Survey for the Field + Call for Collaborators

We want to reach out to our community to ask how we should move forward? We want to serve as a site of care for the field, and we can’t do so without direct input from it.

We’ve been ruminating on the words There is always a better idea. We are open to leaving the form of the conference completely behind. We hoping to listen, to learn, and to change and to grow as our community needs us to. We are hoping to fortify OE as a site that imagines and realizes what does not yet exist, that we can be radical, and that above all that we care for and support this field.

As Open Engagement heads into an exploratory year of research, reflection, and regeneration we are asking ourselves what could OE be in the future? What’s missing? How can we generate resources that ensure everyone involved is valued? What do you want, what do you need? What do you want to give? How can we be a safe space for radical thought? How can we be and support the artists, activists, writers, organizers, witches, and punks that we want to be and want to see in the world?

These are just some of the questions that we’ve come up with — we are turning to you now to share your questions and current thoughts on the field with us. In the spirit of Sister Corita’s research-based quantity assignment where you generate 100 questions before you begin to do the work, we are reaching out to all of you to help us collectively generate 100 questions. Please take 5-10 minutes to fill out our Survey for the Field questionnaire and share your thoughts on funding for socially engaged art, institutional support, community-based practices, education and more. Anything that you’d like to share with us — your thoughts, your time, your resources to move OE forward — we would be so grateful to receive.

We look forward to sharing these thoughts and questions out with all of you, as well as the progress we make throughout the exploratory year. There will be a series of small public moments, conversations and gatherings that will happen organized by the core OE team in 2019. Look out for announcements and the full schedule of activities this fall.

Open Engagement is not a non-profit organization – it is an artist-run project that has always operated primarily with volunteer labor. OE has never had a full-time staff member, our founder/director is not paid for her contributions, and our operating budget doesn’t reach even half of the average funding for convenings a fraction of our size. We have never been in a financial position to compensate presenters, subsidy the cost of their travel, or pay staff a fair wage. As we imagine the future, we are searching for ways to value and sustain everyone involved. We currently do not have any funding.

Even though we are no organizing a major conference in 2019 remember that we are here with you. We are here to work hard, fight for change, and show up for one another in the continued struggles of our time.

With all the weirdness, magic, care, and love our hearts, minds, and spirits can muster,
Jen Delos Reyes, Crystal Baxley and Latham Zearfoss

Survey for the Field

In the spirit of Sister Corita’s research based quantity assignment where you generate 100 questions before you begin to do the work, we are reaching out to all of you to help us collectively generate 100 questions. Please take 5-10 minutes to fill out our Survey for the Field questionnaire and share your thoughts on funding for socially engaged art, institutional support, community based practices, education and more. Anything that you’d like to share with us — your thoughts, your time, your resources to move OE forward — we would be so grateful to receive.

What are you thinking?
What questions are you currently asking yourself about the field of socially engaged art?

Inspired by Sister Corita’s quantity assignments where students would have to think of 100 questions before embarking on a research project, we are collectively generating 100 questions the field is asking about this work.
What support is needed for artists working in communities?
What are current barriers you are finding to supporting your work?
While it changes project by project, what kinds of timelines do you typically need when doing socially engaged art?
If there was a residency focused on supporting artists doing socially engaged art what kind of timeframe do you feel would be ideal?
Education
What kind of training do you think artists who want to do socially engaged art need?
- Access training
- Restorative justice
- Community organizing
- Fundraising and development
- Other
Please choose all that you believe apply and feel free to suggest more.
What other kinds of training do you think artists in this field need?
Funding
If you are currently an artist doing socially engaged art how are you financially supporting your practice?
- Selling work
- Receiving grants
- Crowd based fundraising
- Other
Select all that apply.
How else do you financially support your practice?
Institutions
Have you collaborated with institutions to make your work? If yes, how?
What are ways you think institutions should be working to support artists engaged in this work?
- Funding
- Research
- Residencies
- Staff support
- Community space
- Training
- Education
- Public programs
- Other
Please select all that apply.
The Future
What do you think the field needs now?
How could you imagine Open Engagement evolving to meet those needs?
Do you have resources that you would be able to share with us moving forward?

Can you or your institution host us for an artist talk, workshop, residency? Can you offer funding or labor? Something else?
Tell Us About Yourself
Name
Institutional Affiliation(s)
Email Address
Web Address
Social Media Handles
Geographic Location
City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
How would you describe your practice/work?
- Artist
- Activist
- Organizer
- Cultural Worker
- Curator
- Funder
- Student
- Educator
- Policy Maker
- Civic Partner
- Cultural Partner
- Institutional Builder
Select all that apply.
I identify as:
- Female
- Male
- Transgender
- Transman
- Transwoman
- Transsexual
- Genderqueer
- Gender Neutral
- Agender
- Genderless
- Non-binary
- Third Gender
- Two-Spirit
- Bi-Gender
- Gender-fluid
- Other/Unlisted
- Prefer not to answer
OE honors that people have many identifiers. Please select as many of these as apply.
My pronouns are:
- They/Them
- Ze/Zie
- She/Her
- He/Him
- Other/Unlisted
- Prefer not to answer
I identify as a member of the LGBTQIA community:
I identify as:
- Non-Hispanic White or Euro-American
- Black, Afro-Caribbean, or African American
- Latinx or Latino or Hispanic
- East Asian
- South Asian or Indian
- Middle Eastern or Arab
- Native American, Alaskan Native, or First Nations
- Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
- Multiracial/Mixed Race/Mixed Ancestry
- Unlisted
- Prefer not to answer
OE honors that people have many identifiers. Please select as many of these as apply.
If you selected 'Unlisted'

Apologies for not including your identity in this list! If you'd like, please let us know how you identify. Thank you.
Have you attended an Open Engagement conference?
- No
- Yes - 2007 (Regina)
- Yes - 2010 (Portland)
- Yes - 2011 (Portland)
- Yes - 2012 (Portland)
- Yes - 2013 (Portland)
- Yes - 2014 (Queens)
- Yes - 2015 (Pittsburgh)
- Yes - 2016 (Oakland)
- Yes - 2017 (Chicago)
- Yes - 2018 (Queens)
Please select all that apply.
Have you presented at an Open Engagement conference?
Comments

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Survey for the Field

What are you thinking?

Education

Funding

Institutions

The Future

Tell Us About Yourself