Motherhood and Revolution: How women, and mothers in particular, are innovating in conflict and post conflict circumstances, and expanding the models for ways in which one is an artist/activist in the world.
Two documents below represent the 2009 gathering:
AOW 09 Summary contains the conference overview, agenda, Erik Ehn’s notes, and various papers and presentations.
The Participant Journal contains scanned notes from conference sessions taken by attendees.
The complete documents may be downloaded here, or by date and session below.
AOW 09 Summary Participant Journal
For more conference photos, visit the CalArts Photo Archive.
View select bios of our presenters.
Jan 14, Wednesday Evening: Introductions and Orientation – Simplicity and Complexity [Coffeehouse Theater]
Guiding issues: The persistence of negationism; the patriarchy of form (an assumption of Western models of theater and performance); the marriage of artistic excellence and ethical efficacy.
6:30-7:30 Opening Remarks: Jean-Pierre Karegeye, Erik Ehn [Coffeehouse]
7:30-8 Taylor Krauss, Rwandan women sharing traumatic experiences. (www.voicesofrwanda.org)
8-10 Documentary Film: Mothers Courage, a documentary about the incredible resilence of Rwandan women survivors ten years after the genocide, by Léo Kalinda, followed by discussion moderated by Chantal Kalisa [Coffeehouse]
Jan 15, Thursday: The Role of Women in the Reconstruction of Rwanda
Facilitator: Jean-Pierre Karegeye
8:30-9 Convening and conversation (A brief opening performance/presentation; coffee and food; a summary of the previous day, highlighting action items) [Main Gallery]
9-10:30 Panel Presentation, chaired by Chantal Kalisa [Coffeehouse]
Mathilde Mukantabana: The Essential Role of Women Social Workers in Mending the Socio-Economic Fabric of Post Genocide Rwanda
Kaliza Karuretwa: Weaving a Future: Rwandan Women Help in Nation Rebuilding (to be confirmed)
Chantal Kalisa: Becoming a Writer – Rwandan Women Testimonials
Taylor Krauss: Voices of Rwanda. From Idea to Archive: Oral History as Justice
Journal Entry: Panel chaired by Chantal Kalisa
10:45-12:30 Special Guest: Rwandan Ambassador to the United States, James Kimonyo – [Coffeehouse]
Journal Entry: Rwandan Ambassador to the US
1:30-3 Keynote Speech A – Jean de Dieu Mucyo: Genocide Denial and National and International Justice: the work of Rwanda’s National Commission against Genocide [Coffeehouse]
Journal Entry: Keynote Speech A
3:15-4:30 Dr. Margee Ensign – The Role of Women in Rwanda’s Nation Building.
Journal Entry: Dr. Margee Ensign
4:45-6 Visual Arts Respond [Coffeehouse]
Sabrina Dove – Using Art to Further Sustainable Conflict Resolution In the Aftermath of Genocide: The Rwanda Deck
Michael Robinson – Crossing the Canyon (animation)
Brent Blair- We Cry on the Inside: Theater and Trauma Counseling in Rwanda
Journal Entry: Visual Arts Respond
7:00-8 Presentation: Eti! East Africa Speaks. Arielle Julia Brown, Roberta Levitow [Coffeehouse]
8-10:30 Film – Pray the Devil Back to Hell (Director, Abigail Disney, present for q+a) [Coffeehouse]
Jan 16, Friday: Palestine
8:30-9 Convening and conversation [Main Gallery]
9-10 Empathy, Denial and Self-defense: Genocide and Palestine – an overview of issues and initiatives. Ed Mast. [Coffeehouse]
Genocide and Palestine: Ed Mast’s Notes
Journal Entry: An Overview of Issues and Initiatives
10:15-12:15 Panel – Models of Engagement – Moderator, Ed Mast. Iman Aoun www.ashtar-theatre.org, Beth Krensky – We Make the Road by Walking (gallery exhibition), Vivian Sansour, Jen Marlowe, Hanna Eady, Hala Nasser. [Coffeehouse]
1:00-1:30 Fiddle Lecture – Peter Schumann/Bread and Puppet Theater (www.breadandpuppet.org)
[BW Studio]
1:30-3:00 Roundtables, Session One: Motherhood and Sustaining Theater/Activism –Alana Macias, Annie Hamburger, Alison Narver, Kathy Randels, Evelyn Serrano, Laurie Carlos, Lisa Schlessinger, Laura Edmondson. [Faculty Center]
Journal Entry: Motherhood and Sustaining Theater
3:15-5:30 Roundtables, Session Two: Motherhood as a Class, Motherhood as a Movement – Roberto Varea, Grandmothers of Plaza De Mayo; Vali Forrister, Grrls/Actor’s Bridge; Celia Rodriguez. [Faculty Center]
Journal Entry: Motherhood as a Movement
5:30-5:45 Hole – “A sassy, sort of Butoh look at traffiking and war.” Dawn Saito, Maria Myleaf, Christine Sang. [Main Gallery]
1:30-5:30 Theater of the Oppressed: Interactive Workshop – Iman Aoun. [Irene Annex]
Journal Entry: Theater of the Oppressed
1:30-3:30 Women of Palestine Performing the Nakba – Hala Nasser. [Coffeehouse]
1:30-3:30 The Art of Mindfulness: Self-Care Practices and Rwandese Women Health Care Providers – Theo Koffler [E314]
Journal Entry: The Art of Mindfulness
3:45-5:30 In the Dark Times There Will be Singing – Song Workshop. Kathy Randels [Main Gallery]
6:00-6:30 Cantastoria – Peter Schumann/Bread and Puppet Theater (www.breadandpuppet.org) [BW Studio]
7-7:30 Review: An open sharing, highlighting issues, connections, questions from the day.
Performances
7:30-8:30 The Human Writes Project. Nizar Wattad. [Coffeehouse]
8:30-10 Inner Mandala. Maja Mitic. [BB2]
7:30-10:30 Massaker, dir. Nina Menkes [Bijou]
Flower in the Gun Barrel, dir. Gabe Cowan (in attendance) [Bijou]
Jan 17, Saturday: Kurdistan
8:30-9 Convening and conversation.
9-10:30 Keynote Speech B – Choman Hardi: Genocide, Rape and Silence in Kurdistan/Artistic Practice in Response to the Anfal [Coffeehouse]
Journal Entry: Keynote Speech B
10:45-11 A Tortured Cliché, A Fragmented Identity – Performance, Cklara Moradian. [Coffeehouse]
11-12:30 Overview – The contemporary Kurdish scene, locally and internationally. Nancy Buchanan, Soraya Fallah, Choman Hardi, Cklara Moradian. [Coffeehouse]
2-3:30 Roundtables, Session One: Theater and Peacebuilding – Cultural Diplomacy vs. Cultural Exchange: Roberta Levitow, Dijana Milosevic, Pauline Ross, Claudia Bernardi. [Langley]
Journal Entry: Theater and Peacebuilding
3:45-5:30 Roundtables, Session Two: Esthetic Diversity in Arts Activism – Roberta Levitow, Roberto Varea, Dijana Milosevic, Teya Sepinuck, Rebecca Rugg, Claudia Bernardi, Dorit Cypis, David Mack/Ema Bell – Chocolate City, Bill Westerman, Michael John Garces. [Langley]
Journal Entry: Esthetic Diversity
2-3:30 Iran: Niloufar Talebi/the Translation Project – ICARUS/RISE: giving voice to the contemporary hybrid-Iranian. [Faculty Center]
Based on “Naghali”, an age-old dramatic story-telling Iranian tradition, ICARUS/RISE draws from new Iranian poetry.
2-4 Reading: The Overwhelming, by JT Rogers – dir. Ron Cephas Jones. [Irene]
4:15-5:30 Speaking the Unspeakable: Writing on Genocide – Deborah Asiimwe, David Myers, Robert Skloot. [Irene]
2-3:30 New Knowledge: Activism and Library Science – Kathy Carbone, Toni Samek, Karen Jungblut, Bill Westerman. [E314] Toni Samek’s Notes
3:45-4:30 A presentation from the CalArts Aesthetics and Politics MA Program [E314]
Journal Entry: MA Aesthetics and Politics
4:15-5:45 Cuban Mother/Artists – Visual arts, dance, music, theater. Facilitator: Lili
Bernard. With Evelyn Serrano, Marissa Chibas, Sara Whittaker, Maria
Elena Gil, Melena. [Coffeehouse]
Workshops
2-3:30 In the Dark Times There Will be Singing – Song Workshop. Kathy Randels. [Main Gallery]
2-5:30 Other Mothers – A writing and performance workshop. Laurie Lathem. [F100]
5:30-7 Communal Dinner – Please join us for a collective potluck [Mom’s]
Evening Performance
7-8 NK 603- Action for performer and e-Maiz – Violeta Luna, David Molina, Roberto Varea [E400]
8:15-10 “To Put Things Right Again” – La Fuerza Femenina in Times of Change
– Cherrie Moraga/Celia Herrera Rodriguez/Alleluia Panis. [Coffeehouse]
8:15-11 Pray the Devil Back to Hell, reprise showing. [Bijou]
Jan 18, Sunday: One World Thinking
8:30-9 Convening and conversation [Main Gallery]
Presentations and Discussion: Models of Arts/Activism
9-10 What Good is the UN in the 21st Century – Inocencio Arias Llamas, Consul General of Spain. [Coffeehouse]
10:15-11:30 La Frontera – Glenna Avila, Evelyn Serrano, Peter Jensen. North-South collaborations. [Coffeehouse]
11:45-1 Initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa: Public Health. Traditional male circumcision and gender roles in Western Kenya – Paula Tavrow. Child Trafficking – Orena James.
2-4 Sum and plans [Coffeehouse]
Gallery Exhibits:
Beth Krensky Rita Nessian Lili Bernard
