How the local arts community engages in conversations about race
People participating in the #ReclaimMLK march organized by Black Lives Matter Minneapolis in conjunction with Ferguson Action's national day of action on the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 19, 2015 pause for chanting and a die-in in front of the Saint Paul Police Western District.
Angela Jimenez / For MPR News
On The Daily Circuit Tuesday, we talked about how the local arts community has engaged with the dialogue around race in recent months.
Ananya Chatterjea, founder and artistic director of Ananya Dance Theatre, and Sarah Bellamy, co-artistic director of Penumbra Theater, joined the discussion and brought up what they're seeing in the most recent reactions to national stories like Ferguson. Bellamy said you can look at protests as a form of artistic performance.
We also looked more broadly at the role of art in social justice movements. How does art enhance our conversations about, and understanding of, race in our society? What obligation do artists have to engage with events in Ferguson, Staten Island and here in Minnesota?