VCFA Examines the Collective Creative Practice | Community Assembly Series
“How do we build creative practices that are not only generative, but also collective—ones that uplift, resist, and co-create in solidarity with others?”
That is the question VCFA’s latest Community-Wide Assembly asked on June 10, 2025.
Presented in collaboration with the Office of the President and the Center for Arts + Social Justice, VCFA’s second Community-Wide Assembly, “Collective Creative Practice,” brought artists from across VCFA’s six MFA programs together to examine the idea of radical co-creation. Leading the conversation were two special guest artists: playwright, director, and pioneer of Hip-Hop Theater Rickerby Hinds and Emmy Award-winning artist, cultural strategist, and Theater of the Oppressed practitioner Kayhan Irani.
Moderating the conversation was VCFA President Andrew Ramsammy, who opened the night by emphasizing the role of an artist in a global setting.
“Together, we’re going to explore what it means to move beyond the myth of the lone artist,” said Ramsammy. “Because really, we are not just artists by ourselves, but we are collective artists working together. Instead, we’re going to talk about the practice of creativity as a collective act, one that collectively uplifts, collectively resists, and collectively co-creates.”
Both Hinds and Irani brought their own stories and guidance to our community on the topic of co-creation, from the very fundamentals of navigating group critiques to critically thinking about how we speak to each other as artists.
On the topic of forming a community, Irani encouraged the audience to ask themselves to reflect on where they show up as an artist:
“Where are you showing up? Are you only going to things that are going to forward your career and make you money?” Irani asked. “Where are you showing up just to be of service and be a human together with other people? That’s where your art will grow and where your community will feed you and will show you what needs to be talked about… It’s really about extending yourself.”
When reflecting on how he maintained a creative community after finishing his MFA experience, Hinds spoke to the importance of joining creative spaces composed of all kinds of artistic specialists and practitioners.
“For me, [post-MFA] became more about building community spaces where my element or what I brought to the table was a part of a different kind of a space. What I mean by that is that I began working with folks at spoken word spots. That’s how I began working with beatboxers and poets and break dancers. And so [post-MFA] for me evolved into a collaborative space that was… focused on me being a part of that community that brought different elements that I could not verbalize—that I couldn’t put on a page.”
Each artist agreed that, no matter what, the role of the artist will always be needed in any community.
“We’re on this journey collectively together,” concluded Ramsammy as the evening drew to a close, “and whether you’re a part of our [VCFA] community right now—as a student, a member of our alumnx community, or just a member of the greater VCFA community—it’s always a good time to call up that friend and just check in and make sure that they’re doing okay… You never know when you need to hear from that friend and talk to someone.”
Watch and share the latest VCFA Community-Wide Assembly, “Collective Creative Practice,” at the link below. Plus, read more about our April 2025 Community-Wide Assembly, “The Artist’s Role in Disruptive Times,” here.