Creating Together

I couldn't resist...

There were a couple different sections I found interesting in Suzannah Bauer's essay on collaboration. To begin with, I thought it was interesting how Bauer stated that even when collaboration is difficult, it can still be beneficial. On page 287, she states, "Sometimes struggle and conflict occur when two opposing visions are forced to compromise in order to complete a collaborative effort." She then goes on to describe the conflicts that occurred when the Church of the Servant was being built in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and how this project was ultimately successful. Bauer concludes, "Perhaps collaboration is an opportunity to let iron sharpen iron" (p. 288). This reminded me of the multitude of approaches to collaboration that guests at Art Talk have taken. For example, though she still encouraged collaboration, Elizabeth McTear from Honest Alchemy stated that one should not work with his or her friends, as the business aspect of work can ruin good friendships. McTear spoke from experience. In this particular case, the collaboration did not work out, and the parties involved incurred some level of damage. However, McTear managed to learn from this experience, and has been able to do other collaborations that were more beneficial. There isn't guaranteed success with collaborations, and it can indeed go awry, but there is always the benefit of learning from mistakes, and using these lessons to create better experiences in the future.

Church of the Servant

Another interesting section from the essay involved Bauer's discussion of the impact that collaboration can have when a community is involved. On page 290, Bauer mentions artist Catherine Kapikan and how she creates large tapestries with members from congregations. Kapikan states, "Communities who engage in and live alongside an art-making process prosper... Community, energized and agitated by the complexity of the challenge, engages rather than shrinks" (290). This reminded me of the Robbers Cave Study conducted by social psychologist Muzafer Sherif. Though his goal in this experiment was mainly related to what caused conflict between groups, there were parts of the experiment that illuminated what created cohesion in groups as well.

The "Rattlers" and the "Eagles" were the names the two groups picked for themselves.

In essence, the experiment involved several boys of the same age and similar, middle-class backgrounds attending a Summer camp in two separate groups that were unaware of each other's presence. There were three stages to the experiment. The first stage involved the separate groups bonding with their individual members. Projects that required participation of every individual to achieve a common goal caused the boys to work together, establishing a co-operative atmosphere

Muzafer Sherif

within each group. The second stage of the experiment involved bringing the two groups together and having them engage in competitive activities where rewards were promised to the winning group while the losing group would not get anything. The groups became hostile and somewhat violent toward one another while remaining loyal and positive toward their own group. The last stage involved a time of separation between the two groups so they could calm down before being reintroduced with activities that required both groups to work together in order to achieve a common goal. This helped dispel the animosity between the groups and encouraged some level of respect (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realistic_conflict_theory#Robbers_cave_study). In a similar way, community-based art provides a mutual goal that promotes bonding between individuals. Kapikan's observation that communities engaged in an artistic project tend to prosper connects with Sherif's research on the bonding that occurs with team-building activities.

Sources:

Bustard, Ned. It was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God

Art Talk: Elizabeth McTear presentation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realistic_conflict_theory#Robbers_cave_study