Appalshop Goes Elsewhere | Nick Szuberla
About StoryBank
This spring, Elsewhere launches StoryBank--a storytelling platform in Elsewhere’s museum that collects stories from museum visitors, artists, neighbors, and our online community. To launch the project, Appalshop, a 40-yr old media and social justice media collective based in Appalachia will visit Greensboro in March for a special residency of workshop collaborations with new immigrants, nearby church members, people experiencing homelessness, and community organizers, seeding the storybank with community stories.Project collaborators include Appalshop, Spirit House, downtown neighbors--The Beloved Community Center, Church World Service, the Interactive Resource Center, and Elsewhere members . The StoryBank and the Appalshop Residency is funded in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts Southern Constellations Fellowship, and the United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro.StoryBank is part of Elsewhere's broader Integral City initiative--a collaboration with GSO and national partners to help chart Greensboro's development by highlighting the strengths already found in our community and to activate connections across its cultural sectors. The collection of stories will be available onsite and online--a ready archive of stories will offer a place to build human connections, while accumulating stories to build interest in ideas worth mobilizing in Greensboro.
About Appalshop
Appalshop is a 40 year-old non-profit multi-disciplinary arts and education center in the heart of Appalachia producing original films, video, theater, music and spoken-word recordings, radio, photography, multimedia, and books. Dedicated to the proposition that the world is immeasurably enriched when local cultures garner their resources, including new technologies, to tell their own stories and to listen to the unique stories of others, Appalshop’s education and training programs support communities' efforts to solve their own problems in a just and equitable way. The creative acts of listening and telling are Appalshop's core competency. Each year, Appalshop productions and services reach several million people nationally and internationally. www.appalshop.org
Our Appalshop collaborators on this project are Nick Szuberla and Ron Short. Szuberla is a multimedia artist and the director of The Prison Poetry Workshop, a national radio series that connects audiences with the genre of prison poetry found within US jails, detention centers and prison. Short is a musician, storyteller and playwright working with Roadside Theater who draws on the rich traditions of Appalachian culture to help communities explore their own heritage and to question the realities of 21st century life.
Events
Dine in with Appalshop for Elsewhere Members + Community Partners, followed by artist talk.
Friday, March 29, 6:00pm, Elsewhere members ($5 - $10 donation) + partners , 8:00pm artist talk
Elsewhere Members (join today!) and partners are invited for dinner at Elsewhere followed by an artist talk with Nick Szuberla of Appalshop.
StoryShares with Appalshop's Nick Szuberla:“NARRATIVE CAMPAIGNS FOR GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS”
Saturday, March 30, 11:00am-4:00pm
Use low-cost, video, performance, radio, and web to create public education campaigns on pressing social issues. Learn by doing: conduct interviews on local issues and add content to existing public education campaigns for justice. The participants will learn about the power of StoryBanking and how it can support their social justice organizing goals. This workshop will include an opportunity to dialogue about starting a Narrative Campaign in your community and will offer hands on exercise exploring this process.Limited space available, please email production@goelsewhere.org to get involved.
"STORY CIRCLES FOR JUSTICE"
Sunday, March 31st, 11:00am-4:00pm.
Using a story circle methodology developed over 20 years to encourage deep listening, verbal expression, and appreciation for the cultural gifts of diverse groups of people, story circles are used by community activists, artists and teacher to discuss difficult issues, collect oral histories, and launch social justice and organizing issues. The second part this workshop includes helping create the activities for the work: pick a theme or issue to explore and help develop a plan to gather stories throughout the week. Participants will prepare a spoken-word presentation of their stories for a 7pm performance at Elsewhere on Friday, April 5th.
First Friday Opening and Story Performance
First Friday, April 5, 6:00 - 10:00pm
Community Story Performances with Special Guest Spirit House at an Elsewhere grand opening not to be missed.
PICNIC: Partners in City, Neighbors in Community
w/partners Participatory Budgeting GreensboroFirst Friday, May 3, 6:00 - 10:00pm
A micro-granting meal-based funding initiative invites proposals for small-scale community projects. PICNIC is seeded by a grant from Building Stronger Neighborhoods.
Deposit Your Story
"I Come From a Place..." Deposit your audio or text story online in the StoryBank or come by the museum.
