About BuildingBloc

BuildingBloc was formed in January 2003 by Jesse Olsen and Alli Spector out of a desire to deeply explore the intersection of experimental performance and social activism. In 2004, they were joined by Marko Muir and in 2005 by Qilo Matzen and Megan Books. BuildingBloc has performed extensively nationally and internationally, and has been in residence at Warehouse 21 in Santa Fe, New Mexico; The Bay City Arts Center in Bay City, Oregon; CESTA in Tabor, Czech Republic; The Rex in Beograd, Serbia; Rialto Sant’Ambrogio in Rome; and OpenSpace in Berlin. In addition to performing, BuildingBloc teaches workshops in the performing arts, organizes cultural events, and collaborates with schools, community organizations, and other artists and arts groups. Current and past collaborators include Critical Resistance, photographer Charles Reilly, Act Women (belgrade), and the Prison Poster Project.


BuildingBloc is rooted in the idea that as artists, we express the dreams, struggles, and questions of our people. As such, we place great importance on our collaborations. We seek out and develop relationships with the people and organizations in our community, and ground our creative process in their stories and ideas. We believe that this is especially important when making art about specific social issues. The true depth of the subject can only be conveyed through the voices of those directly affected. BuildingBloc serves as a conduit for these voices. At every point in our process, we hold ourselves accountable to our collaborators, and we work to give back to them as much as we receive. We consider the relationships we form to be as much works of art as the performances we create.

 http://www.buildingbloc.net

links

Critical Resistance national and local websites  http://www.criticalresistance.org
California Coalition of Women Prisoners  http://www.womenprisoners.org/
Freedom Archives  http://www.freedomarchives.org/
Photovoice project  http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/news/photovoice.htm
Free Battered Women  http://freebatteredwomen.org/
Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC)  http://www.prisonactivist.org/
Prison Moratorium Project  http://nomoreprisons.org
Coalition On Homelessness  http://www.sf-homeless-coalition.org/
Active Solidarity  http://www.activesolidarity.net
CESTA  http://www.cesta.cz
San Francisco Tenants Union  http://sftu.org/