Global Neighborhood
In the summer of 2001, a group of artists and educators from the United States and England came together at Princeton University. Hosted by our company and the Arts Council of England, the goal for this gathering was to develop arts-infused initiatives that would benefit both sides - both artists and educators, both British and American.
In doing so, the participants shared experiences, compared approaches, argued, laughed, and inspired each other. One of the results was Global Neighborhood - a way to get students to examine and understand not only a culture different from their own, but their own as well. Since the arts are all integrated with one another, many different art forms were woven through the project, as they are woven through the tapestry of any society.
In brief, students reach a consensus with their teacher(s) as to what defines a culture and their own community. Then they box up and mail to each other examples of what they do, eat, read, watch, listen to, play with, or otherwise enjoy. These "artifacts" become the basis of a lesson in anthropology on how to analyze a culture from what it produces. After impressions are exchanged, a photo-journalist explains the difference between a snap shot and photograph meant to convey specific information. Students go out to take photographs that communicate one of five characteristics they have collectively decided define their community. These photographs are then e-mailed to their peers across the miles.
With the guidance of a poet, each student generates a poem (utilizing metaphor) on their community. One poem from each class is selected and transmitted to the partner school. These four to six poems are subsequently used as lyrics for a song cycle created by the students in collaboration with one of our composers.
Two thirds of the way through the process, artists are exchanged from each country. Both artists are expected to reveal traditional, classical, and contemporary genres of his or her respective art form with regard to their country's cultural influences. These can be in any of the visual or performing arts. At the conclusion of the project, one educator (usually from the Social Studies department) is exchanged from each school to do a lesson plan on that educator's country and culture.
- Listen to audio clips of some of our work…
- The Southeastern Face of Anatolia
- Harmandali Zeybegi