Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens, "Is there anything left to be done at all?" (2014), five-channel video, sound, sculpture, dimensions variable. Video still.
artist.roundtable (A.RT) is an approach to bridging different areas of thought and addressing crucial issues from varying directions. In 2014-2015, there are A.RTs occurring in Guelph (climate change), São Paulo (water), New York City (health), Vancouver (new economies), and Toronto (tower renewal). The artist.roundtable is a flexible and modifiable approach for artists to share their ideas and innovations beyond the art world, enabling them to speak with policymakers, politicians, community organizers, social movement leaders, and vice versa. Local organizers determine the theme, context, and goals; therefore each A.RT is quite different. You can read about the first roundtable in Guelph and the overall idea, here.
The artist.roundtable approach is not yet fully defined. With each A.RT, we anticipate learning something new about sharing different forms of knowledge that keeps artists and creative practitioners at generative levels of problem solving … and we invite you to be a part of the process. Cities for People, Kunsthalle São Paulo, Adjacent Possibilities, Disruptive Imaginings, Musagetes, National Arts Strategies Creative Communities Fellowship, One Earth, World Policy Institute / Arts-Policy Nexus, and the Department of Art and Public Policy, Tisch School of the Arts at New York University all deserve credit for their midwifery of the A.RT methodology.
artist.roundtable on New Economies
An experiment of Adjacent Possibilities, Musagetes, One Earth, and Cities for People.
Vancouver, B.C. May 29, 2015
“[The A.RT on New Economies] was enormously thought provoking. One of the best, most interesting and thoughtful ‘panel discussions’ I have ever attended. Thank god for Artists! And their ability to help us see the world through new eyes. Lots to ponder going forward.”
Image credit: Daniel Rotman