[John] The Next Big Challenge: Documentation

PART I DOCUMENTATION : The Next Big Challenge

Designing and delivering a solid 7-week residency is tough enough.  It has to maintain energy and excitement, be thought-provoking and challenging, and take students on a journey from start to finish. A good residency pushes young minds, and yet makes them ask for more.  It adds value to their lives, both educational and personal.

But the question we ask ourselves afterward is: did it add value to their lives?  Since it doesn't show up as a grade on a big test, how do we know it achieved what we thought?

So, here comes the next big challenge: Documentation.

Documenting the arts might seem absurd, like that scene in 'Dead Poet's Society' where the students try to graph a poem.

But it is more nuanced than that.  And it is important.  We need a way to tell the story to others and get feedback about what we're doing and how well we're doing it.

So, when Urban Gateways offered their support this year to help artists document our work, I knew I had to take a stab.  I have been an artist on the roster for six years and I hadn't really documented much of anything, other than take some videos of my shows.  It was time to try to get some reflection from my 'customers'.

So, I chose a school residency that I felt pretty good about: a Catholic school in Old Town that I had returned to for my sixth year. If there was one school that should 'get' what I do, it should be them.

But how to document?  No graphs.  No standardized tests.  Adil from Urban Gateways and I made a list of possibilities:

* videotape the classes

* photos, taken by a professional, students and teachers

* written journal entries about experiences over this and previous years with questions like: what do you remember?  Has this changed your view of the world? If so, how? Could you recreate this music on your own?

* personal interviews with students and teachers asking more in depth questions

After looking at the list, we decided to try them all.  If we wanted a nuanced, albeit qualitative, review, this would be the best way to get some info.

Honestly, I don't think I would have attacked all of these on my own, but with the help of Adil and Carrie of UG, we went for it.

My big fears at the outset were:

1) We wouldn't be able to gather this info without disrupting the classes

2) The teachers would think I was spending class time 'not teaching' the arts

3) We would gather all of this data and it wouldn't say anything

So far, the first two have proven false.  The gathering was fun for everyone involved and it was done in two short weeks' time.  Everyone found it to be engaging and the students enjoyed gathering the info for me.  I enjoyed the change of pace and a nice momentum shift five weeks into my seven-week residency. 

As a result, we now have 200 photos (25 from each class), 200 journal entries, and two hours of video.

I realize now, however, that the real work is ahead.  Going through all of this data will be daunting.  Deciding what info we should use to tell the story is even more scary.  Adil has the dubious honor of leading this next phase.  Our goal is to be able to give the teachers a disk with the 'story' before the holidays.

At times during the collection phase, I felt like I needed to be a professional photographer, an anthropologist, a research psychologist, video tech support, a data analyst, an editor and now a director - pulling together all of this into a story.  But I realize as artists, this is what we do.  We're always taking on new roles and tackling new challenges.   Having been through it once, I think I would know how to do it a little better next time, and possibly even on my own.

Thanks, Adil and Carrie for helping me through this first time out.  You guys rock!!

Stay Tuned. . . .  Part II.  Did the data say anything?