‘Field of Monsters’ speakers share hopes for Friday’s free symposium

MANSFIELD — Bryan Gladden has observed Mansfield residents searching for the city’s identity for five or 10 years.

“We’ve been such a blue-collar town for so long, but I think we are trying to identify who we are now,” he said.

Gladden said the city’s situation at a crossroads gives it the opportunity to explore different avenues and invite community members into conversations about how to deal with issues. This was one of the reasons he created “Field of Monsters” symposia, the first of which The Ohio State University at Mansfield hosted in March.

“The Monsters We Meet at the Crossroads” is a free symposium scheduled for Oct. 14, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at the Mansfield Playhouse. Five speakers will each discuss a monster or crossroads they faced in their life. Steve Russell, workforce development coordinator for the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library, will serve as master of ceremonies for the symposium.

Gladden let all speakers pick their own topic within the theme of monsters and crossroads.

The symposium is a recent addition to the annual “Field of Monsters” art show, on display at the Phoenix Brewing Co. in Mansfield. A Q&A with speakers will follow their presentations and Gladden said attendees and presenters may continue their conversation at The Phoenix afterward.

Aurelio Diaz, 5th Ward Mansfield City Council member, will discuss political diversity. One of the crossroads Diaz came to was deciding to become a politically independent Mansfield City Council member in May after he had been elected as a Democrat.

“Even though it was a decision that I felt was good and heartfelt, there was a lot of people, disappointingly, in my life who thought it was the worst thing ever,” Diaz said. “That was kind of a challenge for me because those are people I’ve known for a long time.”

Diaz said the monster he is working to tackle is making local politics “person-centered and not party-centered.”

He said he is looking forward to hearing the other speakers discuss their personal crossroads and monsters, especially because everyone will discuss their unique experiences.

“I like that everyone’s going to be able to talk about insight about themselves. Personally, I think we’re going to learn about each other,” Diaz said. “For those who have or haven’t identified the monsters that they’re coping with in their life, I think there’s that aspect of just really inspiring people.”

Kip Curtis, associate professor of environmental history at The Ohio State University at Mansfield, will discuss monsters we don’t see. Curtis said these monsters include “shadows” and struggles that follow people throughout their lives.

“It’s a topic that has space for exploration, I hope I reveal something to the audience,” Curtis said.

Curtis is looking forward to each of the speakers’ presentations and said he is excited for what the audience can discuss in the Q&A afterward. He said he has looked forward to the symposium since Gladden talked to him about it last summer.

“There’s a feeling of a greater sense of community and anticipation coming alive,” he said.

Deanna West-Torrence, founder and CEO of the North End Community Improvement Collaborative, will close the presentation portion of the symposium with her discussion of when false evidence appears real at the crossroads.

“Oftentimes, fear is false evidence appearing real, so you have to face the monster and move anyway,” she said. “At least that’s how it’s worked out for me.”

West-Torrence said fear has felt like a monster at different crossroads in her life and can be a guiding factor in many people’s decisions. She said starting NECIC while she had four children in school was a crossroads.

“That was a huge time when fear really came out and a fear where I kind of questioned my own personal capacity,” she said.

Listening to what other speakers and attendees consider monsters and how they’ve dealt with them is what West-Torrence is looking forward to about the Q&A portion.

Gladden said he is excited to hear West-Torrence’s presentation because he thinks many people will relate to it.

“Monsters are usually fear-based,” he said. “Either we create monsters to protect ourselves or monsters are what scare us.”

Conversations on how to deal with monsters and crossroads on a personal and community level are what Gladden hopes come out of the symposium.

“I think it can defang the monster,” he said. “So if I can see it and I recognize it — if it helps me recognize my fear — I’m more apt to be able to understand it and start dealing with it.”

Gladden said he wants to grow “Field of Monsters” events beyond the art show and symposia, possibly by adding poetry or short play submissions to the art show or involving high school students in the art project to add a monster to an old landscape painting.

“Field of Monsters” art is on display at The Phoenix through Oct. 30, when a silent auction on the art will take place from 2 to 4 p.m.

Gladden said Friday’s symposium can provide people a better understanding of different monsters and crossroads they may be facing through listening to the speakers. He wants to decrease the stigma of talking about monsters and foster understanding of other people’s struggles.

Speakers’ topics