OS at the core of arts/sustainability gathering in May '09?

Thu Aug 7 17:45:50 PDT 2008

Nataly...

You remind me of a story I posted here a few years ago about a folk festival
run in Open Space:

*I traveled north to Hornby Island (Jewel of the
Strait of Georgia so they say) for the 15th annual Islands Celtic Music
Festival.  As many of you know, I play Irish music and every year we get
an invite to come to this marvelous festival for tunes and workshops.

The Festival is run in Open Space.  At least that what it looks like.

On the Friday, the masses gather in a a whopping great "session" which
is when people of all walks of life, talent and abilities gather in a
circle and play tunes together.  There is no leader...people just call
out the names of tunes as the Spirit moves them and the whole group
joins in.

While this is going on a blank wall gets filled with index cards
indicating times and places for workshops.  Sound familiar?

On the Saturday, it's all workshops and gatherings and catching up with
friends and learning new tunes.  Follow that is a concert on Saturday
night, truly the scariest gig I have ever played, with no sound system
and 120 musicians listening to every note.

On the Sunday morning, more workshops and then at 2:00 a closing circle
in which the hangers on gather and sing songs until everyone has to make
a mad dash for the last ferry home.

One year I asked the organizers if they had ever heard of Open Space
Telchnology.  When I received the answer "What's that" I replied "Never
mind."

Sometimes the world is so perfect that one is loath to interfere.

*Cheers,

Chris

On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 6:06 PM, nata marchuk <nata_marchuk at yahoo.com> wrote:

> It is amazing!
> Just joined the group and first post to receive was about something that
> boils in my mind and can not find solution yet, but is so close to my heart!
> I am part of Russian Folk Group here in northern California. We started as
> a group of parents that wanted to help kids to keep the language. The
> initiative grew bigger and deeper to not only celebrate holidays with songs
> and dances, but include other art forms: painting, costume making, clay
> work, beading, etc. Then some of members explored different meanings of
> songs and games, as well as the effect of vibration when you sing with your
> "chest" voice. Me in particular is very interested in effects of folk
> singing when pregnant and raising a child (ren), as well as in joyful or
> grieving periods of life. A lot of cultures use songs and circle
> games-dances as a "clearing" of the place, ice-breaking, opening of chakras,
> spiritual work...
> The burning thought was, I see it in collaboration with OS, but have no
> idea where to start from! The feeling is that it is so close, so big and
> wonderful (I mean our future project oo using OS in Folk and folk in OS)
> And here is the post of Patricia Haines and others about the same thing!
> Thank you guys, we will create something!
> Warmly,
> Nataly
>
>
> Nataly Marchuk
> Independent Associate
> Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
> Home office: (408) 749-0936
> Mobile phone: (408) 420-0095
> www.femida-network.com
>
> --- On *Wed, 8/6/08, Chris Corrigan <chris at chriscorrigan.com>* wrote:
>
> From: Chris Corrigan <chris at chriscorrigan.com>
> Subject: Re: OS at the core of arts/sustainability gathering in May '09?
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 4:56 PM
>
> Lots of Open Spaces with arts organizations showing up on my radar these
> days too.  Ran two in the past year with the Arts organizations here in
> British Columbia and I know Phelim was around here in Vancouver in January
> running an OST that a dancer friend of mine was at (and she loved it and
> him).  It certainly seems like it's Open Space in a full blown sector now,
> to add to government, health, education and business...
>
> Chris
>
> On Wed, Aug 6, 2008 at 1:23 PM, Harrison Owen <hhowen at verizon.net> wrote:
>
>> Wonderful! The secret I think -- is don't make it too complicated, don't
>> try
>> and explain it -- just open a lot of space/time for wonderful art. There
>> is
>> a lot of tradition about this, starting more than 10 years ago when a good
>> friend conducted an Open Space for the Arts Councils of America (a project
>> of the Pew Foundation) -- 2 days in Open Space with a theme something like
>> Bringing Art to America. When people announced their sessions at the
>> opening
>> they often did it in their own art form. Dancers danced it -- singers sang
>> it, and musicians made the music. There were no "special performances" --
>> everything was performance. And it truly rocked! And it was also very
>> substantive with careful attention the sorts of things that Art's Councils
>> need to pay attention to -- but there was no distinction between art and
>> life. It was all one glorious unity -- which is what true art is all
>> about,
>> I think. Lots of details and connections if you want. Phelim and Matilda
>> --
>> where are you???
>>
>> Harrison
>>
>> Harrison Owen
>> 189 Beaucaire Ave
>> Camden, ME 04843
>> 207-763-3261 (Summer)
>> 301-365-2093 (Winter)
>> Website www.openspaceworld.com
>> Personal Website www.ho-image.com
>> OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options
>> http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> Patricia
>> Haines
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2008 2:05 PM
>> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
>> Subject: OS at the core of arts/sustainability gathering in May '09?
>>
>> ARTS AT THE HEART OF A SUSTAINABLE WORLD, a global initiative grounded by
>> the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and Earth Charter
>> USA, is starting to plan for a three-day gathering in New York City in
>> early
>> May, 2009.
>>
>> The purpose of this event will be for participants - artists, educators,
>> sustainability activists - to share information, energy and inspiration
>> about how they are calling on the ARTS as a catalyst for addressing the UN
>> Millennium Goals and Earth Charter ethical/action agendas.
>>
>> Arts at the Heart grew out of an Open Space in Raleigh, NC in March '06,
>> hosted by the US Partnership for the UN Decade - facilitated by Steve
>> Cochran and Chris Weaver, who was amazing and remains a vibrant
>> inspiration
>> for all this project is doing now and growing toward.
>>
>> I want the May '09 gathering to have another Open Space at its core -
>> though
>> we'll invite participants to offer performances, poetry readings,
>> exhibitions of their art work, hands-on workshops, collective music and
>> dancing too.
>>
>> My organization (the Level Green Institute - which has guest rooms if
>> anyone
>> ever wants to visit Ithaca, ny) will be organizing the event, but it will
>> be
>> co-hosted by Earth Charter USA and the Youth Caucus of the UN
>> Environmental
>> Program. We're in conversation about possibilities for space at the UN
>> itself, as part of UNEP's 3-week meetings in May.
>>
>> We're also working with the Danish Consulate in NYC to call on the Danish
>> Folk School heritage as another frame for our goal to mobilize the arts as
>> a
>> catalyst for building a sustainable world. Little is known about the Folk
>> School in the US, but the movement started in the 1840s as part of the
>> grassroots democracy movement that enthralled all of Europe at that time -
>> and everything began with singing, music and embracing the richness of
>> distinct cultural identities. No matter what the particular focus, and
>> each
>> School had its own unique approach, there were intentional connections
>> with
>> host communities, and music and dancing woven in with the most-often
>> action-oriented curriculum. By 1900 it had spread around the globe, very
>> quietly providing a framework for community-based, non-credit,
>> non-degree-related interdisciplinary, residential explorations of what
>> experiencing full humanity - in the context of responsibility to community
>> -
>> can mean for active
>>  democratic citizenship. The past 20 years or so have seen a resurgence of
>> folk school activity everywhere in the world - including in the US - but
>> US
>> initiatives haven't been included in the growing world network.
>>
>> I'll be starting funding searches in early September - anyone interested
>> in
>> working with me to organize this Open Space? we'll need an experienced
>> facilitator (or two), who will be written into the budget.
>>
>> I didn't do well with the Open Space I myself facilitated in April, at
>> Ithaca's symposium on Greening the Arts - there weren't enough  people,
>> and
>> none of them knew about or were prepared for the challenge that Open Space
>> offers.
>>
>> I really need your help to make this work - and I'd love to hear your
>> ideas
>> of how we can make this gathering as effective and heart-inspiring as the
>> March '06 Open Space that sparked the vision in the first place.
>>
>> Thank you - Patricia Haines, Ithaca, NY (607) 339-9472
>>
>> PS: does anyone have contact information for Chris Weaver? the email I had
>> is no longer working, and the phone on the only web presence is cut off.
>> Thanks -
>>
>>
>> LEVEL GREEN - fostering sustainable community through collaborative
>> initiatives in hospitality, education and the arts, in the 150 year-old
>> democratic  spirit of the Danish Folk School
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> CHRIS CORRIGAN
> Facilitation - Training - Process Design
> Open Space Technology
>
> Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
> Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com
>
> Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd.
> http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com
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-- 
CHRIS CORRIGAN
Facilitation - Training - Process Design
Open Space Technology

Weblog: http://www.chriscorrigan.com/parkinglot
Site: http://www.chriscorrigan.com

Principal, Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd.
http://www.harvestmoonconsultants.com

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