to this bombing incident. Beau Beausoleil, a poet and bookseller in San Francisco, put out a worldwide call to artists to respond to this human tragedy and attack on culture. Two hundred and sixty artists from twenty-four countries answered the call, creating original books… Read more and watch the video.
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Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here
January through June, 2013
Cambridge City Hall Annex Gallery, Cambridge, MA
The Al-Mutanabbi Street Project is showcasing three exhibits in Cambridge, Massachusetts from January through June, 2013. See more upcoming exhibits worldwide.
The Art Garden
The Art Garden is a nonprofit organization in a small rural town of Shelburne Falls in Massachusetts. It was built on the philosophy of community-supported art, similar to the model of community supported agriculture (CSA). It is founded in the power of a collaborative art to foster creative energy, idea, skills, commitment, and personal empowerment, and to enhance the ability to build community through participation in the creative process. The Art Garden seeks to create a nurturing, non-judgmental and inspirational environment where people of all ages can experience and engage in the creative process, and explore and exchange ideas through individual and collaborative art-making. Relationships between materials, images, ideas, self, and community are cultivated with questioning, poetic vision and social/ecological consciousness… Read more.
Paper mache workshop using recycled and reused materials, part of a |
Film: Big Top Without Borders
The film “Big Top Without Borders” centers on two dynamic men from distant corners of the world who come together and discover they share a common dream: to help their communities by creating a circus. Guillaume Saladin (tall, white, bald) and Yamoussa Bangoura (short, black, dreadlocks) meet as acrobats in Montreal’s acclaimed Cirque Eloize, and return home to transform their struggling communities with the power of performance. Guillaume is from a tiny Inuit community in the Canadian Arctic; Yamoussa is from Conakry, Guinea, West Africa, a large undeveloped metropolis. Both places are reeling from a legacy of colonization which has decimated their cultures and triggered desperate social problems. Both men want to give back to their communities and appreciate the importance of rooting the young performers in their own culture by rediscovering their lost traditions… Read more, view the trailer, and visit their fundraising page.
Opportunities and Resources
Artraker Award 2103 – Call for Submissions
Deadline: May 1, 2013
International Conflict and Security (INCAS) Consulting Ltd. created the Artraker Award in 2012 to fund art that makes a direct positive change in countries that have experienced social upheaval and violent conflict. The annual prize of GBP2500 is awarded on September 21, International Peace Day, in London. The ten most inspiring submissions to this year’s Artraker Award will be invited to join the Artrakers Network, promoting them to peace-builders, curators and other art world professionals. The Artraker Fund accepts submissions from artists of all nationalities and at any stage of their careers. The submission deadline is May 1. Learn more and apply.
Look Forward and Carry on the Past: Stories from Philadelphia’s Chinatown
A documentary film by Barry Dornfeld and Deborah Kodish illustrates the strength and complexity of Philadelphia’s only remaining community of color in the city’s center. The film attends to the role of folk arts and community cultural expression in the community’s continuing struggles for respect and survival. Touching on community efforts to stop a stadium from being built in the neighborhood, and on other occasions when the community comes together (including Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year), the documentary attends to the everyday interactions, relationships, and labor—so often overlooked—that build and defend endangered communities. Watch the video.
Call for Applications:
Marionettes for Engaged for Peace
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was created in 1948 with the mission to "construct the defenses of peace.” A working group of UNESCO on the Culture of Peace announces the project Marionettes Engaged for Peace. Applications are welcomed from all from all regions of the world to demonstrate their feelings about need for peace through the art of puppetry. Submissions should fall under a chosen theme and can be silent or voiced. Accepted languages include French, English, Spanish, Portuguese or Esperanto. Applicants should film their marionette performance and submit it by May 15, 2013. The submissions will be reviewed by the organizing committee and awards will be given in June. On September 25, a ceremony will be held to showcase a selection of films as well as several live puppet shows. More information.
Winter School of Folklore
Application deadline: April 30, 2013
Central University of Jharkhand
Ranchi, India
One of the key-concepts of folklore is the cultural process of creating future out of the past. The winter school hosted by the Centre for Indigenous Culture at the Central University of Jharkhand in Ranchi, India brings together doctoral students from different countries to discuss the relationship between tradition and creativity, stability and change in folklore past and present. The program features lectures, seminars, fieldwork among the tribal peoples of Jharkhand, and an academic symposium, all conducted in English. Participation is limited to 20 students, and an equal number will be selected from India and other countries. Applicants are asked to send a letter of motivation (200-300 words) and a short CV to winterschool2014@gmail.com by April 30, 2013. More information.
Call for Papers - High Stakes: Risk and Performance
“About Performance” - Journal of the Department of Performance Studies, University of Sydney, Australia
Proposal deadline: March 31
“About Performance” the Journal of the Department of Performance Studies at the University of Sydney, which focuses on multi- disciplinary performance studies, is seeking proposals for papers for a special upcoming issue titled “High Stakes: Risk and Performance.” The issue aims to explore the risks involved in performance practices, which have often been valued in terms of the ‘safe space’ they provide. Applicants are asked to submit a 200- 300 word proposal to both editors Dr. Paul Dwyer (Paul.Dwyer@sydney.edu.au) and Dr. Mary Ann Hunter (MaryAnn.Hunter@utas.edu.au) by March 31. More information.
Scholarships Available: Americans for the Art Annual Convention
Application Deadline: February 28
Conference: June 14 – 16
Pittsburgh, PA
Americans for the Arts is offering scholarships for its annual convention this summer. Specific scholarships offer opportunities to individuals working to advance the arts at the local level, PA-based cultural organizations, and more. Applicants must be members of Americans for the Arts to apply. More information.
How to Start a Revolution: Documentary film about Dr. Gene Sharp
February 24
3:00pm–5:00pm
Zumix, Boston, MA
"How to Start a Revolution" documents the 2011 Egyptian revolution and shows how Dr. Sharp's writings on nonviolent action contributed to the "Arab Spring." It is set in Egypt and East Boston, where Dr. Sharp has lived since the late 1960s and operated his Albert Einstein Institute for many years. Dr. Sharp has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize TWICE, including in 2012, when he was considered a favorite to win it. Jamila Raqib, executive director of the Albert Einstein Institute, and filmmaker Ruaridh Arrow will also participate in the Q&A. This is truly a unique opportunity to learn about one of our distinguished neighbors and hear him speak about his life and work. Come be inspired for whatever struggle you're engaged in. Learn more.
A collection of writings depicting the wide range of ways the arts make community, civic, and social change.
American Folklore Society
The American Folklore Society is an association of people who study and communicate knowledge about folklore throughout the world. The Society's 2013 annual meeting will be held on October 16-19 in Providence, Rhode Island. The theme for the meeting, on which presentations will be encouraged but not required, is "Cultural Sustainability.” March 31st is the deadline for submitting a proposal. Read more.
Museum of International Folk Art
The mission of the Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) is to enrich the human spirit by connecting people with the arts, traditions, and cultures of the world. As a home to the world’s largest collection of folk art, MOIFA explores the dynamics of artistic expression in the context of cultural change. Through its collections, exhibitions, publications, and educational programs, the museum expands perceptions of folk art and encourages dialogue about traditions, cultural identity, community and aesthetics. Learn more.
National Native Artists Grant: New England Foundation for the Arts
Grants support teaching, learning, and collaborating of traditional and/or contemporary Native art forms between two Native artists from two different regions. Grants up to $1,500 are available per exchange… Learn more.
Jubilation Foundation Fellowships for teaching artists
Deadline: February 28
The Jubilation Foundation wants to bring forth the joyful side of human
nature for a whole and healthy world. We believe that music and movement --
wherever and however it happens -- can promote well-being in the individual
and the community. Jubilation Fellows (individuals) receive $5000/year for two years. You may nominate yourself or someone else, but only residents of the United States are eligible. Learn more.
Franklin Furnace Fund: Call for Artists
Deadline April 1, 2013
This season is the 28th anniversary of the Franklin Furnace Fund. Initiated in 1985 with the support of Jerome Foundation, Franklin Furnace has annually awarded grants to emerging artists selected by peer panel review to enable them to prepare major performance art works. Events are presented in partnership with collegial venues, online, or, in the city environment. Grants range between $2,000 and $10,000 based on the peer review panel allocation of funding received by Franklin Furnace. Artists from all areas of the world are encouraged to apply; however, artists supported by funding from Jerome Foundation must live in the five boroughs of New York. Full-time students are ineligible. Learn more.
Association of Performing Arts Presenters Seeks Proposals for Projects to Increase Awareness of Muslim Cultures
The Building Bridges: Campus Community Engagement program, an initiative of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, is accepting proposals from performing arts presenting organizations based in the United States for projects designed to increase awareness of Muslim cultures.
New England Women in Photography- Bring it to the Table: Portfolio Sharing & Conversation
April 21, 2013
10:00 am–12:30 pm
Simmons College, 300 The Fenway, Boston
$10 per person, $5 with a student ID
Attendees will divide into facilitated discussion groups. If you would like
to share your work, bring no more than 10 images on laptop, tablet, or in
print and plan on approximately 10 minutes. Please think of questions for
the group and consider the type of feedback you are hoping to receive. RSVP required by April 18 at www.newip2013.eventbrite.com.
The Design Studio for Social Intervention: Seeking artist/art team to collaborate on “Making Planning Processes Public” project
The Design Studio for Social Intervention seeks an artist/art team to collaborate with them on creating unexpected signage in Upham’s Corner in conjunction with their pop-up exhibit entitled “Making Planning Processes Public.” This exhibit, to open in late April or early May, is called "Making Planning Processes Public." Each commission will pay $2,500. Art Commission 1: Exhibit Development (PDF with full description available online), Art Commission 2: Public Signage (PDF with full description available online.) Applications are due on February 28. Contact: art@ds4si.org.
Institute for Actors and Directors
June 17 – July 5, 2013
DAH Theatre Research Centre
Belgrade, Russia
Application Deadline: June 5, 2013
This summer DAH Theatre Research Centre is offering the Institute for Actors and Directors, which is an intense three-week program of practical workshops and events designed for actors, dancers and directors using contemporary theatre techniques. Participants will indulge in a creative process of physical and vocal training, creating material, and experience how to build a performance through the process of montage. During the first week of the Institute, the students will be working with actresses Maja Vujović and Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, renowned voice and movement specialists. Two other weeks of the Institute will be led by the director and cofounder of Dah Theatre Dijana Milošević. Learn more about the Institute and view the flyer. To apply, download the application form and submit it to ivana.milenovic@dahteatarcen tar.com. Application deadline: June 5, 2013.
Festival Cinema Invisible: Accepting Submissions
May 15–19, 2013
Montreal, Canada
Festival Cinema Invisible (FCI) is an independent, not-for-profit venue dedicated to celebration of the Middle Eastern films that international audience may not otherwise see. FCI provides filmmakers with the opportunity to learn and grow by exhibiting their creative works, while encouraging Canadian and international public to expand their understanding and knowledge of the cinema of the Middle East. FCI, aspiring to entertain and move the audience, features documentaries, Independent, narratives, short and full length films, as well as animations, experimental and other cutting edge technologies. More information.
Writers at risk of human rights: International Writers Project Fellowship at Brown University
The Brown Department of Literary Arts and Thomas J. Watson Institute for International Studies are seeking applications and nominations for the 2013 - 2014 International Writers Project Fellowship. The fellowship provides institutional, intellectual, artistic and social support to writers who face personal danger, oppression, and/or threats to their livelihood in nations throughout the world. Each academic year, the fellowship is granted to one writer who is unable to practice free expression in his or her homeland. Deeply practical in nature and intention, the academic-year fellowship covers the costs of relocation and the writer’s living expenses in the U.S., and also provides an office on the campus of Brown University for ten months. Writers interested in applying for the fellowship should send a case history, providing publishing history and explaining need, a writing sample (preferably in English), and a resume, to the Department of Literary Arts, Box 1923, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, or they may email materials to iwp@brown.edu. More information (click on IWP).
Dance, Human Rights, and Social Justice: Dignity in Motion: Book edited by Naomi Jackson and Toni Shapiro-Phim
This book presents a wide-ranging compilation of essays, spanning more than 15 countries. Organized in four parts, the articles examine the regulation and exploitation of dancers and dance activity by government and authoritative groups, including abusive treatment of dancers within the dance profession; choreography involving human rights as a central theme; the engagement of dance as a means of healing victims of human rights abuses; and national and local social/political movements in which dance plays a powerful role in helping people fight oppression.
Dancing at the Crossroads: Research/practice project at the University of British Columbia
Under the direction of Professors Michelle LeBaron and Carrie MacLeod, this project explores how dance and movement combined with narrative can broaden peacemaking capacities in intercultural conflicts. Theoretical grounding for the project comes from interdisciplinary research on dance and kinesthetic learning, neuroscience, social psychology, expressive arts and intercultural conflict resolution. The Dancing at the Crossroads project investigates somatic dynamics of perception, attribution, and cognitive habits in conflict, and identifies potential contributions of movement-based practices to training and practices in conflict transformation. Read more.
The Clyde Fitch Report: The nexus of arts and politics
Arts and politics are wedded ideas indispensable to the fabric and soul of society. For this reason, The Clyde Fitch Report website serves as a forum where representatives of artistic disciplines and a range of political beliefs may engage and argue, teach and learn, discover their commonalities, and, if possible, demolish their differences. Read more.
Fellowship Program for Historical Dialogue and Accountability: Fall 2013
Columbia University
Columbia University is accepting applications for the 2013 Fellowship for Historical Dialogue and Accountability. They encourage interested parties from around the world and from a wide range of professional sectors—including, but not limited to, human rights practitioners, journalists, academics, educators, filmmakers, artists—to apply. Read more or visit their website.
Call for Papers – Peacebuilding Journal
Inaugural 2013 Issue
University of Manchester
Submission Deadline: Ongoing
“Peacebuilding” will be an international, comparative, multidisciplinary journal open to articles on contemporary and historical cases. It will aim to provide in-depth analyses of the ideologies, philosophies, interests, and policies that underpin peacebuilding programs and initiatives, and to connect with debates being held by policymakers, civil society personnel, scholars and students. “Peacebuilding” will be particularly interested in contributions from the ‘subjects’ of peacebuilding, as well as theoretical and methodological innovations. One of the themes the editors are interested in is how the current peacebuilding paradigm produces political subjectivity, and how this is responded to by the recipients of peacebuilding operations. Read more.
Princess Grace Foundation -USA Seeks Nominations for 2013 Theater Awards Program
The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging theater, dance, and film artists who are at the outset of their careers or at an early stage of professional development. The foundation is currently inviting nominations for its 2013 Theater Grants Program. Typically ranging from $7,500 to $30,000, Theater Grants in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships are awarded to actors, directors, and designers (costume, set, sound, projection, or lighting) who have been nominated by artistic directors of theater companies and deans or department chairs of professional schools in theater. Grants are not currently available for composers, lyricists, dramaturgs, managers, or music directors. More information.
The Fender Music Foundation Grant Process
The Fender Music Foundation awards instruments and equipment to eligible music instruction programs. These items are lightly used, blemished or otherwise imperfect and have been collected from manufacturers and retailers. Descriptions regarding the specific imperfections of each instrument will be available to selected programs. The organization is currently awarding acoustic guitars, electric guitars, acoustic-electric guitars, bass guitars and the equipment necessary to play these instruments. However, other traditional music instruments are sometimes available. Traditional instruments include string instruments, woodwind instruments, brass instruments, percussion instruments, keyboards and voice. DJ equipment and computers are not available through The Fender Music Foundation. More information.
Conference -
Connected and Consequential: Artists and the Future
March 7–8, 2013
Bartos Theater, MIT, Cambridge, MA
The conference is an interactive forum for philanthropic and social investors, policy leaders and other knowledge leaders to engage in presentations and discussions of New England based projects located in the hybrid realms of art and medicine; art, food systems and community transformation; art, technology and empathy; and art, consumption and justice. There will be a panel discussion on alter-institutional cultural production and a preview of the first installment of the “Artists' Prospectus for the Nation.” Sponsored by the Artists in Context. Cynthia Cohen will be on the panel to talk about creative approaches to reconciliation from 10:00–11:30am on March 8th. Read more.
Creative Resistance Fund
Each year, hundreds of culture workers are violently assaulted for pursuing social change through their art forms: as community leaders and role models, they lose their jobs; face arbitrary imprisonment; and are sometimes killed for speaking truth to power. The Creative Resistance Fund (CRF) provides small distress grants to people in danger due to their use of creativity to fight injustice. The fund may be used to evacuate a dangerous situation; to cover living expenses while weighing long-term options for safety; or to act on a strategic opportunity to affect social change. CRF is the newest project and service of freeDimensional (fD), an organization that advances social justice by hosting activists in art spaces and using cultural resources to strengthen their work. Grants are typically made within two weeks from the time of application if approved by the CRF committee. For more information, visit the CRF website.
College Art Association - 2013 Conference
February 13–16
New York
Join over 6,000 artists, art historians, students, educators, critics, curators, collectors, librarians, and gallerists for four days of presentations and panel discussions exploring the study, practice, and history of art and visual culture. The conference program boasts more than 200 sessions, a variety of career-development workshops for professionals at all stages of their careers, mentoring and networking opportunities, and prospects for interviews with colleges, universities, and museums… Read more and register.
Introduction to Art & Peacebuilding:
A Unique One-and-a-Half Day Workshop in Theatre and Conflict Transformation
February 22, 6:00 – 9:00pm
and
February 23, 10:00am – 6:00pm
La MaMa Rehearsal Studio, 47 Great Jones St., New York City
This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to learn about current and previous work in the field of peacebuilding and performance in conflict zones, and to acquire tools and skills for creative and ethical conflict transformation using material from the Acting Together on the World Stage Toolkit. Participants will have the opportunity to discover resources and join a global network of thoughtful arts and human rights practitioners. The workshop fee is $99; $49 for students. Need-based scholarships are available. Reservations are required. Please call (212) 620-0703 to reserve your place. More information.
Emmanuel College Artist in Residence (ECAR)
The Emmanuel College Art Department offers an eight-week artists residency to four artists each summer. The residency supports a diverse group of artists, providing time and space for established and emerging artists to develop their work. However, the Art Department specifically aims to award a residency to one individual from each of the four categories: ceramics, photography, printmaking and social justice. Read more.
Rotary Global Peace Forum: Hawaii
January 25–27, 2013
Honolulu, Hawaii
A Global Peace Forum is an opportunity for people of different ages from different parts of the world to gather to share ideas and develop strategies to progress toward a more peaceful world. Honolulu’s forum is encouraging the next generation of leaders to leap into the limelight and share their dreams for next steps in the journey. Aung San Suu Kyi will be the keynote speaker. Read more.
