Why
Experiential Arts?
From the oldest known bone flute dating back over 50,000 years, to 65,000-year-old cave paintings and decorative jewelry crafted 115,000 years ago, artmaking has served to connect communities, reflect cultures, and relate human experiences for tens of thousands of years.
This isn’t the story we’ve been told (and sold) in the West however. Ushered in by “high art” ideals of the European Renaissance only 500 years ago, our idea of the arts and arts education today is often presentational rather than participatory, with audiences spectating rather than interacting with art, artists, and one another.
Experiential Arts works to renew the communal and participatory nature of artmaking by inviting artists to make art with audiences rather than to, for, or at audiences. This not only stands to generate more attendance in the arts, it also empowers artists to imagine new possibilities for artmaking and the purposes it can serve.
The Neanderthal “Divje Babe” bone flute, discovered in Slovenia in 1995, dated 50,000-60,000 years old.
Why
New Orleans?
Artmaking in New Orleans has served to connect disparate communities, reflect diverse cultures, and relate human experiences for over 300 years, with evidence of local indigenous artmaking dating back over 1,500 years.
Second line parades with their hip-shaking, soul-stirring music. Black Masking Indians with their stunning suits and beadwork. Mardi Gras with its festive costumes, floats, and crafts. The stories of human experiences are literally sewn into the city’s cultural fabric: its’ songs, food, festivals, architecture, neighborhoods, street names, and so much more. No other city in the U.S. epitomizes Experiential Arts quite like New Orleans.
Why
NO FEAR?
Our mission at NO FEAR is to make “art for heart’s sake.” We believe young artists from all artistic backgrounds can learn to connect, reflect, and relate with audiences in purposeful and powerful ways, and we strive to provide them with the resources and opportunities to do so.
We invite you to join us and take part in this experiential and humanizing process., as we continue to discover the empowering impact Experiential Arts and Learning can have with young artists and the audiences their artmaking can serve.