Improvisation in the 21st Century

Seminar Description:

Improvisation in the 21st Century is supported by Denver Arts & Venues through the ARPA Cultural Partner Activation Program.  Critical theorists have noted that one feature of the 21st century appears to be increasing states of emergency and exception.  From the terror alert system following 9/11 to environmental crises such as hurricane Katrina, housing market crashes, pandemics, to insurrections, public protests and a legal system that can barely keep pace with judicial decisions around threats to democracy.  On both the left and the right of the conventional political spectrum, writers and pundits make claims about the sustainability of liberal values and public faith in democracy.  Saturated with highly mediatized rhetoric, it can be especially difficult to make sense of states of emergency beyond our control.  We must inevitably improvise.  We are left to what the writer, Selah Saterstrom calls “skillful will.”  This seminar will explore techniques of improvisation in a variety of artistic mediums by having artists present on the ways improvisation informs their creative practices. We will actively reflect on how such techniques and artistic expression might inform our daily lives.  

The schedule below lists eight seminars and a few "field trips."  The seminars will all be held at The Commons in the Performing Arts complex (1245 Champa Street, Denver).   Seminar presentations will be followed by  robust q&a and discussion, which will evolve throughout the series.  Tickets for the eight seminars can be bought in bulk for the entire series or by individual seminar.  

"Field Trips" will allow us to experience various live events by improvising artists in town to enrich our discussions. Tickets for field trip events must be bought separately from the seminars and through the websites of particular venues. Suggested readings and supplementary course materials can be found below and will be added as the course progresses.