Workshops
Power is performed in everyday life. In the arts, we play with the representation of power when we create social scenarios for the stage or the canvas, often with idealistic messages for a better world. But do we practice what we preach? Are our rehearsal and production spaces power sensitive? In what ways do we replicate patriarchal ways of working and the power dynamics of society? Feminist leadership subverts traditional ideas of power and aims for a socially just world where neither people nor natural resources are exploited and gender equality is realised. Feminist leadership principles were developed in feminist grassroots movements in most Countries and North America in the 70s.
These principles are now gaining momentum worldwide, driven by the urgency of social transformation in the face of pandemics, wars, and the climate crisis. In the arts, this means a movement towards more collective ways of working, shared leadership, the abolition of power-abusing situations, transparency, and fostering collective decision-making. What and how something is (re-)presented is as important as how the work process is designed. Feminist leadership in the arts dispels the myth of the single male genius, who is often left unaccountable for his actions and leaves his collaborators unacknowledged.
Workshop Topics
Topics will include (but are not limited to):
Inner work, self-care and institutional care
Unlearning internalised patriarchal conditioning
Analysis of power, privilege & intersectionality
Transparency, accountability, decision-making, holding space
Toxic productivity, men in feminism, visioning & dreaming
Methods
The participants are encouraged to bring their own stories and practices as material into the space. Approaches and methods from Betzafta, theatre training, Anti-Bias, meditation, yoga, Feedback Methods (Das Arts) & Sociocracy will also be introduced in order to design and practice the setup of feminist arts creation spaces.
Feminist leadership is a practice for everyone, regardless of one’s sex or gender. Men are explicitly invited.
Types of Workshops
Junior Workshops
Junior workshops for young professionals, designed and led by the facilitators. Participants will get a full overview of feminist leadership principles and develop possible applications in their contexts.
Peer Workshops
Peer workshops are for professionals (starting from mid-career) and longtime feminists. They are structured as un-learning, reflection, and mutual empowerment spaces and can include skill-sharing.
Facilitators
Sophia Stepf & Lisa Stepf and others
Duration
2 – 5 Days