Imagine a World That Operates Differently Than This One

From May 5 – June 9, 2014 critic, curator and cultural provocateur Andy Horwitz gave a series of five lectures on live performance at NYU. On June 2, 2014 the lecture topic was "Performance at an Exhibition" where Andy explored how the “rediscovery of performance” in the visual art market has affected the aesthetics, conditions and discourse of dance and contemporary performance. What are the historical, aesthetic and philosophical contexts of this trend, what are the economic and political implications of the museum’s embrace of spectacle and ephemerality and how has this informed – and been informed by – NYC’s transformation into a Global City? Drawing from his extensive body of critical writing on Culturebot.org, the findings of The Brooklyn Commune Project’s report on arts, economics and cultural production in the performing arts, and his years of experience as a curator, producer and artist advocate, over the course of five lectures Horwitz weaves disparate but interrelated topics together to offer a uniquely insightful perspective into the current state of performance and its possible futures. These lectures were made possible with support from the Tisch Initiative for Creative Research at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, (Dana Whitco, Director). Special thanks to Allyson Green, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts; the Department of Dance, Cherylyn Lavagnino and Sean Curran, Co-Chairs. Special thanks also to William Moulton and Paul Galando, Tisch Dance.

From May 5 – June 9, 2014 critic, curator and cultural provocateur Andy Horwitz gave a series of five lectures on live performance at NYU. On May 19, 2014 the lecture was titled "Irrational Exuberance: The Performing Arts Market Explained". Here Andy examined the performing arts market in NYC from 2004 – 2014 as viewed through the lens of the APAP conference and related showcases. Taking a historical and global perspective, Andy addresses issues of supply and demand and the relationship between economic and cultural structures in the current nonprofit performing arts, aesthetic bias and resource allocation. Drawing from his extensive body of critical writing on Culturebot.org, the findings of The Brooklyn Commune Project’s report on arts, economics and cultural production in the performing arts, and his years of experience as a curator, producer and artist advocate, over the course of five lectures Horwitz weaves disparate but interrelated topics together to offer a uniquely insightful perspective into the current state of performance and its possible futures. These lectures were made possible with support from the Tisch Initiative for Creative Research at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, (Dana Whitco, Director). Special thanks to Allyson Green, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts; the Department of Dance, Cherylyn Lavagnino and Sean Curran, Co-Chairs. Special thanks also to William Moulton and Paul Galando, Tisch Dance.

Given on June 9, 2014, "Collaboration, Creativity and The American Revolution(s)" was the fifth of Andy Horwitz's "Five Lectures on Performance" at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Inspired in part by Joseph J. Ellis’ "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation", this lecture will explore the collaborative, improvisatory creative process that led to the invention of America in the immediate post-Revolutionary period and how that appears in the aesthetics and cultural production practices in contemporary American performance. What might this mean for artists in the 21st century, how can collaborative, creative practices inform artistic citizenship and revolutionize democracy in America? These lectures were made possible with support from the Tisch Initiative for Creative Research at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, (Dana Whitco, Director). Special thanks to Allyson Green, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts; the Department of Dance, Cherylyn Lavagnino and Sean Curran, Co-Chairs. Special thanks also to William Moulton and Paul Galando, Tisch Dance.

From May 5 – June 9, 2014 critic, curator and cultural provocateur Andy Horwitz gave a series of five lectures on live performance at NYU. In this lecture, "A Decade of Change: NYC as Global City (2004 – 2014)", Andy examines the economic, cultural and structural transformation of NYC between 2004 - 2014, the implications of those changes for artists living and working in NYC and the opportunities it presents for strengthening regional cultural production. Drawing from his extensive body of critical writing on Culturebot.org, the findings of The Brooklyn Commune Project’s report on arts, economics and cultural production in the performing arts, and his years of experience as a curator, producer and artist advocate, over the course of five lectures Horwitz weaves disparate but interrelated topics together to offer a uniquely insightful perspective into the current state of performance and its possible futures. These lectures were made possible with support from the Tisch Initiative for Creative Research at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, (Dana Whitco, Director). Special thanks to Allyson Green, Dean of the Tisch School of the Arts; the Department of Dance, Cherylyn Lavagnino and Sean Curran, Co-Chairs. Special thanks also to William Moulton and Paul Galando, Tisch Dance.

"The Importance of Being Here: Live Art in the Digital Age" is a lecture given at NYU on May 5, 2014 by critic, curator and cultural provocateur as the first in a series of five lectures on live performance. The lecture explores why live art is essential in the digital world and how new ideas and emergent technologies provide new ways of interpreting how live performance functions in contemporary culture. In this lecture Andy expands on the ideas proposed on his blog, "Ephemeral Objects: Art Criticism for the Post-Material World", for which he received a 2014 Creative Capital | Warhol Foundation Arts Writers grant.

"Considering Contemporary Artistic Practices & The Distribution Of New Black Creativity" features Whitney V. Hunter (moderator)in conversation with Sherman Fleming, Ryann Holmes and Ni’Ja Whitson. It is the third conversation in Danspace Project’s "Conversations Without Walls: Black Male Revisited" platform organized by Jaamil Olawale Kosoko and presented on February 8, 2014.

"Expanding Notions Of Black Masculinity Gender & Identity In Visual Art and Performance" features Thomas J. Lax (moderator)in conversation with niv Acosta, Paul Mpagi SepuyaIt. It is the second conversation in Danspace Project’s "Conversations Without Walls: Black Male Revisited" platform organized by Jaamil Olawale Kosoko and presented on February 8, 2014.

"Revisiting Black Male Today: A Look 20 Years Later" features Rich Blint (moderator), Holly Bass, James Haile III, Paloma McGregor, Greg Tate. It is the first conversation in Danspace Project’s "Conversations Without Walls: Black Male Revisited" platform organized by Jaamil Olawale Kosoko and presented on February 8, 2014.

On January 13, 2014 at the APAP Conference in NYC, Andy Horwitz, Gary Lambert and Jesse Jarnow had a wide-ranging discussion about audience engagement, artistic innovation and The Grateful Dead. The Dead were known as much for their audience of "Dead Heads" as for their music. They broke all the rules of the music industry in their heyday, fearlessly pioneering innovative techniques in performance, technology and business. Explore today's changing presenting world through the lens of the Grateful Dead's career and legacy to identify important lessons and innovative ideas that remain exciting, groundbreaking, and mind-blowing for the 21st century.

Andy Horwitz and Risa Shoup deliver a keynote presentation of The Brooklyn Commune Report at the Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference on January 11, 2014. Recorded by APAP.