The Past Three Days

Hey folks!

So, for the past three days, I have been ensconced beyond hope of contact in an intensive training for arts-in-education teaching artists. One of the organizations I'm working for brings artists into classrooms with special attention paid to the way that the arts dovetail with the core curriculum the class is already learning. So I've been spending my time hanging out on the artist side of that equation. In a word: bliss.

First, the content. We learned really cool stuff about classroom management, arts in ed philosophy, and how to plan classroom time for these artists visits. Not to mention our immersive experience by getting to do a unit of study ourselves. We focused on the work of Duayne Hatchett, an artist who spent significant time in Buffalo and who has a retrospective of his work at the Burchfield-Penney Art Center. We were able to do our own works of art building a foundation of basic concepts leading to a visit to the exhibit of his work. It was a remarkable span of work, from early organic, found object sculptures to later sculptures based off the manipulation of geometric shapes, the creation of new tools for creating patterns on painted canvas and crimping metal for making sculptures, and work incorporating more organic elements. We had wonderful discussion surrounding five different pieces of work, asking serious, artsy questions and exploring them together as a group. Intention, inspiration, line, shape, personal context, relationship, we at least made a stop at all the bases. And then, wonder of wonders, who should show up at the gallery but Duayne Hatchett himself! A small man in a battered polo shirt and jeans with a long white ponytail; snappy and humble and way sharper than a man over 80 has any right to be. He answered all of our questions and told us funny stories about some of the pieces that I at least had initially barely noticed. The other thing that Hatchett provided was an understanding of all the work that goes into the mechanics of holding a piece together in a neat, sturdy sort of way. Screwing every piece into a base of plywood at the back, welding frames together to give both visual and actual support. Who knew? (Well, I learned the next day, when back in training I tried my hand at my own sculpture which completely fell apart due to poor construction, but I was clueless at the time).

Second, the people. I was in a room full of about 20 artists from all sorts of disciplines: visual arts, music, theatre, dance, and architecture. I was not there as a teacher or an artist, and so in a way I felt a little out of place. I have no expertise to offer and everything to learn. But, in a way, from the first day when people started drifting into the room, I felt at home. There's something about being with other artists that just feels right. There's an energy...I can't explain it, but I felt it for sure. Add to that the everyone was so generous and gracious with one another. There's a collegiality of common task, of some essential shared experience, of the conviction that what we're all trying to accomplish, bringing kids an experience of a true work of art, is valuable and necessary for their development. Plus they were nice and cool and fun and nice!! And as a result, I had a much easier time slipping into my true self the past three days, which is a big deal for me in my personal development. And I felt, which was probably the most amazing part of all, so, so supported in my own pursuit of my art. We had an extended time to introduce ourselves, so I was able to talk about my journey into being passionate about dance, but not a trained dancer. And it was okay. Nobody looked at me like I had three heads and shouted "You?!?! A dancer?!?! You must be joking!!!" They asked me about my dancing. They shared their own personal journeys in their crafts. They gave me direction, guidance, and encouragement. Nobody told me I was crazy to want to start dancing at the ripe old age of 24. Nobody thought I was crazy. Crazy.

It was also so validating of not only the work I do right now, but of the direction I want to take my life. I felt at home doing these things. With these people. The arts are my home. So no matter what I head towards or where I end up, I always want to be surrounded by arts and artists. I know how to find my way home.

S.