It’s mid-afternoon and the day’s brilliant sunlight has disappeared behind thickening cloud. Still, the day is warm, if a tad breezy, and the morning was rich with bird sound, a true harbinger of spring.
Last week Jennie and I learned we each had workshop proposals accepted for the Building Bridges conference in the UK this summer. True to form we will be focused on the capacity of the arts to support self-care, renewal, and profound social change. We will be engaging artists and social change workers in conversations about the arts based practices they employ and the communities they engage with and care for. Jennie’s workshop will be focused on arts based self-care for socially engaged community workers and activists, while I will be hosting a conversation, with artists who identify as “Othered”, about the artistic practices they are utilizing to envision a more inclusive, welcoming world and to challenge exclusion in this time of sweeping attempts to roll back social change.
We realize these conversations will take place against a background of deep worry about the state of the natural world, of concern for the Earth as a living system that is increasingly profoundly othered, and expect those concerns to be spoken into the room. How could it be otherwise?
Given we are in early April, summer seems far away. Still, I know the conference will arrive sooner than I imagine and I’m curious and excited to discover what will happen in our workshops.
Dreaming the World 
Congratulations! That sounds like an interesting conference and wonderful presentations!
Congratulations! Sounds like a great opportunity to explore growth and depth. All the best in the logistics and graces of the moment!
Thank you! We are already at work on those logistics! Always interesting and complex. Always a question of whether the personal and environmental/social costs justify the trip.
I hope you’re rewarded and satisfied at the outcome.
We shall see. Making space for the conversation is more crucial now than ever.
Congratulations to you both, it sounds like a great opportunity.
Andrea, thank you. We are excited about the opportunity.
Michael, the link to your newest post isn’t working for me. I want to read more. 🙂
Pat, writing that piece was an adventure! Hopefully all is well now.
All is well, I was able to use the link from my e-mail. My adventure during the past few days was trying to get a new smartphone activated using the Tracfone web page and phone robo-system. Nightmare.
Pat, I use Tracfone as well. They can be a challenge for sure…..
Don’t get me started – LOL.