Virtual visits, globetrotting geographies

Every day, we each make thousands of decisions, answer hundreds of questions, and solve a plethora of problems. And once in a very great while, we are confronted with a remarkable and unpredictable consequence of one of these daily doses of decision making.

 

Such was the case for me one calm autumn day when a gentleman with a camera asked if he could take a photo. Too often, people assume it is within their right to capture, copyright and collect $ on images of me, regardless of consent, ethics or morality. So in this case, I gave my consent because I was happy to have even been asked! What we did not have a conversation about was what exactly would happen with the image once it was taken. In this particular case, it was shared with the local print paper, and then with another paper out of state, and another, and another... and before too long, I was globetrotting across geographies, virtually visiting people in communities, and even countries I've never even set foot in!

Photo by Wilfredo Lee/ AP. 

Facepaint by Adrienne Chadwick

I've made virtual visits to distant neighborhoods before, as an advisor and narrator in the travelling exhibition "Maya Hidden Worlds Revealed," which has spent several months in ten different cities across the country since its world premiere in 2013. But that was the result of a carefully thought out and implemented plan, with a schedule and a timeline. 

 

This rapid series of unplanned virtual visits with communities I've never even heard of before was something very different. This photo, marked the day of the inaugural "First Mondays Masterclass" series I present free to the community a month or two after the start of every school year, which this year, happened to fall upon the day we reserve for celebrating the life of those who we have lost. One of the many days each calendar year that we use to acknowledge our relationship with those who came before and the unbreakable bond that ties us to the land and lifeblood of this continent. Not one of which are recognized by our school district. On this very sombre Dia de los Muertos, we were honoring all the many friends and relatives lost to us because of the pandemic. We were worrying about what would happen the following day during the federal election. And we were also charting a course for the future. 

 

Photo by Wilfredo Lee/ AP.

#MesoamericanDanza

That day we lost Aunt Joyce, my Grandfathers last remaining sibling. And, like we all do, I needed to find a way forward, through the chaos and the grief and the uncertainty and the pain. So I did what I always do. I picked up my grandmother's shell, and my son's drum, and my mom's shaker and the chechayotes that I earned the right to learn how to make. I gathered the children, and we went out to the street, on to the road, in to the park, down by the river. We brought four items to represent the earth, the animals, the plants and the elements to remind us of our role and responsibility. And we opened up our minds and hearts to the rhythm that comes with practicing the art of interpreting the voice of the drum, the shakers and the shell. We did what we always do. What we always come back to. In that moment, on that day, we made a stand against the possibility of oblivion. We stood together, in solidarity with every being on the planet and beyond who stands for dignity, justice, fraternity and equity. We practiced discipline, compassion, determination and love. We understood that people have the right to their own views and practices. But we are also very aware that there is no reaching the promised land without all of us and our languages, songs and traditions intact. If we wish to arrive to that place where we each get to develop to our full potential, under our cultural tree of knowledge, with its particular variety, we must all make that journey together. We must repair the damage done to ourselves and each other, from long ago as well as just yesterday. In doing so, we set ourselves free from the despair, hopelessness and anger bleeding from generational cycles of oppression, abuse and trauma. 

 

In order for this opening to happen, we need to confront and eliminate once and for all the vestiges of systemic inequity that exist in every aspect of our institutionalized frameworks and infrastructures: from justice - to legislation - to all levels of policing (local, regional, national and international.) In our homes, and schools and cities and states we must all take action and accountability for moving forward together toward that ever elusive dream of equality and justice for all.

November 2020 launch of First Monday Masterclass with Tara A. Chadwick.

On the first Mondays of February, March and April, the free public

workshop will be held on the south patio of the Old Dillard Foundation

Art and Heritage Center in Sistrunk Neighborhood. 

Photo courtesy Gordon Oliver Wareham.

COVID Compels Creativity

 

COVID Compels Creativity in the “Circle of Unity” Exhibition on now at History Fort Lauderdale

by Tara Chadwick, November 29, 2020

 

Notes on the process

We come together in the very midst of this unprecedented global pandemic, compelled by the dictates of necessity to comply with the laws of nature and to reinvigorate our understanding of the role we play as humans within the habitat we share with all living beings.

As we work to integrate this renewed understanding within our daily practices, we pause and reflect on self, family and community; reassess how we prioritize daily tasks; and recalculate how we will allocate the most precious resources: time, effort and attention. After much time, honesty, care and contemplation, we come to the realization that we wish to focus on that which brings us health, wellness, fulfillment and joy - we want to do art. We need to express our thoughts and feelings. We deserve to have our artistic expressions viewed and valued on our terms. At local, national and global levels. And on equal footing with contemporary and traditional art producers anywhere on Earth.

 

Personal is professional

With much behind-the-scenes preparation, policy and procedural changes to operational guidelines, History Fort Lauderdale became one of the first art and culture institutions to re-open after the mandated covid closure this summer. The 2020 exhibition schedule remained intact and the countdown to the start of the 2021 art and culture season kick off began. In this new pandemic era, safety is the utmost concern. The number one priority is to keep people safe, while continuing to provide public access and enjoyment of history related art and educational content.

Once we knew that both the will and the ability to move forward with an exhibition existed, our next task was to check in with each artist in order to gauge their interest and ability to take part in a hybrid physical and online exhibition. It was evident that each and every artist had experienced momentous loss, uncertainty and a continual cycle of grief over the past nine months. In a community where each person is tied by familial and cultural bonds to one another, each and every loss of life has a devastating impact. And there have been so many. Kindness and flexibility had to become the major building blocks of the process. So our next task was to build the substance of an exhibition in a way that supports the wellbeing of each artist and their families during this most difficult time in our history. We designed a collective process focusing on sharing strength, and developed the thematic and contextual structure in a way that would provide the artists with an opportunity to present the message of their choosing in this public space. We had many conversations using a variety of technological innovations. Eventually the theme of cycles, circularity, solidarity and resilience emerged along with a title: Circle of Unity. This type of collaborative process is not for the feint of heart and requires much dedication, patience, faith and trust. But the product is an exhibition that each and every participating artist can be proud of because we created it together.

 

Substance matters

This year the group decided to expand the Seminole specific theme we had engaged for the past three years, to include an invitation to Miccosukee artists. The 2020 exhibition, includes 100 pieces by over 20 Seminole artists. There is beadwork, sculpture in ceramic metal and wood, patchwork, baskets, digital art, photography, pen and ink, mixed media and painting. You can see works by Leroy Osceola, Tia Blais-Billie, Brian Zepeda, Jimmy Osceola, Jacqueline Osceola, Jessica Osceola, Josephine Motlow North, Erica Deitz, Ruby Deitz, Donna Frank, Jacob Osceola, Daniel Tommie, Danielle Nelson, Corinne Zepeda, “Oshaana Baby,” and many others including Iretta Tiger who will be cohosting a collaboration with Broward Library’s Big Read program along with Dante Blais-Billie on January 16th. The program will include a virtual art making workshop that weaves together elements of the “Circle of Unity” Exhibition alongside the literary sustenance provided in US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s “An American Sunrise.” Watch for a registration link in the coming days at HistoryFortLauderdale.org.

You can catch a replay of the digital opening at https://www.youtube.com/user/FTLhistory/videos. Or mask up and come visit in person. History Fort Lauderdale is open daily from 10 – 3 with tours of the three museum campus at 1, 2 and 3 for a cost of $15 per person (senior, student and child discounts available.)

We are greatly honored to work together to produce this international exhibition of contemporary indigenous art for our community and the world.

Tara Chadwick

November 29, 2020

 

 

History Fort Lauderdale, The Historic Heart of Downtown

219 SW 2^nd Avenue, Fort Lauerdale, FL 33301

Open daily from 10 to 3:30 with guided tours at 1, 2 and 3 pm

HistoryFortLauderdale.org

 

Two of the works on view at the Circle of Unity Exhibition at History Fort Lauderdale are shown in this image.

“Final Frontier” contemporary bandolier bag by Brian Zepeda, from the collection of Gordon Oliver Wareham and Untitled digital art by Ruby Deitz.

 

 

 

Works on view at the Circle of Unity Exhibition at History Fort Lauderdale include various forms of contemporary art expression by Seminole and Miccosukee artists. Pictured here we see wood work by Jacob Osceola, beaded mask and earrings by Corinne Zepeda, “Seminole Woman” ceramic by Jessica Osceola, hand forged silver coin necklaces by Leroy Osceola, sweetgrass baskets by Donna Frank and Seminole Woman dolls by Judy Baker from the collection of Donna Frank.

Accountability to Community in Creative Collaborations

Accountability to Community in Creative Collaborations: Reflections on an Americans for the Arts workshop titled “Artists at the Community Development Table.”

Home Beautiful Park, Fort Lauderdale.

Fifty of the most determined, knowledgeable and experienced artists residing in Broward County gathered for a full day workshop in the Home Beautiful Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale last Saturday at the Mid Town Commerce Center (now,The Circuit) at 10^th and Sistrunk.

The workshop was made possible by a collaboration between Broward Cultural Division and Americans for the Arts and was led by a specialized team of two national and two local arts leaders.

Together, the group discussed theory and practice of ensuring that the role of artists extends beyond just the realm of “art” and into the spaces where decisions are being made about how to build a safer, stronger, more resilient community.  If we are to succeed in moving through the many barriers that contribute to socio-economic, educational and prosperity gaps, the perspective and insight of diverse practicing artists must be incorporated into policy, planning and design initiatives, not as an afterthought, but as a necessary part of healthy and effective urban and rural development.

While there is much work to be done to normalize the value of artists at the table when it comes to community development, there are ample examples in ancient, recent and current history from which to draw. Our current ecosystem requires us to relearn the skills of communication, negotiation and collaboration. Participants practiced these during an interactive group session on paper tower building; working with our neighbors to plan, take action and accomplish a task. The importance of clarity, contracts and assigning equal worth to the work of an experienced artist versus an architect was discussed as were the crucial steps of designing appropriate entrance, exit and mitigation strategies for unanticipated contingencies in the work of developing a community.

Above all the real need was expressed for identifying opportunities to design infrastructure that will help build communities with equity. Much ground work, solidarity and understanding was accomplished over the nine hour day. More time and attention is needed on this subject in order to leverage the fullest possible impact that resident artists can have on community development locally nationally, internationally.

Why Wetsuweten?

#AllEyesOnWetsuweten

Image courtesy IVJ Canada
https://www.ijvcanada.org/canadian-jews-stand-with-wetsuweten-to-repair-the-world-we-must-decolonize/

On June 8, 1990, I packed up, marched out the door, and left the sunshine state, bound for the butterfly filled bluffs of my birth home on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Soon I found myself working the familiar front desk of the Royal Ontario Museum, until one day I got a call from my mom that a letter had arrived for me, back in Broward County, indicating that I'd received a full tuition scholarship to York University, where classes would be starting the following week!

It was a full four and something years of travel, reading and writing. A LOT of travel and reading and writing. But York University is or was then, thirty years ago (my gosh) a peculiarly innovative institution, and my incredible cadre of professors provided us with ample opportunity, fueled with inspiration to take on learning approaches beyond just the text book and typewriter. (yes I actually used a typewriter and was very proud when I got an electric one with the automatic corrector tape function!) I did a summer field school at the Seed Barker site with Dr. Mima Capches investigating an early Iroquois village right across the street from Canada's largest theme park. I designed and implemented a project engaging local youth in research on identity, multiculturalism and the experience of being an immigrant. My favorite homework assignment was the time Dr. Elizabeth Graham sent us to Upper Canada brewing company for a five dimensional learning experience now known as a tasting tour. Our objective was to gain insights into the history of brewed beverages as part of our early civilizations course. My most impactful course was with Sadie Buck and Amos Key learning about the history of the land on which my university stands, through theory and practice of Haudenosaunee art and culture. We learned about Handsome Lake, the Mush House, and the incredible beauty of filling a room with our voices blending as one. We also learned what happened to the hereditary form of governance (on which the United States model of democracy is based) when the executive branch of the federal government seized all articles, put all the leaders in jail, and replaced them with leaders chosen not by the people but by the federal government. This happened in 1924. But the project that I really enjoyed the most of any of my many assignments was my paper on the legal history of the Wetsuweten Delgamuuk case, which at that time, was on its way to be heard by the Supreme Court. These were the days when computers were new and the internet was not yet available for public use. The only place I could find information regarding the case history on the Delgamuuk case was inside the beautiful glass enclosure of the Osgoode Hall Law Library. It was open to anyone. As long as you did all your research on site. I spent hours, days even, pouring over notes and transcripts, quotes, stories all entered into the record of a case that, in its beginnings, was establishing the precedent that oral history, indigenous knowledge, could be entered as evidence in a case that in the end established that aboriginal title, ownership and rights to the land have existed in perpetuity and can not be extinguished by England, Canada or any other corporate interest that has subsequently asserted ownership.

I am by far no lawyer, and my intent both then and now is to delve into the treasures of the legal history to bring to light tangible evidence of the basic truth that elders and traditional knowledge learners already know all over the continent: that our oral history, our community knowledge and the practices that ensure that knowledge is transmitted from one generation to the next, our traditional forms of governance, education, medicine and policing are important. They contain truths that are essential for a full understanding of our place in the world and our responsibility as scientists and protectors of our land, water, resources and relationships. I hope one day I will re-find that paper, I know I have it somewhere, in those 1990 files filled with the sweat, tears and dreams of a teenage cultural anthropologist, maybe it's there, right alongside that Roger Keesing textbook...  My point, then and now, is to say, wake up. Look at the facts. We are all here together. And we need to follow the law but we also need to open up our minds and hearts to the natural law that is swirling around us, reminding us every moment of every day who we are, and what we must do to fulfill our role in our families, communities and indeed, the universe.

Let's all #StandUP. Stand together. #AllEyesOnWetsuweten!! Protect each other. And on this 52nd year since the death of the revered Martin Luther King Jr, in the spirit of his quote "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," let's build a path to a future where we leave the things that don't serve us ALL behind.

Tiahui!!
Tara.