Comments for http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress making a difference Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:18:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 Comment on Conference by DiRosa Samantha http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/blog/2011/12/conference/#comment-7 DiRosa Samantha Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:18:26 +0000 http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/?p=495#comment-7     I would be incredibly interested in this topic at the Unconference.  In addition to the ivory tower’s walls creating insularity, the semester or term time frames and segmented class blocks are so unnatural compared to the “world outside.”  In line with MJ’s suggestions about objectives, how do we train nascent ecoartists in the necessary tools for art/science collaborations, in the practical considerations that face teams working together, in the protocols for successful collaboration, etc. all within this rather unnatural and limited format?  I teach only at the undergraduate level, so yes, to echo Chris, a conversation about programs beyond the MFA, would be wonderful. Beyond training alone, perhaps this is more largely about the issue of mentoring?  How do we do this effectively, inside and outside of the academy?  
 
I would be incredibly interested in this topic at the Unconference.  In addition to the ivory tower’s walls creating insularity, the semester or term time frames and segmented class blocks are so unnatural compared to the “world outside.”  In line with MJ’s suggestions about objectives, how do we train nascent ecoartists in the necessary tools for art/science collaborations, in the practical considerations that face teams working together, in the protocols for successful collaboration, etc. all within this rather unnatural and limited format?  I teach only at the undergraduate level, so yes, to echo Chris, a conversation about programs beyond the MFA, would be wonderful.
Beyond training alone, perhaps this is more largely about the issue of mentoring?  How do we do this effectively, inside and outside of the academy?

]]> Comment on Conference by Fremantle Chris http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/blog/2011/12/conference/#comment-6 Fremantle Chris Sat, 10 Dec 2011 21:27:37 +0000 http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/?p=495#comment-6 Aviva asked me to post the following comments which I had put in an email.  They come under broadly three headings: <strong>Potential subjects</strong> I think the question of aesthetics is very important - we need to be able to speak to the aesthetics of our work.  You and I have previously exchanged on the relevance of the aesthetics of performance art to public art (a knife is a knife and blood is blood - ie its not theatre) and clearly a lot of us look to Grant Kester's dialogic aesthetics as a relevant framework for understanding communty and process based work, and I have also exchanged with Helen and Newton on systems aesthetics - boundary conditions, exchange of energy, etc.  Luke Skrebowski has written on this as has someone else. In the end one of our strengths is our ability to deal with the aesthetic, and one of the things that people respond to and value is the aesthetic quality of things - we mustn't write this out - I've seen a room full of designers deny the importance of aesthetics in the context of design for health - denying their one of their own core skills in favour of user input, cost, scaleablility, and all the other also important factors. <strong>Ecoartnetwork as family</strong> Going back to the question of conversation, its remarkable that a group of people have maintained a conversation over 10 years (we never celebrated the anniversary).  If you have a 10 year conversation (sometimes otherwise thought of as a marriage) then you get to know people, you share concerns, you evolve a mutual understanding and short hand, you support each other, etc.  Do you remember the conversation about birds playing?  In something like 36 hours an amazing range of knowledge and experience was shared.  And the time when Tricia asked about artists working with water, and again in 24 hours there was an incredibly rich discussion and listing exercise.  Maybe conversation isn't a strong enough word for it - its a real friendship and trust (only occasionally in difficulties). The UNconference is more like a family gathering (and hence maybe the metaphor for the structure should be a family event) Fri evening is an open house where neighbours and acquaintances can join us and we put on a bit of a show Saturday is family time where we get down and dirty with the washing - thrash some stuff out. <strong>MJ's issue about engaging and training</strong> BTW I do think MJ's point about engaging and training people in ecoart is important, and we could also discuss that as something more than a MFA level issue - look at PLATFORM's Body Politic for instance - think of that as Continuing Professional Development - once a week evening classes...etc. Aviva asked me to post the following comments which I had put in an email.  They come under broadly three headings:
Potential subjects
I think the question of aesthetics is very important – we need to be able to speak to the aesthetics of our work.  You and I have previously exchanged on the relevance of the aesthetics of performance art to public art (a knife is a knife and blood is blood – ie its not theatre) and clearly a lot of us look to Grant Kester's dialogic aesthetics as a relevant framework for understanding communty and process based work, and I have also exchanged with Helen and Newton on systems aesthetics – boundary conditions, exchange of energy, etc.  Luke Skrebowski has written on this as has someone else.

In the end one of our strengths is our ability to deal with the aesthetic, and one of the things that people respond to and value is the aesthetic quality of things – we mustn't write this out – I've seen a room full of designers deny the importance of aesthetics in the context of design for health – denying their one of their own core skills in favour of user input, cost, scaleablility, and all the other also important factors.
Ecoartnetwork as family

Going back to the question of conversation, its remarkable that a group of people have maintained a conversation over 10 years (we never celebrated the anniversary).  If you have a 10 year conversation (sometimes otherwise thought of as a marriage) then you get to know people, you share concerns, you evolve a mutual understanding and short hand, you support each other, etc.  Do you remember the conversation about birds playing?  In something like 36 hours an amazing range of knowledge and experience was shared.  And the time when Tricia asked about artists working with water, and again in 24 hours there was an incredibly rich discussion and listing exercise.  Maybe conversation isn't a strong enough word for it – its a real friendship and trust (only occasionally in difficulties).

The UNconference is more like a family gathering (and hence maybe the metaphor for the structure should be a family event) Fri evening is an open house where neighbours and acquaintances can join us and we put on a bit of a show Saturday is family time where we get down and dirty with the washing – thrash some stuff out.
MJ's issue about engaging and training

BTW I do think MJ's point about engaging and training people in ecoart is important, and we could also discuss that as something more than a MFA level issue – look at PLATFORM's Body Politic for instance – think of that as Continuing Professional Development – once a week evening classes…etc.

]]> Comment on Conference by Rahmani Aviva http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/blog/2011/12/conference/#comment-5 Rahmani Aviva Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:16:09 +0000 http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/?p=495#comment-5 Comment on Conference by Aagerstoun Mary Jo http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/blog/2011/12/conference/#comment-4 Aagerstoun Mary Jo Sat, 10 Dec 2011 08:27:50 +0000 http://www.ecoartnetwork.org/wordpress/?p=495#comment-4 Aviva asked me to post my druthers for the Unconference in October. I agree with list colleagues Samantha and Georg and hope they will post on this as well. Here is what I said on the list: "I would like a session at the Unconference that addresses what is being accomplished in academia vs. other more community based ways of preparing EcoArtists to address the earth crises we all face. EcoArt South Florida has very specifically decided NOT to insert ourselves into academia. How that will work out remains to be seen. But I sure would like dialogue about that. .C I in no way am encouraging either inside academe or outside. We need both. And in my opinion those of us "growing EcoArtists" outside and inside need to communicate about what is working best. I hope for an opportunity to do just that at the Unconference. If this can happen I will be there. Outcomes? Sharing of approaches that seem to be working well, syllabi, residencies/apprenticeships for emerging EcoArtists, how to teach/model working in the interstices between art, science and community engagement. Aviva asked me to post my druthers for the Unconference in October. I agree with list colleagues Samantha and Georg and hope they will post on this as well. Here is what I said on the list: "I would like a session at the Unconference that addresses what is being accomplished in academia vs. other more community based ways of preparing EcoArtists to address the earth crises we all face. EcoArt South Florida has very specifically decided NOT to insert ourselves into academia. How that will work out remains to be seen. But I sure would like dialogue about that. .C I in no way am encouraging either inside academe or outside. We need both. And in my opinion those of us "growing EcoArtists" outside and inside need to communicate about what is working best. I hope for an opportunity to do just that at the Unconference. If this can happen I will be there. Outcomes? Sharing of approaches that seem to be working well, syllabi, residencies/apprenticeships for emerging EcoArtists, how to teach/model working in the interstices between art, science and community engagement.

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