by Maggie Kinkead
Bloomington, Indiana
Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies
My introduction to social activism came in the form of halfhearted protests and the boycotting of products. In my mind, activism had to do with stopping things from occurring. To be an activist, one had to fight and sacrifice for "the cause," whatever that was. Art was something to be consumed by those who had money, and activism involved sacrificing all fine things.
This dichotomous view was challenged, thankfully, in Macalester's Community-Based Theater course. In the class, I was asked to see activism in the telling of stories and in the use of community-made products, to see the radical in the creation of a play or in the telling of a story.
"I learned how the building of community and the creation of stories lay the platform for all forms of activism."
-MK Kinkead
|
What had started out as a fulfillment of my fine arts credit ended as an act of overt community activism. I was asked to consider my own relation to the topic by engaging in textual analysis, watching performances and videos, and finally, by creating and performing my own part in the annual May Day parade with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. By engaging with groups only a few miles from the college campus, I was able to understand how arts and theater reflect and form a community's sense of place and history. Through participating, I helped to form theater that reflected the multiple identities present in the community, and I became a part of the story.
Bringing the academic into the organic setting of the neighborhood allowed those in the classroom to understand how the very act of providing a gathering space gives a community autonomy over its directions and choices. By giving communities a chance to tell their story, we value their voices. I learned how the building of community and the creation of stories lay the platform for all forms of activism. Theatrical or otherwise, our future choices are based on how we come to know, understand and celebrate the stories of our past.
|
