Kaufman Updates
Permanent link for The Art of Collaboration | By Liz English, Campus Program Manager on March 18, 2025
In February, I attended the Ripple Conference at Elon University. This student-led and student-oriented interfaith conference was curated around the theme of “the Art of Interfaith,” alluding to both the various media through which interfaith interactions and stories come to be known as well as the creativity required to engage meaningfully with those of different worldviews. Over the course of the weekend, we heard from poets, photographers, calligraphers - all types of artists from different worldview identities, including students and staff from across the country. While I’ve never considered myself a terribly artistic person - stick figures are all I can muster - this conference got me thinking of the less tangible art form that I practice on a regular basis in this work: collaboration.
Of course, not all instances of collaboration are artistic. Whether because of imbalances of power, a lack of reciprocal buy-in, an expedited timeline in which to work, or any other number of extenuating factors, collaboration often devolves into compromise or even competition. Through compromise, perhaps the group arrives at a consensus so that the work can progress in a timely manner, but the decision is ultimately unsatisfying or dismisses key points. At its worst, the guise of collaboration can be used to make a project appear democratic when, ultimately, decisions are being made unilaterally elsewhere.
In contrast, true collaboration is larger than any one decision or meeting. It is relational, not transactional. It is messy. True collaboration requires us to know our own needs long before taking a seat at the table so that we can match cooperation with assertiveness in equal measure. It asks us to hear and hold the stories and values that underlie each opinion. It demands us to create as yet unimagined paths forward while honoring, at times, opposing truths. And as with many other forms of art, true collaboration cannot be rushed.
Next week, Syda Segovia Taylor of Organic Oneness in Chicago will be joining us to speak on campus as our annual Rabbi Sigal Interfaith Leadership Lecturer. Her topic, the inevitability of world peace (yes, even in times of such great disruption and uncertainty), is rooted in her Bahá’í faith and the necessity of authentic collaboration. She will be sharing about her almost 30 years of experience bringing communities together around topics of environmental and racial justice while exploring the tangible steps we can take toward realizing the oneness of humanity. (Everyone is welcome to join us for Syda’s lecture , which will take place Tuesday, March 25, from 4-6 pm on the GVSU Allendale Campus.)
The work that Syda and her team have done to weave together communities in service of humanity for this annual event is masterful. Their King Day of Service, held in Chicago's Bronzeville and Englewood neighborhoods, is a spectacular example of the beauty that true collaboration can yield. Perhaps Syda would not use the term ‘art’ to describe her work in Chicago, but from an external point of view, it is amazingly easy to see the creativity, the heart, the skill, and the time that has gone into the spaces she has created. I invite you to glimpse her artistic process during her visit next week!
