Friday, January 25, 2008

Tomorrow: Arts, Neighborhoods, and Social Practice: The arts and processes of urban community revitalization and engagement

Arts, Neighborhoods, and Social Practice: The arts and processes of urban community revitalization and engagement
Conference/Symposium January 25 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Stephens Hall, Townsend Center for the Humanities, Room 220
Speakers/Performers: Shannon Jackson, Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies; Karen Chapple, Center for Community Innovation
Sponsor: Center for Community Innovation

Art and artists have come to be seen as catalysts for neighborhood change, both positive and negative. This symposium is part of a larger endeavor at UC-Berkeley to construct a multi-disciplinary understanding of the arts as integral to processes of community revitalization and civic engagement, both in the United States and abroad. Over the day, we will examine what creative venues mean for neighborhood identity from the perspective of community-based arts organizations, neighborhood advocates, funders and the artists themselves. Speakers will explore the roles that arts and cultural activities can play in neighborhood improvement and community-building. How can the arts reshape community perceptions and provoke unanticipated debate and exchange? Do arts organizations inevitably destabilize neighborhoods, or are some organizations able to foster community stability by enhancing individual life chances? What are the challenges for artists who are charged with the task of community building? How might the arts as social practices be better integrated into neighborhood fabrics?
RSVP info: RSVP online.
Event Contact: 510-643-9103

No comments: