A national meeting of artists, educators and organizers

Posted by on December 19, 2003

A national meeting of artists, educators and organizers
New Orleans, January 23 to 25, 2004

At certain moments in history, an idea catches on that transforms how social change is thought about, discussed and practiced. At the National Exchange on Art & Civic Dialogue convened by Animating Democracy recently in Flint, Michigan, many of us — artists, organizers and educators from diverse backgrounds and places throughout the United States — agreed that we have arrived at one such moment. The energy produced at that gathering was so dynamic that some of us began a conversation about continuing to share our many gifts, skills, talents and resources.

The idea that sparked us was this, as articulated in Flint by Grace Lee Boggs of the Boggs Center in Detroit: “Working within our separate arenas, progressive artists, educators and organizers have hit a wall in our ability to move society towards a vision of a healthier, more equitable world. No longer can we think about social change as a revolution of only the body (organizing), the mind (education) or the spirit (art). It is all three at once in concert, and this calls for nothing less than a revolution in how we think about and practice social change.”

For this reason, we are organizing a national convening of artists, organizers and educators in New Orleans, Louisiana, from dinnertime on Friday, January 23, through lunchtime on Sunday, January 25, 2004. Twelve of us from around the country have taken primary responsibility for organizing registration, promotion, travel subsidies, agenda-setting and logistics. But in order to succeed everyone who participates will have to consider themselves a leader.

There is no pre-determined outcome to this event other than forging closer ties between those who do, teach and study the various forms of social change. Some potential outcomes include a new coalition or organization, a continuing series of gatherings hosted by different formations, intensive organizing around upcoming electoral campaigns, and new ideas that will emerge once we meet. We view the gathering as an opportunity to (1) discuss and demonstrate our work with each other, and (2) decide what (if any) next steps we need to take together.

If you want to inform others of the event, feel free to forward this email to them.

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INVITATION TO REGISTER

You can register online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=95110332905

DIVERSE PARTICIPATION

It is vital to the success of our meeting that the fullest possible range of experiences and perspectives are present. For this reason, we have set as our goal:

? At least 50% people under 30
? At least 50% educators and organizers not focused on the arts
? At least 50% women and people of color

There are no registration fees. The organizing committee asks every registrant who can, regardless of your background or profession, to (a) support someone else coming with you from your community and/or (b) contribute to a Travel Fund that we have established to assist low-income youth, educators, organizers, women and people of color in covering their travel costs. It will only be through each person making a commitment to diversity that a diverse group will be assembled.

This gathering is an entirely volunteer effort. Whether or not you can attend, please consider making a contribution to the Travel Fund (check, credit card or frequent flyer miles) through Graciela Sanchez at graciela@esperanzacenter.org

SITES

The two main sites will be Tulane University and Frederick Douglass High School, at the opposite ends of many spectrums in the city called New Orleans.

FOOD & HOUSING

A New Orleans site team is working to provide free and low-cost meals, in-town transportation and housing. For more information about housing, including low and no-cost options, contact David Carson, our New Orleans-based Housing Coordinator, at davidcarson81@mail.com

POST-MEETING ACTIVITIES

Meeting space will be available on site for groups that wish to hold meetings immediately following the end of the meeting on Sunday. Contact Jim Randels at jimrandelssac@earthlink.net for more information.