practice: background to sensemaking and teresa cisneros (curator of people)
sensemaking is a micro-agency lead by me (teresa cisneros – curator of people) and selected collaborators. because of this, I feel it is important to share who I am, what I do, and how I do it. that way you can make a decision if I am a good fit for your project, commission, contract, work, etc. I am honest and transparent in relation to my practice. I have been collaborating with people in the culture, charity, university and non-profit sectors for over 20 years. you can see some of the projects in the process section.
foundations: I am a Chicana/Mexican-American, the daughter of Vicente Cisneros and Lucrecia Puente of Mexican lineage, I was born on the border of Mexico/Texas. I practice from this location, it is where I was formed, where I learned to practice a way of being which can be summed up as an ethics of practice: “if you are okay then I am okay, if you are not okay I am not okay”. my ethics is centered in collectivity, humility, reciprocity, relationality, respect, mutuality, honesty, transparency and openness. you can read more about this in the praxis section.
practice: I work in a responsive manner to requests for support from people or institutions. the majority of the projects on which I have contributed have been designed to address change, create new methods for a situation, share information, mutually engage people in projects, advise on approaches, mediate difficult situations, design methods to address power imbalances, create equitable access in a variety of situations, engage artistic/curatorial platforms to provide access, co-design learning, evaluate programmes of work and a variety of other activities. I am a qualified commercial and civil mediator, am certified in community engagement praxis and social impact design and evaluation.
approach: I am not a believer of ‘proven methods’, what I prefer is to engage the people who are in a given situation, to work with them and for them. collaboration, co-creation/production, respect, and mutuality are all part of my approach. I do not arrive with solutions, known outcomes or a pre-designed process. I arrive with an open mind, collaboration as method, and relationality as a priority. and with great humility to do the work that may be required in an honest and transparent way. I centre an ethics of practice and practice of ethics. I will ask many questions, and we will develop agreed ways of working together, to ensure we can work collaboratively, mindful of the life of the project.
sharing: an important part of my practice is to share with others how I have worked to embed practices that are fair, just, inclusive, open, and caring. I share my practice by speaking at cultural institutions, lecturing at universities, sitting on panels, leading workshops, mentoring professionals and institutions, as well as from time to time writing or being interviewed. I share because I understand I have a unique approach to how I support people and institutions, and I have gained deep insights in the nature/causes of how people and institutions behave. a list of lectures/panels and related topics can be found in the praxis section.