Arts Learning

We went into our project with the ultimate goal of laying a strong foundation for the establishment of a Directing Institute that addresses the need for training, professional development and exchange opportunities in these areas, particularly for directors of color and women. We were very intentional about including Native American and indigenous artists and artists from the Somali and Latina/o community who are first generation immigrants, Hmong and Lao artists and reached 19 artists in the first year. Overall, we feel very proud to have completed a successful process, focused on trying structures and engaging in curriculum development, which perhaps exceeded all our expectations in the energy and vision it generated. These artists will continue to engage with us in FY2015. The whole process has truly informed and shaped our understanding of what is needed and what is possible, and provided us with a strong foundation for the launch of a replicable program. 2: This is the first of its kind in the Twin Cities. Barriers we identified were financial, geographic, racial and gender. We were able to mitigate these barriers by choosing a diversity of interested candidates, offering them classes free of charge, holding classes in both Minneapolis and St. Paul and also including women identified artists. All totaled, there were nineteen artists, fifteen of whom were people of color, seven were first generation immigrants, twelve were women or trans-identified, and three LGBTQ-identified. The project itself is a response to barriers present for people who come from an aesthetic that is different and who cannot afford to be a part of academic institutions. They wanted a practical training methodology. This is a response to a dearth of professional training and exchange opportunities for directors in the United States, particularly directors of color and women, as well as for beginning a training in the multiple, burgeoning forms of future aesthetics.