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California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Created: February 28, 2005
Latest Update: February 28, 2005
jeannecurran@habermas.org
takata@uwp.edu

Planning the Naked Space Exhibit for Spring 2005

This Spring and next Fall we will not be able to hold our exhibit in the Student Union because it's under construction. We talked about this last Fall and considered holding the exhibit in a local community center. As I pondered the dilemma, I considered lots of options. Even though I thought I could spend most of my time discussing religion as a present social issue this semester, I find that other issues of the safety net and social security, of "No Child Left Behind" testing in the schools, of the Red State/Blue State phenomenon, and of ever-ncreasing poverty and loss of buying power mean that I keep trying to cover more.

Here's what I would like to propose. I'll vary the days I come in, so that you can fit either a Tuesday/Thursday or a Wednesday somewhere into your schedule, and I'll stay in most of the day and early evening so you'll have choice in times to find us and to work with us on our projects for the exhibit. Instead of a single exhibit I suggest workshops to which you may invite friends, siblings, parents, children, whomever. And as soon as we have our projects started, the friends are welcome, even backstage, as we create the projects. After all, that's what we're trying to accomplish: participation and practice for the skills of answerability.

I would like to schedule some of the workshops during school, so that other students can share with us. I would like to schedule some of the workshops for taking a project or two to local community areas, as we did with election information last semester. If we could manage it, I'd like to schedule at least one workshop with Spanish as an alternative presentation language.

These are some of the topics I'd like to include in our projects:

• religion as a present social issue
• the safety net and social security and privatization
• the safety net and health care, including health care in poverty and prisons
• "No Child Left Behind" testing in schools
• the Red State/Blue State phenomenon of a nation divided
• others, according to your interests

  All of these lead back to the issue of religion as a present social issue, because in each we are making judgments of what others "should" or "should not" do, "should" or "should not" be entitled to, and the economic, political and spiritual values such judgments entail. In each presentation I would like us to offer to those who attend our workshops a brief flyer with key facts on the issue, reflecting both conservative and progressive views. I'll continue to offer the progressive views on site, along with whatever visual supports I come up with. Conservative material is the material available through the media, the academy, the corporate world. The progressive views are largely absent from such source because one of the effects of the dominant discourse is to "silence" governance and critical discourse.

  Because we do not want to "silence" governance and critical discourse in response to our presentations, it is important that we include some of the key facts, as we understand them, of the conservative position. This assures that our guests and those we share our projects with will be comfortable in "answering" our positions without intimidation. The educational position is to not to silence or dictate the "appropriate" response, but to listen in good faith to the validity claims as experienced by each position. This commitment to answerability is reflected in our inclusion of all the positions we have come to recognize as entitled to good faith discourse, whether we agree with them or not.

  Some projects I would like to consider using for the workshops are:

  • Dori's balancing mobile from Fall 2004
  • Jeanne's Pink Lace Bra from Graduate Theory a few years ago, consists of boxing gloves, lace bra, and story
  • Andrea's MLK maze from Fall 2004
  • The Muslim Prisoner - from first volume of Dear Habermas

  I'd like to include paintings, sculpture, photos, and interactive projects. Hopefully, we can start planning tomorrow, March 1. jeanne

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