NEW YORK LIVE ARTS to Launch Open Spectrum Critical Dialogues, 2/22

New York Live Arts today announced the launch of their newest conversational series: Open Spectrum Critical Dialogues. An intimate conversational platform that engages participants in active listening, constructive discourse and action planning, Open Spectrum will feature three conversations throughout the winter and spring, starting on February 22, 2015.

Spanning the course of three months, Open Spectrum encourages audiences and invited panelists to engage in critical discussions pertinent to the present moment. Bringing together Live Arts' creative community to responsibly voice opinions, raise questions and share resources, we invite artists, educators, scholars, curators and activists to join us for timely and integral conversations. In addition to the live dialogue sessions, a related series of twitter chats will ignite the discussions in the digital realm. All sessions will be moderated by Piper Anderson, who will also be an active and integral participant of the twitter chats.

Open Spectrum Critical Dialogues will launch on February 22nd at 5pm, with Artist as Activist: Futuring the Face of Protest. This talk will pose the following questions: How do we push the social justice movement past reactive to proactive strategic planning? What are some actionable steps we can take to create effective change within our local communities? What can artists and cultural institutions do in the midst of civil unrest? Panelists will include Syreeta McFadden (Poet, Editor of Union Station Magazine), Jenny Koons (Artists 4 Change NYC) and George Sanchez (Hemisphere Institute Emerge NYC). Open Spectrum twitter chats-the digital component for these talks-will take place from 1-2pm on February 18, March 18 and April 22. The public is invited to participate in the twitter chats by tweeting their questions and comments with the hashtag "#OpenSpectrumNYC."

Details regarding subsequent discussions will be released in the coming months. Open Spectrum Critical Dialogues is organized by the Department of Education & Engagement Programs at New York Live Arts.