conscient podcast

e90 shannon litzenberger – state of emergence : why we need artists right now

Episode Summary

This episode combines a conversation with dance artist, choreographer, director and embodiment facilitator Shannon Litzenberger on December 8, 2021 in Toronto with Shannon reading her 'State of Emergence: Why We Need Artists Right Now' essay at the Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference Fall 2021 | Art in the Time of Healing: The Importance of IBPOC Arts in Planetary Renewal organized by Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) led by executive director Charles Smith and artistic programmer Kevin Ormsby. This is the first of 6 episodes recorded at the Gathering Divergence. Photo of Shannon Litzenberger by Aria Evans.

Episode Notes

• 'I would first and foremost love to see artists really lean into experimentation with their creative practices and to share what comes out of those practices - the learning and experimentation - with each other. I think that's something that even as a community of art makers we can get better at, but what that then also does is it starts to socialize learning about what art as a system of knowledge production is and this is how we start to disentangle ourselves from the ways that we're trying to solve this challenge, or the ways that we're even thinking about what is happening right now as a problem to fix, is maybe part of the dilemma to begin with and that art, as a way of knowing, is so critical.'

In her State of Emergence: Why We Need Artists Right Now essay Shannon Litzenberger shares her thoughts about the state of the arts and the state of artists where she hopes her perspective as an artist on the current crisis might resonate for other artists who still need to give voice to their experiences in this time of great disruption. You’ll hear Shannon read the entire 17-page essay, which is four parts: 

1. The Alienated State of the Artist: An Emergency and a Revolution-in-the-Making
2. From Culture as a Colonial Project to Culture as a Lever for Change
3. Artists as World-Makers
4. From Emergency to Emergence: Detaching from the Current System to Build the Next One

Our conversation touched upon the origins of the essay, it's intended audience, my thoughts on why it is a timely and provocative essay, precarity, empathy and Shannon’s embodiment work. 

This is the first of 6 episodes recorded at the Gathering Divergence event from December 8 to 10, 2021:

• episode 91 is my conversation with Keith Barker, artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts, including a reading of his new 5 minute Climate Change Theatre Action play, Apology, My at the end of this episode
• episode 92 is a presentation (including audience questions) by Santee Smith from the recording of a panel I moderated called National Cultural Policy and arts in Response to Climate Change
• episode 93 is a presentation (including audience questions) by Anthony Garoufalis-Auger from the National Cultural Policy and arts in Response to Climate Change panel
• episode 94 is a presentation (including audience questions) by Devon Hardy from the National Cultural Policy and arts in Response to Climate Change panel
• episode 95 is my conversation with CPAMO Executive Director Charles Smith and artistic programmer Kevin Ormsby including excerpts from their talk about the Living in the Skin I am In: Experiential Learnings, Approaches and Considerations Towards Anti-Black Racism in the Arts publication

Shannon’s essay is available on Medium. For more information about Shannon's work see http://www.shannonlitzenberger.com/.