On August 15th, a small group joined the curriculum lab at the New Museum of Contemporary Art to view an exhibit called, Mirror/ Echo/Tilt. The video installation of performances in decommissioned prison facilities were the culmination of workshops using theater games and visual storytelling to "reframe personal narratives, promote individual agency, and breaks down the myth of the criminal." A resource center provided space to explore the curriculum, see videos of prior workshops, browse a library of texts to educate visitors about the history of the criminal justice system, and finally offer alternative visions for a future without prisons.
The show offered a curriculum to generate new ways of thinking about criminalization (who is seen as a criminal and why) incarceration (what happens in prisons and why) and retribution (what are the effects of this system). The emphasis on using the mind and body and movement in tandem, created a space where participants worked with artists to examine emotions and reframe narratives and identities usually associated with these themes and engage in different conversations about whether and how prisons serve our visions for justice. It was interesting to note that these artists and visual storytellers are doing work that is similar to the curriculum designer - asking questions about where knowledge comes from, how it is differently experienced and felt, and how reframing assumptions can change the conversations we are willing to have. Artists are developing pedagogical strategies using objects and spaces and a sense of playfulness that educators may learn from. What would it look like if educators and curriculum designers collaborated on these sorts of projects? How might young people in and out of schools benefit from similar creative methods? Here's an example with The Study Center for Group Work where the Mirror/ Echo/Tilt curriculum is housed: http://studycollaboration.com/ Here is a link to the Mirror/ Echo/Tilt curriculum: http://studycollaboration.com/practice/mirror-echo-tilt Mirror/Echo/Tilt is on view at the New Museum of Contemporary Art through October 6, 2019.
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