Monthly Archives: March 2021

As an art history major, Im often asked why I chose a field with few lucrative job opportunities, but the IDEAS Week 2021 Keynote Lecture with Fahamu Pecou (17G, 18G) and Doug Shipman (95C) provided a reason. Shipman, former CEO of the Woodruff Arts Center, noted the power of understanding history has never been higher. When facing political and social turmoil, we need only turn to history to figure out what to do, or what not to do. This is why I study art history. The past is not meant to be copied, but to learn from and to allow us to create a different future.

The Feb. 22 keynote discussion between Pecou and Shipman focused on social action, art and museums as they explored the impact of history and its use in artistic institutions. Pecou and Shipman, both Emory alumni, tied their discussion to the greater Atlanta area and Emorys art community.

Pecou, an interdisciplinary artist and scholar, spoke first about his work as the founder of the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA), which he described as both a social justice and arts initiative. ADAMA was developed three and a half years ago in response to a conversation Pecou had with a friend concerning the issues facing Black artists in Atlanta. He wanted to address the lack of diversity within cultural and institutional offerings in Atlanta, concerns of erasure due to gentrification in the inner city and lack of accessibility to art. Despite being an avid museumgoer, similar issues of accessibility and diversity persist in these institutions, making me value the way Pecou responded to the gaps in arts and culture.

ADAMA not only responds to general institutional demands for museums, but also the needs of the Black community in Atlanta and beyond. Pecou emphasized how ADAMA thinks about the contributions of the broader African diaspora and the diverse communities of Black people that reside all across Atlanta by recognizing that Blackness and Black identity are not monolithic or homogenous.

The recent calls for social justice in 2020 pushed museums to recognize their inhospitality toward Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC), which Pecou understood way before last year. In the founding of ADAMA, Pecou was intentional about reorienting the experience of Black people in artistic institutions by creating a space that reflects the multidimensional, lived experiences of BIPOC and not those of their white oppressors. Shipman equated this to the creation of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. When rethinking the museum, designer Moshe Safdie wanted to focus on Jewish stories of remembrance, survival and resilience, not on the German story of the Nazi partys rise to power. By situating the narrative to center around Jewish strength and experiences, the museum is capable of projecting a brighter future, not just simply retelling the past. Both the ADAMA and Yad Vashem fulfill the truest purpose of museums: using the past as a building block for a diverse and representative future.

This people-focused mentality is also what enlivens the art objects in the ADAMA, and it breaks the traditional, static mold of Eurocentric museums. This is a new wave of museum conception that I believe other global museums should follow, as the current generation of social activists and art consumers have demanded these spaces break institutional norms to meet the needs of the art and the viewers.

Pecou references one of Cesar A. Cruzs quotes to highlight this new role of museums: Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted.

Conventionally, museums have done the opposite appease the comforted and ensure nobody is offended or made to check their complicity in social ills. This is no longer what the goal of museums should be or what the future of museums will be. Pecou explains that uncomfortable material is what pushes and challenges us to learn as visitors in a museum, and both educational and artistic institutions should create space for productive growth.

When asked to leave the audience with one last thing, a seed to plant, Pecou concluded with what appears to be his favorite mode of important messaging: a quote.

As Frederick Douglass would often charge his followers to do, Agitate, agitate, agitate. Despite being 8 p.m. on a Monday, the lecture left me ready to agitate and transform the oppressive systems of artistic institutions to form a brighter and more diverse future in which all arts, identities, histories and perspectives can be displayed.

Original post:

IDEAS Week Keynote Rethinks the Interplay of History, Art, Museums - The Emory Wheel

Why Global Citizens Should Care

As Global Citizens, we should all seek to be more thoughtful and intentional about the content we choose to consume and share with our friends and family.

After last years worldwide reckoning with racial injustice further exposed the ways that racism is embedded in US society from brands depicting harmful stereotypes on their products to the US prison system disproportionately targeting people of color it is up to us to choose equality over tradition and recognize how products we love are actually contributing to an unjust society.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which preserves and protects the legacy of Dr. Seuss after his death in 1991, will stop publishing six of the authors books because of racist and insensitive imagery, according to the AP.

These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong, the company said. Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises catalog represents and supports all communities and families.

Related Stories Feb. 19, 2021 10 of the Best Books for All Global Citizens, According to Instagrams Biggest Readers

While Dr. Seuss books are celebrated for their thoughtful lessons and ability to incorporate themes like environmentalism into their storylines, they have also contributed to racist stereotypes by showcasing orientalism and anti-Black imagery.

One of the books that Dr. Seuss Enterprises will no longer publish, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, includes a drawing of an Asian person wearing a conical hat, holding chopsticks, and eating from a bowl. Another titled If I Ran the Zoo depicts two African men who are barefoot and wearing grass skirts.

Related Stories June 17, 2020 How Racism and Discrimination Prevent Access to Good Health and Well-Being for All

Whether you love Dr. Seuss books because of the colorful illustrations, rhyming narratives, or nostalgia they bring you, there are many other childrens books that feature diverse characters and lessons.

In an effort to be more intentional about the books we read our children, weve curated a list of 10 childrens books that promote anti-racism and celebrate historically-marginalized communities.

Meena Harris picture book was written for every girl who has ever been told she is "too ambitious," much like the authors aunt, Vice President Kamala Harris.

When a young girl notices that women on TV are consistently derided for their assertiveness and ambition, she journeys through the past, present, and future to learn about the challenges women face every day and how being described as "too this" or "too that" cannot stop them from being proud of themselves.

This board book takes children through their ABCs while teaching them about social justice ideals and activists, highlighting the working class, immigrants, and civil rights. The colorful illustrations and vibrant rhymes will also engage children to understand the values of community and equality.

The Day You Begin uses stunning lyricism and mixed media illustrations to teach your children that every person has a beautiful and unique story that connects them to the world. It is honest about the loneliness children may feel to encourage them to open up and celebrate diversity as a strength.

If you love bold art and playful text in Dr. Seuss books, then youll love them paired with the antiracist themes in Ibram X. Kendis board book. The bestselling author introduces young readers to the concept of antiracism to teach them early on to fight for equality.

For fans of Oh, The Places Youll Go to teach kids about what they can accomplish, The Wonderful Things You Will Be highlights the beauty that is found in everyone. It combines diverse illustrations and a loving message to inspire children from all backgrounds.

To teach children numbers, Counting Ovejas is the perfect book to help children say goodnight at the end of a long day. Written in English and Spanish, the book engages children in two languages to learn colors and numbers, and the beautiful artistry keeps them focused on the books dreamy illustrations.

Stevensons board book uses the colors of the LGBTQ+ Pride flag to teach children about love and acceptance. Full-page color photographs provide a sensory experience while rhyming verses hone in on the books central message: I love you just the way you are.

If youre searching for a picture book that utilizes stunning illustrations to feature Black history and culture, look no further. Black Is a Rainbow Color teaches children about the beauty of being Black and celebrates Black activists.

Inuit throat singer Celina Kalluk describes the gifts given to a child by the animals of the Arctic in this beautiful poem meant for bedtime. It depicts a variety of animals to teach children about traditional Inuit values, such as love and respect for the land and animals.

Scanlons board book highlights the wonders of a childs world through poetic text and lovely illustrations depicting the beauty of the earth. It teaches children to be curious and excited about all there is to discover in the world around them.

Instead of holding onto books that perpetuate harmful practices in the name of tradition, engage your children in stories rooted in diversity and equality for all people. As you read, you may find yourself learning something new, too.

Continue reading here:

10 Book Alternatives to Dr. Seuss You Should Read to Your Kids - Global Citizen

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 9, 2021 (PRNewswire) National Day of Unplugging, Unplug Collaboratives call-to-action and awareness campaign, today announced its slate of brand partners poised to expand the impact of this years event which will take place from sundown Friday, March 5 to sundown Saturday, March 6 and inspire communities across the globe.

National Day of Unplugging 2021 brand partners include:

For the last decade, National Day of Unplugging has activated thousands of in-person, unplugged events; in 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated a new approach. Unplug Collaboratives mission is to elevate human connection over digital engagement, said executive director Kim Cavallo. As we are all restricted from larger-scale IRL experiences, the conversation about limiting screen time has to be more nuanced. We dont want to add guilt or shame on top of the anxiety people are already feeling after a year of unprecedented chaos.

As a result, this years National Day of Unplugging efforts will focus on safe, in-home, and outdoor small group activities, along with contests and charitable partnerships aimed at amplifying social impact. With more than 50 unplugged ideas and activities featured on the National Day of Unplugging website ranging from the simple to the adventurous there is an access point for any person looking to answer the collective call to unplug, and help people make intentional choices about how they spend their unplugged time.

Read the rest here:

'National Day Of Unplugging Announces New Brand Partners And Global Expansion For 2021 Event - WTHITV.com

March 2, 2021

This is a blog post highlighting some things we've learned through an evaluation of the Boston Artists-in-Residence (AIR) program, and some changes we're making to the residency going forward.

We are currently in the second half of the fourth year of the Boston Artists-in-Residence program, Boston AIR. At the start of 2020, we were proud to say that the structure of the fourth year more closely resembled our vision for the program than any other year. And in March, we felt grateful to even be able to move forward with the program, in any modified form. We understood and continue to acknowledge that it is a privilege to be able to do this work, especially now.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in the spirit of serving our community and listening to artists, Boston AIR will be extending the residencies of the current artists to the end of May 2021, providing the artists and our community members with three additional months to continue their residency work. This extension allows the artists more time to create deep and impactful work, and aligns with overall plans from the leadership team to adjust the residency moving forward. Moving forward, Boston AIR will be a 15 month program, and is adapting to be responsive in other ways.

We wouldn't have been able to make the necessary changes this year without the years of dynamic, continuously reflexive, and sometimes messy work and learning that came before it. This work has been supported and carried out by 20 artists, over a dozen city colleagues, hundreds of engaged residents, and a dedicated department of friends and allies.

Photo of "How Artists Change the City" evaluation.

Evaluation

In October of 2018, we sent out a call for evaluators for the third year of the Boston Artists-in-Residence program. This third cohort included seven artists and cultural workers from across the city, who met together over the course of the year to discuss art, policy, and social change using a lens of resilience and racial equity. The artists examined City of Boston policies and attended workshops. Some artists collaborated with City officials and community members at various Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) sites and other community centers and nonprofits to develop projects. Other artists investigated City processes and advocated for pathways where systems fell short.

Sherman Cultural Strategies, composed of Danya Sherman, Deidra Montgomery, and later, Chelsea Bruck, were chosen through a competitive process to carry out the evaluation and provide potential lessons for future iterations.

Through a multi-year process, which included a series of interviews, surveys, and document reviews, Sherman Cultural Strategies authored the written text for the evaluation. That text has been bolstered here through visual design by our Communications Fellow, Veronica Wells, to create a more accessible, reader-friendly version. We invite community members to read the following evaluation in hopes that it both provides a greater understanding of this type of civic work and adds to our collective learning around partnerships between artists and municipalities.

The evaluation report is one tier of a multi-layered, in-depth reflection and evaluation process that occurred from 2018 to 2019.

Read the Evaluation

Reflection and active listening

The formal evaluation was helpful and validating; however, reflection and conversations with trusted colleagues and artists supported the iterative, demanding, and loving process that guided us. We'd like to thank former AIRs Rashin Fahandej, Karen Young, and Shaw Pong Liu, who generously gave their time and shared their expertise during honest conversations. Many of the learnings from those discussions and others with current and former artists have informed the fourth year of the program and continue informing planning for the fifth year, in conjunction with the evaluation report.

Photo of participants from Karen Young's Boston AIR project, Older and Bolder, at the Boston AIR celebration in 2018, courtesy of Ryan McMahon.

In addition to these meaningful exchanges with former artists, we took into consideration suggestions from our colleagues. We received valuable feedback from team members, including Chief of Arts and Culture, Kara Elliott-Ortega. Chief Elliott-Ortega pushed our thinking during planning conversations and interacted with the cohort during internal meetings reflection sessions. Understanding that partnership was a core element of this work, we also engaged in active listening with City officials who worked directly with an artist through the program, along with non-City arts administrators leading and organizing arts-based cohorts operating under a lens of social justice.

This process also involved assessing prior years in practical ways, asking ourselves what things worked, and what things didn't. How many people make a cohort feel connected and intimate? How many monthly meetings let partners feel heard without feeling micromanaged? What does it look like to have a physical space? What does it mean to be "in-residence" with the City? How much time is enough time for this work?

This type of reflection was done by the leadership team each year, resulting in the first three cohorts and structures looking notably different. We now view this process as unintentional piloting, a byproduct of a responsive approach.

During the first year, three artists worked closely with specific City departments, developing residencies that brought constituents into City systems. During Boston AIR's second year, a cohort of ten artists worked within BCYF centers, often addressing the immediate needs of those distinct neighborhoods and communities, and seeing how policy impacts the lived experiences of Bostonians. During the third year, seven artists were given the opportunity to connect to a BCYF center, in order to be in direct conversation with residents impacted by City policy, but were also asked to incorporate resilience and racial equity into their work.

Each year provided invaluable knowledge, which was reinforced by the research done by Sherman Cultural Strategies during the third year. This allowed us to build a program structure for the fourth year that was backed by outside research, learned experiences, sincere feedback, and a responsive approach.

Lastly, in this evaluation process, we acknowledged our capacity as the leadership team. This meant being intentional about building a structure that allowed room for breath, and one that felt sustainable to us as stewards of the program. We were deliberate in our planning. We aimed to create a program structure that, if replicated by other municipalities, wouldn't leave administrators feeling overtaxed and cohort members feeling underserved.

This fourth year was upheld by the clarity developed through the process, and integrates what we've learned from previous years as core themes: supporting collaborative and democratic creation of City policy, process, and practice (Year 1), understanding how local government policy impacts Bostonians (Year 2), and examining City policies with a lens of resilience and racial equity (Year 3).

Photo of former Boston AIR Nakia Hill at Boston AIR celebration in 2018, courtesy of Ryan McMahon.

Looking Ahead

We want to thank community members for standing by us throughout this process, throughout years of experimentation, piloting, growing and evolving and supporting residency projects that reimagined a more creative and equitable Boston. We are grateful to our artists from the first three years of the program.

And of course, we thank this current cohort, Victor Yang, Golden, Erin Genia, Pat Falco, Anthony Romero, and their City partners Tania Mireles, Kyron Owens, Wandy Pascoal, and Carol Leon, everyone at the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture who continue to build community and do this important work.

This press release was produced by the City of Boston. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Read the original:

Boston Air: Learning From The Past And Moving Forward - Patch.com

Southeast Saskatchewan is growing, according to Sask Health numbers, particularly Moosomin and its surrounding areas. Over the last 10 years Moosomin has grown by 14.6 per cent and by 32 per cent over the last 15 yearssurrounding municipalities have also either stayed about the same or grown.

This isnt the case outside the region, with other rural communities seeing a decrease in size in the last decade. Moosomin and its surrounding area have the benefit of the mining industry playing an important role in growth, but Sask Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve McLellan says theres more to it than that.

There are some certain natural assets that have been capitalized onlike the oil sector, like the potash sectorbut even within Moosomins geographic area, not every community has grown, he said. My assessment would be quite simple, Moosomin looks like a great place to live, and it is a great place to live, and thats drawn people who will drive outside of the community to work elsewhere. Its got those basic amenities, its got a hospital, its got a nice downtown, its got restaurants, its got hotels out on the highway, and its got a positive attitude. It looks like a winner and thats what people want, so if it looks like a community thats going backwards with how it looks and how it feels, then people wont want to live there and they wont stay there.

Moosomin has got those amenities that will keep people in the neighbourhood, rather than driving all the way to Yorkton and commuting to the mines, or driving from Carlyle to the oil sector. Moosomin has people who say, I want to live in this town, its got everything I need and looks like a winner, Id be wise to live here. All of amenities make a difference. There are different things to look for in a townyounger people want to make sure theres things to do, places for their kids to skate, good schools that arent falling apart and at risk of closing, and as they get older they want to make sure theres a healthcare facility that will look after them. Everybody wants to know that theres decent retail that will give me all the products that I need and at easy access.

I think were going to see places like Moosomin become even bigger and grow even faster as smaller towns who cant fit that bill start to decrease in population, he said. The only exception will be smaller communities that are near a lake or something that has a draw like that, but I think Moosomin will always be a very popular and lively growing community.

McLellan also thinks publicizing the assets a town has plays a key role in attracting people from surrounding areas and building buzz about the community.

The reality of it is, not only do you have to have those things, but you have to tell people that you have them, he said. For example, the skate way that Moosomin has in town, I saw in an issue of the paper. Those things make a difference, thats good exposure. Everyone that is relatively new to town and even those who have been around a while, when theyre on the phone or on a Zoom with someone living elsewhere and they say, what did you do this week? and one person from another community says, Im bored as can be, and the Moosomin person says, we went skate, or even if they didnt go on it, they know about it because its been covered so well and theyve got plans to use it.

Not every town has someone out there to let everybody know that they have these things. Thats a part of the responsibility, but also the opportunity of a community newspaper to make sure people know all these assets and keep remind them because you might not be a skater today, but in two weeks when youre as bored as can be and want to get outside youll go downtown buy a pair of skates and figure out you love skating because you havent done it in thirty years. All those things are part of what keeps communities vibrant and keeps people in those communities.

Continuity in the community between the town council, economic development officer, rec department, business leaders, and everybody in-between is paramount for promoting growth and ensuring strong involvement says McLellan.

They need to get active, he said. Growth is not accidental and very seldom is it totally organic. Its intentional, Moosomins economic development folks have been active to invite companies like Canalta to come to town. The town has worked very closely with the mines and the oil company to make sure what they need is available and that they feel welcome in the community. Its absolutely an intentional outcome and if youre not intentional, strategic, and co-ordinated in how you do that.

Whether its the rec board working with the economic development board or local chamber helping to identify new opportunities and celebrate new businesses, but it has to be a co-ordinated effort without it being overly organized. Its got to be intentional and communities that are sitting on their heels saying, jeez, poor us, theyll continue to go down because nobody wants to be part of that attitude and its a long way often from a negative attitude to a positive growth ratetheres a direct link between the two.

If a rural area is to thrive, McLellan believes it has everything to do with the collective positivity of the townspeople and he says that starts at the top with community leaders and it trickles down.

Even to the young person that works at the gas station, when someone drives through and they say, welcome to Moosomin! or something that just shows the positive attitude, that matters, he said. If theyre driving across the country and they stop at 20 gas stations, which is the one they remember? Those sorts of goodwill assets are certainly useful and again, when you drive through it, it looks like a town you want to live in and thats the attitude Moosomin projects.

It has potential with surrounding industriestheres a lot of work that has made it so successfulbut I think it will continue because of the collective will. Moosomins local chamber is very active, the economic development folks work well, and theres good leadership at the municipal level and certainly the MLA, Steven Bonk, is a champion for the Moosomin area and the province. All of those things combined, like I say, theres a direct line between a negative attitude and negative growth.

Something McLellan sees as a quick fix is help from the provincial and federal government. He believes if the change doesnt start from within the community then assistance from outside of it wont have a lasting impact.

It has to start with the communities, he said. The worst thing and the shortest term success would be a government grant that helped the community do something. It has to start internally and the only way for it to be sustainable is for it to be done that way. If the municipality puts money into it, then thats great because its your own community. The province cant give you a grant that creates a positive environment, they can give you a grant to help strategy, but its much better done if its done at the municipal level.

They can assist things, like making sure theres a program to have a senior centre built where theres community shared ownership or fundraising, they can make sure theyre very careful on determination of healthcare services and how those facilities are funded, and they can certainly have a bigger stakeas can the private sectorin things like infrastructure for internet. Those types of things make life in a smaller community different, not more challenging, but different if indeed things like access to internet or business or kids learning are harder to access in rural Saskatchewanthe province has a role in helping there, but I dont think they have a direct role in making people more positive.

You need to want to come together as a community and when you do that, you dont need a grant, you just need a group of committed individuals and great things will happen. All the provincial or federal government can give you is a temporary high, he said. It needs to be sustainable because otherwise you become a one hit wonder and people may say, oh my gosh this is good, Im going to move there, and then they get there and theres no positivity. Even elected leadership can be ambassadors for it, but you need people who arent on council to help produce events and celebrate great things that are happening in the community.

Delegates can do that, they should recognize the good things Moosomin is doing and congratulate the town and expansion, and they do that through people like Steven Bonk. But other than that, Id argue, it has got to be at the grassroots level for it to be sustainable because its not a short-term high youre looking for.

Read more from the original source:

Sask Chamber CEO says positivity the key to growth - Yorkton This Week