 So at our table, we also talked about equity and access, but we also talked about it in terms of grappling of identities and how complex an issue that is to both be providing equity and access, but also be sensitive to artists who don't want to be identified as specifically coming from a different ethnic or racial or specific community that has to be read that way. So we basically, we don't have a solution. We're just like, it's really complex and problematic. And that we need to keep that kind of discussion at the forefront of discussions whenever we're working on a project with different artists that only have that part of the conversation, this bracketing of identities and what power of that is to the artist's work but not. And then we talked about development of discourse and that there needs to be more written criticism, to be more inclusive of criticism and writing and discourse about people of color or artists who have various ethnic backgrounds. And then finally, when we talk about our allies, we really think the youth of the US are allies. They're growing up in a really difficult time and they're also the most diverse of any in the history of the United States. So we think that they're the best, our future, of course. Is that it? So, allies, we're going to list the youth of the US. So our table really, like probably at the same table here, consists of people who wear many hats. We have artists who also are presenters, artists who are also their agents, artists who are running programs and organizations. What we talked about is a little bit that some people we were saying we need to do less so we can do more. We need to say no so we can say yes. So basically, when we've boiled it down to, we'd love to all be able to give our work, whatever our work is, a little more care. We'd like a little more breathing room, a little more space to care for ourselves, our colleagues, and so being able to spend that time focusing on ourselves and on the work that we all are doing, it's obvious that all of us were inspired by this week and by the ally at our tables and in this room. And we thought that these were our allies, our allies were our communities and our mentors and our peer-to-peer mentors even. And these are the people we're going to help us take that care and that way to do it. Thanks. Hello. We cheated with the second to last table that this went. We actually created their notes. We talked about discourse and who claims authorship not only of the work that we make but about the work that we make. So we embraced a desire or a value to contribute to a new diversity of discourse writing, authorship, and also types of discourse around the work that this community makes so that there's more scholarship but not the scholarship from traditional angles that performance itself can be a mode of inquiry and scholarship, that different types of writing, that different types of people are encouraged to contribute scholarship so that the work translates perhaps more completely. And that we felt like our allies are here at this table and here in this room. So in the back corner here, we're the bad kids. And we talked a lot about beginning the conversation where we ended the last conversation so that we're not retreading. And that led us over 30 minutes to talk about how do we keep record and honoring Linda Paris-Baley, who said so in session yesterday about writing stuff down so we've got it and so that we can continue the conversation next year from where we've ended it, but then also the conversation led to how do we use our allies throughout the year to have conversations. We're in a world of overload, so much information without a lot of curation of information throughout the year and trying to figure out how to, no answers yet, but how to curate that information, rely on our other networks like Alliance for Artists, Artists Communities, thank you, and Dancers Day, et cetera. We're all going to allow the same work on these different pods that we do, how do we coalesce on that information? What am I missing? And allies, our allies are everybody in this room, the community, the organization that I just mentioned. I think we're at it, that's it. I think we're at it, that's it. Chance to you all, Dan. We had similar discussions as everyone else and we didn't, we also believe everyone in the room, our allies, potential allies, I think the moment where we felt a rise in the conversation was around I think the communities of color, arts of color, we have in our rooms, identify as a problem, large institutions have identified as a problem and where we go is we're okay, we've done, identified a problem, we want to figure out how to make the change and I think that's where we've kind of been, yeah, and then our time with us. So. What are, also, some people took out a lot of the sessions that everybody liked. What's awesome in the Paris Bay, articulate your practice, practice, because they have articulated it and are articulating it upon you. And the other is the work deserves extended audiences beyond just the world learners. And also really looking at examining code language including a session where experimental equals your Eurocentric work and community equals people of color and learning to identify that code language is part of women's design. And that will be our ally on all sides. And about transitions, one of the big takeaways was this issue about documenting not only the history and the legacy of what's done but also the operational side of that, some of which can aid transitions with sometimes our plan, but sometimes our unplanned so that there's some way of really knowing what was best practices and what didn't work and why, in particular kinds of issues. And the need to sort of hopefully have programmatic plans in advance or at least a year so that the incoming person can actually get to know the staff and have ways of working in their community without having to have an instant strain of trying to put the next time of the season. But there was a recognition of both documentation on many levels of our work was not done well, but this particular this kind of documentation of operational and the reason behind that operation position to be made over all where the document didn't advance. And Anthony talked about how she was going to spend the next six months doing this for experience within the end. And then we also had this discussion about coding language in terms of curation for communities and artists of color. And the idea about the really suggestive values in language that might reshape that dialogue and sort of alleviate the systemic racism that's coming up to grant programs and whether or not in terms of Indians overruling fashion and cultural policy that this might be these kinds of languages that could shed a bit out of some grant makers in the arts. And there was also a discussion about whether or not there might be leveraging current opportunities such as production residency grants that are existing through various programs or new programs that could offer opportunities for peer-to-peer mentorship and dramaturgy for artists of color. And I know this has been found in the most presenters who are working in the theater that role of dramaturgy has been seen as lacking in people trying to develop skills in the spot that this could also benefit this dialogue. All right, did we capture the allies? No, no. I'll just say it once more. So we refine, we've got our conversation through the questions, and the questions are how can we, with sincerity and beautiful art, embrace and challenge even perhaps leverage dominant privileges such as whiteness in a time of rising ethnic racial, in a time of rising racial ethnicophobia and fears? And how do we get beyond the echo chamber of our current communities and appeal this onion to get deeper? And our allies, so our allies are a produced of atmospheres that can recruit new people to our art and our dialogue. All right, we have more questions than answers. How to pair a long-term vision with the immediacy of this moment? How do we apply integrity as we advocate for each other? How do we create the language that creates opportunity for pushback and growth? How can we remix the code so that we don't have to switch? What are the infrastructures needed to support sustainability and growth of artists of color or the targeted identities that build power and interdependence on the margins? What are you willing to reconsider? For our allies, Linda spoke about allies as community organizers, which definitely resonated with me, but I'd also like to encourage everybody to Google the phrase, accomplices not allies, which is the name of a zine, talking about this concept of the ally industrial complex. And how many people have become, I would say, use the allyship phrase and the badge of honor to feel that they are statically in a place of higher moral authority than the people they are allies to. And the accomplice concept is one that's being developed by particularly indigenous communities and other communities of color that I've looked to and is humbled to be in my work as an accomplice. And the last one now, please. And I think a subtext of our conversation about allyship was wanting to work with those who are willing to transform the public discourse and how do you question and actually make some fix that, so. We had an interesting pool of thoughts. Our main takeaway was that releasing a diverse set of publications, we need to examine the time and history of our fields and the conversations that have already been had. We need to think more deeply about hope. How do we measure it? Why do we measure it and who are we measuring it for? We need to think more deeply about our financial health. Our second big takeaway was recognizing greater histories, asking bigger questions, continuing the philosophical dialogue and bringing more people to that table. And at that table, how do we change the conversation to action? Our allies are everyone in this room and in the non-profit hand side. How many tables just quickly? Still have to go. Okay, so good morning everybody. We also talked about staying connected and we actually circulated a little email list and just connected ourselves so that we can check in with each other and talk about here when we talk to that head. Not meet yet next year and be like, oh, how was your entire year? Because I haven't talked to you since then but actually keep this network of support active throughout. And then we talked a lot about Indigenous artists and supporting Indigenous communities and the allies that we need to do that not only in this room but in our home communities and what it would look like if acknowledgement of the Indigenous people of the land were an expectation of every single art and culture competing from now on everywhere. And so we talked about not only supporting new work and artists here in the States but then allowing a frame of understanding colonization to allow us to connect across issues and communities and globally. And then we also talked a lot about how does art actually change beliefs and narratives and the importance of engaging youth and finding those moments in development when art and cultural practice can actually shift a person, change a person for their life. So we talked about infiltration which kind of goes a lot with the accomplice idea. We talked a lot about what we're talking about talking about the relationship between curators and artists and communities and that very quickly translated into the discussion about rhetoric and language which is a thing that's happening through all these groups and we talked about how in a world where you're having to promote your work or promote your season but language is critical and it's easy to get into patterns of language that are sort of ossified and aren't actually communicating and the challenge was how can we as artists think about our work in ways that actually translate the heart of what we're trying to do to people who maybe don't understand what we're doing and to not just use words that we think everyone understands and they don't. And so the idea which Chris talked about rehabilitating rhetoric is to actually challenge ourselves to have a language practice where we're really examining the words that we're using and extracting the words that are making people smaller and finding language that actually empowers people and creates bridges between people and in terms of Alex, it's the relationship between the curators, the artists and our community and this and one of the things that's critical to all of this is you have to listen. You have to observe what happens when you say something and see the ripple effect of having in your audience and if it's not hitting them it's not connecting, changing the words. That was pretty much what we decided on. This is the wrong format, this will not be solved here today, this is not a magic call for solutions. Individual paths forward, I'm going there whether you are or not. Regarding allies, we were free to answer that question. The whole notion of allies is problematic and it's based in military language. The idea of allies is positioning my power relative to yours. We strayed somewhat from the assigned task because we were hung up on the horror of hate and how that makes us think differently about our responsibilities as individuals, as citizens, as organizers, as organizations and the rhetoric is dangerous. Our allies must be won over and they must be activated. We must make sure they're registered to vote. We must make sure they're part of the process. We must make sure we don't believe the news feed that's controlled by someone else so that we make sure a community of love and hope and as active as spreading the values that most people believe so that people don't believe the polls. It's only got a little carried away. It's me, right? Okay, part of who are, especially on the table, was reinforcing the value of this network and recognizing that as the depth of experience and the depth of knowledge in this room and throughout the entire days has been incredible. Particularly when we base that in the art and base that in the work that we all do and there is an ongoing desire for us to abstract this and to take lessons when really part of what we need to do is remember that we are experts in our home communities and doing that work and remind us of that aspect because part of what we do need to continue to fight is for those deeper connections and understand that we need to be, as we are present in the moment of the arts we need to be present in the moment of this in our network and in this relationship and colleagues that are out on that aspect so that the allies are ourselves and actually are better selves and those selves that we want to be instead of these selves that we are in our thoughts. So we didn't do that shooting with real consensus but you seem to identify some problems. I think we can draw away a commitment to, well, it's again the language. So either fighting or striving for greater equity. Fight for equity from, with, against key holders is not where I'm going to get into it. But, so, I see that when we do have some allies and there's some things we have adversaries only. But, so anyway, I think our neighbors and our audience isn't the other organizations here, I don't even say names. I don't even know. When it comes to growing in pie, which has been put out, that's what we should be doing. Let me tell you the next phrase that is going to be quoted by the establishment. That phrase is cultural equity, all right? So you're all going to be used by the establishment in order to get more money for them and they are not going to do anything about helping you. So what has to happen before we can grow the pie, there needs to be a list of demands that are extracted from the arts up on establishment. And we should not agree to grow the pie until they agree to those demands. All right? And this is how, I'm saying this is how I'm from the spectator of Swamp in San Francisco, and it's happening there already. The lingua franca is cultural equity, but the equity hasn't changed. And it will not change. Remember, who was in Denver in 2008? Anybody in this room? We had our ass kicked. Remember that? What came out of Denver in 2008 was the most important thing that could happen in this country in the arts is that we had to buy doors by our own deed. And that was all by the, by the, by the, the, the symphonies league. They were the ones that did that, and they co-opped that whole thing. And so it was the large organizations that needed to diversify, that wanted to, as I got all the money, where those organizations that had diversified, I mean, they didn't get anything. Now, what makes you think that's going to happen when they can change their minds to do something differently unless they're forced to? All right? That's what MPN is for. MPN, you are different. This organization, this network is different to every other last-do-machined member in the country. And that's your job, is to go out and make them change it. Don't agree to anything until they do. All right? Thank you. But it's an offer, so it's to be fast. As Joe Masano was whispering in my ear, let us come from a place of love. I think that's the third place to start. And we went to a lot of different sessions, but I think the unifying concept for what we talked about came from something that complex movements from out of Detroit said in the principles of practice session which is focusing on making work in each wide and a mildly as one form of practice. And I think that's something that we were focusing on in all ways that we wanted to deepen our perspectives and deepen our strategies and our engagements with the folks that we port to serve and that we want to be responsive to our audience faces and our communities and want to invest in mentorship in a way that's not necessarily traditionally top-down but is more frarious and it's approaching that we are all teachers, students and student teachers and all come in with expertise and with knowledge and with cultural value and to share that and to be responsive in our programming to that that's based in community. And for us to also be better accomplices ourselves in the movements for social transformation and cultural change and to speak about other accomplices we might have on this work and then go over to camera. Oh, she really killed it. One thing that I do want to strengthen again is this idea of thinking of ourselves as the potential, our fluidity and our flexibility with one another as mentors, peer mentors, and organizational mentors, and the team at folks in this room and how we can continue to serve one another in our communities better. Okay, last one. There. So at our table we spoke a lot of those things that we already spoke about. We spoke about the idea of a lack of critical discourse surrounding the works of artist-colored people and a systematic lack of educational programs that teach critical thinking and sort of like an assessment of the types of languages and things that are being taught within those programs. And really, one of the big things that came up was this idea of starting to teach critical thinking and discourse at much younger ages and bringing them into our public schools and having opportunities for those types of ideas being seeded in the very beginning so that we're not just relying on college level students to sort of learn something that's a new experience. And so we said that we should start looking at ways to start introducing art and discourse in our youth, create spaces where artists of color can be involved with people who are already thinking about the works of artists of color so that if you have a residency and you have artists of color there that maybe you also invite not just the forms and digital artists but also people that are going to be critics so they all interact and have discourse. Our conferences would be schools, educators, artists, residency spaces, communities, blockers, and critics. And I've been asked to say that we affirmed a bunch of... Wrench... One-tunch party. There you go. William, over to you, and we'll be back. Wow, give yourselves a big round of applause after the conversation, so have it amongst yourselves and about the rest of the day and on the internet afterwards. But we're not done yet, yes? Great. But there's more, so to introduce the next markers, please welcome Joey Reyes from Makla and Zanmuse. So Makla had the opportunity to present the work by Karen Anzotayden called SED and you will get to see an excerpt of that piece today. I'm just gonna read a short description of the piece. Sarah explores the queer transnational experience told through the politics of the soccer game. This unique theatrical experience includes live music, soccer tricks, some James Brown dancing and Karen's charismatic and engaging storytelling. Soccer fanaticism, sexual identity, political repression and economic collapse are all part of a transnational Latino experience that doesn't get more real, fun, and poignant than this. To see another excerpt of Sarah, if you're in the LA area on December 17th, it's gonna be taking place at the new seat created. So you can help me in welcoming Karen Anzotayden. I haven't been a guest, thank you, I can't afford them. I'm from Los Angeles and a lot of people's like from Portland, some of my friends said, don't say that. I'm here to Portland, specifically, toilet-chotl heads, where the family tenderness on breed street, the background of taco stands, shattered by a teenage neighborhood shooting, proving your manhood, taking off with their homies, jumping over yellow tape streets. I can see the neighborhood kids playing from here. The hot one with the Mexican jersey must see their cap. See the team play. Vah, who cares, they probably are World Cup fever. Street kids play soccer. The Jehovah Witnesses place their eyes on their kids like pages on their virus. Los pibes juegan, los testigos juegan sus ojos como pelota de fútbol sobre las setes negras. De bajo, los rivas hasta el sol que entre hojas de palmetta brilla. La copa bouncing on black fields, bounce is low, bounce is high. Bouncing like her slides in my mind. La pelota que poteando sobre la calle es la única canción. Even the sun bounces its reflection. But the ball bouncing is the only song played. En la distancia de río de bodillas unidas en puertos, puertas de hielo. The kids are so quiet. All you hear are preptorcycling bottles clinking on shopping carts. Calmo. No se gritan, no se ven. Voy a naberno mucho de sus kids. See the kids kick and play. Playing with the sound effects of their play-less kids, of their streak, of their feet, of the brown pounding. We are what? Beating right, anyway. No to where our ancestors found happiness. We can get there too. Just choose to be when you fall into dreams. Anything is possible. I might not know who wins the game, but I'm willing to jump in and head first, because that's how I was born. Ain't no other way. Like, got an emergency kit in my trunk. I got this. So yes, let's go in our streak, in our sunset. Sweep you into me no matter how many worlds apart we are. I'll never tell me anything like that before. I'll never tell me anything like that before. I'll never tell me anything like that before. Playing in the sky, taking you back to a lady. It's a timing. We forever may be a city that's dreaming that's a playing game. Un nuevo partido. Ver casi me parte el corazón. Entrino va a cambiar. We are in the minus. There is no room for a game. The borders we need to erase first are the ones between us. Por pasito, we can see what place we make. Where the score is always two-two. We can see each other. Now, after those sort of concise, really, really strong cherries to call them, I wanted to have MK come up and reflect on some of what we've heard and what she heard, because it's a chance for her when she's able. It's a chance for her. All partners have to attend, and it's in this room. Also, artists throughout the room, we have a peer-to-peer professional belt workshop that will be in the room across the way on this level. So please plan to attend that at 2.30. And then don't forget, tonight we have a blowout that we're at MK Webber. And sweets, and I'm a sweet, so I'm happy that y'all be there. Any questions? Kathy, I knew I'd be able to do something. We have that we'd like you to handle attention to. One is there's a chair out in the lobby that is available for some decoration and some love for MK to take away with her. It's something I know she's gonna be using at Jazz Fest this spring, so make sure you tattoo it in some way. And also, there's a book. If it's tattooing a chair, it's not your thing. There's a quote that you can inscribe a thought or a wish for MK so she can take that with her too. And that's also, that's over by the chair. Is it Kathy? It's on the chair, so please make sure you take on with the both of those things. We're gonna give you guys a little bit because we've got about an hour and a half together across our person and we're having other kinds of things. And I feel like revisiting the E-note that I gave earlier, well, you don't need to do too much of me, but I wanted to focus our minds on a couple of things around what we've been doing in this conference and around what we've been seeing, which is what I've been asked to do. There's often this, there's a little quote I'm gonna read you, which was written in 1901. And I love this and I felt like I really wanted to share it with this group because I think it focuses us a little bit in a different way. So is everybody ready? Yeah. The nature of a work of art is to be not a part, nor a copy of the real world as we commonly understand that phrase. But a world in itself, independent, complete, autonomous, and to possess it fully, we must enter that world and form to its laws and ignore for the time the beliefs, aims, and particular conditions which belong to us in the other world of reality. It was written by a professor introducing lectures on poetry at Oxford in 1901. And I often think our heritage lines were a little more progressive in the heritage ways of being created. Why I love that is that I watch all of us across our different communities and across our different fields, working with artists and working with communities to do that very thing, to not copy the real world, but to increase, perhaps, a kind of empathy index for our imagined worlds where we act with most generosity and the most fortitude of inclusion and purpose. Across the conference and, well, across the morning, heading off back into the real world, a few of the headlines that I think you also might want to keep in mind. Republican catfights are escalating. Trump holds lead as cruise surges and final this morning. We're bracing in Baltimore as the police prepare for the Freddie Gray verdict today. Three years ago, marks the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School, in which the children who go there now will, for the first time, be present in their school on that day. Star Wars is having its world premiere tonight at the Force Awainments. And with that in mind, I wanted to ask you to begin a process together on these table. I'm going to... The way we're going to go across this is that so many of us across these different sessions want to be in one another's sessions and simply couldn't be. So we're going to do something that will ask everybody to talk about this questions concept and what we're talking about in this session. Where are we going from here, right? So I'd like you all at your tables and have pencils and things. To take and share drawing from the sessions that you were at, drawing from those very sessions and what were the salient concerns, salient gifts, and come up with some of your key sort of highlights in there in order to create together a short concept of the top commitment coming out of it. Right? So it allows you to share some of the knowledge we're going to do this for about half an hour for what we're having our first meeting in a little while. So drawing from what you experienced and what was offered in the sessions share those things and pick out together as a group what you imagine your top commitment coming out of here or your top takeaway coming out of here is. So we're going to have you pop up later. If you're taking this, please don't forget it. Who you would identify on a new list as your allies in fulfilling that commitment? Do we all get it? Because you don't need to hear my thoughts. I'll share them later on. What's that? Repeat it one more time. You're going to talk together around some of the salient content that you experienced and some of the things that you shared now across your table. Find one together that you feel you can hang as a kind of top commitment or as a top moving forward to take away. And then just share with us in this group who you're going to identify on a new list as allies. Yeah? It's a little abstract so how about a half an hour? There's going to be an hour first in the midst and we'll go back to it. And then him and I are going to come up and facilitate that process. Okay, thanks. And I just want to draw a quick your attention here. The hour is at 11.30. Our first event is going to be moved to 12.10. So please make sure that you stick around for us and it blows out this morning's session with some amazing work. You too are welcome from Uspeaks and the work project. Joe. Yes, our first, which is a young man I've been working with since he's been about 18 years old down at Brathway. And what you really should know about this wonderful person is he has put so much hard work into his new show, Spirit Drives and we've done some really amazing work. We married in January went to the Kennedy Center in the summer and just got done with now an arts and cultural center which was most awesome. So, Dalek's going to perform an excerpt from that show and so here he is and he'll hit me up afterwards as soon as you go be stuck. And we get called with drugs it's just a problem. He insists that I admit drug addiction in order to avoid adding anything to prison. And I shit you not. I have a religious experience. All of a sudden, I'm 14 again and my bow head is held by my sister from Calvary Christian. She's a missionary and her mission is to get me along with 50 other teens to speak in tongues once the spirit jumps into us. Like this. Rihanna Piaf I can't translate so I can't tell if she's doing it right all I know is it's not taking she says she can't stop it until I do the cacophony it's for the sake of my salvation it's either this or hell and I was introduced to religion through Catholicism so trust me, I know all about guilt it frightens me your own beliefs your own beliefs it frightens me your own beliefs that I might be your own saint or that this all might be bullshit so I bullshit tippy tail tippy tail I don't know I was 14 I was confronted by the jail of had to say it's what they say to seek as if my soul is more for sale than for sale the spiritual still exists besides the church and the core and it feels like it's the same room I mean even I'm the same I'm still living a life for heaven to save me some time and some pressure I believe a few things are forever alive before God and now there's falsity for the Apollonius Wreck I'm fought for faith and for afterlife for I have lied before God I have swore force before record I lie in the places that I close to be honest I lie that fell inside myself where I stayed to visit these places, these spaces they just ain't for me five more what you're talking about there's not a very formal order that I need to learn to kind of kind of pause a little pause not working a little bit of pause let me just see what tables are ready was it good when you feel like we attend each other's sessions now we're all caught up on each other's so we're just going to start popping up and sharing these things two salient the point you're going to commit coming off of here the allies you're going to end list ready? who's ready? and this is so that we can also capture some of this when you get home how can you be more liquid more creative more apathetic and have you stay connected so more creative we stay more connected and the second half was we identified as our colleagues in the United States we all said that this entire network there's so many ways that we can all work together we just got to continue to have those conversations to make a difference and we're also talking about how do we encapsulate what we've experienced over this meeting and how do we implement that in our cities so that if we continue to make efforts we can continue to make even a bigger impact not only in the arts but through humanity as well great, who are your allies that you need to end list? sounds like each other everyone everyone we are we present organizational values to address urgency and responsiveness in the organization this will be addressed by focusing on long term strategies and building expansive programming in an effort to widen the pie and cultivate connections with humanity and our allies are humans we had a number of different discussions in reference to the questions that you posed and one of the first things that came out was the idea of keeping some accession to diversity with arts and creating more art equity because of the inequities that are basically across the board in terms of organization's place of artists, funders who are represented in planning infrastructures and the prominent nature of that and then we talked about what artists have added to various communities all across the nation and around the world but at the same token of how so many of these artists have pushed out and the areas like gentrification things like that and the marginalized within these structures and how we can create better structures that will continue creating cycles of where artists build up and create this new art and then they get pushed out then another one which we felt was like foundational to our discussion at this table it was about the evaluation of this program