Just listening and feeling the energy . . . Kobisz attended the symposium as an observer, and hoped to further his own understanding of the current trends in performance art. He creates and performs ceremonies based on Peruvian and Hopi Indian traditions, which he said is a facet of performance art. I follow the Shamanic tradition, building events that bring change, balance and harmony to the world. Garoian, associate professor of art education and performance artist, felt the same about the place of performance art, explaining that performance art is an arena for exposing an audience to anything countering the cultural norm.
Performance art is a form of cultural critique.
Rosenthal addressed the oppression of Jews and the destruction of the environment in her pieces. Another performer that night illustrated the plight of Hispanics in America and the stereotypes that are prescribed by the white majority. By doing so, he showed the absurdity of Latino stereotypes by the white majority. Issues of sexual orientation were addressed by Tim Miller. Garoian explained Miller's style as being very up front.