About this Session
Each week of Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) began with a General Assembly to open the weekly theme. In keeping with the third week’s theme of Healing for Movement Building, this session begins with a Grounding Practice by Trinity Miracle (aka Afroetic) about the creation of personal mantras to affirm one’s purpose. This session ends with our Featured Storyteller, Phoenix | Sun Park, who shares a set of guiding principles and frameworks to help ground and equip us in digging deeper into our work, particularly should our work include disrupting systems of oppression that have impacted our social structures, cultures, relationships, personal experiences, perspectives, and communities.
This session was held on November 1, 2021, with American Sign Language interpretation provided by Pro Bono ASL.
Week 3 | General Assembly on Healing: Healing for Movement Building
Session Presentations
- Grounding Practice: “The Creation of Affirmational Mantras” with Trinity Miracle (aka Afroetic)
- A Message from Groundwork Advisor Calida Jones
- Featured Storyteller: “Stepping into Embodiment —Self to Collective Healing and Movement Building” with Phoenix | Sun Park (Founder, Voice of Purpose)
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About this Session
A three-part series of “Real Talk Salons” regarding Creative Youth Development practices in community arts education took place throughout the three weeks of the Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) program in the fall of 2021. In response to the pandemic, the overarching themes of Groundwork sessions touched on healing. This Real Talk Salon, entitled “Artistic Youth Revolution: Empowering Each Other and Ourselves”, brought together the following community practitioners in conversation with one another:
Moderators:
- Paula Ortega, Groundwork Advisor (National Youth Coordinator, Creative Youth Development National Youth Network)
- Ashley Hare, Groundwork Advisor (Deputy Director of Equity and Human Development, National Guild)
Speakers:
Description: This all young artists panel will share the ways they navigate power struggles with adults and tips to empower yourself.
This session took part the first week of the program and was held on October 21, 2021. American Sign Language interpretation was provided by Pro Bono ASL, though interpreters are not included in this version of the recording. If you would benefit from ASL interpretation, please email programs@nationalguild.org and we will provide you with an alternative recording.
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About this Session
A three-part series of “Real Talk Salons” regarding Creative Youth Development practices in community arts education took place throughout the three weeks of the Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) program in the fall of 2021. In response to the pandemic, the overarching themes of Groundwork sessions touched on healing. This Real Talk Salon, entitled “Building Healthy Relationships Between Youth and Adults”, brought together the following community practitioners in conversation with one another:
Moderator:
- Ashley Hare, Groundwork Advisor (Deputy Director of Equity and Human Development, National Guild)
Speakers:
- Delashea Strawder (Adult Accomplice in Detroit, MI, Mosaic Youth Theatre)
- Tanykia (Diamond) Davis (Youth Leader in Detroit, MI, Mosaic Youth Theatre)
- Ted Karsch (Adult Accomplice, 4-H Youth Development, Nassau County Extension, FL)
- Sam Riley (Youth Leader, 4-H Youth Development, Nassau County Extension, FL)
- Karolina Bermudez (2021 National Young Artists SummitPlanning Team Member)
- Lissette Martinez (2021 National Young Artists Summit Adult Accomplice)
Description: Whether building an organization, creating an event, or organizing a local network, youth leadership must be centered from the beginning. Come here for this intergenerational panel.
This session took part during the second week of the program and was held on October 28, 2021. American Sign Language interpretation was provided by Pro Bono ASL, though interpreters are not included in this version of the recording. If you would benefit from ASL interpretation, please email programs@nationalguild.org and we will provide you with an alternative recording.
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About this Session
A three-part series of “Real Talk Salons” regarding the Creative Youth Development practices in community arts education took place throughout the three weeks of the Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) program in the fall of 2021. In response to the pandemic, the overarching themes of Groundwork sessions touched on healing. This Real Talk Salon, entitled “Mobilizing Your Community With Art”, brought together the following community practitioners in conversation with one another:
Moderator:
- Ashley Hare, Groundwork Advisor (Deputy Director of Equity and Human Development, National Guild)
Speakers:
Description: Hear young artists and their adult allies express their stance on a certain issue affecting their community and allow them to truly describe how it makes them feel, and what they’re doing about it.
This session took part during the third week of the program and was held on November 4, 2021. American Sign Language interpretation was provided by Pro Bono ASL, though interpreters are not included in this version of the recording. If you would benefit from ASL interpretation, please email programs@nationalguild.org and we will provide you with an alternative recording.
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About this Session
A three-part series of “Real Talk Salons” regarding Creative Aging practices in community arts education took place throughout the three weeks of the Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) program in the fall of 2021. In response to the pandemic, the overarching themes of Groundwork sessions touched on healing. This Real Talk Salon, entitled “Ageism: The Last ‘Acceptable’ Prejudice”, brought together the following community practitioners in conversation with one another:
Moderator:
- Heather Ikemire (Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, National Guild)
Speakers:
Description: By 2035, there will be more Americans over the age of 65 than under the age of 18 for the first time in US history. Yet the majority of community arts education programs available in our communities are for people under the age of 18. Persistent ageism that sidelines and silences older adults is one of the biggest barriers to creative aging programs, partnerships, and funding—and often goes unaddressed. Join this intimate conversation between teaching artists, administrators, and older adults from Fleisher Art Memorial and Dance & Bmore. Together, we will reflect on our own prejudices and beliefs about age and aging and the influence of different cultural values and histories on these aging attitudes; and talk openly about ways we are undoing ageism in ourselves and our creative aging work.
This session took part the first week of the program, on October 19, 2021, with American Sign Language interpretation provided by Pro Bono ASL.
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About this Session
A three-part series of “Real Talk Salons” regarding Creative Aging practices in community arts education took place throughout the three weeks of the Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) program in the fall of 2021. In response to the pandemic, the overarching themes of Groundwork sessions touched on healing. This Real Talk Salon, entitled “Pathways to Creative Aging: Building Community Alliances through Artmaking”, brought together the following community practitioners in conversation with one another:
Moderator:
- Heather Ikemire (Deputy Director of Learning and Engagement, National Guild)
Speakers:
Description: Creative aging programs—when rooted in authentic collaboration—can be paths for older adults to feel fully seen and heard as vital contributors to our communities. In this Real Talk Session, representatives of creative aging programs at Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana and Ping Chong + Company talk openly about how they are using dance and storytelling to deepen connections among local elders. Join us to discuss how these kinds of transparent and human-centered approaches to creative aging can build alliances among your older adult students, your staff and teaching artists, and your community partners and spark broader advocacy.
This session took part the first week of the program on October 26, 2021, with American Sign Language interpretation provided by Pro Bono ASL.
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
About this Session
A three-part series of “Real Talk Salons” regarding Creative Aging practices in community arts education took place throughout the three weeks of the Groundwork: Healing within Community Arts Education (“Groundwork”) program in the fall of 2021. In response to the pandemic, the overarching themes of Groundwork sessions touched on healing. This Real Talk Salon, entitled “Cross Movement Solidarity in Creative Aging: Anti-Ageism + Anti-Ableism + Anti-Racism”, brought together the following community practitioners in conversation with one another:
Moderator:
Speakers:
- Toya Northington (Community Engagement Strategist, Speed Art Museum)
- Cynthia Edmondson (Older Adult Artist/Student, Healing Art Program)
- Erin Perry (Executive Director, Legacy Arts Project)
Description: To restore a society where older adults are realized as essential culture bearers and creatives with full opportunities to thrive, the creative aging movement requires cross-movement solidarity. Join us as we talk honestly about the overlapping systemic issues of ageism, ableism, and racism and how these issues can show up in creative aging practice and movement building work. This session is a call for unlearning and collective activism to create language and models for creative aging that support elder's diverse experiences and creativity, build trust, and amplify the voices and stories of older adults, especially those who have been historically marginalized.
This session took part the first week of the program on November 2, 2021, with American Sign Language interpretation provided by Pro Bono ASL.
About the Groundwork Program
Groundwork was a 3-week virtual gathering that centered healing in the context of community arts education, as a pathway towards personal, interpersonal, and systemic change, informed by the idea that we must get right with ourselves before we can work with each other to reimagine and create a more just future. To that end, Groundwork’s themes unfolded each week as: Healing for Self (Week 1), Healing for Collective (Week 2), and Healing for Movement Building (Week 3).
For more information about the gathering, please visit the program details, here.
This program was made possible through generous support from Aroha Philanthropies, The Music Man Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
"Creative aging programs in community arts education have the opportunity to work at the intersection of anti-ageism and anti-ableism. They can be anti- ageist because they focus on arts learning and skill building for older people. They take place in engaging, supportive environments where older adults are valued as active, capable learners and creators with talent, drive, and commitment. They also can be anti-ableist because their approach to teaching and learning is asset based, not deficit based. Organizations and practitioners identify physical, perceptual, and logistical barriers to engagement and work to remove them." – Ellen Hirzy
"Creative aging programs in community arts education have the opportunity to work at the intersection of anti-ageism and anti-ableism. They can be anti- ageist because they focus on arts learning and skill building for older people. They take place in engaging, supportive environments where older adults are valued as active, capable learners and creators with talent, drive, and commitment. They also can be anti-ableist because their approach to teaching and learning is asset based, not deficit based. Organizations and practitioners identify physical, perceptual, and logistical barriers to engagement and work to remove them." – Ellen Hirzy
“Accessibility is a priority, not an afterthought.” –Rorri Burton, Pro Bono ASL
We, as community arts educators, cannot commit to anti-racism, anti-sexism, and anti-ageism without committing to disability justice –and vice versa.
1 and 4 Americans are living with a disability, and when you include “invisible” disabilities (such as mental health and learning disabilities), the percentage increases. Further still, the likelihood, and impact, of living with a disability is disproportionately greater for Black people, people over the age of 65, and people in poverty.
And yet, too often in community arts education, people with disabilities are treated as an afterthought, as Rorri cautions, in everything from our programs and meeting spaces to our storytelling and finances, to our leadership and equitywork. This issue of GuildNotes shares perspectives and tangible advice on how to change this harmful tendency and intentionally prioritize people with disabilities.
