ARTs + Change 2022: Hannah Park, Katie Hurwitz, and Otto Muller Discussion

ARTs + Change Conference, June 2-5, 2022
Title: Processing and Discussion
Artists: Hannah Park, Katie Hurwitz, and Otto Muller
Date: June 4, 2022

About the Conference:
ARTs + Change is a virtual conference hosted by the University of Rochester’s Institute for the Performing Arts, in partnership with the Office of Equity and Inclusion, the Paul J. Burgett Intercultural Center, 540 WMain, Inc., Create a Space Now, Eastman Institute for Music Leadership, the Warner School, and the Rochester Fringe Festival. With nearly 40 presenters, this conference provided opportunities for artists of all disciplines, educators, community members, and community organizations to come together for the sharing of work, participatory workshops, panel discussions, research presentations, performances, guided discussions, and more. This was the second year we held this conference, and it provided a great way to engage with both UR artists and the greater performing arts community.

About The Artists:
Hannah Park is an associate professor and director of dance program at Iona College, NY, where she also serves as the artistic director of the residential dance ensemble. Her current research interests encompass dance and creative processes—the application of somatics in dance and social justice education, community engagement, and arts entrepreneurship education. This session highlights ways to link social justice and inclusion with choreographic and creative curriculums. Its aim is to demonstrate a way to empower and uplift participants’ voices on the topic of inclusivity through movement and creative processes.

Catherine (Katie) Hurwitz, class of 2023 at the University of Rochester, is an aspiring educator for elementary-aged students. Passionate about globalizing her knowledge of the arts to later integrate into her pedagogy, she is studying world music, creative writing, and comparative literature as an undergraduate student. In her presentation, she leads a guided discussion on the topic of promoting translated literature in elementary schools, in which participants share their knowledge on the topic and brainstorm and potential lesson plan ideas for workshops in US schools.

Otto Muller is a composer, educator, and sound artist, whose work explores the complicity, grief, and geography through installation, participatory performance, hybrid poetics, and sound. This presentation shares the lessons learned in the design and implementation of the first low-residency BFA program in Socially Engaged Art, and through three years of student work. The presentation opens a space of collaborative brainstorming around pedagogical practice through multiple stages.