{"id":6607,"date":"2022-04-27T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/?p=6607"},"modified":"2022-04-11T09:44:12","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T13:44:12","slug":"assume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2022\/04\/assume\/","title":{"rendered":"Assume . . . ?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We take care of our three year old grandson on Thursdays. Being “that kind” of grandparents we tend to buy things we think he might like. Our most recent purchase was a streetscape rug (see photo) where he can play with his prodigious quantity of cars and, especially, trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had just gotten it out of the box the last time he came to our house. He thoroughly enjoyed it. And when it was time to go we told him we would lay it out flat on the floor until his next visit so the wrinkles would go away. (Again, see photo.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He would have none of it and told us so in no uncertain terms. The topographical interest those wrinkles created was a feature not a flaw. (Not his words, but that was the idea.) So the wrinkles will remain as long as we can make them last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See where I’m going here? The merits of wrinkle-free rugs were an unexamined assumption, so deep that we did not even know we were assuming anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community engagement is about building relationships. This requires communication\u2013speaking, yes; but also listening and hearing!<\/em> Effective communication requires that we park our assumptions at the door and entertain the possibility that things we learn about people’s interests and desires may surprise us. As I always say (to the point of irritating those who know me well), “We don’t know that we don’t know what we don’t know.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allow yourself the flexibility to understand that a wrinkled rug might be a valued option, even if that doesn’t occur to you on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engage!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doug<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unexamined assumptions can get in the way of successfully engaging with communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Unexamined assumptions can get in the way of successfully engaging with communities.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[12,13,111],"class_list":{"0":"post-6607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-principles","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-community-engagement","10":"tag-listen","11":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/StreetscapeRug.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s1G6h9-assume","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3715,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2014\/07\/civil-rights-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":6607,"position":0},"title":"Civil Rights Museum","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"July 23, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The arts can provide opportunities for healing or reconciliation, but developing the relationships that will allow them to be developed requires humility, respect, and serious efforts to understand.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/CivilRightsMuseumImages.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2287,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2012\/12\/what-is-the-arts-business\/","url_meta":{"origin":6607,"position":1},"title":"What Is the Arts Business?","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"December 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"The problem with unconscious assumptions is that they are\u00a0 . . . unconscious. Even for me, spending time as I do questioning the status quo in the arts, the basic nature of the arts enterprise\u2013deeper even than\u00a0 the \"business model\"\u2013often remains unexplored. But the arguments for and against community engagement\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Overview"","block_context":{"text":"Overview","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/overview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Rel-Kaaba-Commons-500x123.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5553,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2019\/03\/global-engagement\/","url_meta":{"origin":6607,"position":2},"title":"Global Engagement","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"March 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The need for community engagement appears to be universal for reasons that parallel the ones that make it vital in the U.S.","rel":"","context":"In "Overview"","block_context":{"text":"Overview","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/overview\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Earth-BlueMarble.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4826,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2017\/02\/universalityparticularity\/","url_meta":{"origin":6607,"position":3},"title":"Universality\/Particularity","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"February 8, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"No art is truly \"universal.\" Understanding that is a first step in understanding equity.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/MilkyWay-e1484852105528.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5266,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2018\/04\/chillin\/","url_meta":{"origin":6607,"position":4},"title":"Chillin’","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"April 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Hanging out the Do Not Disturb sign.","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2018\/04\/chillin\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/DiamandReefMidday-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4611,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/2016\/09\/library-lessons\/","url_meta":{"origin":6607,"position":5},"title":"Library Lessons","author":"Doug Borwick","date":"September 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Library Lessons: Engaging with communities yields stunning public policy benefits.","rel":"","context":"In "Principles"","block_context":{"text":"Principles","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/category\/principles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Document3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/LibraryContrast-e1467833646244.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6607"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6611,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6607\/revisions\/6611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/engage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}