Do Artists Have To Compromise?
An amazing feature of being a member of the Creative Engagement team in my Media & Community class is getting introduced to advocacy groups and artists. Last week I had the opportunity to interview the executive director of Churches Improving Communities, Carrie Dirks Amodeo as well as choreographer Stephanie Beauchamp. They are collaborating for the upcoming MOTION: New Dance Works concert, produced by coLAB Arts in New Brunswick. The basis of my interviews with them was to understand if one’s artistry is affected by representing an advocacy group. I wondered if fulfilling certain expectations would be tough for an artist or would influence their vision? The relationship between the director of an advocacy group and an artist must be strong for a great performance.
The Neighbor Corps Reentry Program was established through the Reformed Church of Highland Park by Amos Caley. He was an intern that conceived of Neighbor Corps through his Master’s thesis project. In addition, Middlesex County granted the project a grant. The purpose of the program is to help people as they are coming out of jail to reenter their community successfully by using GPS goals.
GPS is an acronym for gainful employment, personal development and social integration. The goals that participants create for themselves with the assistance of navigators aim at helping them find jobs, seek counselling and network within their communities. Navigators are trained interns and volunteers that serve as mentors for participants. The completion of GPS goals help participants achieve 30-day plans.
When asked the question on her passion for the program, Carrie answered “Incarceration intersects with multiple issues including poverty and racism. And if a person cares about decreasing poverty, they should care about incarceration.” While she does not have any personal connection to people that have been incarcerated she is motivated by change. The themes that she wishes to be conveyed in the performance are transformation and showing that we are all outsiders. Carrie added “Everybody has felt excluded at some point, everybody has this experience in their life. We can all tap into this feeling of not belonging.” Most formerly incarcerated people feel like outsiders when rejoining with their communities.
Stephanie began her dancing career from a small age due to her older sister’s participation in dance. She started in foundational classes like jazz and ballet. However, after obtaining her BA in Theatre, she remembered her love for dance. She has been a part of numerous productions and has been dancing for over 20 years.
In addition, I asked if she had any trouble representing the organization and she responded, “I cannot represent the Neighbor Corps Reentry Program or one individual’s experience into reentry.” I was shocked that she wasn’t concerned about representation. I’ve always had the impression that artists had to compromise when collaborating with companies and organizations because sometimes two visions can clash in the process of creation.
When asked about the message she wanted to convey to the audience, she responded, “There is no specific personal story of reentry that I want to tell. I just want to highlight the importance of the Neighbor Corps Reentry Program.” She also expressed that there are many changes that have been made to the piece including use improvisation in the piece.
I reflected on Stephanie’s point about not being able to represent a specific journey of reentry and the organization. I realized that trying to represent one aspect or the entire advocacy group would be impossible from Stephanie’s point of view. As a person looking outside in she has never shared the same experiences as participants and can only create art that shows why the program is needed. Carrie laughed when I asked her if she had any advice for Stephanie saying, “I’m not in the dance world at all, I’m in the social services world. So, It’s magical to me. I think it’s cool that she is going to be able to come up with a different language of dance.”
To my surprise, Carrie doesn’t have any demands for representation of The Neighbor Corps Reentry Program and trusts Stephanie’s expertise in dance. Also, Stephanie is not seeking to represent the organization but rather to implement into the performance why it is needed.
