Community Arts Convening and Research Project

Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore MD

By Diane Wittner, Chesapeake Citizens

March 14, 2011

On March 14, 2011, we conducted an experimental workshop for the Maryland Institute College of Art's

Community Arts Convening and Research Project Conference, entitled

Arts and Democracy Bazaar: Challenging the School-to-Prison Path.

In homage to the democracy movements sweeping through the Middle East, we set up a middle

eastern-style market with six stalls. Our workshop quickly became noisy and lively participatory theater.

Each stall had a theme representing aspects of the world ALL people deserve:

Democracy and Human Rights, Solutionary Education (thanks Zoe Weill),

Restorative Practices, Green Economy, and Cultural Equity. As our market opened,

we recruited student 'vendors' who set up artful tables, then eagerly hawked their wares.

The stalls contained intriguing objects: bird nests, public transportation maps,

the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights , percussion instruments,

a Chinese calligraphy brush set, a spiderman mask, adorable baby clothing, a floral scarf,

a revealing student artist statement, a blooming peace lilly, many books, a silly wooden animal,

policy papers, a gilded mirror, and more. All this stuff was offered for barter, in exchange for words,

to be spoken later. Our workshop continued with a slide show of student artwork,

and a brief analysis of policy and community solutions. We ended our Arts and Democracy Bazaar with

'customers' showing their chosen objects while sharing some thoughts.

After all, as the late Soviet dissident poet Joseph Brodsky said:

Things are, in truth, the leeches

of thought.

Hence their shapes -

each one is a brain's cutout -

– from New Life

_

Thank you to: choreographer Stephanie Tabrisky for another brilliant partnership moment,

to Baird, Ginny, Jim and Krissy for technical assistance, to our student vendor volunteers,

and to Dr. Margaret Flowers for support.(Photos: Ken Krafchek and Stephanie Tabrisky)

©2011, Diane Wittner, All Rights Reserved