衛武營國家藝術文化中心 National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying)

By CHUNG Hsin-yi

Edit by Learning and Participation department of Weiwuying

At its first International Forum and Workshop on Arts Outreach and Engagement from January 27 to 30, 2024, Weiwuying put on three workshops and a forum in four parts, at which participants shared experiences and creatively brainstormed together while engaging in hands-on practice, discussion, and exchange. Whether you were there or not, you can see how thought-provoking the workshops and forums on various themes were by reading about them here and in other sources.

The first workshop, hosted by Laurie WOOLERY, Director of Public Works at the Public Theater, was about engaging with society. Participants experienced how Public Theater reaches out to people in its community. Through a game she referred to as a "culture map," she showed how to build trust with participants and naturally bring out their similarities and differences. She stressed that when people don't think they can be involved in the arts, it's the job of teaching artists to tear down the barriers holding them back.

The second and third workshops were hosted respectively by Complicité producer Rima DODD and artist Meghan TREADWAY. Rima said that Complicité emphasizes the ideas of play and fun to participants and that they'll find new possibilities when they're able to break rules and think of different ways to play. Meghan proposed this principle for those leading instruction: "We start with who we have in the room." That is, she uses whoever is in the classroom, which means that each session of collective creation is a journey into uncertainty.   

After the two days of workshops, the forums followed. The first part was on the support from Taiwan's public sector for arts outreach and engagement. LAI Shih-jhe, Director of the National Center for Traditional Arts Taiwan Music Institute, shared about the program Taking Root: Art Education Project being conducted by local governments in Taiwan. With the incorporation of local features into systematic plans of guidance and inspiration, it has turned public outreach in the traditional arts into much more than just lectures. Then, Hsin Chya Elementary School Principal HSUEH Rui-chun, who has partnered with the Weiwuying Theater Arts and Education Project for years, said that she likes the project because it helps inspire kids' imaginations in art and provides them with related knowledge.   

The second part brought together speakers from the Public Theater, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, and three performing arts centers in Taiwan. Weiwuying dramaturg KENG Yi-wei talked about the financial tests faced by theaters around the world after the onset of Covid. He explained that the relationship between performing arts centers and the public cannot simply be one of ticket sales and that outreach and engagement are meant to cultivate audiences of the future. 

On the second day of forums, speakers shared about different strategies for outreach and engagement, including Complicité's education resource pack, Guo Guang Opera Company's audience cultivation tactics, Dance Forum Taipei's inclusive education, and New Visions New Voices Theatre Company's role-playing program for teens. International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC) chair LIU Yong-lun shared how Singaporean teaching artists must not only have art-related knowledge but also learn pedagogy, psychology, and time management. CHEN Chiao-yi, head of the Arts Participation Division at Weiwuying, talked about how Weiwuying has worked with local departments of education in art outreach and engagement over the past few years, such as through stage reading courses and workshops on adapting literature for theater, introducing theater from both in front and behind the stage while taking care to avoid any sense of marketing.   

Outreach and engagement are tangible efforts at changing the future. 20 international speakers, filled with a wealth of knowledge, discussed four themes at the 2024 International Forum and Workshop on Arts Outreach and Engagement. The viewpoints and inspirational exchange that took place mark a beginning that set a course for future progress. Weiwuying is looking forward to establishing more platforms as spaces for dialogue on art and culture, achieving cross-generational inclusion via co-creation.