Cathy Fitzgerald: networking the arts to save the earth

[William Shaw]

I'd like to draw people's attention to a new paper by written Cathy Fitzgerald of this parish, and of art & ecology notebook. It's an essay Cathy has written as part of her PhD, into "the value and under-realised potential of online social networks that connect cultural practitioners and organisations who are responding to ecological concerns across the world."

And it couldn't be more timely.

Download a copy of Cathy Fitzerald's paper here

Cathy's been a prime mover when it comes to creating arts and ecology networks in Ireland and internationally and her paper is well worth a read to remind us all the unfulfilled potential of these networks. Well, this network in particular. The RSA Arts & Ecology project reached its conclusion last year, which leaves this network waiting to find a new role. In practical terms, funding for this Ning site runs out at the end of next month, so it's time we put our heads together to work out what happens to this community. Ultimately of course, this is the RSA's site, so the decision's up to them, but I'm sure it would be useful for us to put our heads together about what we think the future for it could look like. Or not.

On a personal note, I set up this Ning what seems like a very long time ago, and haven't been able to spend much time on it recently, for which I apologise. It's clear that a good online community needs an active administrator if it's going to be be effective. Cathy's paper is a good way to start kickstart some of the thinking we need to do.

Is this a community we want to see move forward? Or are other communities now more effective in this area? If we do want to see it go forward, what shape do we see it taking, and how, practically, can we administer it? I've set up a really bog standard poll in the left hand column of the home page... it would be interesting to see what people think at the most basic level. Should we stay or should we go?

[Richard Povall]

Hello all.  I haven't had a chance to read Cathy's paper yet, but thanks William for trying to shake us up, or at least ask some pertinent questions about where to go from here.

 

I wanted to let everyone know about some plans that are brewing, growing out of a number of strands of work down here in the SW.  Many of you will know that Alan Bolden's MA Arts & Ecology came to an end in 2010.  This wasn't because of a lack of interest, but in the changing circumstances of Dartington College of Arts.  Alan left in 2009 and I took over the MA for the last two years' of its life.  Dartington College is sadly no longer, and the rump of its courses are now located at University College Falmouth.  There is now an MA in Art & Environment there - an excellent MA but different in focus to the Arts & Ecology MA.

 

Aune Head Arts continues to focus much of its work around ecologies of place - making contemporary art projects with rural people and place.  The Arts at Dartington (the Arts Dept of the Dartington Hall Trust) is moving towards a focus on these kinds of engaged practices, and other organisations are coming to Dartington or becoming engaged with Dartington (such as Encounters, and CCANW) whose work also connects with a loosely defined 'Arts & Ecology' thread.  We are working, together with Schumacher College, to develop a new MA in Arts, Ecology, and Place, and in developing a series of conferences, residencies, online and physical seminars, and other kinds of activities to enliven and extend the debate around arts practices which engage with ecologies of place.  

 

We are discussing how we extend this network to others in the UK and the world.  We are investigating a closed social site, similar to this Ning site, but more flexible and able to support such things as closed work-sharing/critique sessions, and the like.  We're in the fairly early stages of this process, and would be very interested to hear more

[William Shaw]

Thanks for that. There seem to be a number of possible ways to go, and if we get enough info about what everybody's up to we may be able to come up with the best solution for all of us.