Naz Koser is the Artistic Director of Ulfah Arts based in Birmingham. She has kindly written this post for Best Believe giving an insight into her recent  month long trip to the states on a programme for arts workers entitled ‘Promoting tolerance through Arts in the USA’.

Very few journeys in a person’s life leave an ever-lasting mark on one’s memory. I’ve just been on one and even though I enjoy coming back home after long travels, the emotions are much more mixed this time. My name is Naz Koser and I’m the Founding Director of Ulfah Arts a social enterprise based in Birmingham but working internationally developing artists and arts practices by engaging communities that don’t engage with the arts.
The journey in question is my recent trip to the Unites states of America as a part of an international programme – Promoting Tolerance Through Arts organized by United States department of State.

This three week program included meeting leaders of major art institutions, community arts organisation, museums and independent artists in Washington, New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Texas and Los Angeles Starting in Washington on the East coast and finishing in Los Angeles on the West Coast, my journey lasted almost a month but felt like a lifetime of learning.

I was part of a 20 member strong contingent made up of other arts professionals , each representing a different country . There is no arts council in USA and no public funding so all arts organisations’ have to find other ways of existing and doing their work.  There was one good practice/excellence I saw in each city however majority of the time I ended up sharing my work based in Birmingham and received recognition for the contribution I am making. New York based City of Peace project developed a youth theatre production with young kids from foster care, giving an insight as to why some children end up in care.  It was one of the best youth productions I have seen, with a quality and humorous script, and having seen a Broadway show the day before I recognised some of the formula used and the potential of this work.  This stirred the ongoing debate in mind around how to close the gap between community/professional arts.

I’m convinced there are ways in which both the need for quality of art achieved through arts for arts sake and social change using arts as a tool can combine to have really powerful impacts on the various levels and audiences.  This is one of the driving forces behind my work in bringing different groups of people, perspectives together. Just thinking about this makes me so excited and almost being in the USA made it feel so easy and achievable.  Having come back to Birmingham I’ve realized that power and influence are also things needed to really help arts make an impact.  It requires a degree of working outside of my comfort zone in building a profile and associating myself with people who have power and influence who may not necessary know about the power of the arts. It’s a conflict because I personally want my work to speak for itself rather than me talking about what I’m going to do. I do it and it speaks.

For the first time I’m thinking about place and whether there is a place that is more conducive for people like me.  Where a city supports great ideas without compromising the artist, a place where exploration is appreciated and valued as even in the arts their are conventions and conforms that restricts creativity and it becomes exclusive.  The LA Gallery walk is one of my favorite memories.  Artists are invited to showcase their work in empty shop windows, other unusual spaces as well as restaurants and shops, everything from performances to visual artists in the process of making work.  The atmosphere was inspiring and as an artist contagious! It really felt like a city encouraging ideas and creativity.  There were thousands of audiences walking around the rough streets of LA.  A bit like Birmingham’s arts fest but less corporate and more rooted from an organic growth.