PSU Conflict Resolution Program: Artist-in-Residence
Lady J is an emancipatory social scientist and wild womxn interested in forging a path forward by aligning truth through inclusivity. She believes the basis of honoring humanity is in expressing genuine self-love intentionally. She aims to accomplish this using lived experience and conversation as the foundational medium for her art in exploring holistic love and collective self-interest.
Interested in the overlap between Art & Social Practice and Conflict Resolution in creating sustainable social change, Lady J has been exploring connections by positioning herself at the intersection of the two: Artist in Residence in the Conflict Resolution program at PSU. |
MK Gallery Installation and Activation
Initiating contact and getting to know faculty began the exploration of conflict resolution (CR) in terms of art & social practice. Like PSU, CR's physical location and internal leadership is in transition, its cultural frames fragmented. Interim director Patricia Schechter's graceful work contextualizing this transitional space as well as her welcoming demeanor created an opening for Lady J to begin making connections.
This portion of the residency reflected on what people who work in and near conflict resolution notice in the course of their work and how it connects to their narrative about the world at large. Lady J set out to learn more about spatially adjacent organizations who share common space with CR and how their work relates to CR. This inquiry led to a framework of observation that PSU, local government, and society at large lacks meaningful connection. The overall takeaway of these initial conversations is the importance and necessity of connective tissue in facilitating healthy function, and how deficient our layers of culture are in such connective tissue.
The MK Gallery activation March 13, 2019 was a conversation between Lady J and conflict resolution (CR) program coordinator Aislyn Matias. This conversation considered conflict resolution as a form of social cartography, enabling navigation around the ethicality of living in an increasingly complex global union.
This portion of the residency reflected on what people who work in and near conflict resolution notice in the course of their work and how it connects to their narrative about the world at large. Lady J set out to learn more about spatially adjacent organizations who share common space with CR and how their work relates to CR. This inquiry led to a framework of observation that PSU, local government, and society at large lacks meaningful connection. The overall takeaway of these initial conversations is the importance and necessity of connective tissue in facilitating healthy function, and how deficient our layers of culture are in such connective tissue.
The MK Gallery activation March 13, 2019 was a conversation between Lady J and conflict resolution (CR) program coordinator Aislyn Matias. This conversation considered conflict resolution as a form of social cartography, enabling navigation around the ethicality of living in an increasingly complex global union.
Conflict Resolution Student Symposium
As part of PSU's Research Week, the conflict resolution (CR) program hosted a day-long symposium on May 10, 2019. Lady J spoke on Art and Conflict Resolution in the morning (pictured) and in the afternoon facilitated a reflective discussion to close the day.
In her talk on Art and CR, Lady J covered a few key topics, speaking about how art can make conflict more approachable, how CR functions like Kintsugi, touching on her interactions with faculty member Rachel Cunliffe and the process of creating the two new pieces, then wrapping up with a Q&A.
A clip from Lady J's remarks regarding art and conflict resolution:
A clip from Lady J's remarks regarding art and conflict resolution:
In emphasizing the importance of self, Lady J raised questions about the beliefs we collectively hold about self and how our self-interest is often stigmatized.
Society tends to be discussed in terms of family units and institutional building blocks. Yet the tensile strength of society's coherence is dependent on how well each person has space to define their own narrative and is confident and connected to who they truly are. This space of exploration for an individual to fearlessly navigate the world in solitude, trying new things, defining personal boundaries, and asking bold questions is the basis of what makes humanity so powerful. Humans conditioned to prioritize comfort and exclusivity are centered in human nature. At this juncture, each individual choosing to claim the weight of their agency over the ease of complacency is how we move forward in prioritizing humanity over human nature. Before us is the difficult task of destigmatizing rest and prioritization of self over others.
A clip from Lady J's remarks about our accountability to ourselves to hone the beliefs we carry:
Society tends to be discussed in terms of family units and institutional building blocks. Yet the tensile strength of society's coherence is dependent on how well each person has space to define their own narrative and is confident and connected to who they truly are. This space of exploration for an individual to fearlessly navigate the world in solitude, trying new things, defining personal boundaries, and asking bold questions is the basis of what makes humanity so powerful. Humans conditioned to prioritize comfort and exclusivity are centered in human nature. At this juncture, each individual choosing to claim the weight of their agency over the ease of complacency is how we move forward in prioritizing humanity over human nature. Before us is the difficult task of destigmatizing rest and prioritization of self over others.
A clip from Lady J's remarks about our accountability to ourselves to hone the beliefs we carry:
The additions to Lady J's body of work as artist in residence represent a conceptual shift in social structure as inspired by interactions with Rachel Cunliffe. Each piece contains layers of metaphoric meaning.
A hierarchical structure of interaction defined by ascribed birth position and physical traits is incompatible with the truth that each human soul holds the same intrinsic value. In contrast, a more egalitarian framework which prioritizes connection to self and recognition of natural limits provides a starter model of sustainability. Further, integrated recognition of the inalienable role of nature and necessity of future generations' success can proof the reliability of the structure.
A hierarchical structure of interaction defined by ascribed birth position and physical traits is incompatible with the truth that each human soul holds the same intrinsic value. In contrast, a more egalitarian framework which prioritizes connection to self and recognition of natural limits provides a starter model of sustainability. Further, integrated recognition of the inalienable role of nature and necessity of future generations' success can proof the reliability of the structure.
Hierarchical model as represented by recognizable images of Earth, backed by rigid adherence to order, rotting beneath the surface, and glued together by externally-referencing mediums such as art and conflict resolution.
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Egalitarian model as represented by more abstract images of Earth, grouped in a blending pattern, moveable, stitched together with connections of trust, love, and respect, and hung on a stalk of nature accented by a leaf of progeny.
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In conversation during the Q&A, points were raised about how to harmoniously blend in belonging with one another through experiential experimentation. In learning and growing and changing as individuals, we can bring others into the process through play, to negate the negative connotation of being held accountable.
The tension in society of pushing our true selves down to conform with group identities hits a breaking point when group identities are more powerful than individual narratives about personal identity. According Brené Brown, PhD MSW, who studies fear and shame as a research professor, fitting in and belonging are in opposition to one another. How can hierarchy be collapsed to bring more belonging?
As society is polarized more drastically, biological wiring is skewed more heavily towards fear. Making space through self-exploration for love of self to balance the fear of others is how personal identities are strengthened. Having tools for integrating self-knowledge into personal narrative sets the trajectory toward belonging by having an individual contribution to group narrative, which influences public narrative. These tools can be as simple as boundaries and filters. Many public and group narratives once meant to inform enculturation now facilitate a toxic subversion of self-interest. Enculturation (gradually acquiring cultural knowledge) and acculturation (conformity to dominant culture) are not meant to be blurred, yet what other function does structural and systematic inequality serve?
Stories acquired through enculturation tell narratives which must now be critically examined.
Lady J's belief is that the most powerful position of inquiry exists at the intersection of connective, externally referencing fields, such as art and conflict resolution.
The more we know ourselves, the more we are able to center in our self-interest, to increase our awareness and recognize where we belong on a broader scale. We are all connected, and we starts with me connecting to me.
A clip of Lady J's final words:
The tension in society of pushing our true selves down to conform with group identities hits a breaking point when group identities are more powerful than individual narratives about personal identity. According Brené Brown, PhD MSW, who studies fear and shame as a research professor, fitting in and belonging are in opposition to one another. How can hierarchy be collapsed to bring more belonging?
As society is polarized more drastically, biological wiring is skewed more heavily towards fear. Making space through self-exploration for love of self to balance the fear of others is how personal identities are strengthened. Having tools for integrating self-knowledge into personal narrative sets the trajectory toward belonging by having an individual contribution to group narrative, which influences public narrative. These tools can be as simple as boundaries and filters. Many public and group narratives once meant to inform enculturation now facilitate a toxic subversion of self-interest. Enculturation (gradually acquiring cultural knowledge) and acculturation (conformity to dominant culture) are not meant to be blurred, yet what other function does structural and systematic inequality serve?
Stories acquired through enculturation tell narratives which must now be critically examined.
Lady J's belief is that the most powerful position of inquiry exists at the intersection of connective, externally referencing fields, such as art and conflict resolution.
The more we know ourselves, the more we are able to center in our self-interest, to increase our awareness and recognize where we belong on a broader scale. We are all connected, and we starts with me connecting to me.
A clip of Lady J's final words:
Beyond the symposium, Lady J's residency persists. There is more work to be done in elaborating and educating about the application of connective fields such as social practice and conflict resolution in PSU, academia, and beyond. She is developing more tools and resources: a workshop on what critical thinking and connective tissue have in common, and a conflict transformation entity exploring consent, Collaborative Resolutions PDX. Lady J plans to continue her residency work as it transitions into graduate work, pursuing a Master of Science in Communications.