The Art of Revolution – A Social Justice Artists Collective Conference

The Art of Revolution – A Social Justice Artists Collective Conference: Join Creative Action Unlimited and the Social Justice Artists Collaborative for a full day of workshops abut social justice and the arts…

Learn, play, network and be inspired!

Your The Art of Revolution conference registration is your all inclusive ticket for seven workshops from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm AND for The Art of Revolution evening celebration that includes performances, presentations, music and food from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.

CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS

Clowning for Direct Action (Workshop Leader: Kristoph DiMaria)

This workshop will focus on how clowning can be a tool of Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA) and Civil Disobedience (CD) through an interpretation of methods by visionary Richard Pochinko and Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Skills and knowledge to be shared include an intuitive mind-body awareness, physicalizing visualization, non-verbal communication, employing cognitive dissonance, and your rights as an action participant. We will devise a short group piece to be showcased that evening, and explore what a clown has to offer during a NVDA. We may briefly touch upon costumes, props, and basic first aid. Participants will have the opportunity to learn a brief history of clowning in direct action, participate in exercises and a showcase, ask questions, and share feedback. Be prepared to move your body. Bring water. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Listen. Breathe. Speak up. Share boundaries. Surprise yourself. Have fun.

Transcending linguistic prejudice through movement (Workshop Leader: Anna Mayta)

This workshop is geared for everyone; you don’t have to have a dance/movement theatrical background just come with an open mind to have a conversation about language, being bilingual, having an accent and how one gets treated because of how one speaks. Let’s listen to each other’s stories about language and its effects. We will explore the stories through movement. Be creative and explore the power that language has on the world through movement. My goal is that we find our respect for the languages of the world and to bring awareness that languages bring us together. This workshop is an idea that happened because I got a grant last year through CREATE of Catskill NY, to choreograph a solo inspired by the stories of the Latinx community of Hudson NY dealing with linguistic prejudice and my own story growing up bilingual in Chile. My aim is to help the community to see that language revolves, changes and is in constant revolution. And that language is one of the most powerful forces in the world to respect and let go of our biases and realize that we are all connected.

Protest Games (Workshop Leader: Jamey Stevenson)

What does a playful protest look like? How can games be used to challenge political and social norms, and encourage us to question existing power structures? In this workshop, we’ll look at examples of folk games, games for change, and other forms of interactive art that originated as a form of protest. Then we’ll work together to generate ideas for how you can use games to support the causes that are most important to you.

Radicalization as Character Arc- Complex Characters and Revolutionary Fiction (Workshop Leader: Dio Kaufman)

Believable fiction can change the world, but your characters must be relatable. Learn techniques to plan complex yet relatable character arcs that mimic the process of radicalization and motivation to change. The process of self-discovery for fictitious characters is the same as the process of embracing change for real people. Learn to take motivation off the page and into daily life activism.

Performance Explorations (Workshop Leader: Aaron Moore)

We will use theatre techniques to explore self, character, creative journey, de-stress, and dive deeper in performance exploration for actors.

Tightly Knotted Stories (Workshop Leader: Linda McKenney)

We are our stories. Some serve us and some impose limits on the way we exist. This workshop explores the “knotted” stories that restrict our behavior and thought. A knot is no more than the outcome of a series of movements, and detanglement is possible through discovery and exploration. This workshop will use art, writing, conversation and reflection to jump-start us should we wish to do a re-write.

Writing Poems for Social Change (Workshop Leader: D. Colin)

Nina Simone once said, “An artist’s duty is to reflect the times”. Using this quote as a compass, we will briefly discuss specific poems from movements and spoken word’s long history of engaging with social issues. This workshop will also focus on creating new work using an intentional process to inspire audiences towards awareness and change. This is a generative workshop for folks to write their own poetry focused on storytelling with a social justice lens.