freeDimensional

Wasan Retreat 2009

freeDimensional brought together administrators from 13 emerging art spaces from around the world for a weeklong retreat in June. Hosted at the Breuninger Foundation’s Wasan Island center north of Toronto, the retreat provided the space for these newest members of the freeDimensional (fD) network to reflect on their work, share strategies for sustaining their programs, and develop new partnerships.

Egypt, India, Israel, and Senegal were among the countries represented at the retreat. For Arshia Sattar from Sangam House Writer’s Residency in Pondicherry, India, the Emerging Art Space Support Initiative (EASSI) retreat was an opportunity to “meet other people who run residencies and know that we now have the capacity to share people and ideas. We’ve already begun thinking about joint programming we’re thinking about sending people to each other.”

The participants

Names are linked to their profiles on fD's social network and organizations are linked to their websites where available. Facilitators are marked with an asterisk (*).

The program

  • Introductions: Telling the stories of our names
  • What are funders looking for?
  • Tour of the island, orientation
  • Resource generation dialogue
  • Grant writing infoshare
  • Financial management tools
  • Storytelling
  • What is freeDimensional? Hosting activism in art spaces
  • Ning presentation and workshop
  • Small group brainstorm on activism in art spaces / community outreach
  • Distress Information Services mapping exercise
  • Using public events for advocacy
  • Tree Museum artist residency field trip
  • Management approaches facilitated dialogue
  • David Bohm's Dialogue Process workshop
  • Open Space Technology sessions
  • Theatre tools
  • Movement exercises
  • Working in physical space
  • One-on-one consultations
  • Participant presentations

The work of building community

Building community across the art space sector through knowledge-sharing was a key outcome of the EASSI retreat. In the words of Iz Oztat, co-founder of Cura Bodrum Residency in Turkey, “This experience has been very important for us. We are just starting out so I learned so much from the spaces that are here that have been functioning already for a while and the strategies they have been using.” Participants also took away new ideas and tools for resource generation, management, and community outreach from a series of facilitated dialogues and one-on-one consultations with professional trainers.

In addition to knowledge and community building, the EASSI retreat created the space for emerging art spaces to engage fD’s mission of linking art to social justice movements. For Dolores Bengolea, who launched the Proyecto Victoria Ocampo in Argentina last year, “I was not convinced about bringing these two things [art and social justice] together until this retreat on Wasan Island. Now I am truly convinced about how enriching it would be for me, for my country, for my community, and for everyone to share this idea of sheltering creators who are needing help as they pursue their ideas or their work.”

About freeDimensional's EASSI program

The Emerging Art Space Support Initiative (EASSI) is fD’s program for new and emergent art spaces that want to participate in the fD network but who are still struggling to exist in their communities.

EASSI offers new art spaces mentorship opportunities, technical training, access to resources, and a platform for visibility in return for their interest and commitment to the work of the fD network. This year’s retreat was the official launch of the program, conceived in late 2008 with a survey of 20 emerging art spaces around the world.

Photos and videos from the retreat

Evaluation

The post-retreat evaluation process was intended to hear from both participants and retreat facilitators about what worked and what didn't so that fD can continue to improve its programs and make them relevant to our stakeholders. The survey results, combined with positive one on one feedback given to fD facilitators indicates that the first Emerging Art Space Initiative Retreat was a success for participants and met many of fD's goals in terms of engaging these newest members of the fD network and the art space sector. Click here to learn more about our survey's methodology, results, and how we are using this feedback to improve future programs:
Wasan 2009 Evaluation (PDF)

Press

For media inquiries, please contact fD's Director of Communications, Ari Moore, at ari@freedimensional.org.
Download the press release »

Event credits

Thank you to the supporters who made this retreat possible

The EASSI retreat was made possible by support from the Breuninger Foundation which hosted participants on their Wasan Island conference facility in Canada. The retreat program received additional support from the Ford Foundation, Cairo, and a re-grant from JP Morgan through the Brooklyn Arts Council. Representatives from Musagetes Foundation and the Swiss Cooperation Office Arts and Culture Program attended portions of the retreat. Video production, post-production, and other documentation services have been made possible by the Fledgling Fund.

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