How Did We Get Here From There? A Critical Reflection on the Philosophy, Pedagogy, Poiesis, Pragmatics, and Politics of Organizing "Responses"

• In Event: 58.057 - Reexperiencing Democracy Through the Arts as Scholarly Work in the Public Sphere

Abstract

Purpose

In order to look forward to more events that bring arts-based research to public venues, it behooves us to look back at the philosophical, pedagogical, poetical (artistry), pragmatic and political underpinnings of what made this event what it was, it wasn’t and what it could become. This presentation will take a critical look at the nine-tenths of the iceberg that were not seen with the purpose of assisting in the planning of similar future events.

Perspectives

Leavy (2009) claims that arts-based research also makes research accessible to non-academic audiences but typically, at conference venues, presentations are made solely to attendees. Building upon discussions at the research methods SIGs’ preconference at the 2015 AERA, Response Abilities: Performing Arts-based Research with Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, was a direct response to presenting our work in public settings

Methods

Employing a reflective practice model (Bolton, 2011), this presentation is meta-research that examines the organization of the event along with its artistic and pedagogical intents. It will discuss the elements of planning, the emergent logistics of the day and its documentation through video.

Data Sources

Data sources will be email correspondence, the proposal submission, and performances themselves found at (http://www.joenorrisplaybuilding.ca/?page_id=1764).

Results

Major items to be discussed are the pragmatics of recruitment and acceptance of scholars (not all submissions were accepted), the logistics of scheduling within a conference framework, obtaining necessary permits within legal parameters along with unexpected regulations. A short analysis of the presentations under the lens of artistic responses will provide a range of possibilities and a discussion of the artistic and technical dimensions of recording such events for future use.

Significance

Concluding with a series of questions, this presentation will begin to outline a series of questions for future event organizers to consider.

Author

• Joe Norris, Brock University