Artists and Producers, Jerri Allyn and Inez Bush with collaborating Artists
2 Debating Through the Arts-A Performance Art Event 2
St Elmo Village, Los Angeles, CA USA, Sept 26, 2010, 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Can you imagine including artists on the world stage in the Model UN Program, participating as cultural workers in global affairs?
From Debate to Create Through a structure of debate, caucus, collaboration, performance and voting that echoes United Nations proceedings, artists and audience come together to explore social issues. By developing creative referendums (art, music, theatre or dance), the goal is to provide a performative context for artists to demonstrate the importance of the arts in solving conflicts. (The Model United Nations Program simulates activities in the UN General Assembly through conferences at universities throughout the world.)
Debate 2 was an afternoon and evening event based on a Model UN paradigm. Artists chose topics and a team; developed arguments and debated their view to an audience; caucused with those outside of their team; then collaboratively developed and proposed new artistic “referendums” (in Model UN parlance). The event culminated with the assembled gathering voting on their favorite solutions.
The audience was invited to come for the entire event or drop in throughout the day. Recommended times to attend: 1:00-3:00 Artist Debates or 7:00-9:00 Proposed Creative Referendum Performances.
Debate 2 included 4 teams of artists creatively debating pros and cons of:
- Freedom of Expression: Should there be limits on Freedom of Expression?
- Gentrification and Cultural Equity: Can community members and local governments ensure cultural equity in the revitalization of their neighborhoods? How do we resolve the class war?
Participating artists Juna Amano, Gladys Batan, Carol McDowell, Ivy Lindsay, Marissa Mercado, Rosalyn Myles, Juliana Ostrovsky, Karl Jean Petion, Charles Reese, Erika Reynosa, Marjan Vayghan, Erich Wise.
Joined by the following throughout the day: Cheyne Bush, Shana Nys Dambrot, Roderick Sykes.
A socially engaged dinner by Linda Kunik and the Plant It Forward-Starving Artist Team: Laura Bollinger Ferreras, Flora Kao.
Improvised music by Ofunne Obiamiwe.
Video Documentation Cheyne Bush