Baha’i Academy for the Arts 2009

What will I remember from the Arts Academy?

This?

Some of my writing class at work

Or this?

The cartoon given my by the class at the end of the course

Or will I remember this?

Our Toyota Corolla trashed by a passing JCB

Or perhaps this?

Looking across the cricket ground known as Turf towards Wellington College buildings where the Arts Academy took place

All these and more

Of course, I shall remember all of these things and much more.

The Arts Academy is always a rich feast of friendships – old and new – work, service, performances, transformation. And for me, Wellington College resonates with memories of my time as a pupil here from 1961 to 1965.

Write to Save the World

Write to Save the World? Too overweening an ambition, do you think? Well, overweening or not, 20 souls committed themselves to a week with Barnabas as their writing tutor. And Barnabas took them through writing exercises (for example, “dip a bucket into the well of memory and see what you pull up; now write about it, using concrete and specific words”) and encouraged them to take on writing projects through the week.

At one point the group read and thought about a passage from the Bahá’í World Centre’s excellent document, One Common Faith:

Religion, thus conceived, awakens the soul to potentialities that are otherwise unimaginable. To the extent that an individual learns to benefit from the influence of the revelation of God for his age, his nature becomes progressively imbued with the attributes of the Divine world: “Through the Teachings of this Day Star of Truth”, Bahá’u’lláh explains, “every man will advance and develop until he … can manifest all the potential forces with which his inmost true self hath been endowed.”

I then asked everyone to write a dialogue between two characters, one sceptical, the other enquiring or positive about religion.

The point? To help everyone who took part to contribute to the discourses of society through their writing.

Success or not?

The twenty who took part came with a wide range of aspirations, hopes and skills. The challenge for the tutor was to help each one “climb his or her own ladder” (as the tutor of another Academy course put it), to develop their skills, to move towards their personal goals and, in so doing, to learn about themselves – as well, of course, as increasing their capacity to contribute their Bahá’í- inspired understandings to the discourses of society.

A wealth of wonderful writing emerged from the group. Some of it we shared during the last-night performances showcasing achievements by Academy students. Sadly, much of it may never see the light of day beyond the sharing of it during class time.

I learned a great deal through the week. If I were to run the course again I would – this almost goes without saying – approach it somewhat differently.

The course participants were kind enough to say they’d found the course helpful:

Tension

Differently? How?

I found myself pulled into two directions. The part of me that loves creative writing, poetry, fiction, wanted to help everyone write from the guts and not from somewhere above the head, and  to avoid “the dull thunder of approximate words” (a phrase used to one of my fellow Academy tutors by one of his English teachers many years ago).

At the same time, the part of me that recognizes the need for effective non-fiction felt impelled to be more prosaic.

Aargh! What to do? I think it would be honest to say that the creative writing side won this particular tussle, although I did try to ensure a balance between the two needs.

So, next time – if there is a next time – I may have to focus on the prosaic rather than the poetic. And yet, and yet… I just love the surprise that overtakes inexperienced writers when they realize that they too can write simply and beautifully and creatively when the draw from wells of experience and memory.

What else?

Some three hundred people attended this year’s Academy, which offered courses in visual arts, music, acting (with Ilona Rodgers, whom I haven’t seen for many years), audio-visual productions, circle dancing, communicating with ease.

And there were wonderful courses for children and youth, including beatboxing, drawing and painting…

Mrs Barnabas devised and tutored an innovative course for parents with their 3 – 4 year old children. The course aimed to help them stimulate and foster their children’s creative impulses.

A number of independent artists set up shop at the Academy and produced some excellent work.

Evening performances and presentations were given by the Hidden Voices choir (trained by the inspirational composer and Bahá’í Richard Leigh), Bill Collins (Programme Planning Officer in the US Copyright Office at the Library of Congress in Washington DC), Ilona Rodgers, and concert pianist Nancy Lee Harper (with whom I had the pleasure of co-tutoring last year).

Nancy Lee Harper (Richard Leigh in the background)

Spirit

When the detailed memories have faded into the background, what I stays with me from the Arts Academy is its spirit of friendship and loving kindness, its focus on helping participants transform themselves through the arts and through service to their fellow humans. The Academy started 15 years ago as the initiative of two women who longed to stimulate the development and use of the arts in the Bahá’í community. Margaret and Cecilia are still a vital part of the energetic and positive-thinking team that runs the Academy each year.

Arts Academy team and tutors

God bless us all!

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Tagged as: Arts Academy, Baha'i, Wellington College