FACILITATE: FAQ ABOUT EXPRESSIVE ART INQUIRY
What is expressive arts inquiry?
Expressive arts inquiry is a methodology that allows people to engage with, learn from, and gain perspective through low-skill, high-sensitivity expressions of their imagination, play and creativity in the moment.
Low-skill refers to the simplified nature of the techniques utilized. Expressive arts inquiry is not about talent, mastery or aesthetic flair. In this way the methodology is very flexible and adaptable, meeting people exactly where they are regardless of age, gender, culture, or physical limitation. By not privileging what is exceptional or uncommon, we can touch upon what we all share by virtue of our humanity.
High-sensitivity refers to the quality of awareness brought to the process by the facilitator and the participants. Some people say that this awareness is similar to mindfulness, being more fully present to one's experience in the moment. It also refers to looking at the phenomenon of art on its own terms by working more closely with sensory (rather than rational) understanding, letting go of our will, and refraining from premature interpretation in order to be attune to what the expression itself wishes to become as it emerges.
Inquiry refers to utilizing the expressive arts as a means of "living the question" around what's most alive in the moment. By "decentering" ourselves from the narrow logic of thinking and acting that often holds us in a feeling of stuck, we can begin to notice how the question moves in ways that immediately shift our perspective about the situation in which we find ourselves as well as our capacity to take action.
Low-skill refers to the simplified nature of the techniques utilized. Expressive arts inquiry is not about talent, mastery or aesthetic flair. In this way the methodology is very flexible and adaptable, meeting people exactly where they are regardless of age, gender, culture, or physical limitation. By not privileging what is exceptional or uncommon, we can touch upon what we all share by virtue of our humanity.
High-sensitivity refers to the quality of awareness brought to the process by the facilitator and the participants. Some people say that this awareness is similar to mindfulness, being more fully present to one's experience in the moment. It also refers to looking at the phenomenon of art on its own terms by working more closely with sensory (rather than rational) understanding, letting go of our will, and refraining from premature interpretation in order to be attune to what the expression itself wishes to become as it emerges.
Inquiry refers to utilizing the expressive arts as a means of "living the question" around what's most alive in the moment. By "decentering" ourselves from the narrow logic of thinking and acting that often holds us in a feeling of stuck, we can begin to notice how the question moves in ways that immediately shift our perspective about the situation in which we find ourselves as well as our capacity to take action.
What types of expressive arts are involved?
All types from simple movement exercises to improvisational theater, painting, music, poetry, journal writing, and community art.
How do you use expressive arts inquiry?
I bring expressive arts inquiry into many distinct contexts.
In formal educative settings, like the law schools where I teach, I utilize movement to help students relate differently to their experience of conflict. I find this rapidly advances their capacity to integrate their learning and take timely action. Becoming more aware of the felt sense in our body also serves as an "imprint" that we can easily call to mind. It's a bit like learning a golf swing. You can't just read about it and expect to perform well under pressure. Instead, you gain mastery by practicing the motion until it becomes second nature. In these settings I also encourage students to utilize expressive arts to construct meaning of their experiences, deepen their understanding of how conflict shapes their identity, and how they might envision their competency differently as a result of their learning.
In informal settings, like participatory dialogue processes, I design a series of activities anchored in expressive arts inquiry, which, over the phases of our work together, help to develop trust among participants, shape the questions that apply most to their immediate concerns, unleash the talent and creativity of each participant as well as the group as a whole, evoke fresh perspectives about the next elegant step, and develop a plan for action based on their shared experiences and the meaning they constructed together.
In community building and post-conflict reconciliation, expressive arts inquiry can truly unify and transform conflict. It can be utilized within a stakeholder or ethnic group, also across many diverse groups as a way to bridge and regain trust.
In formal educative settings, like the law schools where I teach, I utilize movement to help students relate differently to their experience of conflict. I find this rapidly advances their capacity to integrate their learning and take timely action. Becoming more aware of the felt sense in our body also serves as an "imprint" that we can easily call to mind. It's a bit like learning a golf swing. You can't just read about it and expect to perform well under pressure. Instead, you gain mastery by practicing the motion until it becomes second nature. In these settings I also encourage students to utilize expressive arts to construct meaning of their experiences, deepen their understanding of how conflict shapes their identity, and how they might envision their competency differently as a result of their learning.
In informal settings, like participatory dialogue processes, I design a series of activities anchored in expressive arts inquiry, which, over the phases of our work together, help to develop trust among participants, shape the questions that apply most to their immediate concerns, unleash the talent and creativity of each participant as well as the group as a whole, evoke fresh perspectives about the next elegant step, and develop a plan for action based on their shared experiences and the meaning they constructed together.
In community building and post-conflict reconciliation, expressive arts inquiry can truly unify and transform conflict. It can be utilized within a stakeholder or ethnic group, also across many diverse groups as a way to bridge and regain trust.
Why work in this way?
Expressive arts inquiry helps us to reawaken our confidence in knowing through making, where it's about the process that we embody and experience rather than the object we make. Fascinating new research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology affirms the value of engaging and learning through play, imagination, and other creative processes.
More and more, the complexity in which we find ourselves - regardless of our profession or role in society - calls upon us to innovate, change, and take timely action. I have found that as a methodology, expressive arts inquiry serves as a springboard for creativity in the most unexpected of ways. And to be clear, this approach complements our other ways of knowing, such as through intellect.
More and more, the complexity in which we find ourselves - regardless of our profession or role in society - calls upon us to innovate, change, and take timely action. I have found that as a methodology, expressive arts inquiry serves as a springboard for creativity in the most unexpected of ways. And to be clear, this approach complements our other ways of knowing, such as through intellect.