AR+ 2025. Itself an ART project?

Hilary Bradbury-Carman, Ph.D., AR+ Founder and Curator.

And then, on October 29th, it was my turn!  For my first workshop on transformative spaces coLAB  I chose to invite a conversation about AR+ Foundation itself. In what ways are we succeeding, and not, as an ART project?  The actionable challenge would be to invite those present – by definition all in this coLAB are AR+ members and thus system actors – to (re)articulate our purpose within AR+. And from that we could plan actions & activities for 2025.

This workshop seems timely. AR+ morphs over the years. How might we morph consciously? Thinking on this together is important. I sit at the hub and help instigate activities around energy points that members wish to lead/follow on. As I close out with my reflection below, I also fold in the larger context that the US election brings with the dawn of a new world order.

I asked Dana Carman to facilitate who helped us start with settling into our spacious and reflective protainer. I offered brief background on AR+ and was congratulated for making it mercifully short (!) as is the video snippet.

In terms of intention: we organize as a community of leader-learners who help transformations happen in each of the spaces we each inhabit, e.g., in education, healthcare, government, development. AR+ Foundation itself has grown out of the Handbooks and journal of action research which continue, successfully, to provide descriptions – and inspirations – for what it means to do good action research (mostly against the odds).  AR+ then provides a relational practice space – a space I describe as a practice of developmental friendship. That is also a space to try things on before bringing them out into our worlds. AR+ attracts actors who are interested in personal development with, I’d say, a more relational and ecological – therefore sometimes spiritual – orientation. In other words evincing more concern for including more than self and tribal affiliation in our practice.  We are deeply interested in questions that matter at this time of eco-social crisis, and as much about what to do and how! That developmental stretch/reach to practice may make us unique.

AR+ key actors and activities are telegraphed first on our map. Each participant is colored in cardinal red on the globe, alongside a handful of stewarding action research organizations. Our activities, e.g., frequent coLABs and occasional symposia – bring us together in weekly and/or monthly gatherings, with one biennial in person gathering.

We devoted the rest of the time to a couple of inquiries starting with an invitation to speak from our own specific experience of AR+ activities. In this I invited participants to call up specific vignettes and then to chat with a zoom-random partner.

My partner (hello Susanna!) shared that what remains most vivid for her is the first in-person AR+ Gathering at Chalmers U., Sweden in 2019.  There she felt met – intellectually and creatively – by others.  In a lovely synchronicity – you can’t make this up – Susanna had just received notification of acceptance to a PhD program. OK, that is pretty good evidence of why AR+ exists!

Still, when it was my turn to share my experience, I voiced a grumpy critique. As I scanned across the many multiple wonderful AR+ meetings I participate in –  attending-curating- facilitating- participating – I see a lot of personal reflection & developmental insights happening among us. I also see tons of creative relational skillful practice. And yet, for me, there is something also missing. Namely too little concern for the quality and impact of our action “in the world,” too little objective evidence of quality and concern for sustainability of our efforts.  My partner thought I was being overly negative. (It wouldn’t be the first time!) Back in plenary we each shared these different aspects of what could be seen as a forcefield, namely what enables and impedes us inside AR+. 

• There seemed unequivocal agreement that a key enabling feature is meeting in person with our unconventional format. 
• A barrier (not unequivocal) was too much structure.

To action 

1. It’s time to plan on having an in-person meeting.
2. We might experiment with say a weekly standing ART coffee which, as in any coffee shop, there is no topic per se, nor facilitator. 

These are action items to “iron out” in the weeks ahead so we can craft an invitation for ourselves to 2025. 

Polarity awareness

Our facilitator pointed to the necessary polarity that exists in an organization such as AR+. It’s convened by intention and enthusiasm by its founder-curator, and now it ALSO needs more fluidity and creativity so others may bring their gifts and talents in the ways that work for them. This is a polarity, and important not to be seen as either/or. After all, even an entirely unstructured coffee needs a cafe. We may need structures but also least one regular coLAB that feels unstructured.

As I reflect back after the Trump election

…our workshop happened just before the election of Donald Trump. I reflect back alongside those shocking (not surprising, just shocking) election results.  First, I feel shocked out of my grumpiness! I find my deeper, enduring enthusiasm for AR+ in knowing how helpful it is to make sense of this new world order with developmental friends (thanks Simon!) Our various practices this year, e.g., the focus on “being as nature,” help me find resilience within. There remains – always – my commitment to a life-enhancing world.  I’ll keep on helping raise consciousness about the power and practice of the action orientation, with an ecological, spiritual twist. I share what for me is the experience beyond the passivity we have been conditioned to. Action research is a systematic engagement with systems that seek to transform; toward sensemaking that includes more care for more beings. What more perfect methodology for our time of eco-civilizational strife.

My own closest teacher now is my garden. I practice there too with participatory principles – to put a name on it we can call it “permaculture.”  Simply, this means gardening organically but with a mindset of gardening with nature. That takes on various manifestations, from talking to the land and listening in with bare feet. Also using what the land itself offers, e.g., hedges make mulch; scraps make compost, clean cardboard enriches soil. There is so much already here. 

At this very moment of autumn – by the conventional standards which I have imbibed – it all looks to be a bit of a mess. Yes, the new wildlife pond is attracting wildlife (yay), but really it’s a bit of an aesthetic mess.  The cardboard I use to regenerate soil is taking longer to mulch down than expected. My enthusiasm for carting in manure is not entirely shared by those around me. Plus, it’s all harder physical work than I’d expected. The many conventional gardeners of my life raise eyebrows and some offer warnings. I look for evidence to stay and or reorient on the path. For example, the no dig potato beds have produced fabulous potatoes (contrary to one horticultural expert who told me there’s no way it can work). Happily, there is no need to argue with reality; it works.  The wildflowers, on the other hand, are struggling. I take the expert’s advice on how to proceed there and, generally, I continue to read the garden as an experiment that is unfolding with me. I learn to trust the process, allow the ugly times, listen to, and discard advice as I keep an eye on helping grow what wants to grow.

Permaculture within AR+. 

It’s all about the soil. In AR+ case, that’s the intention and concern for relational space that bears fruit. From my vantage this means a path of practice, of leading and following, following and leading where the path leads.

To return to the inquiry challenge regards our purpose at AR+. 

We wish to be together differently than we must be in the majority spaces offered in our worlds. When together we wish to grow courage for this being differently together. For some that practice is itself enough. For others the impact is measurable in action beyond AR+. For me this is the ripple out effect into the journal, my own projects and coaching. In everyday life. A major measure of success is if AR+ continues to cultivate an encouraging space of resilience that helps cultivate – but only sometimes – beyond itself.

In the wake of the election – and the shift in global world order to the right – I now actively look forward with more courage to 2025. I realize I need the company of developmental friends. I need to include and integrate more ways of knowing and doing together beyond the disembodied conditioning.

I went and purchased a couple of apple trees, some berry bushes too. Also some dogwoods that bring color to the dark months. The hard work of planting is one way to deal with my post-election energies.  By the time these thrive – and I pick the first apples – I’ll have more insight on whether my own life giving energies flourish and how (whether!) I have avoided despair.

Let us practice together.

This conversation for clarity and reorientation continues.