Cultural Organizing for Community Change, November 18, 2018

See the full program here

This annual Brooklyn-based learning exchange, cosponsored with Naturally Occurring Cultural Districts NY (NOCD-NY), brought together organizers, artists, media makers, and policy makers to learn effective ways to deepen our work and engage our creativity in organizing for community change. The day included a cultural organizing framework, hands on skill building workshops, case studies, networking, and resources. The day began at Littlefield with afternoon breakouts at nearby Gowanus community organizations including Fifth Avenue Committee, Gowanus Canal Convervancy, Interference Archive, and Theater Mitu.

AGENDA

All morning programming & lunch take place at Littlefield (635 Sackett St, Brooklyn, NY 11217)

9:30 – 10:00      Registration and gathering with light breakfast
10:00 – 10:10    Welcomes
10:10 – 11:35    Cultural Organizing Framework, Mapping the room
11:35 – 11:45    Move with Urban Bush Women
11:45 – 11:50    Exhibition announcement, Undesign the Redline Project
11:50 – 12:45    Lunch
12:45 – 12:55    Workshop announcements (both sessions)
12:55 – 1:10      Leave Littlefield and walk to the Session 1 workshops

1:10 – 3:00    SESSION 1

BOLD (Builders Organizers and Leaders Through Dance)
Chanon Judson, Urban Bush Women
at Theater Mitu (580 Sackett St)

Gowanus: Fighting for Environmental and Housing Justice along the Canal
(walking tour and performance)
Michael Higgins, FUREE (Families United for Racial and Economic Equality)
and Carolyn Ferguson, Theater of the Liberated
Departing Littlefield and visiting sites in Gowanus including Gowanus Houses Community Center

Working with Sanctuary Caravans
Raquel de Anda, No Longer Empty; Abou Farman, New Sanctuary Coalition; Marco Castillo, Founder of IIPSOCULTA; Sara Gozalo and Catalina Antonio-Granados, New Sanctuary Coalition
at Fifth Ave Committee community room, first floor (621 Degraw St)

Visualizing Change: Deconstructing Systems and Building Movements
Braden Crooks, Designing the We and Josh MacPhee, Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative
Starting at Littlefield and walking to Interference Archive (314 7th St,)

3:00 – 3:15     Break and walk to next workshop
 
3:15 – 5:05     SESSION 2

A Vision for Liberation through Image Theater
Reg Flowers, Falconworks Theater Company
at Theater Mitu (580 Sackett St)

Freeing Our Voices, Sounding Our Stories
Ron Ragin, composer, vocalist, writer
at Fifth Ave Committee community room, first floor (621 Degraw St)

Writing in the Weeds
sára abdullah, poet and healing artist
at Fifth Ave Committee conference room, second floor (621 Degraw St)

What is ULURP? How can communities shape NYC’s decisions about land use and development?
Mark Torrey, Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)
at Gowanus Canal Conservancy (543 Union St)

5:05 – 5:20     Break and walk to closing & reception at Theater Mitu (580 Sackett St)

5:20 – 6:00     Closing

6:00 – 7:00     Reception