What community engagement strategies did the artists and their collaborators utilize in this project? What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of these strategies?
Some of the strategies they use for community engagement:
Before the project started itself, Suzanne Lacy worked with the community for two years before hand to teach classes at a local high school, which were aimed at helping students be more prepared to fulfill all the production roles. She also spent this time teaching the faculty for high schools around Oakland as well. For the students themselves, they are engaging with the community by having their conversations in cars that can be easily heard and observed from the outside. The audience can simply stand by them and listen.
Effectiveness of these strategies:
I think the extensive preparation was incredibly effective for this project. Although two years is a long time to dedicate only on pre-production, it allows Lacy to be a member of the community and to teach the skills needed for this project. So instead of just asking for volunteers or hiring students to fill roles they may not be interested in, the participants in this project are actually invested in it and also know what they are doing. It also gives them a set of skills that they can now use later on in life. In terms of the performances, I also think it is very effective to engage with the community as just having conversations in a car that can be listened on. The fact that the conversation is grounded in real life, in a natural setting, where you are simply just sitting by and listening in, means its not a performance but a group of people talking. It lets whatever message they want to share with the community be easier understood to those in the audience.
Some of the strategies they use for community engagement:
Before the project started itself, Suzanne Lacy worked with the community for two years before hand to teach classes at a local high school, which were aimed at helping students be more prepared to fulfill all the production roles. She also spent this time teaching the faculty for high schools around Oakland as well. For the students themselves, they are engaging with the community by having their conversations in cars that can be easily heard and observed from the outside. The audience can simply stand by them and listen.
Effectiveness of these strategies:
I think the extensive preparation was incredibly effective for this project. Although two years is a long time to dedicate only on pre-production, it allows Lacy to be a member of the community and to teach the skills needed for this project. So instead of just asking for volunteers or hiring students to fill roles they may not be interested in, the participants in this project are actually invested in it and also know what they are doing. It also gives them a set of skills that they can now use later on in life. In terms of the performances, I also think it is very effective to engage with the community as just having conversations in a car that can be listened on. The fact that the conversation is grounded in real life, in a natural setting, where you are simply just sitting by and listening in, means its not a performance but a group of people talking. It lets whatever message they want to share with the community be easier understood to those in the audience.
Comments
Post a Comment