Creative Calgary Congress — Exploring ways that the arts and artists can play a leadership role in making Calgary a more curious, compassionate and creative place for all citizens.
The Artists and Artivists — Sharon Stevens and Kenna Burima
How can the arts bring the public together to experience greater connection, solidarity, understanding, belonging, and celebration?
Community Activism Through the Arts
When artists are at the grassroots of community, amazing things unfold. How can the arts bring the public together to experience greater connection, solidarity, understanding, belonging, and celebration? Using the Equinox Vigil in Union Cemetery, Carol of the Belles, Femme Wave as examples, Sharon Stevens and Kenna Burima lead a conversation about community activism through the arts. Join them to share your ideas, challenges, and passion.
Community Activism Through the Arts — but why?
Why should the arts be the catalyst to bring the public together to experience greater connection, solidarity, understanding, belonging, and celebration? Why become a community-based artist? Is the arts valued through community events? What is the role of funders? The City? The public? What myths do we need to dispel? Kenna Burima and Sharon Stevens initiate a conversation to share ideas, challenges, and experiences.
Kenna Burima is a connector, a teacher, an activist — in her adopted hometown of Calgary. She has earned a reputation as someone who can turn ideas into big projects and inspire people to come together. But at her core, Burima wears one label most proudly: Musician.
Sharon Stevens is a multi award-winning media artist, activist and instigator who’s made a career of integrating art and community ritual-making into a series of projects that enlighten, enliven and entertain.
We are going to question everything that has been said on this stage up to now.
Intro
Kenna introduced the sessions by saying: Sharon came to this realization 15 years before me but only five months ago did I come to this realization: My belief was that as an artist it was my responsibility to use my art and be on stage to engage politically, socially, to change ideas, to bring people together — I don’t think I believe that anymore. But I don’t really know where that leaves me within my artistic practice. So our question is this: What is art’s responsibility and what is an artist’s responsibility? Sharon and I will be unpacking those questions.
Open Session #1
Why do we create? To become community-based artists? To use art to change the world? To commodify the arts to get our message out? To get paid? Is art a means to an end not the end itself?
Community Activism and the Arts
There is a duality within the artistic practice — activism vs arts — Is art a vehicle for activism?
And there is the message — allowing someone to hear something that resonates.
There is friction created by being a human who cares for other people and wants to see change, but also needing to make a living and existing in the city. How do we reconcile the two? The time is now to figure this out.
There are long-held assumptions about what art is and what it is supposed to do, and the systems that are part of that assumption need to be questioned. But it’s hard to question them, because you have to have awkward conversations with your peers.
As soon as you call yourself an activist you are expected to be good and informed on all of the issues.
People will use artists to get their message out for all of the social issues. Am I an activist or artist first? If activists were paid more they could use their art to help make sure their voices are heard. I’m questioning more right now about using art for activism.
Activists — do we have to be good at all things?
Representation — artists are asked to contribute to all. Can we represent one voice? How to define — feminism, art, creativity?
There seems to be a pervading idea of art as a means to an end rather than the end itself. If we support the arts it will drive the economy, create a more vibrant city, greater connection. Is there an assumption that these things have to happen in art as opposed to art being done for arts’ sake?
What is your opinion on art? What should it do for you? what should it do for the world? What should it do for the artist? As an artist, should it give you joy/fulfillment and should it pay the bills? Is it being appreciated?
Artists — expectation of the process — dealing with the expectation that an artist’s work should have a financial end result. There is an expectation that if you are a creator then you can operate in all different mediums — it’s the same with activism.
Arts seem to be in a state of disarray: There is a cultural upheaval that is happening in activism right now. Calling out culture vs calling in culture. It’s a risky space to operate in right now to try to do social justice work or activism. You are as much at risk from other activists who will pull apart what you are doing, and from not being able to be on that forefront. Everybody seems to be struggling with this now.
Personal Activism vs Work in Art
Art comes from personal activism — example: Participant writing a song about food and our relationship with food and bringing it to children through music.
Artists often come to an activist role either through necessity, family, or anger. The artist becomes an activist when they come up against something that causes friction.
A participant asks: What about the excellence in those forms in which we work? I believe theatre creates community. You need to set your own parameters in which you want to operate — your own parameters for excellence. Our art is our passion.
Another participant (comedian) says he found himself in the days following the US election trying to figure out his role as a satirist in the wake of the election. He didn’t want to put anything out there for fear of alt right or those who respond to such things. He’s trying to make sense of artists being both heralded and lambasted for their commentary. Perhaps his role is to give levity in such instances.
Another participant: Is it still art if it’s driven by the patron? Who gets to decide what is art — who is enjoying it, who is creating it, who is paying for it? Is there art in everything?
We want to protect ourselves as artists — which makes it difficult to be an activist as well. Example: Pence vs. Hamilton. Does art exist to entertain people? Art has become part of the most mainstream conversation in America right now because of this.
Activism is a reaction to all of this.
Then there is the work/life balance — volunteering versus being paid. Doing little things like mentioning names of artists, raising awareness around public art, which is a way to further the activism — raising awareness in conversations. These are important.
There is an awakening happening — our world of complacency is over. The recent US events may spur the awakening more.
How do we use arts as part of this awakening? Do we always have to be cheerful and looking forward to the future? How can we be realistic and get the message out?
Open Session #2
What is the job of art in Calgary? What is art, what is the role of art and of the artist? Do you feel we’re at a four-way stop?
What is the good in living a creative life?
Does art have to have a message?
Can you define yourself as an artist? Artivist?
Sharon calls herself an Artivist. This could mean marching on the street, or it could be a letter to the editor. Her art is inspired by activism — by bringing the art community together she feels like we are succeeding as a species.
Participant: As a visual artist, my reason for making art is the pure love of it. But there is the issue of the public and the private. I make the art I love in private and then it is shared publicly. Interacting with the community feeds your relevance, and then artists start pursuing things because their art starts selling or it gets them funding. It’s a feedback system that forces you to operate in a certain way in order to survive.
As an artist you can connect with the maker community. We need more open-ended opportunities where you can connect with another artist, another community and not always trying to shoot for a certain outcome which is limiting. Sometimes we partake in trend hopping in an effort to be “successful.” Funders want guarantees that you will be successful, but maybe drifting and dreaming is what we should do more of. Making time for reflection.
But how do you go about getting paid? And how does that change your relationship to your work? Does it change the process of your art when you have to factor in whether or not you are getting compensated for it?
Kenna’s personal practice has changed due to necessity. A broken wrist forced her to change the way she functions as a musician. It’s a more uncomfortable process for her to drift and dream, but it’s more true to herself. Being driven to an outcome was impeding her.
The need for certain outcome becomes prescriptive. The immediacy of what is needed artistically — the demands placed upon the artist by the funders/community. Where there is no prescribed solution is where we often find the best ideas, in the creative process. How do we step into the uncertainty of drifting and dreaming? When there is no expectation of an outcome you have time for the creative process. You can let go of that fear of failure and step into uncertainty.
Participant: There is a need economically for funding systems or business systems to be more open as to how they can support creative economies, creative people etc. There should be room in the economy for different skilled people to contribute — other ways of being able to make money. The city needs to be open to supporting the creative people who live here because if they can’t make a living they will leave.
Can we diversify dollars? How can our city support a creative economy? Leadership innovation?
What about corporate patronage and developing relationships between corporations and individuals? Sometimes artists think that there is only one way to fund the arts — grants from the government. However, there are many other ways that patronage can exist. What is it to be a patron of the arts?
Being a patron of the arts or being patronized?
We have reservations about the word “creativity.” What is creativity? Is it good to make ways to make “it” happen? Should Calgarians live a creative life?
What do people understand about “culture”? Culture is a whole range of our norms and values, not just “art.” It’s a wider concept. Creativity isn’t limited to arts — it can be applied to all sectors. Creativity is creating a new way of dealing with a situation. Front line creativity allows those with first-hand knowledge of a subject the opportunity to create solutions to problems. Creativity does not have to be limited to being artistic — it can be used in any job, responding to a situation.
Act Upon It
Watershed Plus Project — City of Calgary
The idea came from an engineer at the City that helped set out the City of Calgary Cultural Plan — part of the 1% public art. These artists in residence are paid well (which is great) and have been in ‘residence’ fully for several years (also a good thing). These are things that we don’t really hear about.
Residencies are a brilliant way to bridge the gap between being an artist and being a patron. Being receptive to those activities that aren’t considered normal arts.
We are at an awakening! Since the election, things are going in a spiral and we are starting to see an awakening, in that we are coming out of an era of complacency. Everything that we do now is moving towards this awakening.
Conflict, tension, friction help us grow. You don’t grow as a person by having an easy time of things. This friction that we are feeling individually as artists is feeding into this concept of an awakening. You have to have tension to move forward. We are not shying away from uncomfortable conversations now, which can only be good for the process.
With more technology and more voices coming at you (social media) it’s hard to decipher what is noise and what is true content. There’s a ripple effect.
Sharon and Kenna’s Comments at the End of the Day
Many of us are in a state of disarray, a crossroads. But crossroads isn’t actually the right term because it speaks to a duality and we’re more so at a four-way stop, a roundabout or an open field.
We have many questions. We talked about the “how” and are my dreams affected by the alt right? Is all art excellent? We talked a little bit about community-based art. And how the job of being an artist is also like being an entrepreneur — you have to be everything, the expectations of what people expect us to do, all kinds of different things as artists.
We spent a lot of time on this word — creativity — we also evoked other words that irritate us — innovation, grassroots, leadership — all of these words that we’ve been talking about and throwing around. What do they actually mean? And do they mean the same things to everyone? And are they actually serving us as words?
We talked about activism and art activism and how the word activism can be a little bit daunting so we tried to demystify it and own it. And we asked: do we all have to have one voice?
What art is? It’s difficult to define, just like it’s difficult to define feminism.
Does art always have to have a message? We love our art. We love the work we do but then there’s a question about private vs public, how art is commodified, how we have to make a living and how we’re often asked to do things for free.
We discussed the importance of drifting and dreaming as opposed to an outcomes-based practice.
Overall, we felt like we are coming to an awakening. With the way the world is right now, even though there are lots of challenges, it does feel like there is a small awakening, that the world of complacency is no longer possible.
Sharon Stevens
Sharon Stevens is a multi award-winning media artist, activist and instigator who’s made a career of integrating art and community ritual-making into a series of projects that enlighten, enliven and entertain.
She currently supports her art practice as Executive Director for Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society a Provincial Arts Service Organization.
Founder Equinox Vigil in Calgary’s historic Union Cemetery.
#AFA25 Influential Artists.
Media artist, activist, collaborator Essense Productions.
Kenna Burima
A classically trained pianist with a flair for jazz, pop, garage rock, and every genre in between, Calgary’s Kenna Burima’s current work Hymn features swirling synths and a meticulously crafted horn arrangements laying the foundation for songs mining the social, political, and emotional ground of an angry world.
In her adopted hometown of Calgary, Kenna Burima has earned a reputation as someone who can turn ideas into big projects and inspire people to come together.
She’s a connector, a teacher, an activist. But at her core, Burima wears one label most proudly: Musician. A classically trained pianist with a flair for jazz, pop, garage rock, and every genre in between, the tool that Burima uses to express herself most purely will always be her music.
About the Creative Calgary Congress
Calgary Arts Development produced the first Arts Champions Congress in 2011 as a meeting place for people who make Calgary’s arts sector a vibrant and exciting place to work and our city a great place to live.
Renamed the Creative Calgary Congress in 2014, it returned on November 22, 2016 as a place to share ideas and explore ways that the arts and artists can play a leadership role in making Calgary a more curious, compassionate and creative place for all citizens.
