Abstract
Art museums and universities are often perceived by local community members as closed-door institutions. This paper discusses a multi-partner theatre-based project through which faculty, students, community members and several campus units approached the challenge of connecting with communities. Oral History Performance for Social Change – a collaboration between the Harn Museum of Art, The Center for Arts in Medicine, and The Samuel Proctor Oral History Program – explored 1) how themes in the artwork of African-American painter and printmaker Jacob Lawrence could be connected to the history of local communities through Oral History Performance, 2) how students could engage with the oral history archive and the community around topics of race, civil rights, and inclusion, 3) how performing oral history in the exhibit can be a tool for transformative learning and generate critical dialogue between students and community members, and 4) how this program could produce inclusive space in a museum.
Presenters
Jeffrey PufahlLecturer & Publicly Engaged Theatre Scholar, Center for Arts in Medicine, Center for Arts in Medicine, University of Florida, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Inclusive Museum, Transformative Learning, Oral History Performance, Critical Reflection
