– ASTEP Team

By: Mauricio Salgado, Director of Domestic Programs

From April 16-April 21 2012, I had the honor of being an artist in residence with the Justice and the Arts Initiative (JAI) at Santa Clara University. For the fifth year, JAI Co-directors and SCU Dance faculty members, Kristin Kusanovich and Carolyn Silberman (pictured left), invited me to connect with their community, which seeks to create an intellectual frame of reference for examining and fostering artistic processes that are critically bound to issues of social justice, and to support practices and methods of developing artist-activists at SCU. As usual, the experience was uniquely invigorating! Aside from the workshops I presented, I witnessed performances affirming the power of art and many one on one conversations considering the artist’s role as a citizen.

On my first morning there, I witnessed SCU’s production of “What Strangers May Know,” a play commemorating the 32 victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007. The outdoor event involved  76 members of the SCU community ( students, staff, alums and faculty members), focusing on 32 separate one act plays memorializing each of the victims. Aside from immersing myself in the 32 stories, I also found myself reflecting on the culture of mourning; a thought that I continued to explore while visiting class reflections and in personal conversations with students and faculty. From the beginning, I found myself enlivened by a community that is processing profound social issues.

The next day, I led the first of two workshops exploring the empathic process and its use in community development. About 40 students participated in the workshops, where we also discussed ASTEP’s practice of using Arts Education to develop empathy in students. Most importantly, the workshops provided a space for students to consider what it means to pursue justice for the oppressed and impoverished, and how artist activists should prepare for that pursuit.

While at SCU, I also attended the 2012 Bannan Fellow Lecture by Dr. Maeve Heaney. Entitled, “Beauty and Beast; the role of the arts in Jesuit higher education,” the performance landed the importance of the arts in higher education in order to broaden intellectual capacity. I specify that the event was more of a performance than a lecture, because it included scenes, music, dance pieces, and painting. As Maeve demonstrated, singing about beauty lands the point more effectively than speaking about it – and if so, it is equally more effective at relating social injustice.

As happens each time I visit SCU, I left inspired to deepen my own understanding and pursuit of Justice and eager to relate the stories that moved me. I left ready to take the next step in helping artists strive to end poverty.

We know how important it is for an artist to have the time and space to explore their practice and experience meaningful exchanges or immersions. Partnering with SPACE on Ryder Farm, the A Step Towards Empowering Artist Scholarship will award two 5-day 4-night residencies with a goal of supporting socially conscious artistic endeavors. These endeavors include creation processes, residencies, exploration or research, exhibits, and performances. The residency will provide each artist with room, board, working space, and artistic support from Ryder Farm faculty for the 5-day 4-night stay.

ASTEP received an impressive set of applications, which had to focus on the scholarship’s 2012 theme: Overcoming Discrimination Through Art. After careful evaluation, ASTEP is thrilled to announce the 2012 A Step Towards Empowering Artists Scholarship recipients: Annika Sheaff and Alejandro Rodriguez.

Annika Sheaff

Annika: I am thrilled to receive such a great residency! As an emerging choreographer some of the biggest challenges are finding space and time to work on a new creation. ASTEP is awarding me with 30 hours of time to work in the studio with the dancers of my choice! I could not be more excited! This is the most precious gift; I can’t wait to get my feet wet and dive into a new piece about “Overcoming Discrimination”. ASTEP’s belief in me is encouraging and this space grant will help me further my choreographic career. Thank You ASTEP!!

Alejandro Rodriguez

Alex: The common misconception about the work I do with ASTEP is that it’s entirely selfless. Sure, I think there’s a certain spirit of generosity that fuels our efforts, but I have always received much more than I’ve given. The young people I’ve met, and the artists I’ve gotten to work with, have given me new perspectives and provided me with the inspiration for many characters I’ve played and pieces I’ve written. Now, with the A Step Towards Empowering Artists Scholarship, I get to to take that exchange to a whole new level.

When I learned I’d been awarded a residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm, I was ecstatic. It’s hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me. Like many of us who volunteer for ASTEP, I’m a freelancing artist. As such, I spend a lot of my time in waiting rooms, knocking politely at the doors of the commercial theater, hoping the gatekeepers might let me into play for a while. And, I imagine like most of us, I end up feeling like my Vision cannot be accommodated by the studios at Ripley Grier, or even by some of the beautiful theaters I’ve been lucky enough to play in. My art is for the World; and yet, as a young artist I end up fumbling with it, awkwardly, growing increasingly insecure as I put it on display for strangers to praise or criticize. What ASTEP and SPACE have blessed me with is an opportunity to find stability, and to spend some time in relationship to my own Voice and to my own stories, many of which have been culled from the rich experiences I’ve had on ASTEP sites.

Will I create something that lasts? Who knows. Will I never have to audition for casting directors ever again? Certainly I will. But for a moment, however fleeting, I will feel like an Artist. And, in the final wash, that is the greatest and most transformative gift that ASTEP gives its volunteers: the feeling of actually being what you told your mom you were moving to New York to become.

Thank you ASTEP. I hope our friendship lasts a lifetime.

A big thanks to Tanesha Ross, an ASTEP volunteer, who coordinated the event and to our volunteer judges: Krystle Armstrong, Michael Liscio, Gabrielle Reid, Anne Markt, Yazmany Arboleda.

One of the final competitions involved creating a piece of art using elements found during a scavenger hunt!

Hello ASTEP Family!

As an active ASTEP volunteer artist for a number of years, I’m writing to let you know about an exciting group that I am involved with called the Moirae Ensemble.

The Moirae Ensemble is a Chamber Music group that flutist Fiona Kelly, harpist, Caroline Cole and I founded while pursuing our Masters of Music at The Juilliard School.  The three of us discovered that we had similar ideals and beliefs in what we wanted to accomplish through our musical careers and as active members in our community.  Not only are we dedicated chamber musicians, we are also women who deeply care about supporting fellow women worldwide. We decided to start an ensemble that would embrace these two concepts by forming the Moirae Ensemble.

I was introduced to the International Rescue Committee through ASTEP and have worked with their domestic office in NYC for almost a year as an art teacher at PS199, and have been inspired by this amazing organization since I started my work with them and wanted to collaborate with the IRC on this project.  We are currently scheduling a concert series for the 2012/2013 season that will raise awareness for women’s issues and funds for the International Rescue Committee’s domestic office in NYC, with the long term goal of creating a fund for women refugees in NYC to receive counseling. In addition, we have commissioned several new works for this project including a donation from world renowned composer, Libby Larsen.  Please keep an eye out for our upcoming concerts and feel free to visit our website at www.moirae-ensemble.com.

– Catherine Hancock | ASTEP Volunteer Artist

ASTEP’s volunteer artists are the key to our success. We believe in cultivating a community of artists who use their gifts to inspire youth and in providing ongoing professional development opportunities for our volunteers. Starting this year, we’re excited to begin offering the ASTEP Leadership Seminar series for active ASTEP volunteers.  During the two-day intensives, we will explore the skills and strategies necessary to be an effective facilitator and leader when using the arts for social change. Focusing primarily on communication and organizational skills, the seminar will prepare individuals to be ASTEP On-Site Administrators, key leaders who help us manage the partner and volunteer experience. Most importantly, the seminar provides a space for like-minded artists to share their ideas about, experiences with, and challenges on leadership.

Our first ASTEP Leadership Seminar took place on March 1-2, 2012 in NYC. In attendance were 9 volunteer artists, ranging from dancers to actors to musicians to visual artists. We covered topics such as communication, conflict mediation, and evaluation—we were lucky to have a special presentation by Annika Sheaf, a Pilobolus dancer, who led the group through movement exercises that explored movement and how it relates to quick thinking, group productivity, awareness, trust, and communication.

Over the course of these two days, everyone involved not only grew closer as a volunteer community but also strengthened their leadership abilities and personal connection to this work.

Hear from several of the participants:

Testimonial:

“Thank you so much for including me in the ASTEP Leadership Seminar. I really can’t tell you enough what a meaningful time I had. I feel so lucky to be a part of such an incredible community. I really look at ASTEP as a defining part of my life–the ideals of the organization and of the people within it are ones that I constantly push myself to strive for. And attending this seminar only made me believe this even more. I treasure my time spent with ASTEP and look forward to many, many, more years as part of the ASTEP family.”

–Alli Job, ASTEP volunteer | bassist and visual artist

ASTEP is always looking for dedicated and passionate artists who make using the arts as a tool to empower youth a primary part of their lives and practice. There are many ways for you to get involved! Check out the current volunteer opportunities:

+ Academic teachers and artists at Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project in India

+ Performing and visual artists for our 2012 summer art camp in South Florida

+ Performing and visual artists for our 2012 Refugee Youth Summer Academy in Brooklyn

+ Performing and visual artists for our 2012 summer art camp in Washington Heights, NY

+ Student participants from the 2012 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival

To get updates and video of their experiences, check out the links below.

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ASTEP and SPACE on Ryder Farm will award two 5-day 4-night residencies with a goal of supporting socially conscious artistic endeavors. These endeavors include creation processes, residencies, exploration or research, exhibits, and performances. The residency will provide each artist with room, board, working space, and artistic support from Ryder Farm faculty for the 5-day 4-night stay. Applicants will be required to pay for their transportation to and from the farm.

Scholarship Requirements

• Scholarship applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have either participated as a student or teacher in one of the ASTEP programs.
• The project proposed by the applicant must directly relate to the theme: Overcoming Discrimination Through Art

Applicants must submit a cover page, project summary, and logistics

• Cover page: must include a project title, your name, email address, phone number, and the ASTEP program that you participated in.
• Project Summary: The project summary must be between 250-400 words. Please explain why you are pursuing this project, how the theme is connected, and the impact you hope the project will have on you as an artist and/or your community. (Project summaries that exceed the recommended length will not be reviewed.)
• Project Logistics: Please specify a timeline for your project from inception to completion and your budget (if you already have or plan to seek funding from outside sources, please list them as well).

Reviewing Process

• Four members of the ASTEP community have been randomly selected to review eligible applications. Panelists represent student alum, volunteer alum, and board members (ASTEP staff members will not serve on the panel).  Panelists will remain anonymous.
• Panelists may contact applicants with comments and questions. In the second phase of the review process, panelists will score the application, including any modifications.  The scholarship will be awarded to the artist with the highest score, based on the following areas:

Clarity – how clearly the idea is presented and how it connects to the theme.
Practicality – how feasible is the project as a whole based on the budget and timeline presented.
Impact – the potential for impact on the artist and the community.

Scholarship Deadline
Applications will be accepted starting on February 27, 2012. Email applications to Mauricio Salgado at mauricio@asteponline.org. The application deadline is March 2, 2012 at 11:59pm.

Award winners

• All applicants will receive a response by April 1st, including Award winners. The winners will also be announced on the ASTEP website and Facebook page.
• Winners will have to confirm their residency dates by April 15th. (SPACE on Ryder Farm suggests that the residency take place between June 1 and June 16.)
• Winners will also be required to create four blog posts about their creative process for the ASTEP website and should include photos or videos.

For questions, please contact Mauricio Salgado, Director of Domestic Programs, at mauricio@asteponline.org

We look forward to hearing from you!

– ASTEP

“One of the most inspiring people I met was “Lolly” Laura Foy, who attended both ASTEP workshops and introduced me to a dozen of her students and co-workers. She was the Region’s 2010 Irene Ryan Finalist, and is now a professor at Winona State University. She went to Grad School at the age of 48, after having fallen in love with a Street Artist in the Renaissance Circuit in her 20?s and literally “Ran away with the Circus.” Now with 2 kids, and the un-censored artistic passion of a child, she inspires her students to think out of the box and that there is no one way to live your life or hone your craft and give back. Needless to say, the student she coached was one of this year’s Irene Ryan Finalists going to DC!

And these were just a few of the many powwows that happened during the 3 days, because our goal seems to be something alot of Collegiate communities need desperately. But, that necessarily can’t be developed in house because even Professors have to focus on writing papers and research as a means of keeping their jobs by attaining tenure– so even their passion and story gets lost in the fight for survival getting limited to safe commercial art in programs also supported primarily by ticket sales instead of University Funds. So, the poverty of free thought is occurring in all aspects of the collegiate community not just the students. If all this can be discovered in 3 days in Iowa, I a cannot wait to see what Region 4 brings!”

– Nick Dalton, ASTEP Volunteer

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Video contribution from KCACTF 5 student

Vicky Stafford, Iowa State University

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Nick with JESSE SHERMAN and DEON HAIDER

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Nick with Rich Sommer (actor, MAD MEN), Amanda Duffy (actress, wig mistress to Broadway shows) and John Plumpis (actor, BARRYMORE)