ABSTRACT

A/r/tography begins with Being. Being is beside itself in an empty space in which life unfolds. This chapter explores four commitments that may underpin the work of practitioners within a/r/tographic communities. An a/r/tographic community of practice is a community of inquirers working as artists and pedagogues. They build relationships with others by offering an empty place of hospitality in which others can move freely and find their own interests that inspire learning within the community. One important distinction should be made between an organizational unit and a community of practice. An a/r/tographic community of practice is a community of inquirers working as artists and pedagogues committed to personal engagement within a community of belonging. A/r/tographers are continuously negotiating and renegotiating their foci as the community's research and inquiry evolves and shifts over time. A/r/tographic communities create practices that question yet re-imagine how we might live in difference.