Way back in 2011, we finished off the year with discussion about outreach at Breaking New Ground, Made in BC's annual professional development meeting.I emailed this question to some of our panelists, and thought I'd post the question, and some answers that have come in.
What skills have been most valuable to you in your community arts engagement practice, and where did you get those skills from?
For myself, when working in community as a dance artist or arts educator, I draw a lot on my group facilitation and listening skills, and an analysis of power (eg, looking at participation and communication through such lenses as class, gender, language, culture, skin colour, and more). I'm posing the question in part because these are skills I first gained as a trained animateur working in international development, and also in undergraduate work in conflict resolution and human rights, all before I began my professional dance training. I continue to draw from museum education (I work with children, youth and families in an art gallery, where there is quite a bit of pedagogy about how to ask questions and engage people in looking and seeing), and this all shapes my approach to working with people, using dance, body, arts, or in non-arts contexts.
Miriam Colvin, Dance Artist and Dance Outreach Co-ordinator for the Bulkley Valley Concert Association, replied:
I am beginning a new project in Minneapolis right now and so I have the opportunity to observe myself in the beginning stages: new community, new landscape, new cultures. I think that, like Caroline, I draw heavily from group facilitation skills. One specific skill I noticed today working with youth is how I ask questions. I ask a lot of questions. I learned this skill first from my father and later from all of the great teachers in my life who taught by invoking thought rather than by telling answers. I try to find out what is happening, what is interesting, why is it interesting. Inviting people to share their stories or explain things in their own words opens up worlds of possibilities in my arts engagement practice as the group is lead in ways I never would have imagined on my own.
Yuriko Iga, Director at Vancouver's Blim, specified three skills:
1.Adaptability: working organically with client and community. artist , non artist. (I got this from life experience)
2.Constant improving of things: looking at business like a (work in progress) - (I got this from life experience as well)
3. Resourcefulness: finding things cheap, finding things for others, linking people up with other people. (life experience)
Ok, so far that's facilitation, listening, awareness of power, asking questions, adaptability, constant improving of things, and resourcefulness.
If you'd like to add, please do.
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