Collaboration. It's a loaded word with a broad definition. Many times, these partnerships are happy and fruitful marriages (see Cage and Cunningham). Other times, they lead to bitter disputes (see Lennon and McCartney).  We've probably all either heard or lived through a collaborative horror story.  Most often, those are stories of artistic partnerships where emotions, egos, and visions collide.  Now, in addition to artistic collaborations, recent years have seen a large increase in structural collaborations.  In an effort to be more efficient, and perhaps even to survive, arts organizations are building new partnerships, sharing resources, and even merging boards in efforts to financially stay afloat.

In an era when whole new scales of collaborations are cropping up and being funded all around us, this Difficult Conversations Salon asks questions about the nature of collaboration, and what does it take to keep these hybrid partnerships healthy? Hear from a variety of panelists - ones who have been in the trenches and those who are influencing and creating new partnership models. 

Panelists:

-Carla Peterson: New York Live Arts

-Dara Epison: University of Chicago

-Margi Cole: Flyspace; The Dance COLEctive

-Lane Alexander: Chicago Human Rhythm Project; Collaborative Space for Sustainable Development (CSSD)

Moderated by Peter Taub, Director of MCA Chicago Performance Programs and CDF Consortium Member

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2012 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

*Panel Discussion: 6 - 7:30 pm. Reception: 7:30 - 9:00 

FREE! with reception to follow in the GAR rotunda 

CLAUDIA CASSIDY THEATER IS LOCATED AT 77 EAST RANDOLPH ST, CHICAGO 60601 MAP IT!

Plan to attend?  RSVP by emailing: chicagodancemakers@gmail.com

Difficult Conversations is part of a year-long Salon series of artist-driven talks presented by the Chicago Dancemakers Forum that seek to tackle tricky and provocative topics at the heart of today’s dancemaking field. The goal of these Salons is to create space for dialogue around the complex issues today’s dance artists face, with realism, honesty and a dash of hope. Difficult Conversations = No whining allowed. Just seeking solutions… Learn more at www.chicagodancemakers.org. This series is developed and presented in partnership with the Chicago Seminar on Dance and Performance, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, in partnership with the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, Chicago Artists Resource, and Defibrillator.