interninginthecity

[interninginthecity]

today’s topic: last post

The end of the semester is coming to an end, which means my internship will soon end as well. I’m spending my last few days in the office finishing up some projects, researching events taking place in 2019 for my supervisor to check out, and just all-around tying up any loose ends. I’m so excited that I got to have this opportunity to learn more about this field and I’m really happy to have been a part of an organization whose values align with my own. 

Recently I read a play that was about abortion and abortion access, so for my final post let’s take a look at that:

In many areas of the world, especially in the Global South, access to abortion is restricted or outright banned, usually due to cultural or religious factors.

The UN Human Rights Committee states that lack of access to safe abortions is a threat to “life, liberty and security of person”. The UN Committee Against Torture views the failure to prevent restrictive abortion laws to be “cruel and inhuman treatment” because restrictive abortion laws often force those who are pregnant to either seek illegal abortions that can be dangerous/deadly or to carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Total bans on abortions, according to the Committee Against Torture, cause “serious traumatic stress” and  “risk long-lasting psychological problems such as anxiety and depression” because they “force women who have been the victims of rape to carry pregnancies resulting from the crime to term.” (You can read all about this and more here)

(Image Source: https://www.jmir.org/2018/5/e186/ )

Even in the United States, where abortion has been legal nationwide since 1973 due to the landmark US Supreme Court Case, Roe v. Wade, many people do not have access to safe, legal abortions. The map above shows the average distance to an abortion facility. In many areas of the US, one would have to travel for 100 or more miles to reach a facility. In fact, 27 major cities are 100 miles or more away from the nearest abortion facility and about 90% of US counties lack a facility at all. These geographic barriers to abortion are often intentional and are the result of restrictive legislation aiming to roll back Roe v. Wade. 

Most people probably wouldn’t think that an arts organization would be a place to debate abortion laws or other social justice issues, but these are very real issues that naturally spill into people’s artwork. Abortion laws affect roughly 50% of the Earth’s population. So, the play about abortion wasn’t just a play about abortion. It was a snapshot of how society views and treats women. It shows, just likes maps above, that we’ve got some work to do. 

Thanks for reading :) As always, opinions are my own.

[interninginthecity]

today’s topic: more on what i actually do

It feels like this semester has been flying by. It’s hard to believe that my time as an intern is almost over! 

The past two weeks at my internship have largely consisted of me analyzing and evaluating scripts and covering shows. So, most days I: went into the office, wrote a coverage report for recent shows, read 1-2 play scripts and wrote reports on them, attended meetings, and then covered a show. 

A coverage report is something we fill out each time we’ve seen a show/attended an event that we were invited to. It’s the organization’s way of keeping track of different artists and their pieces. Because the reports are so important, they are very in-depth and tend to take a little while to finish. Once I finished the coverage reports I was working on, I moved on to reading scripts. I usually read 1 or 2 scripts in a day, depending on what other responsibilities I had. Once I’ve finished reading a script, I write about it as well. We usually also have a team meeting at least once a week. During the meetings, we basically give status reports on what we’ve been working on, we discuss what we’ve seen/read recently, and we go over the upcoming schedule and assignments.

In terms of my recent assignments, pretty much every piece that I have had to engage with during the past few weeks has dealt with a heavy topic, like sexual violence or police brutality, and it hasn’t been the easiest to work with these topics. But these topics are extremely important and the pieces are telling important stories. I’m glad that I get to be a part of helping artists open up the dialogue and further the conversation. 

Thanks for reading :) As always, opinions are my own.

[interninginthecity]

today’s topic: what i actually do

The last few weeks I’ve been talking about and giving background/context to shows I’ve been seeing as part of my internship. But, I thought it’d be fun to give more insight into what I actually do.

So, my full fancy-schmancy title is: Artistic/Literary Intern for Performing Arts. What that means in practice is:

- I research different artists and projects for upcoming show seasons - I help with show coverage (going to different shows and arts events depending on the team’s needs) and scouting new artists for potential collaborations and residencies - I analyze and evaluate scripts from artists already working with the organization and I go to readings and workshops featuring artists already working with us as well - I assist with events that the Performing Arts Department is in charge of - I provide administrative support as needed

We strive to make art and cultural programming more accessible to the general public and to cultivate and showcase artists and projects that represent the diversity of the world around us. As a result, a lot of the artists and shows that I evaluate deal with themes pertaining to social justice, politics, various marginalized and/or immigrant communities, and issues of global concern/issues that should be of global concern. Of course, a piece pertaining to these issues isn’t automatically a good piece. Even if a piece is good or an artist is good, they may not be the right fit for the organization or its audience, which is something I help decide. 

This is where my handy-dandy Geography skills kick in. Prior to getting this internship approved for credit, I had to write an initial statement and justify why my work is related to my Geography major. In it, I mentioned that the arts go hand-in-hand with the human condition. If we’re showcasing art that reflects the diversity of the world around us, we’re showcasing art that reflects the diversity of mankind. In my opinion, if you’re going to look at a piece of art and really understand it, you have to look at its content, the creator’s life and perspective, and the context (especially the spatial aspects and the geo-political, social, and cultural factors that relate to it) of both the creation of the piece and the audience that is consuming it. Art can obviously tell us about the artist and their values, but it can also tell us about the society and culture in which they lived. When examining the artists and their artwork, I have to think geographically and keep all of this in mind when studying the meaning of the piece, its execution, and its relevancy for the target audience. 

I’m very excited to have this internship, because as anyone who knows me will tell you, large portions of my life are centered around the arts. So much so, that if you go through all of the essays, projects, and research papers that I’ve written/created during my time in college, I almost always find a way to tie the subject matter to the arts. When I first started college, I didn’t think there’d be a way to really tie all of my interests together. Then I discovered Geography and found a way to do it. Working in the non-profit arts field is one of my goals for after I graduate so I’m happy to have been afforded to gain experience in it now. 

Thanks for reading :) As always, opinions are my own. 

[interninginthecity]

today’s topic: Greece

(Map source: http://thefutureofeuropes.wikia.com/wiki/File:Greece-map.gif) 

This week, I saw a play that took place in Greece in 2012 during the unrest surrounding the debt crisis. I know it can sometimes be difficult to understand what’s going on during financial crises because they tend to be complicated, so I’ve included a video that does a good job of (very quickly) summarizing the Crisis in Greece. The video is a few years old, but it gives context to the specific time period the play deals with: 

The characters in the play were artists who were taking part in a residency program that explored the intersection of art and activism. They explored the motivations behind making art, the role of art in life in general, and the role of the artist during crises. This topic is interesting to me because it is one of my favorite things to study. Because I didn’t know much about the art scene in Greece, this was the perfect opportunity to do some research and learn about how it was affected by the crisis. 

In reality, as a result of the debt crisis, the arts scene in Greece flourished. Many artists used, and continue to use, their work to express their own despair and frustration and the despair and frustration of the general public. This could easily be seen in Athens, where art galleries were overflowing with new pieces,  filmmakers and playwrights were examining the culture with a new lens and street art was abundant. Much of the art was critical of austerity measures and the Greek government, while all of the art longed for better days. Although, for obvious reasons, art sales did not increase, more art was being created and more people were going out to see it because it resonated with so many. 

Two street artists, Cacao Rocks and Bleeps, became known for their artwork. Cacao created pieces including “€urope without Greece is a like a party without drugs” and “Then they used tanks. Now they use banks”. Bleeps created pieces including one that showed a woman with a sack of euros and halo with a phrase that translates to “Forty Years + Debtocracy”. Their creations echo the anger of many of their fellow citizens and their relatable pieces have earned them a certain level of fame.The two artists have often spoken about the importance of using their talents to shed light on the situation, but surprisingly neither artist makes a living selling politically charged artwork. Cacao in particular has stated, “We don’t sell our beliefs. We don’t want to make money out of saying austerity is unjust and clearly isn’t working.” Instead, he makes money by selling non-political artwork to tourists and letting his other pieces stand as protest pieces. 

Thanks for reading :) As always, opinions are my own.

[interninginthecity]

today’s topic: Afghanistan

Map source: https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/afghreg.htm

This weekend, I saw a musical that told the story of a family in Afghanistan and how they were navigating life and trying to survive during the 40+ years of war and conflict that the country has faced. The members of the family were each, in some way, involved in revolutionary activities. However, they drastically disagreed on who was “right”. For example, two of the main characters are sisters who at one point worked as nurses in their father’s clinic. One of the sisters is a Marxist who later flees the country and becomes a surgeon and the other is married to a member of the Mujahideen, stops working with her father on principle, and stays in the country. 

This musical was especially interesting to me because last year I took a Geography of South Asia class and we specifically covered the war when we talked about Afghanistan. Prior to taking the class, I was very ignorant of most of the details of the war. I was vaguely aware of the fact that Afghanistan had been under Soviet occupation, but I didn’t understand the reasons behind it. I knew the US had been at war with the country since 2001, but I wasn’t exactly sure what was happening over there. I’m still not an expert, but after taking the class I have a clearer picture of what’s going on. So, I really like that this play exists because I know most other Americans also have an extremely limited understanding of the war and its causes and implications and even less knowledge of Afghanistan and its cultures in general. 

Because of this, and the fact the two of the main characters were women fighting for what they believed in, I thought it’d be a good idea to talk about the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) which is a ministry within Afghanistan’s government. The first iteration of MOWA began in the 1940s, when a union of women was created to organize and educate women in Kabul. It later grew to be in charge of a school, a movie theatre, a kindergarten, and offices. Eventually, they became a part of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. After 1978, the organization split into divisions, one that provided vocational training to women and one that encouraged women to participate in social-political activities. Throughout the 90s, the group faced many challenges due to the Taliban’s views on women. After the fall of the Taliban regime, the Ministry in its current state was established and they began to focus on policy making strategies. MOWA is now a bridge between Afghan women and the Afghan government. MOWA creates plans and governmental policies regarding women’s rights and monitors the progress made. Their overall goal is to create a society that does not have any sexual discrimination.

Thanks for reading :) As always, opinions are my own.

[interninginthecity]

the beginning

Hey everyone! 

For the Fall 2018 semester, I will be blogging about my experiences as an Artistic/Literary Intern. I intern at a non-profit that strives to make cultural programming more accessible to the general public and I will be helping them do so by helping to scout artists and shows that fit within the organization’s mission and by assisting with showings, events, and other projects as needed. 

Though I am only just getting started, this weekend I had the opportunity to see two dance performances. One dealt with the themes of isolation and being a member of marginalized communities in the current political climate, while the other dealt with the themes of healing and connecting to others and the environment. As a dancer, I love seeing the wide variety of stories we can tell with our art. I also love seeing the connections between dance and what I have been studying, and both of these performances connected. 

I want to briefly talk about the latter of the two perfomances which was a site-specific project. This means that the entire project (choreography, music, etc.) was directly based off the place where it was performed. The creators of the performance had to study the site and then interpret their feelings towards it through dance and music. The entire storyline was inspired by the specific place where it was later performed and because of that, the performance wouldn’t work in any other space. It was a really intriguing concept because it was based off of how the creators experienced the space itself. They drew upon their individual sense of place, or relationship with this environment, to create a narrative. It was interesting to think about because it provided me with a new context to consider sense of place and a new way to think about how sense of place can influence or affect a person’s artwork.