PIE Lab: A space to generate and collaborate

Photo by JLG Foto

In October 2018, we gathered with nine Artist Educators at Brilliant Detroit to explore what it means to work at the intersection of art and education.

Over the years we’ve seen that oftentimes, artists are working in community without a network of support. For three days we dived into the challenges many Artist Educators face. We also looked at the strategies they use to do this work. It was an outpouring of lessons, and we want to share a few in reflection.

“Being a teaching artist can be isolating because you see only the kids and it’s hard to work with other teaching artists because they’re doing the same thing.”

— Karilu Forshee

A space for Artist Educators

Artist Educators work at intersections, not only of art and education, but also organizing, administration, advocacy, design and more. These intersections culminate into one of the greatest strengths of this work and make finding your way to this work difficult. It also makes it hard to find spaces that allow you to improve your craft as an Artist Educator or find peers to have conversations with about where the field is heading.

Many Artist Educators start by doing work in classrooms and communities that is well intentioned. Sometimes the results are good and other times they are harmful to students, to that community and to the artists’ development. Because there is a demand for this work but there aren’t spaces to help people develop into Artist Educators, many artists are given jobs in communities without the skills they need to be successful.

Over these three days we attempted to solve this problem by creating a space for Artist Educators to come together and define what they do, to discover best practices and learn from one another.

Three Days

PIE Lab was made up of three parts. Each day we actively created art together, we explored big questions and we heard from other artists who are doing collaborative creating in their communities.

Photo by JLG Foto

On the first day, we explored how our own training as artists impacts how we show up as facilitators. We acknowledged that  many artists are developed in a competitive environment, which is a sharp contrast to the collaborative work of an artist educator. We also heard from Sacramento Knoxx and Raychel Gafford from The Aadizookaan about how and why they use art to organize their community in Southwest Detroit.

On the second day, we identified and refined our purpose as Artist Educators. We worked together to explore how that purpose can impact our facilitation. We also heard from Jova Lynn Vargas about her work balancing a career as a teaching artist, curator and manager of her own personal studio practice.

“Our greatest power lies in our truth. Many times we undercut the potency of what we create to align it with certain standards. Those standards, when they were formed, had nothing to do with our collective well being or wholeness.”

— Sterling Toles

On day three, we sat with Sterling Toles and talked about his approach to making art as a form of collective healing. We then wrapped up by exploring PIE’s approach to  media making by creating together.

Across the three days we pulled from the last eight years, where we at People In Education have used media-making as a process of empowerment. We’ve used the creative process to investigate and address the issues in our communities. Media- making isn’t the end goal—it’s the vehicle through which we develop essential skills around connection and curiosity.

This is a growing field, and we hope that our work at PIE Lab can contribute to the development of this practice, of artists creating with and within communities.

Photos by JLG Foto and Erin Allen

What’s next

November marked the first quarterly meet-up in a series that will provide further professional development opportunities and cultivate a supportive community where artists can troubleshoot challenges and share successes. Starting next year, these meet-ups will continue to take shape according to the inclinations and curiosities of the artists.

A part of this continued convening of PIE Lab participants is an opportunity for them to observe each other’s community work, reflect and offer feedback.

And three PIE Lab participants are a part of our Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program, so stay tuned to see their upcoming work with young people and Detroit education communities around the theme of school lunch.

Introducing PIE Lab!

PIE Lab is a training for Artist Educators to cultivate more humanizing creative practices.  

For PIE, “humanizing creative practices” are processes of collaborative creating that center connection, curiosity and reflection. They are practices that respect the full humanity of the artist, community and audience, and that nurture authentic voice and community leadership.  PIE Lab models this experience for Artist Educators in its design, while imparting concrete tools and practices that can be applied in their work.

This year’s PIE Lab kicks off October 17-19!

the primary goals of pie lab are to:

• Provide support for Artist Educators to develop collaborative creative practices

• Provide insight and tools to develop collaborative projects

• Make art projects more relevant to community members’ and artists’ lives

• Connect Artist Educators to their personal purpose as a facilitator, exploring why they work in community.

• Create deep relationships between Artist Educators that will support them throughout their careers.

this year-long training consists of:

3 Day Intensive

The intensive introduces artists to PIE’s approach to creating.  We help participants articulate their purpose as Artist Educators within the context of their community. From there, they identify the skills necessary (in themselves and with their communities) in order to fulfill that purpose. Artists learn best practices for nurturing agency and leadership. With the support of PIE staff and dynamic guest facilitators, they create project frameworks and self-defined metrics by which they can measure progress towards their stated purpose and goals.

Quarterly Meetups

Throughout the year, artists will reconvene at networking events such as book clubs, local and national conferences, and project planning parties. These gatherings allow further professional development opportunities and cultivate a supportive community of peers with whom artists can troubleshoot challenges and share successes.

Observations & Documentation

Every artist will have the opportunity to be observed by PIE staff and trainers at least once during the year. The observation includes an audio and/or video recording and transcript.  Artists will then undergo one-on-one meetings to reflect on these recordings. This reflection will help artists understand what is working or not working and adjust their instructional practices accordingly.

Cost

Participation in PIE Lab is  $300 for an individual. Scholarships are available, and you can apply within the application. We do not want cost to be an obstacle for anyone; we are happy to work with you to make PIE Lab affordable.

Apply for this year’s pie lab by october 1, 2018

Questions? Email erin@alliedmedia.org.

Lunch Special! Work with PIE Artists to make media about school lunch

People in Education is looking for classrooms, schools and organizations to partner with our artists-in-residence, starting October 2018.

The Artist in Residence  (AIR) program partners with artists, school communities and students to make media that uncovers stories at the heart of the schooling experience. Over four months, we explore a complex education issue, resulting in a collaborative, digital media project.

This year, we’re looking to change how we make; instead of creating projects on varying topics, we want to focus all our media projects around a central theme: school lunch.

Often in policy and reform conversations about schooling we flatten the complexities of the issues, attempting to make them easier to comprehend or measure. From there, we develop flat solutions that fail to address what is truly at the core of the education crisis.

This new model will allow us to get multiple angles on one part of schooling and show how complex it really is.

Click here to see some of our past collaborative media projects.

Why school lunch?

In seven years of working with young people in Detroit classrooms, there is always one topic students are hungry to discuss: lunch. When it comes up, the stories pour out:  “One time, I had brown alfredo sauce?” or “A bread and cheese sandwich? It ain’t even grilled sis!” And it's hard to talk about anything else because A) the stories are hilarious and B) the feelings run so deep.

We want to make media that speaks to these questions:

1. What are young people really eating?

Detroit is known for being revolutionary in its school food programs. We want to hear how young people feel about school lunch in Detroit and what they’re actually eating. Just because it's served doesn't mean it’s eaten.  

2. What else is going on in the lunchroom?

Lunchroom politics can be a hot topic, rich with social dynamics and institutional rules. We want to see what young people think about things like the design, multi-functionality, interpersonal interactions, expectations from adults about noise and seating (just to name a few) in their cafeterias.

3. What is the importance and impact of student choice at lunch?

There are lots of assumptions about the food choices young people make. More often than not, adults question their ability to make healthy choices. We want to know how students understand the choices they make around food.

What we’re looking for in a partner:

Educators, schools and organizations who--

1. Work with young people on art, technology, health, food and/or issues in social justice.

2. Can work with a consistent group of students over the course of the four-month program.

3. Are open to a collaborative creating process between themselves, their students and PIE artists-in-residence.

How to become an AIR partner:

If you’re interested becoming an AIR partner, complete this form by September 17 to tell us a bit more about yourself and your work. The form will take about ten minutes to fill, and we’ll follow up later in September with more details.