Reflective Practice Gathering University of Limerick

2^nd International Reflective Practice Gathering

June 6^th-9^th, 2012

University of Limerick, Ireland

The idea of ‘Gathering’ is to bring people from diverse professional and artistic backgrounds together in community to explore and develop creative and dialogical ways of reflective conferencing across diverse disciplines and to gain insight into reflective practices. This 2^nd Gathering builds on the foundations of the 1^st Gathering in Zakynthos 2011.

Invitation is by accepted paper. As such, we invite people to submit papers around the themes of dialogue, reflective practice, narrative and performance. The papers should clearly identify the author’s key insights. Word limit 2000 words. We welcome all forms of artistic representation of reflective practice.

These papers will not actually be presented at the Gathering; rather the authors will work in small groups at the Gathering to collectively and creatively present their shared insights in dialogue with the Gathering audience.

Alongside these presentations, the Gathering will dialogue around the key themes. There will be a workshop on performance with Geert Niland, a theatre director from the Netherlands. We also welcome performances to be part of a one day rolling programme of performances open to the public directed by Dr Amanda Price. A draft programme is available www.attraversiamo.biz/events

Papers may be submitted for publication in the new online journal ‘Attraversiamo’. This journal has been established to publish in dialogue creative papers around the conference themes. The first volume is aimed to be published in January 2012 comprising papers developed from the 1^st Gathering in Zakynthos 2011. The journal will be published twice yearly. www.attraversiamo.biz.

Numbers for the Gathering is restricted for 30 people. The cost of the Gathering will be £120. This does not include meals or accommodation. Accommodation is within the University of Limerick at reasonable cost.

Application to attend with attached papers should be sent to Christopher Johns chris@attra.biz by January 6^th, 2012.

Irwin Barker Performs at Cancer Patient Education Network Conference in Edmonton

I see that comedian, writer and performer Irwin Barker will be featured as a keynote at
The Cancer Patient Education Network Canada Conference (see PDF) in June.

Irwin Barker's style has been described as an analytical and unexpected approach to everyday life and work. In addition to being one of Canada's top stand up comedians, Irwin has an MA in Sociology and has taught at The University of Alberta and University of Manitoba.

In June 2007 he was diagnosed with cancer and, since that time, he has been sharing his cancer journey performing as an inspirational speaker at major conference and events.

Visit Irwin Barker's website here

See a short video clip from the film "That's my Time"
front row seats at Youtube

Picks from the Bookshelf. New section added at CCAHTE "Crossing Borders" blog

posted by: Cheryl McLean
Canadian Creative Arts in Health, Training and Education Journal

Hope you are all enjoying the holiday season! I've added a new section to our "Crossing Borders" blog. Check out the sidebar at the right and scroll down to "Picks from the book shelf" Here you'll find an eclectic collection of a few recommended books. Among them "Performance Ethnography a Critical Pedagogy and the Politics of Culture" by Norman K. Denzin.


(excerpt from the book jacket)
"Performance Ethnography is divided into three parts. Part 1 covers pedagogy, ethnography, performance and theory as the foundation for a performative social science. Part 11 addresses the worlds of family, nature, praxis and action employing a structure that is equal parts memoir, essay, short story and literary autoethnography. Part 111 examines the ethics and practical politics of performance autoethnography anchored in the post 9/ll discourse in the United States."



"For anyone interested in qualitative research and performative social science or ethnodrama in health this book is highly recommended. Dr. Denzin also includes several of his own performance texts in part 11 of the book. They are rich, multi layered and insightful stories grounded in history and personal experience. This is more than a book. It is a gift from one of the world's leaders in qualitative research for those of us interested in writing performances that educate and challenge while advocating for change."

Cheryl McLean, Publisher, Canadian Creative Arts in Health, Training and Education Journal (CCAHTE)

(after taking the book out from The University of Western Ontario Library about 20 times, I was pleased to receive my own special copy as a gift for Christmas. CM)

Another gift.
If you haven't already subscribed to The Canadian Creative Arts in Health, Training and Education Journal (CCAHTE) you can subscribe without charge with an email to ccahte@cmclean.com "please subscribe". We look forward to hearing from you!

Caregiving and Alzheimer's Disease, Researchers at University of Toronto Put Caregiving on the Map

Putting Care on the Map
Portraits of Caregiving and Alzheimer's Disease Across Canada

A Research Exhibit

Ardra Cole

and Maura McIntyre

September 22 - 27, 2008
Toronto City Hall

This experiential exhibit features photographic portraits of family caregivers, audio recordings of stories of care and emblems and artifacts that speak of the caregiving experience.

We recently heard from CCAHTE subscriber Maura McIntyre, a researcher at The University of Toronto, about an upcoming exhibit to be held at Toronto City Hall. We are pleased to bring you news today about this arts informed research exhibit.

"We are researchers from the University of Toronto working on a study about caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. In Putting Care on the Map we are interested in raising the profile of care and caregiving across Canada. The Alzheimer’s Project is a seven-piece art-research project about caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease that pays tribute to those with the illness and those in caregiving roles. One purpose of the exhibit is to make Alzheimer’s disease more familiar to a wide public audience. Another aim is to provide opportunities for those directly affected by the illness to feel affirmed and supported. We used two and three dimensional images and objects to represent, communicate and educate about aspects of caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease, while also inviting the audience to experience and make meaning of the work."

"We are seeking to understand more about the emotional complexities of Alzheimer’s disease and what it means to care. We want to show Canadians where care lives and what it looks like for family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease. "Putting Care on the Map" is a tribute to family caregivers and to the worthiness of care and caregiving in general. We invite you to help us put care on the map. "
Maura McIntyre, Ardra Cole

View the PDF invitation to "Putting Care on the Map"

See Video clip
"Front row seats" for Ardra Cole & Maura McIntyre presentation

Visit Ardra Cole's website

Arts, Mental Health and Autonomy

"Socialized fences, isolating human beings behind "us" and "them" notions, confining individuals behind ideas such as "the elderly" can be cleared in the act of learning as one becomes the other fully animated and performing the "stories" of life. A performance can raise awareness educating well beyond the podium conveying "lived experience" in action with elements visual, emotional, physical and spiritual. In this field process we are told and we tell stories engaging in one of the most primal, meaningful and universal of human connections."

C. McLean

Click here for more information about the performance "Remember Me for Birds"

Dance Helps Transform Grief, Performances Healing Journey for Lata Pada

Today in London, Ontario at the Wolf Performance Hall, 251 Dundas at 4:00 Lata Pada and her Toronto troupe and Indian guest artist Satyanarayana Raju will perform a program titled Kshetram (Dancing the Devine). Kshetram fuses devotional poetry with the music and dances of India. A celebration of classical Indian dance, kshetram is comprised of seven pieces that include solos performed by Lata Pada.

In an article this morning in "The London Free Press" James Reaney tells Lata Pada's story of loss and healing and how she has used traditional dance and her own performances as forms of autobiographical expression. Reaney reports, "Lata Pada, of Toronto, lost her husband and both daughters in the 1985 air India terrorist bombing. She transformed her grief into an autobiographical performance that uses music and classical Indian dance to recall her horror and her healing."

"At its heart," says Pada, "Kshetram is based on a spiritual journey, on the notion that our life

on Earth here is only a journey to ultimate realization."

In addition to Kshetram, Dancing the Devine, Pada has performed other personally transformative dances. At the website, Dancing our Stories Personal Narratives from Dance Animation, http://people.uleth.ca/~scds.secd/dos/lpprinter.html , she writes, " Due to my personal history and tragedy in my life, I have experienced the value of dance and art as an important tool to overcome some terrible things that happen in society. Through repeated performances of my work, Revealed by Fire, I have understood the value of the work and seen how people have been transformed by it, how they have been moved to make some positive changes in their lives. This work has not only given me a new meaning in my life, but it has provided a great understanding of the transcendental value of art."

excerpts included from James Reaney, London Free Press Article, "Dancing the Devine a Sunday Delight",Sunday, June 17, 2007, London Free Press

Dancing our Stories Personal Narratives from Dance Animation

http://people.uleth.ca/~scds.secd/dos/lpprinter.html

More information about Lata Pada http://www.sampradaya-dance.com/about_director.html

Remember Me for Birds And True Stories About Aging and Autonomy

I would like to inform our blog visitors that we recently downloaded excerpts from the research based performance, "Remember Me for Birds" about aging and mental health at Youtube.
The original M.A. performance took place for clinicians, geriatricians and social workers at The Rene Cassin Institute of Social Gerontology of Quebec in April 2003.

The research based performance advanced through several evolutions as it became a full one hour ethnodrama which toured for professional audiences, universities and medical schools between 03-05.

See a video clip from the performance about aging and mental health here.

See more performances and visit the blog about the book "Creative Arts in Interdisciplinary Practice" here