Critical Correspondence

MRPJ#15/Moving Communities: Extras

As I worked inside this complex matrix of culture, power, learning and creativity, I tried to be as flexible as I could. I tried to be subtle; at the same time, I wanted to show an alternative to conventional and conservative thinking. I wanted to show an artist at work, a lesbian at work, a different way of working, an option to conventional dance, a different way of thinking about moving and dancing that could attract the young people that don’t think they like dance but are physically expressive. Did I do that at all? Mostly, I felt like I was getting comfortable, wanting to be accepted and wanting to be different. Trying not to take on too much but trying to acknowledge and do justice to the ambitions of this project. — From Refining a sweet process: Reflections on the Sugar Project by Jennifer Monson

What is role of the teaching artist in institutional settings? I think it is first and foremost to undo the deadening effect of the institution itself. We need to puncture the armor of the prison walls (really and metaphorically), in order to find the voices of those who must inhabit them. — From The Search for Authentic Stories: 2 Scenes from Institutions by Terri Greiss