Peacebuilding and the Arts

• Theatre: Spotlight on Russia — TheTheatreTimes.com is kicking off its new Spotlight feature with the launch of the Spotlight on Russia series, which showcases new developments in Russian theatre both in Russia and abroad.
• "Aesthetic Perspectives: Attributes of Excellence in Arts for Change" — A report by John Borstel, Pam Korza, Andrea Assaf; Chris Dwyer; Mark Valdez, Denise Brown, and Barbara Schaffer Bacon. A framework to enhance understanding and evaluation of Arts for Change developed by Animating Democracy. 

News

• Protest Art in the Era of Trump (New York Times) — Six boundary-pushing artists talk about protesting current events through their work. The intention is to galvanize and educate, but reactions to the art can be as thorny as the issues the work addresses. 
• Venice Biennale taps art angst amid rising nationalism — With nationalism on the rise, political engagement is central to the artistic dialogue at the Venice Biennale, the world’s oldest contemporary art fair. 

Arts

• These Emerging Artists Are More Than Ready To Defend The First Amendment (The Huffington Post) — "Now, more than ever, we need to empower journalists to hold our government accountable and to provide us with the facts we need to remain informed and involved citizens," Ground Floor Gallery in New York City wrote online. "As passionate arts professionals vested in critical thought and freedom of expression, we feel compelled to respond."
• Constructing identity, shifting borders: Chant Avedissian's "Transfer, Transport, Transit" at Sabrina Amrani Gallery, Madrid — Chant Avedissian's return to a gallery marks the time for the artist to talk about our present and changes in our society... The increasingly monumental migratory flows, the new political shifts and alliances, and the digitally evolved forms of social relations push our globalised society to re-sketch the notions of identity, borders and relationship.
• These 11 Artists Will Transform the Art World in 2017 — Brexit, terrorism, and the immigration crisis threaten the existence of the European Union. ...2017 looks to be the year when art and artists encounter politics and cultural commentary head on. 

Resources

• Interview with Michaela Crimmin, founder and co-director of Culture+Conflict — Alessandra Cianetti: "Michaela, you are the founder and co-director of Culture+Conflict, 'a not-for-profit agency focusing on art produced in, or in response to, conflict and post-conflict situations across the world'. What are the conflicts and art practices you have been focusing on lately? As curator, academic and director, how do you think the notion of border has been changing in our contemporary world?... "
• Five Challenges to Artistic Freedom By Ole Reitov — Nationalism and religious orthodoxy is spreading in many parts of the world — in the North as well as in the South, East and West. Controlling the minds and expressions of people is based on fear, and the tool of control is spreading more fear, leading to self-censorship, and to stereotyping of "the other" whether these "others" are cultural, religious, sexual or social minorities. Behind messages such as "protecting our culture and nation" and "protecting our moral values," lies the fear of diversity of expressions, opinions and creativity. 

Arts

• Book: "But Abu Ibrahim, We're Family!" By Dr. Lee Perlman — Acting Together Contributor and Research Fellow, Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, Tel Aviv University, Dr. Lee Perlman, will launch his new book on artist-based peacebuilding performance in Israel, "But Abu Ibrahim, We're Family!" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2017.
• Film: "Disturbing the Peace" — Combatants for Peace is a bi-national movement of Palestinians and Israelis who actively participated in the cycle of violence in the region,but have since chosen the path of nonviolence in promoting peace and coexistence. Combatants for Peace incorporates methodologies from Theatre or the Oppressed in their work; their approach is captured in a powerful new film "Disturbing the Peace," about people born into conflict, sword to be enemies, who challenged their fate. The film follows everyday people who took extraordinary actions by standing for what they believe in. 
• Garland of Flowers By Jonathan Fox — "Garland of Flowers" is Jonathan Fox's recent account of working with a Playback project in Nepal, a country where he spent two formative years as a young man (referred to in his memoir Beyond Theatre.) Returning to Nepal in 2016 brought new understanding of how his long-ago experience there contributed in important ways to the formation of Playback Theatre.
• Playback Theatre and Social Change: Functions, Principles and Practices — By Ben Rivers and Jiwon Chung — Based on the authors' extensive experience in the US, India, and the Middle East, this concise article proposes a set of well-reasoned principles and guidelines that support the effective, ethical use of Playback Theatre for social change.

Resources

• "A Vision of Aleppo": Brandeis University Design Lab (pdf) — In collaboration with the Aleppo Project, Brandeis students participated in a Design Lab generating creative approaches to rebuilding trust and envisioning a future for the people of Aleppo.

  This PDF may be requested by completing the online publication request form.

• Startup WorkAround brings jobs and dignity to Refugees — WorkAround, a collaboration between four women from four different parts of the world, provides online jobs for refugees.
• Art Radar — Art Radar conducts original research and interviews leading artists, curators, gallerists and other art professionals to bring our readers an unbiased and direct view into the world of Asian contemporary art.
• Lullaby Project — VocalEssence is thrilled to be the first choir nationally to offer the Lullaby Project, a national program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute. The Lullaby Project creates musical experiences for women facing pregnancy while enduring other hardships, such as teenage pregnancy, homelessness, or incarceration.
• TheTheatreTimes.com — TheTheatreTimes.com was recently launched as a global site for theatre news. With an expanding collaborative team of Regional Managing Editors around the world, we aim to be the largest global theatre news source online.

News

• What It Means To Be An Artist In The Time Of Trump (Huffington Post) — As the nation collectively struggles to come to terms with what a Donald Trump presidency means, the Huffington Post calls upon artists as activists, optimists, truth-tellers and revolutionaries, to resist the normalization of hate and prejudice, to stand up for the communities that have been marginalized, and advocate for an America that serves all of its citizens.
• The Trump-'Hamilton' controversy shows why live theater still matters (The Washtingon Post) — After Donald Trump's Twitter attack against Hamilton, this opinion piece from the Washington Post reminds its readers of the latent power of theater makers.

Arts

• “The Messy Truth:” A Mini-Series by Van Jones — In the digital mini-series "The Messy Truth" Van Jones sits down with voters who supported different candidates for president in historic Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.
  • Episode 1
  • Episode 2
  • Episode 3

Resources

• 5 Books to Read About Artists Under Nazism: How do artists function under tyranny?
• Spectre of Treason (Boston Globe) — John Shattuck, a member of the advisory board of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, argues that Trump should endorse the proposed investigation of the Russian hacking scandal, in order to avoid the spectre of treason hovering over the president-elect.
• Should the Art World Strike on Inauguration Day? — Will the art world in the U.S. close down on Inauguration Day? What will that mean?
• Women In Music — Women In Music is an organization with a mission to advance the awareness, equality, diversity, heritage, opportunities, and cultural aspects of women in the musical arts through education, support, empowerment and recognition.