By Diane Roberts
I had a rare gift this month of the opportunity to take part in a gathering of visionary directors who, together, bring a diversity of practices to explore and set to paper the first book of its kind, initiated by the National Institute of Directing and Ensemble Creation (Pangea Arts and Art2Action). December can be a tiring month, as we trundle to the end of the year, but the process of living, eating, and working together with my peers in person has been both rejuvenating and liberating.
My own chapter, “Bridging Worlds”, traces my trajectory as a director and gives me a new lens for exploring methodologies that allow us, as BIPOC creators, to transform our practices and root ourselves in authenticity.
Reclaiming spaces
It seems like multiple lifetimes have passed in the last three years. Minneapolis was ground zero of the 2020 George Floyd / Movement for Black Lives demonstrations that changed global public consciousness of systemic racism. I visited George Floyd Square, and was heartened to see how the community is taking back their neighbourhood. Although there is profound sorrow at this and many local sites, there is also hope, renewal, and beauty. George Floyd Square is a sacred space, the centre of new legacies being built from a place of deep relationship and renewal.
As we leave 2022, I set a challenge: how will we create new sacred spaces, new legacies of liberation and joy, and new frameworks for profound relationships?
