Arts Organizing
WHAT IS ART? WHAT IS ACTIVISM? WHAT IS COMMUNITY?
A colleague once called Sarah “a radical make-happener.” Another once called her, “a connector.”
Both of these titles are apt: Sarah brings people together regularly to make trouble, art, community, and fight for justice, encouraging an artistic dialogue between audience and performers.
Her work is founded on a faith in the power of art as a conduit for changing thinking patterns and actions. These projects specifically address systemic and structural oppression, racism, sexism, cissexism, capitalism, consent, housing rights, undocumented immigrant rights, public space, and climate change.
Over the past four years, Sarah has curated, organized, and hosted multiple events throughout the city, predominantly at Judson Memorial Church’s BailOut Theater Nights, and as part of La MaMa’s Poetry Electric Series. Additionally, Sarah co-created and produced three Occupy the Empty Space theatre festivals between 2011 and 2013.
In Wyoming, the bulk of her community organizing has not been centered on art or strongly artistic in nature, but her history and experience as an arts organizer and creative make happener regularly informs her current organizing and community building work in Laramie.
WHAT IS ART? WHAT IS ACTIVISM? WHAT IS COMMUNITY?
A colleague once called Sarah “a radical make-happener.” Another once called her, “a connector.”
Both of these titles are apt: Sarah brings people together regularly to make trouble, art, community, and fight for justice, encouraging an artistic dialogue between audience and performers.
Her work is founded on a faith in the power of art as a conduit for changing thinking patterns and actions. These projects specifically address systemic and structural oppression, racism, sexism, cissexism, capitalism, consent, housing rights, undocumented immigrant rights, public space, and climate change.
Over the past four years, Sarah has curated, organized, and hosted multiple events throughout the city, predominantly at Judson Memorial Church’s BailOut Theater Nights, and as part of La MaMa’s Poetry Electric Series. Additionally, Sarah co-created and produced three Occupy the Empty Space theatre festivals between 2011 and 2013.
In Wyoming, the bulk of her community organizing has not been centered on art or strongly artistic in nature, but her history and experience as an arts organizer and creative make happener regularly informs her current organizing and community building work in Laramie.
OCCUPY THE EMPTY SPACE
Occupy the Empty Space was a theater festival + direct action, founded in December, 2011, by Kate Foster and Sarah Duncan. The festival arose from within the heart of the Occupy Wall Street Movement in New York City. As the protest art swirled around them, both women were ignited to action by the questions this art, and this movement, raised.
Read more...
Occupy the Empty Space was a theater festival + direct action, founded in December, 2011, by Kate Foster and Sarah Duncan. The festival arose from within the heart of the Occupy Wall Street Movement in New York City. As the protest art swirled around them, both women were ignited to action by the questions this art, and this movement, raised.
Read more...
JUDSON ARTS: BAILOUT THEATER
Sarah has curated and hosted three BailOut Theater nights in the last three years. These nights followed the Judson Arts BailOut formula: a free group meal, and following that, a free arts show in the Loft of Judson Church. The particular nights Sarah managed were filled with poetry, video, and live music. Sarah has brought a myriad of talented performers on board, including Audra Wolowiec, Caley Vickerman, Siobhan O’Loughlin, Sharisse Francisco, Justin Woo, Nicole Goodwin, Teniece Divya Johnson, and Anna/Kate. In 2016, Sarah Duncan will be in charge of 1/3rd of the programming for the BailOut Theater year: more event info to come.
Sarah has curated and hosted three BailOut Theater nights in the last three years. These nights followed the Judson Arts BailOut formula: a free group meal, and following that, a free arts show in the Loft of Judson Church. The particular nights Sarah managed were filled with poetry, video, and live music. Sarah has brought a myriad of talented performers on board, including Audra Wolowiec, Caley Vickerman, Siobhan O’Loughlin, Sharisse Francisco, Justin Woo, Nicole Goodwin, Teniece Divya Johnson, and Anna/Kate. In 2016, Sarah Duncan will be in charge of 1/3rd of the programming for the BailOut Theater year: more event info to come.
POETRY ELECTRIC
With the support of Poetry Electric series head, William “Electric” Black, Sarah has curated and hosted two performance poetry nights at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club. The first show, entitled The Lot I’ve Got, Poetry on Privilege, asked performers and audience to examine the various societal privileges they either held or lacked, and what that meant for themselves and the world. The second show, entitled Only Yes: Poetry on Consent, examined consent of the body, consent of the mind, and consent as citizens. Both events had a stellar line-up, including: Safia Elhillo, Kit Yan, Adam Falkner, Lauren Whitehead, Taylor Steele, Timothy DuWhite, Alyssa Harley, Amy Virginia Buchanan, and Michelle Thompson.
With the support of Poetry Electric series head, William “Electric” Black, Sarah has curated and hosted two performance poetry nights at La MaMa Experimental Theater Club. The first show, entitled The Lot I’ve Got, Poetry on Privilege, asked performers and audience to examine the various societal privileges they either held or lacked, and what that meant for themselves and the world. The second show, entitled Only Yes: Poetry on Consent, examined consent of the body, consent of the mind, and consent as citizens. Both events had a stellar line-up, including: Safia Elhillo, Kit Yan, Adam Falkner, Lauren Whitehead, Taylor Steele, Timothy DuWhite, Alyssa Harley, Amy Virginia Buchanan, and Michelle Thompson.