I felt like overall, my art educational event at WAAS went well. I wanted to write a post before the event but I was kind of anxious about it. I decided to present on Doris Salcedo’s Plegaria Muda because of the living plants since the exhibition in the room next door also has living plants.
I had set up the event in two parts. The first part was a brief retrospective on her artistic background and other pieces I selected by Salcedo, ending with Plegaria Muda. The second part was the “art making workshop”. I wanted to give people a chance to apply the inspiration I hope they felt when being introduced to sculptural installations in a community setting. Perhaps some of the artworks evoked something in them that some quiet time to process before they drive home will be soothing. It still feels like a blur from the moment I stepped up to introduce her work, to today.
I was encouraged by Brandy and Michelle (the other two women I was working with to make the event happen), to speak without notes. I had used all of my time up to the day of the event researching, putting together the activity (supplies, instructions, objectives, budget, concept) and researching. I talked about her work from powerpoint slides, as well as passed out several of her exhibition catalogues in the crowd and a small wood box with volcanic sand for visitors to touch a type of soil. I definitely could have practiced more, but somehow my 15 minute talk turned into 30. I had to adjust my tone to the audience. I had written some points, but they did not feel like they all were applicable at that moment. I am finding the need to understand when it is the right time to inform, educate, or entertain. That becomes harder when dealing with topics such as death, and during that night, I read from my notes during some parts. I also did not know at what time would my personal interpretation be the most beneficial, I gave it at the end, but I feel like I would have to learn to adjust that depending on the audience.
The activity portion was my favorite. They were assigned to make collages from the two found objects I found shown in the pictures above.
I still do not have words to express, but the art made by the people who came was so beautiful and inspiring. I hope to write more about it in the future. Scroll down for images of work made that night.
Below are some pieces made by some of the people in the picture above.
WOW! The collages that your participants made are wonderful! You must be so proud that you helped facilitate a workshop that inspired such cool pieces.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has their own spin on what combination of things makes for a good lecture. You will figure out what is right for you. I wish more people got input from their audiences beforehand, like you alluded to. It's a great idea, in theory, but much harder to do, in reality. It's much easier to do that with a smaller group where you can "take their temperature." If I'm lecturing to a large group that I've never met before (like on the cruise ships), I try to lecture in a way that is accessible and warm. I don't want anyone to feel left out or to leave the lecture going "huh?! What was she talking about?!" I also like to infuse a little humor into my lectures to make people smile. We can all do with taking things a little more lightly, in my humble opinion. It humors me too when they laugh at my bad jokes and it is a kind of form of instant feedback, even if some of the jokes are met with groans :)