During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Madeleine and Jeff discuss politics and how to increase civic engagement through the arts. Madeleine interviews Yazmany Arboleda, who is New York City’s artist in residence for civic engagement; they discuss practical strategies for co-creating imagination, joy, social action, and more.
In this episode you’ll learn:
How you can increase civic participation through the arts;
Youth and artist led projects intersecting culture and civics; and
The importance of language in co-creating imagination and joy.
Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:
ABOUT YAZMANY ARBOLEDA
A Colombian American artist based in New York City. An architect by training, Yazmany’s practice focuses on creating “Living Sculptures,” people coming together to transform the world through co-creation. Over the past two decades he has created public art projects with communities in India, Japan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Afghanistan, Spain, Colombia and the United States.
He has collaborated with Carnegie Hall, the Yale School of Management, and BRIC among others. He is currently the artist in residence at IntegrateNYC and the associate director of communications for Artists Striving To End Poverty. He is a cofounder of limeSHIFT, the Future Historical Society, Remember 2019, and the Artist As Citizen Conference. He has lectured at UNC, MIT, and LPAC about the power of art in public space.
WHERE TO FIND YAZMANY
This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. It was produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. Artwork by Bridget Woodbury. Music by Distant Cousins.
-
Jeff M. Poulin
Are you a student, recent graduate or career changer? Looking for an opportunity to grow your skills? Or do you know someone who is? I want to tell you about Creative Generation’s summer Residency Program. We at Creative Generation encourage systemic change by working within and disrupting the current structures of the arts and culture, education, and social change sectors. Recognizing some of the long standing negative impacts of the traditional internship model, our organization seeks to mentor new professionals entering our fields with the necessary tools, training, and resources that will aid them in changing the landscape for our future. This virtual program will spend 10 weeks from around June 7 to August 20, 2021 and includes learning opportunities, professional work experiences, mentorship opportunities, and a capstone project. The program is specifically tailored to benefit undergrads, graduate students, recent graduates and career changers. Applications are due on Monday, May 17, 2021, by 12, noon Eastern Standard Time. For more information and to apply, please visit www.Creative-generation.org/workwithus.
This is Why Change? The Podcast for the Creative Generation. We are your hosts. I'm Jeff.
Karla Estela Rivera
Hola. Hola, soy Karla.
Rachael Jacobs
It's Rachael here.
Ashraf Hasham
What's good, y'all. I'm Ashraf.
Madeleine McGirk
And I'm Madeleine.
Jeff M. Poulin
Why Change is a podcast that brings listeners around the globe to learn how arts, culture and creativity, especially as applied by young people, can change the world, one community at a time. You're invited each week to learn and laugh while exploring the question: Why change? Alright, let's get started. Welcome to this episode of The Why Change podcast. My name is Jeff Poulin. And I am your host. I'm joined today by our co host, Madeleine McGirk. Welcome, Madeleine.
Madeleine McGirk
Hi, thank you. Lovely to be back. How are you?
Jeff M. Poulin
I'm doing great. It's so wonderful to see you and to be able to catch up today. And you know, I am so inspired today. It is a Monday when we're recording this and I am just off a weekend working with some young dancers in a theater in person here in the United States. Everyone's starting to get vaccinated. And it has been really, really wonderful. And not to mention, it's my last week teaching a class with future arts managers as our semester comes to a close. So the inspiration is just flowing. And I feel like I have a really positive outlook about work and life, springtime, and change, and all of the things that are happening today what what's going on in your world. What's inspiring you today?
Madeleine McGirk
I am with you. I also had quite a big weekend. It was our election here in Scotland on Thursday. And my partner is a campaign manager for the Greens, which is one of the small parties here. And they had a really good election and I was so glued to the TV. He was obviously at the vote count. And I was glued, trying to figure out what all the different vote counts, men and working for the elected are, where they know, and his candidate, who has been one of us candidates, who's been working really closely and really pioneering for getting by 100 votes. So he is just over the winter, we have just been celebrating all weekend. And he has exhausted his pajamas and will be on for like a week. But I am super inspired. They added 50% on to their top like the amount of votes they got last time it has increased by 50%. Again, so it's growing, people are seeing the need for it, and it's super exciting. So I'm with you in this art of taking on one day, like dough by the horns kind of vibes.
Jeff M. Poulin
That's excellent. And you know, those types of things. It's hard to, you know, divorce from some of the work that we do. We work with artists, and young people, and changemakers all over and there is a stark reality about the role of politics and civic engagement in, in what we do I know with within our work at Creative Generation. A lot of our research has found that there's a natural connection between how we can apply artspace pedagogies to the development of young people, particularly through the lens of civic practice, social justice work, and other topics that are relevant to young people that which really just amplifies the way that they develop their skills, their sense of identity and community connections and, and service to greater society. And I wonder, have you seen some of that in Scotland amidst an election?
Madeleine McGirk
Massively, it's, like, so the two main parties are in like that the Scottish National Party (SNP) that one you know, almost an entire majority which our system is not set up to provide so that's a huge result for them, and are one of the sort of more liberal left leaning parties, and so on the Greens who have doubled their vote, even though it's a small vote, and are also on the left, and both have pretty comprehensive Social Care platforms, they are both advocating for young people, and for LGBTQIA kind of rights. And the Greens just passed recently, free bus travel for everyone under the age of 25. And going forward, these kinds of things increase access little by little for young people. So naturally, when I think of your work, and my work, and the participatory arts overall, we're all striving for the same thing. And so we are, we have different approaches, but we all kind of agree on the vision we're aiming for. And so, seeing this election come out did it kind of underline that those people are the people that are voting and that are electing people and will be representing us for the next five years. So I'm just elated. I mean, clearly, there are parties that do not share that vision. And we've also elected to some seats, but the majority are striving for the same thing. And that includes creative approaches. They'll have culture policies that include artists and government spaces and civic spaces. And I'm buzzing, I'm really pleased.
Jeff M. Poulin
You know, that's fantastic. And I think, like, disclaimer that, you know, regardless of politics, I think you and I are probably personally fairly aligned. But, you know, regardless of politics, there are certain truths about the arts that are pretty consistent. I know here in the United States, there was a study done in about, I think it was 2016, prior to our presidential election that year, that concluded something like 94% of Americans believe that the art should be part of every child's education. And you know, that you can't get Americans to agree on 94%, for anything, and so you know, the fact that that's there, it shows you that people from all different walks of life, all different political persuasions, all different ideologies can get behind this idea that creativity and the development of cultural identity and so much more is, is really important. And I think that the arts and culture open up pathways for having those tough conversations to think about, and reconcile the different approaches that different political parties may have. But at the end of the day, those are just pathways towards the same goal, as you said, and I know you actually had a conversation with someone who does this for a living in New York City. Would you like to tell us a little bit about the work of Yazmany Arboleda, and what they do in co-creating in humanity and love and joy and imagination and in New York City?
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, so yes, Yazmany is New York City's Artist in Resident for a really specific department whose name I will say correctly in the interview, and won't try to remember verbatim here, but it's basically for civic engagement, and encouraging folks to vote, bring in communities that often are overlooked in terms of access efforts to voting or intentionally excluded. And he goes out, and he creates artworks and engagement with communities, and are really what he does super well, and you'll hear him talk about this is not it's not quite conflict transformation, but it's more of community building. So he goes into areas where there are silos, or there are divisions and a lot of otherness applied to each other. And he finds artistic interventions where folks can come together and re-humanize each other. And so applying that to democracy and to voter engagement is a really exciting concept. I think, especially this week, I'm all about it. So he's a really interesting one to listen to. He explains how he does it really well, so I won't go over it again. But it, yeah, well worth the listen.
Jeff M. Poulin
Alright, well, then, without further ado, enjoy Yasmany’s interview.
Madeleine McGirk
Hi, Yazmany. Welcome. And thank you so much for being here to talk to me for the Why Change podcast. It's so nice to be finding the time to catch up and hear about your wife. How are you?
Yazmany Arboleda
Thank you so much for having me. Madeleine, I really appreciate being here in conversation with you and with our community.
Madeleine McGirk
Yes, I'm so excited. I have so many questions. And before I get to them, I want to give a quick introduction so that everyone knows your background and the kind of work you do in a very broad strokes kind of way. So for anyone who doesn't know, Yazmany is an artist who works on large scale projects all over the world. They're designed to bring communities together, you've traveled loads and worked in some really interesting parts of the world. So I'm keen to get into hearing about some of that in a moment. To start with though and to give a little background, you and I met in New York back in 2018, at ITAC for which was our fourth International Teaching Artists Conference. And you had a really cool role in that you were there giving a presentation about some of the transforming communities you've been doing. But you also designed our communal art project for the conference, which is one of my favorite memories of that event. And now, I believe you are New York City's official Artist in Residence with the city's commission for civic engagement. So congratulations on all of that it's killed, see, going from strength to strength. I've been watching along on social media giving me a little cheer. And, and so all of this is to say, you're a pretty busy person, and you have loads of creative ideas about how to make positive change in the world. So to help us get started learning about that, can you tell us probably much more articulately, a bit about yourself and the work that you do?
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, thank you so much. By the way, I appreciate that question. My name is Yazmani Arboleda. My pronouns are he/him/they. When I think all my art practice, I think about the notion that for me, art is much more it's less of a noun, an object that sits in space, whether it would be in a painting on a wall, or in the middle of a Roman sculpture- I often think about art as a verb. How would you? How is it something that we do together? I'm much more interested in the idea that human beings, in collaboration, actually create living sculptures that transform, not just the way we see ourselves as individuals. But as collectives, when I think about what a when, I think about a drawing, I think about, yes, we can put a pencil to a piece of paper, but it's the thing- To be patient, imagine the collective future that cannot exist unless you and I are in conversation. And so for me, any given gathering, any given space, I always think, who are we here? And how do we make ourselves manifest? What can we do here together, that feels impossible, that's gonna move our imaginations, exercise our imaginations in a dynamic way? That's gonna give us new information about who we are and what we can do. In terms of our agency in the world, you know what I mean? Like, I think it's so critical right now more than ever, to understand that the imagination is a resource in and of itself. And we need to be building gymnasiums for our imaginations, so we can practice them, because I think how we build the future of tomorrow, a future that is healthy for all people, that, he is inclusive, where everybody has the capacity and the opportunity to live their best life, according to themselves.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, I think imagination is a word. I'm hearing so much, just there. I was just listening into a thing last night with Dr. Chris Emden, and he was talking to Anna Deavere Smith, and they were quoting Maxine Greene loads, and it was to do with imagination and not shying away from really pushing the boundaries, positive and negative of where that can take you. And I'm curious, I know that co-creation is a big part of what you do. And clearly imagination is sort of the muscle, you're looking for folks to flex. And I wonder, are there any other key elements that any late Yasmani project embodies? You know, like, what other elements do you see as a staple for you?
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, I will say that another one of those things have come forward. For me immediately, when you ask that question, is joy. I prioritize joy in everything we do is like how you know, what is the playlist we are playing in the background? Because that's gonna influence the way we're feeling. As we're creating meaningful connections? I often also think about the notion of food. I often think, gosh, in any given process, how was it that we're sitting down, and feasting together? The act of breaking bread in the company of another lead to conversations and spaces that make us much more familiar to each other in a way that's really human? And so elements like that, I'm like, you know, how was the word prioritizing that I often think you might work with the City of New York. How is it that in government, we can prioritize beauty and joy? Because to me, they are the elements that can make democracy truly sustainable? How is there a joy in the practice of governing and co living? Of practicing decision making voting all these elements? How are beauty and joy a part of every element? Because for me, I always think, guys, how is it that color can play a role in transforming the way we imagine ourselves? Whether it be by the teacher that we're wearing or the table or the tablecloth that he said that transforms the way we think about the conversation that is happening above that tablecloth? Right? How are these aesthetic elements beginning to inform the way we're having conversation and building meaning together?
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, so about your role with New York City. Could you talk a little bit more about that? I’m conscious everyone listening can't see this amazing mural you have behind you of an octopus, but you were explaining a little before we started recording about that, and you're starting to approach your role with New York. And I wonder if you could just explain a little bit more about that, how you're approaching that work, what you're aiming to do?
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, thank you for asking about that. I'm really excited. I have the honor of being the Artist in Residence for the Commission of Civic Engagement for the city of New York. The Commission is just three years old. It was created by a referendum that happened in 2018, I think it's important that our audience knows that the agency is the only agency with a mandate to build trust in our democracy here in New York City. And so when I learned this, and when I, you know, when I took on this role, for me, it was so important that we actually begin by defining what is the storytelling tradition of our agency? How do we tell stories? And how do we do that in a multi modal, multilingual way? That begins to really transform the way people think about democracy. One question that always comes to mind when I think about the practice, and these octopus is, what is the flavor of democracy? How is democracy envisioned and embodied in ways that are dynamic? Because I often think that people think that democracy is something that lives in our brains in the mind, and I am interested in having it be something that lives in the heart, something that is we know, what is the dance of democracy? What is the flavor, honey, so that it's sticky and sweet? Right? How is it something that you're inviting e do? How are we taking care of each other, our neighbors, of our families in the, in the construct of where we live? And so as an artisan residence for the commission, it really has been my work to think about who you know, who are doing the work? How do we do it together? How do we transform the way we do that work so that when we reach outwardly into the communities we're meant to be supporting? We can enable them to imagine through the actions and in the relationships that are being built as we're building them. Right?
Madeleine McGirk
Right. So here's a question. I don't know if there's an answer, but I'll ask you anyway, when when I think about democracy, and I think about people reacting with feelings, as opposed to in their brains, alarm bells start going off for me about like, knee jerk reactions that aren't useful, right, and feelings we have about things that are counter intuitive, and that if you deep dive topics or facts or research, you understand things differently. So I wonder, do you have an approach to identifying feelings that serve you there that says I have feelings that are not helpful in achieving the end goal you're going for? Right?
Yazmany Arboleda
Mm hmm. Well, you're naming something that I really appreciate, which is like, there's parts of me that in process have guttural reactions to things. And to understand that, that there's a my, my internal voice is reacting, and my ancestors are informing the way that I'm responding to any given question or a moment, which I think that there's an importance to that. But when I think about the work that we're, that I'm doing right now, I often think about a flamenco dancer. And this is the metaphor, the flamenco dancer has the responsibility to be on the ground responding to gravity, right in, we're on the earth. And that's a real thing. And to be able to make a pattern of noise with her with her feet, that is something that is real that is happening. And so that makes me think about the pragmatism of government, and the realities that we have to respond to real means. And there's real systems in place, and real failures that have occurred over the past hundreds of years, that lead people to not have trust in democracy. But where the artistry comes in, or where I think the beauty and the whimsy and like the joy that an artist can bring in through their imaginations and be in the practice of that imagination. I think about their hands and the flailing of the body that’s happening up in the air. And so the light and the weightlessness that happens above, and that gravity that's happening below, it’s that marriage to me, the art that I tried to practice really is a balance of these things, the airy, and whimsical and joyful and untethered. And that which is bound by gravity, which talks to us about what our real needs are, what are the substantive process. And so I think when I think about that means your react reaction and the fear of it, I'm like, Well, no, you have to put it into a construct and into a timeline that is responsible, where we are caring deeply about information, and science and, and things that bind us to the natural world. And we're also thinking, what is possible? How do we design ourselves in a process of inventing a future we couldn't have imagined without each other?
Madeleine McGirk
Right? That's kind of what is such a good way of putting it, because it's sort of how I think of your work overall, is like, imagining what is possible in the very stark realities that communities exist in right now. And, and this might be a good time, actually, to ask you about your “Color and Faith” project. Because that seems to me a really clear example of an art project that can lift people above and start helping them look forward, while completely not ignoring the situation that they exist in now. So I wonder if you could talk a little bit about that.
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, for a period of about five years, my colleague and I, Nabila Alibi, who is a cultural producer in Nairobi. She invited me to participate in the question of, I don't know if you remember, but in 2013, Obama was going to be visiting Kenya. And when he was on CNN announced that he was going to be visiting a hotbed of terror and it was like, it was really controversial in Nairobi and all over Kenya because, obviously Yes, the Al Shabaab type had occurred in, in that mall in Nairobi a few months before. But the reality that like yet there's, there were fears and dangers that were real there then. But there was also a pluralism of beauty and joy and cultural producers and incredible things that are happening in Kenya. And so when we think about a global news organization, stamping terror on a country, you think about like the devastation of what that does to tourism, whether those two, like how people see themselves in that country and outside of that country, and how people begin to objectify and create a single narrative of a place. And that, to me, is enormously harmful. And so everywhere with my project, what we're trying to do is create a myriad of stories, right? How do we multiply the narratives of all the people who inhabit a particular place, so that we can honor all of the ways of being that exist in that one place. It’s making me think about Chimamanda Adichie and the danger of a single story. And so what we were doing there was when I landed in Nairobi, and I spent time there with the cultural producers that I was in relation to, we began asking the question, how do we create an ‘ISIS of love’? How do we begin to create bombs and explosions of care that counter the bloodiness and the heartbreak that happens when a terrible thing occurs? You know, that, that is real, right? Like that is heartbreaking, that is grounded in, you know, ideas about our URLs that are based on scarcity, and that are limited by, you know, just the realities of the imbalance of information and education in our Earth. But so the solution we came up with was the idea that we were going to paint houses of worship yellow, in the name of love. These included mosques, temples, churches, and the idea was that communities of different faiths, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, atheists, all kinds of folks would gather and would make a plan and figure out how we were going to find the pain and tell our story, and actually paint these buildings, transforming them into sculptures in the landscape that speak about our common humanity. What I think for me, when I think about my art practice, yes, those yellow buildings we've painted, 16 of them still stand, and are all kinds of shapes that are made out of all kinds of materials, the true success of the word, or the relationships that were built, when people showed up to put pain to wall and have meals together and learn about each other about what is our favorite food? How do we know? I mean, what is your favorite time to go to go to the countryside to enjoy the weather, I mean, like different things where you're like, the humanizing of people just collaborating in process, and asking each other questions, and laughing, because, you know, silly things happen when you're putting paint to wall. That is the magic and the miracle of the work. You know, I mean, we have left us, in every single community, in every single neighborhood, we leave behind buildings that are yellow, and people who are friends. And to me, that is the transformative power of, you know, I always like, in some ways, the projects are excuses for us to get to know each other. And that's at the heart of it. And so when I think about the very beginning of a president, like what sounds like the most impossible thing, he took us years to figure out the buildings that were going to be painted, and the relationships that were going to be built. But when we got to it, it was a testament to, like, the beauty and the capacity for humans to be able to transform, and change the way they think about each other. And I think that there lies an enormous ocean of possibility.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, it's like, I always think of that as the medium through which you do the other thing. It’s the medium that gets you to re-humanizing everyone and bringing folks together. I remember when you did our core creation project for ITAC for we did the flag project. And that was a really great example of that happening on a much smaller scale of what you're talking about in Nairobi. But for everyone listening, folks were asked to bring to the conference, a piece of fabric, and then from their home country that links to their life in some way. And then we were all given these little sewing kits. And there was a space where there were no workshops happening for everyone could go take a minute and sew and you had to stitch your piece of fabric to someone else's. And then write a little letter that said, what your fabric was why you chose that. And then what ended up happening was, the people you're sitting in stitching next to end up becoming like your BFF for the conference. And then those connections I still have I still keep in touch with the people I sat next to saw him with ITAC for and so that to me was like such a clarifying example of this is how you build communities without people realizing they're there to build a community. Right? They're not suspicious going in there. Like I'm just gonna so
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah!. Right. I think one of the things that I do like is an important part of the practice too, is to get everyone to understand that, this qualifier of like, “Oh, I'm not an artist, I don't so that I don't sew or I don't I don't do that.” We did, what don't you do, we all can do all of the things really, like, even if you sing out of tune, you can still sing and it's still a song. So, but when I think about that, that practice, I think, gosh, it's so it makes me think it's so simple. And he took this arming, we know, how was it that that the invitation disarms you in a way that you don't expect? That makes you become somebody, somebody you wouldn't think you were. And I think that there's something really, that's a gift for me too. I'm going to be turning 40 years old in a month and a half, in a month, actually, literally, in a month I’ll turn 40. And I has me reflecting a lot. And I think about my art practice. And I will tell you that one of the things that's a really beautiful realization is to understand that my art, art practice that I've built with my body, in my lifetime, has been about my own healing, right? Like, all of the relationships, I've actually had me too. And so when I think about people getting to know each other and building those relationships, I think about how I have brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers all over the world. Because you know, a lot of my projects, I have lived and worked and figured out things with others who showed up and believe that the questions I was asking I've meant. So it's been a real real honor to be able to be in the practice of asking these questions, and finding answers together.
Madeleine McGirk
That's such a gift. You're right. And I guess then, if while you're reflecting and looking back, have you been able to identify a point at which you were like, I'm really getting this as my skill set? I'm good at this. Or, did it sort of grow? Like how did you, it seems from the outside such a clear approach and such a breadth of work that you must have started when you were like four?
Yazmany Arboleda
Well, here's, here's how it happened. Here's what happened. My mother was very conservative. So she thought I should study something serious. And what that meant for me in the concert of what I had my passions when I was a younger person, in high school, I ended up studying architecture. And so in architecture school every other semester, I actually studied abroad, and I studied industrial design in London, fashion design in Milan, I studied urban planning in Barcelona, I studied with painters and musicians in Brazil when I was doing my masters. And so I understood from the very beginning that cross pollination was enormously important to me. I was really interested in understanding how different ways of thinking could inform each other, and how those overlaps, and those variations, who began to move things and invite different processes to exist. And so from that way of thinking, and even in my linguistic approach, like I speak different languages, and it may, it informs my the way that my brain makes adjacencies. And I see my assumptions and things like that. And so, um, I think about, you know, it's been a growth, I think, you know. I'll be really transparent, as a gay man who grew up in Colombia, who felt like an outsider, as a child, and most of my life, I feel, I felt like that huge part of my practice has been to understand what creates connection in a meaningful way beyond language beyond judgment. And so when I think about the practice now, I think, Oh, my God, it's so beautiful that like, the point is to create pluralist pluralist ways of thinking, so that everyone, there's no judgement, we're all a little bit less judgmental, right? Because I think growing up, there's so much judgment that I think limits our capacity to imagine what's possible. And that judgment is of each other, I think when we begin to undo and take away all of those restraints, we can begin to imagine new possibilities that will allow us to thrive together, you know, as whole communities, not just bits and pieces that are gaining and winning and others that are struggling,
Madeleine McGirk
right. I think it's really interesting, actually the link you drew between languages and multiple truths of something. Before I worked with ITAC, I worked for a national charity to do with language learning and arts. And it was always interesting when you see someone learning a new language, what phrases are passive and what phrases are active, really informed people's perception of an event? Right? So like, if you save this happened, or if you say he did this, or she was affected by that, it shifts internally how someone remembers something. Right. So I'm curious whether you see that as something which has opened up the idea of the danger of one story, I guess, in your own work, because that seems so linked to me.
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, you know, I think about the fact that Carl Jung, the psychologist, he used to talk about the fact that to be able to survive the 21st century, one must be able to hold two opposing truths at the same time. So when I think about that, I think it is at the heart of my practice to think about how we like it. I'll give you an example that I think is really that I really appreciate that my father- always talks about the idea or speaks about the notion that he doesn't understand, but he wants to understand. And I think that approach is critical, right? Like, how can we celebrate that which we have yet to understand? There's so often we close up or we think that which we don't understand is against us are not a part of something we could gain from. And I think that the huge part, like, how is it that we can disarm that expectation and allow ourselves to be like, no, maybe there are way different ways to think about that? Maybe they are right. And to give your space to give yourself this space, I will tell you that for so much of my life, I wanted to be like, “Oh, I know. I know. I know. I got this, I know what you're talking about. I know.” It's like to me, I don't know. And the more we can practice that, I don't know. And I'm, I'm moving towards understanding as a verbal thing that we actually practice. The more we don't know, the more I think we'll be able to really build a society that is not based on these external ideas of, like, being like completely stable and whole all the time. I mean, does that make sense?
Madeleine McGirk
Like, totally, I think there's such a freedom and just admitting you don't know, I will get you in there. Oh, I know. I know. I was totally that kid in skill. Oh, I know.
Yazmany Arboleda
And I think that, yeah, there's a date, like the elitism. And when we think about, oh, our words are so big, like, I'm so smart, I can use big words. It's like no, my love, we have to come to a place on earth, where like language is aligned and transformative and transforming. And that means that we can honor all of the ways of speaking. And it doesn't mean that one way of speaking is more calibrated. The other, you didn't mean like a way of really beginning to honor all the ways of that we are. I think that it begs the question of like, what is education? You know, who is educated?
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah. And for what purpose? Yeah, yeah, it's just to pass exams, then I would argue I'm not really, yeah, education versus learning are two separate things in my book. And but I'm with you, I'm trying to learn a new language right now. And it's not going well.
Yazmany Arboleda
What are you learning?
Madeleine McGirk
I'm learning Mandarin. And I have been for literally years. I'm like, you know, I've got until I retire to figure this out. So I'm like, I have like, 35 years. I'm good. I'll be okay. But I'm also, I have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't matter. If you're not good at this, it doesn't matter if you don't know, because you're trying to know. And that's all you can do as humans try and know. So I yeah, I'm with you on that one not being the one who just has the answer anymore. It's like, a good reminder.
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, also, because I think one of the things about my art practice that I think is really special is the fact that like, when you show up and you're vulnerable, and you actually practice vulnerability, your ideas have to have the capacity to change, which is like, I'll tell you, as an artist, I'll be like, Oh, I have this great idea. In Johannesburg, we're gonna have, you know, hundreds of people show up in different colored outfits, and we're gonna make a sculpture in public space. And what eventually ends up happening is that you understand that there is enormous homeless, there's a homelessness crisis. And there's a,a labor crisis happening in Johannesburg, and you have to deal with other questions of the community, they're actually asking for themselves, like where are their safe spaces to live, which eventually leads to the beware of color installation. But again, like in practice, you really, truly see how there's an idea that he's transformed again, and again, and again, until you land on something that everyone present feels excited by, that we're going to make happen together. And so it's really allowing yourself to be like, “I have a great idea. But maybe that's not it.” And maybe it's not that other great idea, and they return to that other one. And maybe it's another one that's really far away that we have to work towards, to better understand it, and to invite everyone to participate in imagining, and if that's the one, how do we do it? Right, you know, you have to really trust the process, which is hard. I struggle. I mean, like, I'll tell you that like, to this day, I still have a lot over, you know, challenges that show up in my emotions, being vulnerable to the ideas of other people to be likedoes that feel right, is that like, do I let go of this, like, how much of my ego wants to control and wants to, but no, like, it is the best practice. And when you do it, honestly, everyone can feel it. And he gets everyone to really co own whatever it is that we're creating together in a way that's really genuine. It no longer belongs to one person, it belongs to the whole of the group.
Madeleine McGirk
Right? And those are muscles you have to train too, because obviously I trained as that as an actor, but then since I've been a project manager, and so I'm like that the spreadsheets are horrible, I write down and budget, It’seally hard to marry those two things, and authentically co create something well, part of your brain is going but well during the budget. It just is, it's a real dance that has to happen. Yeah. And so looking ahead to the future, then I know you'll be doing your artists and residency with New York for the rest of this year. Right until about August. Is that right?
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, and I think it's gonna be extended actually, because our project is going into the fall with the people's boss. The thing about developing is going further into That makes it very real, very exciting.
Madeleine McGirk
Nice. And so has, I suppose this is a two part question. The first part is, how have you been able to do that work in a sort of COVID landscape? And the second, I guess, would be something different that I'll come to in a minute. Actually, I'll ask the COVID. One first, how is that informing what you're up to?
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah, well, you know, it's been really hard. I'm somebody who really, like, tries to live in their body. And a lot of my art practice deals with, like, getting points in circles, doing lucky whimsical movements, that get this information that lives in their bodies that we can find anywhere else. And so oftentimes, what's been challenging is that we've been on Zoom in front of computers. And I have a team of eight people that I work with at the agency. And it's been mostly on Zooms, I say that I spend between five to eight hours on Zoom my day, it's been super hard, because the reality is that like we there's something that is lost through not being in our bodies physically in space, there is something that is gained, though, which is the reality that everyone is in their homes, and you have access to parts of their lives that you wouldn't have access to otherwise. So there are things that I've been, I have had to recalibrate. I met my first colleague in person, I met my first colleague from the agency, about a month and a half ago, I've now just met three of them, because we've been doing site visits for our project. But I look forward to the day that we can all be together in space, and actually, like, share energy, because there is a difference. You know, I mean, and, I and, and so one of the things in my approach in my learning about how to approach the work through zoom, I've had to figure out new ways of, you know, new practices, new ways of creating conversation and being embodied in it while we're in front of our computers. And so that's meant that we had a meeting, I think, in November, where I asked everybody to show up in their sweats, and literally go in front of their computers and pretend like we're jogging in the park together with their eyes closed, like that we're like, and I invited them to meet my mother, my nephew at the bench in the park. Because I talked about the work being really personal and these imaginings, this playfulness is a critical aspect of how we find information that we get to, that will serve us in ways that we wouldn't expect. And that's been a huge part of the way that I have been trying to think about how to find meaning through through our computer screens and seeing each other flat, you know, on a two dimensional surface.
Madeleine McGirk
Right. It's hard to do the thing where people don't know they're there to build a community when they have to, like sign up and login and advance some things. So I yeah, I hear you.
Yazmany Arboleda
And when everybody's tired of being in front of a computer, because there's a real fatigue, right, everybody's tired of, like, sitting up and being in front of people. And I will tell you that, you know, there's been moments where people don't want to turn on their screens. So you have people's voices and not much else. And so that makes it extremely hard to be able to create meaning together.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, yeah. We had our conference in September, and we had to move online. One of my favorite sessions was hosted by someone who had us dancing, but she was like, just off to the stage. Just dance like wildly arms, flailing legs, flailing, we'll do that for 10 seconds, then we'll come back and we'll write something and then we'll get up and we'll flail and then we'll come back and write, and the joy that came from just that freedom to move and be silly, but know that everyone else is doing it to remove all judgment was really freeing. It was something I'm going to remember, I think.
Yazmany Arboleda
So beautiful. Right? I really appreciate those kinds of things.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, me too. So I guess with that in mind, the second part of the question is looking at the future. What do you think we should be channeling time and energy towards? I think everyone's kind of in this space of looking ahead now. And we're sort of maraging vaccines are happening, people are going to go back to work in a very different way. And I wonder, what do you consider is the priorities we should all be funneling towards for good lasting change?
Yazmany Arboleda
Well, you know, I keep thinking about Madeleine,. is this idea of how we can build gymnasiums for the human imagination, in all of our, in all of our environments, urban and rural? Right? What do I mean by that? I mean, that for me, I think that more than ever, we have so much information about the past 2,000 years of civilization. And with all of the information we have, we can make new decisions and new ways of approaching the challenges of our time. And when I think about that, I'm like, what is it that is a resource as an artist, I prize creativity and imagination. I think they are my tools. And so I think there are ways to begin to create spaces where we are literally exercising our minds the way that we protect our bodies. Yes, it's nice to have a six pack and like big arms. But the reality is that more than ever we have to be thinking about our capacity to transform ourselves, each other, our collectives, our, you know, our countries, our continents, our relationship to nature, there's so much to me that is grounded in the capacity to imagine possibility and change. You know, I rely heavily on the work of emergent strategy, Adrian Marie-Brown in the United States, who believes, you know, who takes her information in her knowledge derives from Octavia Butler and Audrey Lorde, black feminists who believed that God is change, right, Octavia Butler speaks about the fact that like, the only constant is change, God is change. And when I think about those notions, in our capacity to like, become aware of our agency to transform ourselves and each other, that, to me, is where it's at. And that is the practice of exercising the imagination and the brain. And so, more than ever, I think we should be prioritizing this as a resource that we invite all human beings to participate in. It is our right to be able to be fully embodied, and have the capacity to live out lives that are monuments to ourselves. Yeah, more than ever, that's what I would prefer, it dies, it's like, how do we put all of our resources? When I think about our journalists, when I think about our politicians, when I think I know how to invite everybody into the spaces of imagining of trusting that with each other, we can figure out how to take the next steps towards making this our cities more sustainable. Towards you know, cleaning up our oceans towards, you know, getting rid of a punitive justice system that no longer works anywhere in the world, right, we have to be thinking about mental health. I mean, the, the thing that is incredible to me is that everything is intersectional. So all of the challenges inform each other, if we could begin to have one more holistic approach to these questions would begin to actually transform in the space of even asking the questions, you know,
Madeleine McGirk
So much of it. I mean, it's completely interwoven. I agree. And so much of it comes back to the person and have they felt joy recently. Have they had that rich inner life of imagination and play? And I'm totally with you that could really change things if everyone had access to flexing those muscles, and they were appreciated a little more.
Yazmany Arboleda
Yeah.
Madeleine McGirk
I love that. Okay, so I'm looking at the clock, and I could talk to you for hours, but I shouldn't because there's an episode, and so on. Finally, to sort of always end the episodes and wrap them up, we ask people sort of quickfire questions and just the first thing that pops into your head response. Okay, ready?
Yazmany Arboleda
I’m ready.
Madeleine McGirk
Okay, who inspires you?
Yazmany Arboleda
I'm interviewing somebody who speaks about the idea that we all humans speak in organic poems. I paid deep attention to those organic poems.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, I'm obsessed with her. Okay, what keeps you motivated?
Yazmany Arboleda
All of the loves of my life, all of my beloved. My partner Danny, my sister's, my mother, my friends. I have a legion of people who support me and who enable my dreaming.
Madeleine McGirk
And where are you most grounded?
Yazmany Arboleda
In my heart.
Madeleine McGirk
That's lovely. And how do you stay focused?
Yazmany Arboleda
It's really hard for me. *laughs* Ummm, by my drawings. y drawings give me focus usually,
Madeleine McGirk
Okay. And finally, why change?
Yazmany Arboleda
Because there's no other way.
Madeleine McGirk
Thank you. Thank you. Yazmany, it has been so lovely talking to you.
Yazmany Arboleda
It's such an honor. I feel, I feel privileged to be in conversation with you, Madeleine and I thank you for your time and for inviting me to the conversation. Thank you so much.
Miko Lee
Join teaching artists guild tag for their BIPOC, youth-led professional development workshops. Teen artists will lead interactive workshops on the third Wednesday of each month through June. workshops are accessible with sign language interpretation offered by pro bono ASL. They're also open to all and there's a sliding scale fee for those available to support this program. On May 26, join TAG for arts-inspired youth justice movements. Many of the major social justice movements that are happening around the world today have been led by youth artists. Here's your chance to hear from some of them. In this workshop, teen artists will share how arts have played a role in their activism, and how you can foster a sense of agency in your students. More info at teachingartistsguild.org
Jeff M. Poulin
You know what Madeleine? My inspiration is just multiplying today listening to that interview. It just gave me so much hope that is cultivated by artists and communal creative processes amidst just a really crazy time. Sometimes a little troubling in our world. And I know you talked about your experience in this process that Yasmany leads with the co-creation project or the flag project, as you called it, within the International Teaching Artists Conference that happened a few years ago in New York. Can you talk to me a little bit about the impact now, a few years later of that type of work?
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah. And the impact I feel like it's so huge, because what that flag project did was provide a platform for meeting people in an informal way, where you don't think you're showing up to meet people you think they're showing up to do an art project, and then inherently are building community. And of course, that's the goal that you're not told it's the goal. And so you come out with like a five, a group of five that are your new BFF for the conference, because you didn't know anyone, and now you do. And that's a really nice way of doing that. And, and it was done through obviously, stitching like we talked about. But what I mean, is that the follow up from that kind of community building at a conference, like, that one really good example, because it's recent. And the person I sat next to, I think, on day one, or day two, and stitched with, with a woman called Jeanette, who's in North Carolina. And we sat and we stitched and then I was talking to her about ITAC. And what I'm hoping to do with it at that point, and these things called catalysts, I think I want to try and utilize people. So then Jeanette emailed me after the conference, like, “Hey, I want to do that thing. Let's do it.” So she became one of our catalysts. Then she came to my workshop at attack five, because she was like, let's reconnect, I want to see you and I see your face. And then my workshop was about what can you do today that will affect change three years from now? So she's like, “Huh, what can I do,?”and took it to heart and did some of the exercises I explained, went off and started her own teaching network teaching artists network in North Carolina. And now they have a weekly meeting. And they have their own cohort. And obviously, I was supporting them for the first little while with like zoom links and stuff like that, giving them access to the account. And then they hosted a think tank for us last month, to explain how they started this first grassroots effort so that other folks can attend and start their own grassroots centric, and it's this sort of snowball effect of what can happen from conversations. And it's, it was, yeah, it was a really beautiful example of that.
Jeff M. Poulin
Yeah. And, you know, I think the more opportunities that we have to come together and to share space, and to truly co create, which is a word that Yasmany used, are really important, particularly after the year 2020. I mean, the amount of isolation that people have experienced, but also the real need for building those authentic connections. I think there's divisions that have run very deep for a long time, and that were absolutely exacerbated with social conflict around the world in 2020, be it related to issues of racial equity, be it related to the health pandemic, or the growing economic divide, or political divides, you know, and finding a shared common interest to just create is is so important. And I think one thing that stood out to me from Yazmany’s description of his work, is this idea that we're not only creating artworks, a stitched flag project, or community mural, or whatever, but that were co creating humanity and love and joy and imagination. And those words are just so powerful. There's one term that he used was talking about, you know, going in and creating a bomb of creativity, which, oftentimes, when we think of some of those words that are more violent in nature, or whatever it, it brings up these long standing issues of conflict. And I think that the focus of using arts and culture to create simple connections to disarm people, to have a communal power to come together is just so, so important, especially right now.
Madeleine McGirk
The disarming people, I think, and that's what I remember being really caught off guard when we first did the flag thing, because I was like, “Oh, yeah, it's a stitch in a project that's cool, i’ll sit up and sit down.” And then it's the just the connections that instantly come from just doing something together. And I think as well, just in the world, and these areas of conflict, they talk about having one dominant perspective, or one dominant culture or, yeah, perspective is probably the best way to put it that has created all the systems and all the institutions and all the structures that exist that govern makes others feel very uncomfortable to those in power, I think, or very unusual or strange. And then the minute you can introduce a project like this, which just starts as if this is a human and here's the project that I'd love you to do together for 20 minutes and then we'll come back together and chat. And then they come back and all of a sudden, nothing's that strange, nothing less scary. It's just a human who has had a lovely 20 minutes doing something nice. And that the shifts that can happen from that is so significant. And I think people, people often undervalue that, and write it off as kind of where we are something, you know, soft, but that is how real change starts to happen as people humanize and listen and, and just drop their guards.
Jeff M. Poulin
Absolutely, I totally agree. Because you could be sitting next to someone who's the head of a, you know, a country's department of arts and culture, you could be sitting next to independent teaching artists, that is living paycheck to paycheck, you could be sitting next to an incredibly famous artist, you know, or a phenomenal educator that has generations of students that have come through their classrooms, it really doesn't matter. And it's a really tangible way to just disrupt some of those hierarchies, some of those norms, you know, to use some of the terminology that we talked about within our work at Creative Generation to, to go through a process of social transformation. And because it's a creative process, we would call it creative social transformation, this approach to thinking about the way our societies have systematically created divisions and to use arts and culture to break that down to its most kind of nuclear level, and to empower artists, creatives, particularly young artists, and creatives to be the catalyst for that change. And I just think that that's something that is so important. But you know, one thing that's interesting, and this ties in with another bit of research that we're doing right now that we should have more findings on later in our summertime, but it's this idea of challenging those artists who exit the field, right? In the arts and culture world, we celebrate when someone makes it as a musician, or hangs their first exhibition, or performs on Broadway, or as commercially successful as a musician or, or what have you. And there's an almost disdain for artists who are trained in the arts, maybe go to an art school or graduate with a fine arts degree from a college or university, and then exit the field. But, Yazmany is a perfect example of someone who exited the field and works in civic engagement in government. But as a working artist, that's making a tremendous difference. And I think we, we have to challenge some of those assumptions that we put in place on ourselves as a sector in the arts and culture and creativity worlds, because we have to remember that the skills that are developed as artists can be applied everywhere, whether you're making a painting, making some theater, or creatively designing a way to empower young people to be civically engaged in a large city like New York.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah, you can't be annoyed that there are no artists in government and then demonize artists that lean to government, right? Like, if you can't do both, it doesn't make sense. So I mean, I'm with you, I think I don't know how you describe your own role now. But I certainly am not practicing my art nearly as often as I used to. Now I facilitate stuff that makes it easier for other people to do that, or, you know, try and shift policy wherever I can. But I don't know that I really still class as a working artist in the same way I would have done five years ago. So yeah, I think if you really want an ecosystem shift, you need to let people exist in different parts of that ecosystem. That just feels like an obvious fact that you're right, there's definitely a stigma.
Jeff M. Poulin
You know, but you're right. I think I wouldn't classify myself as an artist anymore. I mean, I am very proud of my history growing up as a tap dancer and being on stage. I'm working as a teaching artist with young people in the performing arts in particular, don't ever ask me to do visual arts, if that is really not my strong suit. But what's interesting, though, is that I learned certain skills in creative problem solving and designing things. I mean, you know, figuring it out, I'll never forget working as a teaching artist and working in a school where there were almost 100 young people in a middle school production, musical theater. And it was like, how do you, you know, create an eight minute dance sequence that can honor the performance of 100 people. And that is the type of creative problem solving that I use right now. It might be how do we conduct a global study in a pandemic when you can't travel? But it's that same level of creativity or when I'm, you know, teaching at the university level, how do we design a curriculum that can cover you know, hundreds of years of history and seven classes or, you know what, whatever it is, but it is like that idea of sort of applied creativity, that that's how I sort of remain connected and it does give me the same high you know, It's really, really corny to say, but the same way I would get from performing on stage and then driving home after performance late at night, is the high that I got after I finished designing a syllabus with a lot of creative approaches in it. And that seems ridiculous to say out loud, but it's absolutely true in my life, but you know, something that comes with that, though, is this, this humility, to say, you know, I am, you know, a former artist, or I am a creative practitioner. And I'm working in a space where I have a lot of expertise. But there's also things I don't know. And that was something from Yasmany. His perspective that just really resonated with me is that ability to sort of admit what we don't know, and use it as a learning opportunity filled with humility, in order to communally progress, the ideals that we're working on together.
Madeleine McGirk
Yeah. And it's true, because the other thing that the other way you can phrase not knowing, and but being open is being curious, right, having curiosity, and that's so central to making any kind of art. And I would argue, the curiosity to know about others and to examine things or to look at things from a different perspective, all of which can create social change if channeled in a certain direction, or if applied in a certain way. And I really loved one of the phrases he used about creating gyms for the imagination, or gymnasiums, I think you hold them to the imagination, because I was starting to think, wow, like, what if that happened, but what what would young people's inner lives be if we rewarded that or be encouraged that in the same way, like Instagram encourages, or Chanel handbags? But like, if that was valued, that level of creativity and like inner life was valued and trained in the same way? It would just- the world would be different. It would, yeah. Forever, because I always come at it like this, what if the world, but it's so true.
Jeff M. Poulin
But you know, what you're saying is so important, this idea that a gymnasium, or even your the word that you use was training for imagination, that, that speaks to the fact that this isn't something you know, that we're born with, I can get on a whole soapbox about the word talent, because talent implies that it's something that you either have, or you don't have. And that runs counter to everything that I believe about the arts world. But the, the, whole idea, though, of training, our imagination, speaks to this fact, to go full circle in our conversation today, of why we need policies that provide opportunities for arts and culture, in communities and in schools, and that fund, and support arts and cultural education, from the earliest years through the rest of your life, because that muscle of imagination, if you will, has to be exercise has to be strengthened. And it's those who have that really astute and powerful imagination solve those big complex challenges that we face as society. And if we ever really hope to progress, as a people, as a global people, we must focus on creating those environments that allow imagination to thrive, in my opinion.
Madeleine McGirk
No, I agree, and not to bring everything back to the elections, where my mind is at the moment, but whenever I watched our aim, well, for the UK it was Brexit, was this really, really kind of toxic campaign that got run, and then watching your elections over there as well. And I sometimes just look at these people seeing these things, and I'm like, when was the last time you think they felt joy, right? Like when did that person say and all this stuff and you know, making these horrendous claims when they last joyful? And you're like, I bet it's been a while? I bet you have not had a like, that environment just doesn't exist in you in the same way that maybe it could and if these people who were growing up had access to some of that inner possibility, I really don't think we'd be where we are. And it's, I'm such an advocate for that. And it's the same as radical empathy or hospitality or there's so many words we have for it in our field, right? But nurturing a human is what we're talking about. And there's certainly room for that to happen more fully and more long term as we see evidence all over the world. So anyway, we get on well with each other.
Jeff M. Poulin
And we can all do with a little more empathy, and a little more imagination and definitely some more joy. I think back to this weekend, there was one dancer in particular that I had the pleasure of working with who by all measures in dance was definitely not, not the best dancer, but you know what's out there giving it their all on stage living their best life. It just gave me such hope. And I think that's what we're talking about here is the idea of building in or co-creating that hope and that joy and that love. And that's really what can make a difference regardless of whether it be an election, or some social change or education reform or anything of that nature. It is absolutely essential. But I hope this gives some inspiration to all of our listeners out there. I know we're both inspired today. I hope you all are so this does bring us to a close for our conversation today. And we'll look forward to seeing you or hearing you or talking with you next time on the why Change podcast. Thanks, everybody.
Madeleine McGirk
Thank you.
Jeff M. Poulin
I hope you enjoyed today's episode of why change the podcast for Creative Generation. If you would like to support this podcast aimed at amplifying the voices of creative changemakers around the world, please consider donating through the link located in the episodes show notes. These show notes contain all sources discussed in the episode. Be sure to follow. Like, subscribe and share the wide change podcast to make sure you and your networks get episodes delivered directly to you and that you don't miss any stories of creative work happening around the world. If you haven't already, be sure to follow us on social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Also, we'd love to hear from you. You can write to us at info@Creative-generation.org we'd love to hear your ideas, the topics you want to learn about and why change matters to you. Our show was produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. Our music is by Distant Cousins. A special thanks to our contributors, co hosts, and the team at Creative Generation for their support.
Episode Summary
By Emma Tilly Lamberti
During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Madeleine and Jeff discuss how politics and arts education align, along with how to increase civic engagement within the arts. At Creative Generation, research has found that there is a connection between applying artspace pedagogies to the development of young people. This relationship can be seen within young people working in social justice or civic work in ways that amplify their sense of identity and community connections. Madeleine interviews Yazmany Arboleda and the ways in which art can facilitate communities of joy, social action, and connections, which he has seen particularly in his project, “Colour in Faith”.
Yazmany Arboleda is a Colombian American artist based in New York City. He is an architect by training, where his projects tend to focus around creating “Living Sculptures”, which are people coming together to transform the world through co-creation. His work can be seen in communities in India, Japan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Afghanistan, Spain, Colombia, and the United States. His work is often motivated by political, cultural, and social situations, such as his project, “Colour in Faith” in Kenya, highlights the growing acts of terror justified on religious grounds.
Madeleine and Jeff continue to discuss how art can offer hope that we can make a difference, whether that is within elections, political movements, and an educational space. Through creating together in any capacity, whether through painting a building in Yazmany’s projects or simply sewing a piece of fabric together, there can be a natural, personal connection developed through that shared experience. This episode highlights these many ways in which co-creation can offer itself to new connections and community change.