Center for Performance + Civic Practice

CATALYST INITIATIVE

KENTUCKY

Artist Mark Kidd, based in Whitesburg, KY, worked with Cowan County Community Action

Group, a fifty-year-old not for profit focused on citizen-led anti-poverty efforts in Letcher

County, KY. Their work together focused on bringing stakeholders into creative dialogue

while exploring the legacy and future of anti-poverty work in their region. Their story

together over a year of collaboration is one of strategizing what tools match the intention and needs of a project, developing effective invitations for productive participation, and

having the patience to see and respond to what develops over the course of an evolving process.

THE PARTNERSHIP >>

THE PARTNERSHIP >>

Valerie Horn

of Cowan Community Action Group(and multiple other local organizations)

Mark Kidd, Artist

Mark’s work focuses on storytelling in rural communities.

Mark and Valeriein Chicago for the Catalyst Convening, Summer 2014.

A diagram shows the complexity and connectivity of local and regional organizations, resources, and relationships. In a community of Cowan’s size, citizens like Valerie Horn are a driving force, cultivating

“The conversations and the connections, the capacity, the trust that came from this project led to the second.

I’m not saying it would not have happened without this, but I know it made the transition smoother and put some pieces together.”

- Valerie Horn

meaningful social and cultural capital by their leadership of multiple coalitions and initiatives. This interrelatedness was a fundamental condition of and asset within the work in Kentucky.

There is clear evidence from the rubric data, as well as from other community-based description and comments, that this region is rarely portrayed accurately in the arts or in the general media, that the community is becoming excited about self-representation and that there is hope for the efficacy of the Catalyst Initiative and other community-based projects in bringing about this change.

Baseline  Assessment  Report  on  the  Kentucky  Site  of  the  Catalyst  Initiative  

from  data  collected  June  2014    

Baseline  Measures  of  Kentucky  Catalyst  Initiative  Artistic  and  Media  Representation  of  the  Community’s  Experiences,  Visions,  and  Cultural  Heritage  

 A  representative  team  of  Kentucky  site  community  leaders  used  the  following  assessment  rubric  to  describe  the  base-­‐line  nature  of  Artistic  and  Media  Representation  of  the  Community’s  Experiences,  Visions,  and  Cultural  Heritage  at  the  beginning  of  the  Catalyst  project.  These  measures  will  be  compared  with  POST  responses  at  the  end  of  the  project  to  assess  cultural  shifts  in  the  course  of  the  programming.    What  relationship  does  our  community  have  with  art  and  media?  Are  our  own  experiences,  visions,  and  cultural  heritage  portrayed,  and  portrayed  accurately?  I  would  describe  our  community’s  relationship  with  art  and  media  as:    

• RARELY:  We  rarely  see  accurate  portrayals  of  people  and  their  life  experiences  in  our  community  and  communities  like  ours.    

• OFTEN:  Communities  like  ours  are  often  portrayed  accurately  in  art  and  media.    • SHARED:  Accurate  art  and  media  representations  of  our  community  are  regularly  being  created  and    shared  back  

with  us.    • SELF-­‐CREATED:  Our  community  is  creating  a  variety  of  artistic  representations  which  portray  our  own  visions  and  

 cultural  heritage.  

Percent  of  artistic  and  media  representation  characteristics  evidenced  in  four  areas:    

   

There  is  clear  evidence  from  the  rubric  data,  as  well  as  from  other  community-­‐based  descriptions  and  comments,  that  this  region  is  rarely  portrayed  accurately  in  the  arts  or  in  the  general  media,  that  the  community  is  becoming  excited  about  self-­‐representation,  and  that  there  is  hope  for  the  efficacy  of  the  Catalyst  Initiative  and  other  community  based  projects  in  bringing  about  this  change.    Respondents  also  provided  other  descriptions  of  and  comments  about  their  community’s  artistic  and  media  representation:  

• I  think  an  effort  is  being  made  to  more  accurately  portray  our  people  and  community.  • We  need  to  lose  the  stereotype  surrounding  our  mountains  through  the  programs  available  to  us.  Hopefully,  this  

will  help.  • Local  artists  do  a  great  job  portraying  our  people  and  local  media  also  does  well.  Outsiders  do  not  do  as  well.  • Cherokee  culture  has  been  erased,  but  there's  a  lot  left.  • Our  community  needs  to  rise  above  and  get  away  from  the  "hillbilly”  stereotype.  

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often   shared   rarely   self-­‐created  

Series1  

Baseline  Assessment  Report  on  the  Kentucky  Site  of  the  Catalyst  Initiative  

from  data  collected  June  2014    

Baseline  Measures  of  Kentucky  Catalyst  Initiative  Inter-­‐Generational  Leadership  Development    A  representative  team  of  Kentucky  site  community  leaders  used  the  following  assessment  rubric  to  describe  the  base-­‐line  nature  of  inter-­‐generational  leadership  development  at  the  beginning  of  the  Catalyst  project.  These  measures  will  be  compared  with  POST  responses  at  the  end  of  the  project  to  assess  cultural  shifts  in  the  course  of  the  programming.    How  do  organizations  in  our  community  build  inter-­‐generational  leadership?  I  would  describe  our  community’s  approach  to  building  leadership  as:    

• WELCOMING:  Young  people  and  new  residents  seeking  to  connect  and  reconnect  to  our  community  feel  welcome  to  participate  in  community  organizations.    

• EXAMPLES:  Established  leaders  make  a  point  to  share  stories  and  examples  of  leadership  in  our  history.  Established  leaders  make  introductions  and  provide  mentorship  for  emerging  leaders.    

• TRADITION  &  CHANGE:  The  ways  we  talk  about  our  community  at  meetings,  school,  church,  and  other  gathering  places  reflect  the  ways  we  support  new  ideas.  The  ways  we  talk  portray  how  our  stories  and  visions  for  the  future  both  change  and  stay  the  same  through  the  generations.    

• NEW  HOPE:  Community  development  projects  share  inter-­‐generational  leadership  and  build  on  the  culture  and  strengths  of  the  past.  Development  projects  generate  energy,  hope,  and  new  action  here.        

Percent  of  leadership  development  characteristics  evidenced  in  four  areas:    

   The  generation  of  new  hope  growing  out  of  new  community  development  projects  is  the  most  prominent  area  of  inter-­‐generational  leadership  development  evidenced  by  the  data.  The  areas  for  greatest  potential  growth  are  in  sharing  examples  of  past  leadership  strategies  and  in  mentoring  emergent  leaders.    Respondents  also  provided  other  descriptions  of  and  comments  about  leadership  development:  

• New  residents  are  interested  in  culture  and  stories  from  the  past.  We  need  hope  and  energy  and  to  be  proud  of  our  heritage  without  being  made  fun  of.  

• Appalshop  &  Grow  Appalachia  are  starting  to  bring  young  people  to  work  in  grant  projects  -­‐  also,  Valerie  Horn  &  Appaltree.  

• We  have  to  use/implement  the  programs  made  available  to  us  to  help  show  our  culture  strengths,  and  not  the  negativity  surrounding  us.  

• There  is  so  much  more  awareness  now  due  to  the  involvement  of  Grow  Appalachia  and  other  workshops  such  as  this.  

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I think an effort is being made to more accurately portray our people and community.

We need to lose the stereotype surrounding our mountains through the programs available to us. Hopefully, this will help.

Local artists do a great job portraying our people and local media also does well. Outsiders do not do as well.

“Cherokee culture has been erased, but there’s a lot left.”

“Our community needs to rise above and get away from the “hillbilly” stereotype.”

“New residents are interested in culture and stories from the past.

We need hope and energy and to be proud of our heritage without being made fun of.”>>

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Their Catalyst-intitiated project incorporated the voices of a cross section of the Cowan Community Action Group’s stakeholders into creative dialogue about the interrelatedness of the CCAG’s programs, the legacy and future of anti-poverty work in the mountains, and the possibilities of expanding to new ground.

The Community Cultural Development potluck/workshops incorporated activities such as community development, role playing, story circles, digital storytelling, and photovoice.

This project was the first time this historic space was used as a theater.

> >PHOTOGRAPHYSTORYTELLINGDIALOGUE

The energy generated by the photography project played a vital role in the formation of the community stories project.

In the Catalyst-initiated community events, an emphasis on the potential of live storytelling shone through.

Mark comes from a community of theater and mediamakers that includes the nationally renowned Appalshop and Roadside Theatre Company. “Roadside’s ensemble members grew up without television, immersed in a world of local stories and oral histories. The oral audition, often in ballad form, is the most prominent feature of our shared Scots-Irish heritage, and it has shaped the content and determined the form of our plays. If you have ever sat around with friends and kin singing, spinning tales, and recounting histories, you will quickly see where we’re coming from...

“The result is the grand choral effect of harmony and counterpoint that is group storytelling, whether on a front porch or in an auditorium.” — Roadside Theater

> Catalyst photography project pictures exhibited the Cowan Community Center during a sold out performance of the new community stories project. >

Mark Kidd on the emerging Community Story Plays project growing out of the Catalyst work on photography — click here.

Valerie Horn on the history of the Cowan Community Center — click here.

“We have to use and implement the programs made available to us to help show our cultural strengths —

and not the negativity surrounding us.”

- Mark Kidd

In addition, Mark and Valerie reported Facebook as a lively inter-generational communication tool in their community. It may be worth examining the particular organizing role of social media in place-based and rural communities.

As a team, they prioritized participants having both the opportunity and resources to be able to lead future workshops without the artist/educators that are brought into a residency, creating sustainability.

They on are on the cusp of their next collaboration — Community Story Plays.

RESOURCES:

“Low-cost media curriculum” developed by Mark Kidd with Nick Szuberlahttp://appalshop.org/projects/innovationlab/

Arts and Culture: Essential for Transition in the Kentucky Coalfields (created jointly with Ada Smith of Appalshop)http://blog.artsusa.org/2014/02/21/arts-and-culture-essential-for-transition-in-the-kentucky-coalfields/

With all the expertise and Creativity We Can Muster: 2014 Chemical Spills in West Virginia and North Carolinahttp://roadside.org/news/all-expertise-and-creativity-we-can-muster

OUTCOMES <<

Partners were emboldened to test new creative practices together as relationships with artists deepened and trust was built. “Frankly,” said Mark Kidd, “we spent the last three weeks doing intensive theater creation workshops and I feel like we’re all in the same world of creating art together. I certainly wouldn’t have been capable of imagining [at the beginning of Catalyst] the form [our work] has taken.” At one of the play devising workshops, Mark facilitated improvisations about the scenario when family members and loved ones are forced to leave the region. “We would have done a completely different thing if the atmosphere hadn’t been good in the first 30 minutes, but folks integrated,” he said. Returning workshop participants brought the new people into a place where they were feeling safe which enabled discussion of some difficult issues he needed to flesh out in order to have a robust script. “I really did feel like this was something I would not have known how to do or been doing without my work with Catalyst.” Partner Valerie Horn observed a difference from previous straight storytelling to “a more a professional, choreographed (to a degree) piece of work…that would validate that folks in the community … have the skills and ability or are willing to work to develop those....

Catalyst projects have led to continuing or new collaborations between the artists and community partners.... Artist Mark Kidd and Valerie Horn of the Cowan Community Action Group began a new theater project collaboration even as their Catalyst project was still unfolding. Valerie credits Mark as the “through-line” between the photo stories project supported by Catalyst and the play.

....

[The project experimented] with new media and social media in place-based work.The Kentucky project capitalized on social media and noted significant traffic and sharing of information. In surveying Facebook traffic, Mark Kidd observed, “I saw so many people interested in what we’re doing with the collaboration now. I do think we have created community change already. There are people having experiences with art and media that are positive and they are communicating to their friends and neighbors.”

More people and new voices were engaged in civic dialogue through the Catalyst activities.... Although Catalyst projects were small scale, the increase in new participants was notable where it happened. The theater project that evolved from the Kentucky Catalyst project, for example, attracted large numbers of new as well as repeat participants. “It was very gratifying at the very last of the series of play devising workshops,” Mark Kidd recounted, “when we realized two things: one, that we had 26 people show up, more than had ever come before; and half of them had never been to any of the other ones.”

....

The Kentucky project was able to secure additional resources which doubled its budget. “The grant really leveraged the time I could spend getting to know Cowan,” Mark Kidd reported that the fellowship engendered through the Catalyst project “really leveraged the stories workshop format as an example of what I could offer a broader region.”

- Excerpts from the Catalyst Initiative Report (Animating Democracy, 2015)Animating Democracy is a program of Americans for the Arts

The Catalyst Initiative is an action research initiative — a model for supporting, advancing, and learning from innovative artist and community partner collaborations in order to reveal new possibilities for artistic contributions to community problem-solving and growth.

The Catalyst Initiative is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

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