On September 12 and the weeks that followed I happened to be organizing
a community project exploring local stories. In the context of "September
11th" I felt I must pass a test in artistic response and group facilitation.
In the process I was forced to confront the central difficulties and contradictions
of the work I do. Distinctions between "high" and "community" arts are
disturbing, as is the replacement of the word "artist" with "cultural animator"
and the term "art" with "culture" or, worse, "community cultural development".
And yet as an artist who choses to work in non-professional settings, I
undeniably and frequently function as an "animator". What does being an
artist mean in these contexts? How, as an artist, do I proceed when difficult
material emerges? What is the difference between creating a piece "about"
violence and encountering stories of violence within a range of life experiences?
The partial answers which I found in September had to do with presentation,
acceptance of ambiguity and a simple juxtaposition of images.
05/25: 1115