WHAT IS DIALOGUE ANYWAY?
It's true that the arts stimulate spontaneous conversation all the time. Individuals who experience art together are likely to talk about what they have seen and the ideas and issues suggested by the work. Such private conversation contributes in an important way to broader public discourse about contemporary civic issues.
The Animating Democracy Initative (ADI) acknowledges the value of spontaneous conversation that a creative experience or event may catalyze. The ADI Lab is primarily focused, however, on projects in which cultural organizations and artists are deliberate in planning civic dialogue activity in relation to the art experience, with the intent of enhancing participants' connection to the issue as well as to the art. Such planned dialogue may be facilitated in conjunction with the final artistic presentation or an integral part of the development of the work - or both.
Those involved in dialogue and civic dialogue work may differ on approaches and methods. But most agree on certain basic qualities that characterize dialogue and distinguish it from conversation or debate.
For the purposes of the Animating Democracy Initiative and Lab, we've found the following composite definition of "dialogue" useful:
Dialogue ADI understands dialogue as a purposeful, deliberative process. Our definition derives from the Study Circles Resource Center: Two or more parties with differing viewpoints working toward common understanding in an open-ended, most often, face-to-face format. Dialogue is inclusive of multiple and possibly conflicting perspectives. According to Daniel Yankelovich, author of The Magic of Dialogue, three qualities of dialogue distinguish it from debate or discussion:
* Dialogue allows assumptions to be brought out into the open and encourages participants to suspend judgement in order to foster understanding and break down obstacles.
* Dialogue seeks to create equality among participants. Certain conditions can be created to even the playing field for participants with various levels of information about the issue, expereience in public forums, real or perceived positions of power or authority, and to help build the trust and climate of safety for deep dialogue.
* Dialogue aims for a greater understanding of others' viewpoints through empathy. In dialogue, multiple perspectives are invited to the table and people are encouraged to voice them.
Civic Dialogue - For ADI's purposes, civic dialogue refers specifically to public dialogue in which people discuss civic issues, policies, or decisions of consequence to their lives, communities, and society. Civic dialogue is intentional and purposeful. Dialogue organizers have a sense of what difference they hope to make and participants are informed about why the dialogue is taking place and what may result. The focus of civic dialogue is not about the process of dialogue itself. Nor is its intent solely therapeutic or to nurture personal growth. Rather, civic dialouge explores the dimensions of the civic or social issue, working toweard common understanding in an open-ended discussion. It engages multiple perspectives on an issue, including potentially conflicting and unpopular ones, rather than promoting a single point of view.
Arts-based Civic Dialogue - In arts-based civic dialogue, the artistic process and/or art/humanities presentation provides a key focus or catalyst for public dialogue on the issue. Opportunities for dialogue are embedded in or connected to the arts experience. Arts-based civic dialogue may draw upon any of the arts or humanities disciplines and the spectrum of community-based, experimental, mainstream, or popular approaches to making or presenting art. It may be undertaken by individual artists or companies, community-based arts or cultural organizations, or large institutions, utilizing a wide range of artistic practice and dialogic methods.
