By Kirsten Marie Walsh, Curator
Liz Lerman and I met in 2013 while I was a graduate student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in the MFA in Curatorial Practice program. As the inaugural Graduate Fellow at The Contemporary, I was granted the incredible opportunity to shadow her and her team for two full years.
Our relationship formed through regular and sustained conversations. Not unusual for Liz, but remarkable for me as a wide-eyed curator. I attended rehearsals for her recent work Healing Wars, acted as a research assistant and writer during a residency, and followed her around ready to soak up wisdom.
Dance, theater and performance were all new mediums for me. My background as a student and arts professional centered solely around the visual arts. So, how could I contribute to the contemporary dialogue Liz was engaging with? The answer came through exactly what was so natural for Liz and I: conversation.
"Podcasts on Process"examines the creative process of artists and considers what tools they use to create their innovative work. This inaugural season explores choreographer Liz Lerman’s creative process. Lerman, a MacArthur Genius Fellow known for evocative performances and innovative teaching methods, has revolutionized not only contemporary dance but also arts-related instruction over the course of her career. The series, curated and narrated by Kirsten Marie Walsh, examines Lerman’s working methods and investigates how other artists and scholars are considering these same principles.
Podcasts on Process starts and grounds itself with Liz’s artistic and working practices. The first episode dives into Lerman’s body of work to familiarize listeners with her approach to choreography and research. Then the series examines four of Lerman’s tools. Over the course of each episode the listener hears from Liz and her close colleagues. But my job as a curator and my goal for Podcasts on Process is to then set a variety of voices next to one another. In each episode I interview professionals outside of the dance community, asking them to consider the same topics.
The website includes full transcripts and additional photographs and videos to supplement the content. The series was designed for listeners to engage with the entire narrative, or on an episode-by-episode basis.
I hope Podcasts on Process is a resource and tool of its own, expanding to meet the needs of listeners. I’m still learning what it takes to develop a useful and thoughtful listening experience, so feedback is greatly appreciated. And keep your eyes peeled; another season is in the works for 2016!
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EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS:
Episode 1: Icebreaker—Who is Liz Lerman?
An introductory glance at Lerman’s distinguished career as a dancer, choreographer, collaborator and teacher.
Episode 2: Collaboration—Methods + Modes
This episode explores how Lerman’s work develops with a multi-disciplinary team, and examines other possible modes of collaboration.
Episode 3: Who Gets to Make—Everyone Dance!
Lerman has challenged the assumption that only professionals can create beautiful dances with active research, listening, storytelling.
Episode 4: Documentation—Process, Archive + Product
Videos, photographs, music, even props and costumes, are all records of the time-based work. In this episode we’ll consider how artists, museums and organizations are utilizing documentation as an archive, tool and final product.
Episode 5: Critique—What Can Feedback Look Like?
How can feedback be structured? Is critique a form of research? The Critical Response Process (CRP), developed by Lerman, is a technique for eliciting critique on anything “from dance to dessert."
Episode 6: Toolbox—The Conclusion
In this episode, we’ll reflect back on what we’ve heard so far. These are only four of the many tools in Lerman’s practice. How might they find a way into what you do?
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PODCAST INFO:
Podcasts On Process is curated and produced by Kirsten Marie Walsh, as a part of her MFA in Curatorial Practice thesis at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Episodes are available on iTunes and SoundCloud. All current episodes are available.
The series was generously supported by Baltimore-based The Contemporary.
Regular updates and new information are available on Facebook.
The music was composed by Ruby Fulton and performed by the Nudie Suits. Estelle Kline and Sean Tubbs were the masterful sound engineers for the series.
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