Decolonizing Performing Arts: Doing things the right way

It takes time, thought and frequently humility to do really anything complicated well. This is frequently the largest barrier that I see in potential partner to engaging in Native arts and culture – the largest barrier to creating equity for Native performing artists. I recently was a panelist from a granting organization with national reach and I was struck that the few proposals that had any mention of Native performers or community were sparing in their approach, or used Canadian First Nations performers (nothing wrong with it but it is emblematic that US presenters have no idea that there are US Native performing artists they could engage with – sometimes who are in their regions). Caveat these observations within the context that I understand that many performing arts venues are consistently under-resourced with little time or money available for equity related training and less time than they generally need to do community engagement well. Having said this – here are some thoughts about how the performing arts industry **SHOULD** be moving forward with regards to equity and Native performing arts.

First, accept the fact that you don’t have the answers – you will have to ask for help. Humility is, in my experience, a core shared value in Native communities (at least around Turtle Island). Accept that you will make mistakes and resolve to take responsibility for these mistakes. It’s OK to make mistakes!

Second, it (probably) isn’t about you. Doing work in Native communities is about the community. For that matter, doing work for ANY community shouldn’t be about you. There is a common colonial mindset that your community needs to be educated. I would invite you to flip the script – what do you have to learn? The answer might not be apparent – it might unfold over time.

Third, you can do things faster, but it will take more money. The old saying: fast, cheap or good – choose two, applies here. Native communities are great at doing things on slim or non-existing budgets, but they take time, lots of time.

Fourth, you have to commit. It can’t be a one day a year type of thing. Sometimes it takes showing up for years to gain the trust of Indigenous communities. By committing I mean giving without expectation of receiving – time, energy and resources. When your commitment becomes clear to the Native community, they will start reciprocating (in my experience again).

#decolonize #NativeAmerican #performingarts #equity

Decolonizing the Performing Arts: Anchoring (non-western) Culture

There is a particular moment at the outset of negotiating an artistic engagement where the is the opportunity to frame the cultural context of the interaction as non-Eurocentric. This becomes important when working with institutions and communities that are predominantly white and who have never effectively welcomed communities of different cultures into their spaces (and given them a seat at the table). In the context of my work and the work of the Indigenous performing artists that I work with this is obviously a Native context.

In negotiation there is a term called anchoring that is used as a psychological tool to create a perception of value. By putting forward your ideal terms for an exchange in a negotiation, you can gain an advantage where they are now working to walk you back from a higher point than they normally would have been. In a negotiation around framing a performance residency this manifests by having a fully fleshed out plan for the time spent on the ground, including how much time (multiple visits over the span of a year, or even multiple years), where the time is spent (starting all residencies be visiting the local Native community center for instance), who is brought into the engagement (retaining/paying local Native artists, elders and culture bearers to enrich the activities of the visiting Native artist) and even where the performances themselves art located (in part or in whole.)

When attempting to create a cultural anchor in an upcoming negotiation, it is important to do your homework prior to talking. Take a look at the venue: what have they programmed in the past few years? Also see if you can get a sense as to how this programming was receive through reviews in the art blogs or paper. If the venue has hosted residencies by artists working within cultural context see if you can get information on exactly how they structured the time spent by the artists. Then look at the program staff themselves, what background do they have? Have they done any work in the past with culturally anchored artforms or events? After you understand the context of the programming take a look at the capacity of the organization to engage with community. What can they support? Look at the size of the venue and capacity of spaces. Then take a look at the diverse communities that surround the venue in the neighborhood and beyond. Are there community centers or service organizations that you can tap into? Consider how you might connect with these communities and what investment in relationship building would be necessary for an effective partnership to be formed.

Once you have done your homework, the next step is to write up your plan. This is what you will be proposing, this will be your cultural anchor. When you do a writeup, define everything as well as you can without encumbering the process with too much detail. Work to understand the context, the reason for the fashion which you frame the engagements. Is it protocol? Are you making an artistic choice that aligns with your cultural values? How do you intend for community outside of your culture to engage? What are the avenues of connection? Intentionality is key here. What are you willing to compromise on and how much are you willing to compromise? Most modern theories around negotiation hold up transparency in negotiation as the key to achieving the best outcomes for all parties.

Remember that the best outcomes from any negotiation are ones that both parties are happy with. The ultimate goals is to build relationships and create a long term, sustainable partnerships which will both support the artist, the venue and the communities that they serve. In short, if you work together, the engagement will work better.

#decolonization #decolonize #indigenous #NativeAmerican #negotiation #culture