Global Activation Calls

Burning Man Project’s Global Activation Call Series highlights community projects and invites conversations to inspire activation.

ART

Art Activation shares best practices for artists creating community-driven art across the world. Produced by Burning Man Civic Arts.

Supporting Artists in Dynamic Times

How are artists showing up in unique ways to respond to both COVID-19 and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement? Joe Meschede, Civic Arts Coordinator, interviews Rbhu Engineering founders Ali Lahijanian and Selinda Martinez (CA), and founder of BUILDING 180, Meredith Winner (CA) in search of answers to that question. 

Public Art From The Ground Up

Have you ever stumbled upon a piece of public art and wondered how it got there? Marie Partridge shares her insights into how developing the right physical and invisible infrastructure enables artists and community stakeholders to bring installations to public spaces. Maria is the executive director of Artech, founder of the Reno Playa Art Park, and a Black Rock City art project manager. 

Reno Playa Art Park // Washoe County ArTrail// San Jose Playa to Paseo

From Here to There: Bringing Art Around the World

We discuss the challenges and excitement of bringing art across international borders. Mexico-based artist Marianela Fuentes shares her experience touring ‘Ichiro’ across the USA. The founders of Foldhaus Collective artist group, Joerg Student and Jesse Silver, talk about bringing their installations to the UAE. This call contains a lot of practical information delivered with some great storytelling.


COMMUNITY

Community Activation explores stories and techniques to foster creative, connected and engaged year-round communities. Produced by the Regional Network.

Responding to Needs, Responding to Change

Burners are often inspired by their experiences at BRC and Regional Events to take the ethos of Burning Man into the “default world”. We speak with Burners addressing local needs amidst the challenges of COVID-19. 

Lorraine Tanner, Director of ‘AfrikaBurn’, presents the ‘The Dignity Project’, a collaboration between AfrikaBurn and the local public improvement district to provide crisis sanitation for street-based communities in Cape Town. Stephanie Vyborny and Michelle De France from Austin, Texas’ regional event Burning Flipside present on ‘The Burner Art Safari’, a socially-distanced, fully participatory, art-tour experience.

Lasting Community, Temporary Space

Burner Embassy Berlin founders, Katharina Hagg (a.k.a. MokKa) and Holger Weßels (a.k.a. Owl), discuss the formation and organization of the Burner Embassy Berlin community space in Germany. We look at how city development and urban design practices can integrate Burning Man’s 10 Principles to support resilient and transformative communities.


CIVICS

Civic Activation dives into the principle ‘Civic Responsibility’ and explores ways to bring impact into your projects and communities. Produced by Burners Without Borders.

Running for Political Office

What if the government was a lot more like Burning Man? How do the 10 Principles inform participation in the democratic process? Does Black Rock City inspire people to become politicians? Self-described Burners, Alexis Hill (NV), Aura Vasquez (CA), and Sarah Lannarone (OR), share their experience running for political office.

Working with Civic Institutions

Have you ever felt your project could benefit from a civic partnership? This conversation focuses on strategies and advice for working  with government systems, from local city offices to federal institutions. Aleta Lee (CA), Dominic Kiraly (DC), and Heather Deal (BC) share their expertise on how to navigate the bureaucratic processes to bring public projects to fruition.


ECOSYSTEMS

Ecosystem Activation takes a practical approach to creating a more regenerative and sustainable future. Produced by the Burning Man Sustainability Team.

Year One Report- Environmental Sustainability Roadmap

Burning Man staff and community members take a deep dive into Burning Man Project’s 2020 Sustainability Roadmap highlighting what we’ve accomplished in our first year. We focus on the three main goals: Handle Waste Ecologically, Be Regenerative, and Become Carbon Negative. The discussion examines what we set out to do, what has been done, and what is next.

Getting Dirty with Regenerative Networks

There are networks in our own backyards focused on the core elements of bringing our environment back into balance. In this call, we hear from regenerative leaders in the field on how to directly engage in positive environmental impact anywhere in the world.

Speakers: Josh Whiton, founder of MakeSoil, Ryan Rising, co-founder of the Permaculture Action Network (PAN), John D Liu (founder) and Asleigh Brown (camp coordinator) of Ecosystem Restoration Camps (ERC)

Prototyping a Sustainable Future: LAGI 2020 Design Challenge Results

Burning Man Project partnered with the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) to create the Fly Ranch design challenge-here’s your chance to learn what’s happened. ‘LAGI 2020’ called for installations based on living in-sync with nature, by focusing on the infrastructure areas of food, power, water, shelter, and waste. The founders of LAGI, advisors, jurors, and the ten most voted projects share their reflections and advice. Additional Project & Speaker Resources.

2021 Sustainability Report: Year Two Update

In this discussion with Burning Man staff and community members, we look at where we’ve come as a community and organization two years into our 10-year Environmental Sustainability Roadmap. This update is meant to be transparent, provide opportunities for feedback, inspire action, and offer a connection point for others doing similar work. We focus on our three goals: Handle Waste Ecologically, Be Regenerative, and Become Carbon Negative.

Burning Man & Carbon Dioxide Removal

Burning Man Project staff & experts in Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) discuss goal #2 from the Sustainability Roadmap ‘Become Carbon Negative’. We hear from AirCapture, Buckminster Fuller Institute, Carbon Engineering, Climeworks, Nexus, Ocean Visions, Black Rock Labs, and Project Vesta. We also hear from Dr. Lisa Beers, Fly Ranch Land Steward and the BRC emissions review from Marnee Benson, BMP Director of Government Affairs.

 

2022 Sustainability Report: Year 3 Update

In this call, we’ll learn from Laura Day about sustainability across Black Rock City; from Katie Hazard and Charismatic Metafauna on sustainability in art; Bryant Tan and Hotel California about theme camps; and Patrice Mackey and Titanic’s End about mutant vehicles. We’ll hear from Matthew Kwatinetz and Solar Program Manager Matthew Deluge about solar and social enterprise projects in and around Gerlach. Matt Sundquist and Ripple will share updates on LAGI 2020 at Fly Ranch.

For a regional perspective we’ll hear from Patrick Donnelly, the Great Basin Director at the Center for Biological Diversity. We’ll hear from Scott Nichols from Ormat about a geothermal project near Gerlach. For a perspective on climate change adaptation and resilience, we’ll hear from Nikki Caravelli, a climate resilience planner from Sacramento. We’ll also hear from Autumn Harry. Autumn is the first Numu Woman Flyfishing Guide at Kooyooe Pa’a Panunadu (Pyramid Lake, NV) and is a LAGI juror. For a broad Burning Man perspective, we’ll hear from Cultural Fo-founder Will Roger. Christopher Breedlove will MC and touch on the Regional Network, Burners Without Borders, and our regenerative goal.

 


EVENTS

Event Activation deep-dives into the philosophical approach of creating events in the unique spirit of Burning Man Culture.
Produced by Community Events.

A Love Letter to Small Events

This panel explores the impacts and value of small-scale events. Together, we look at the function, design, and merits of “small and local” events, and how they can be hybridized with virtual experiences for greater reach and inclusion. Hosted by Benson Ho, this call features Allisu Gerlach (IL), Hampus Lindblad (DE), and Athena Demos (CA).

The Future of Co-Created Events?

As we look to the future of co-created events, we ask: what will the new normal look like? We discuss recent solutions and approaches communities are taking for COVID-era gatherings in the spirit of Burning Man’s 10 Principles

Speakers: Argentina Regional Contact and founder of ‘No Al Deprecamp TV’ Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Roizman and Mariano Rodriguez Ribas (Argentina). VP of ‘Ignition NorthWest’ arts nonprofit and Seattle Regional Contact, Tara ‘Mockingbird’ Fischer (WA) and the former head of technology for Burning Man Project, Heather ‘CameraGirl’ Gallagher (CA)


GRANTS

Grant Activation explores the unique ways that Burning Man Grant Recipients further our mission and create positive impact in the world. Produced by Burning Man Global Grants.

Storytelling with Youth

Won’t someone think of the children? We look at engaging young people with interactive art and storytelling through two past Global Art Grant projects. We are joined by Molly Allis of The Storytelling Machine, and Owen Lowery of The Digital Sideshow. We explore how their work fosters creativity, connection, and imagination in young people, while examining how artists adjust to an ever-shifting economic and opportunity landscape to produce meaningful experiences.

Healing through Collaboration

Burning Man Global Arts Grantee, Heal Her Project, shares how creativity and collaboration can be used for healing at both individual, and  community levels. Heal Her Project founders, Lena Chen, Suzan Lemont, and Zarahlena Frohwitter talk about what brought them to this work, and their rituals and ceremonies. 

Heal Her Project is a participatory expressive arts initiative and global movement for the collective healing and prevention of sexual/gender-based violence. This project creates rituals for transformative storytelling, consciousness-raising, and empathetic listening. This call does not contain any descriptions of violence, but does acknowledge and discuss its impacts. 

Trauma Resources // Social Media @healherproject