Bearing Witness – MFA work

Bearing Witness – MFA work

Griffin bearing witness —- photo courtesy of Dewin Anguas Barnette

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Automatic writing by Jess Pillmore – 15 minutes to go for broke and write on a theme. I picked BEARING WITNESS something I feel is important in the arts and education… but difficult for me at times. August 1, 2011

To observe without judgment, to help by not helping at all
Staying, listening, recording
How I have difficulty not assessing
Difficulty waiting without planning
Imagining putting pieces together to form a larger whole
All this stops me from working as a witness
Finding stillness, breath, letting stories of pain, happiness, joy, longing – flowing through me
Making a difference in me
Never being indifferent
But still letting things go.
There’s no problem I’m suppose to solve.
Their story is not asking for a rewrite
A revision
A different outcome then the one it’s been leading up to

Jess documenting with Griffin —– photo courtesy of Dewin Anguas Barnette

THIS IS MY CHALLENGE

How often I am amazed and frustrate by my husband ability to breathe and watch – in class, in rehearsal, on stage.
A clown’s peace in the moment
Ownership of the unknown.
To not intervene is amazing.
What a knee jerk reaction that is to me.
And yet
How do I forget the inevitable outcome of
Peace
Ownership
Within the student, actor, audience
In the end.

 arts education bearing witness observing poetry progressive education