Embracing a whole community approach to safety and preparedness means helping event producers master the art of mass gatherings. Gatherings like festivals, concerts and other special events are simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. They can be joyful, life-giving experiences, but they can also be a forum for disaster. They can elevate a community's sense of pride and identity, yet they can be a source of enormous waste and missed opportunities.
The Art of Mass Gatherings approach is grounded in skill-sharing between creatives, events producers, and the agencies and businesses that serve our communities. Performers, organizers, promoters, vendors, audiences and even the public can be incorporated into a collaborative network and engaged through proper planning and communication. Providing a clear understanding of the myriad systems involved (including water, waste, electricity, communications, and shelter) will allow everyone to collaborate better in times of celebration and crisis.
Through a distinct curriculum we hope to elevate attendees' ability to enhance their own events and gatherings.
Topics covered:
- COVID-19 MODIFICATIONS
- LIFE SAFETY, HEALTH AND PUBLIC WELFARE
- LEGAL CONCERNS AND EMERGENCY PLANS
- WEATHER EMERGENCIES
- ENHANCING ACCESSIBILITY
- MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH FIRST AID
- CROWD MANAGEMENT
- WASTE, WATER, AND POWER SYSTEMS
- HARM REDUCTION, GENDER SAFETY & TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES
- MAXIMIZING COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Instructors
Matthew Che Kowal is a festival coordinator, artistic director, spokesperson, musician, and community leader. A passionate skill-sharer, Matthew has used collective leadership to arrive at state-of-the-art festivals that are sustainable, safe, and equitable. His consulting work with Performing Arts Readiness spans agencies, festivals, and venues in emergency and disaster preparedness, including The Arts and Cultural Network for Emergency Preparedness. Contracted by Denver Arts & Venues, the Canadian Government, brands like New Belgium, and festivals like Tour de Fat and Five Points Jazz Festival, he has organized hundreds of gatherings since 2005, collectively raising over $5 million to raise awareness and resources to capitalize locally-directed initiatives and inspire advocacy. He envisioned the experiential learning platform Art of Mass Gatherings Symposium as a way to catalyze emergency preparedness training across multiple stakeholders. Email him at Matthew@MajesticCollaborations.com.
Molly North co-founded Majestic Collaborations to directly participate in community resilience work. She believes the resilience of a community is enhanced through effective preparation, mitigation, response and recovery, all of which can be enhanced by a strong art community. Molly is the co-founder and President of two additional businesses that serve the performing arts and other various sectors: Majestic Amplifications and Majestic Water Works. Molly is also a progressive transportation leader. She has developed a unique set of technical, policy, and planning skills as well as expertise in communication and collaboration. She believes active transportation is essential to solving issues such as the climate crisis, environmental racism, and declining mental and physical health outcomes. She works as a Multi-Modal Transportation Engineer at Mead & Hunt. Email her at Molly@MajesticCollaborations.com.
