Urban Bush Women Hosts National Summer Leadership Institute For Arts and Social Justice Leaders
Arts & Entertainment, Education, City Life, Louisiana/GulfCoast, Travel
July 25th, 2012
WHY ARE PEOPLE POOR?
Urban Bush Women Hosts National Summer Leadership Institute For Arts and Social Justice Leaders
July 20 – 29, 2011 at Tulane University
4th New Orleans Institute Includes Pre-Workshop on LGBTQA and Multi-Site Festival Open to the Public
Internationally renowned dance company Urban Bush Women (UBW) heads to New
Orleans for the fourth summer to host its long-running, nationally acclaimed
Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) from July 20-29 at Tulane University. The
SLI is a 10-day intensive training workshop bringing together artists and
community leaders from all over the city, state, country – and even the
world – to learn about UBW’s unique approach to utilizing the arts for civic
engagement and social change. Participants from New Orleans and Louisiana
are given priority and scholarships are offered. The SLI is co-directed by
New Orleans arts professionals.
This year’s theme, “Why Are People Poor? Demystifying the Opportunity Gap in
America”, will explore and lift-up the causes and effects of the wealth and
opportunity gap in America and culminate in a final site-specific festival
entitled “Wealth: Reclaiming and Reframing, A Festival of Art, Place and
Ideas” on Saturday, July 28, throughout the city. According to UBW Founding
Artistic Director, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, “Poverty matters!” In discussing
why she selected the theme of poverty for the 2012 SLI, Zollar said “issues
around our country’s growing wealth gap, especially the racial wealth gap,
are an ongoing concern for me born out of my own family’s circumstance and
the implications the wealth gap has for our local communities and our
nation. The lack of discourse in our local and national political
conversations is alarming. This subject is close to us all, rich, middle
class, working class or poor.”
The SLI participant schedule will includes teach-ins on poverty, daily UBW
dance technique classes and a guided artistic process to create the final
performances. Participants will also experience “undoing racism training”
facilitated by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, an
internationally acclaimed pioneer in the field, which Zollar credits with
deepening the company’s awareness regarding poverty and its intersection
with race and racism. For the second year, Liz Lerman, internationally
acclaimed choreographer and MacArthur Fellow, will join the SLI faculty.
Lerman and Zollar, are co-creating a related artistic work around issues of
economic equality.
For the first time, UBW will present a special pre-institute workshop on
Thursday, July 19th entitled “LGBQTA 101”. Through the workshop,
participants will become more familiar with basic Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, Queer & Ally history and culture and learn tools they can use
in their community and cultural practices.
Wealth: Reclaiming and Reframing, A Festival of Art Place and Ideas
Saturday, July 28th from 9:30 to 6:30
Performance 1
Time: 9:30-11:30
Location: Christian Unity Baptist Church, 1700 Conti St. (Treme)
Performance 2 & Community Sing
Time: 12:30-4:00
Location: Ashe Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd (Central
City)
Performance 3
Time: 5:00-6:30
Location: Tekrema Center for Art & Culture, 5640 Burgundy St. (Lower Ninth
Ward)
Admission to the festival is free! UBW’s 2012 SLI is supported by the Surdna
Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation and the Tulane University’s Gulf
South Center.
New Orleans Leadership & Partners
Since coming to New Orleans in 2009, Urban Bush Women has extended almost 60
scholarships to New Orleans participants. The SLI is lead locally by Team
NOLA, a local body of artists and SLI alumni, who co-create and co-plan the
SLI in collaboration with UBW. 2nd Line Consulting and Moving Stories Inc,
New Orleans-based arts-consulting firms, led by Stephanie McKee and Takema
Robinson-Bradberry, also SLI alumni, facilitate Team NOLA’s local planning
efforts and goals which include connecting SLI to the greater New Orleans’
arts and social justice community. UBW’s New Orleans partners include Tulane
University and People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. Other local area
partners include the Institute for Women’s Ethnic Studies (IWES), Ashe
Cultural Arts Center, Tekrema Center for Arts and Culture, Christian Unity
Baptist Church, Golden Feather Mardi Gras Indian Restaurant, Junebug
Productions, Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective and Mondo Bizarro.
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