International Archaeology Day 2023

This #InternationalDayOfArchaeology, we pause - once again - to remember and honour all the bright lights who have now ascended to help illuminate the night time sky. Some are currently seated at the community ofrenda, while others remain anonymously close to our hearts.

We rest, and grieve, and reflect and heal on the road to regaining our resolve and strength. 

📷 Nedahness Greene for #PapalotlProject

Thank you to all who are treading this path toward connection, community, and collaboration. 

The road is not always easy, however there is always time for friendships to be made. 

Bawshkeengwabigwun 🪻

Place of the Beginning

This Saturday, #PapalotlProject travelled to Gawkawbeekong for the reopening of #MayaHiddenWorldsRevealed at the Science Museum of Minnesota. In stark contrast to the 2013 world premiere, there were no banners, no fanfare and no news crews. There had been a members preview the evening before, but this opening day was literally just that. After travelling to 10 cities across the country, about 2 million people have visited so far, hopefully inspired by the beauty, knowledge, traditions and dedication of our ancestral and contemporary Mesoamerican artists, scientists, statespeople and culture workers. There is so much to learn about being a good human relative both within the exhibition and beyond. Math, science, physics, poetry, chemistry, diplomacy, geography, family, relationships, time and space are all in there along with activites to try, videos to watch and touch screens to play with. We stayed for five hours, and for us, it was not enough time to go completely through everything.

Re-opening circle 10/07/23

Photo by Nedahness Greene

Science Museum of Minnesota is a forward thinking legacy science and natural history museum located on the bank of the Mississippi River in downtown Saint Paul. They have made community consultation and engagement an intregal part of the institution's strategic and operational policy. Still, as in any organization, there is always room for new ideas, testing, evaluation and improvement. Sometimes there is even more room than anyone even realizes. 

Golden River Repair: Emergency Shawl

temporary site specific interaction

by Tara A. Chadwick 10/07/23

We arrived as eager and welcome guest visitors, excited to reconnect with our younger selves and our friends we haven't seen for so long. We were also eager to reconnect with the artifacts, some of which are also like old friends to us, while others are more like that one remaining photograph of the favorite grandmother your grandmother often talked about. These humans and artifacts are part of our extended family. 

Together we all form a cohesive story of our present. Where we are, how we got here, what we remember, how we relate to one another, and our vision for the future. We learn who we are from our family and that knowledge propels us to learn about each other. Which is precisely what happened. As a result of our visit, we reconnected with friends and also made new ones. 

Opening words

Photo by Nedahness Greene

The Science Museum accompanied us as we co-created a safe and trusting space to engage with each other as well as those behind the wall of plexiglass. It was a new model for collaboration unfurling organically between the visitors, artifacts, museum space, staff and the exhibition itself. We were able to exchange both information and emotion about what this space means for us. And hopefully, open a pathway to more intentional cross-generational, co-creation between communities and their museums. 

Reconnecting

Photo by Nedahness Greene

Always grateful for the incredible support of my former coworkers and colleagues who continue to offer their friendship, feedback, collaboration and mentorship. Thanks for being there Lea & George, Lisa, Jake, Mike, John, Liza & Mark. And I am also thankful to my new friends Dave, Nedahness & Melissa.

Thanks to my fellow Cogenerate Social Innovation Fellow, Libby Stegger of Move for America (and a member of the Science Museum of Minnesota), we are so grateful that you and your crew came out to share part of our day!

Tara & Libby

And what can I say to the incredible young lady who grew up in the flash of two decades to become a leader in our industry, thank you Ilona, I am so glad to have met you again!!!

Ilona, Tara & Melissa

Rosetta, Mictla, Tara & Ron

To Rebekah, thank you for hosting us and continuing to carry out this work. 

Tara, Mictla & Rebekah

Tara Chadwick

10/09/23

World Tourism Day - Contributions to the Greater Good

Today marks the end of a two day United Nations celebration marking the 43rd anniversary of #WorldTourismDay. 

As I reflected on the theme for this year "tourism & green investments" I realized that I have now been actively contributing to the tourism sector for 5 decades. 

Here is visual selection of a few of these projects and partnerships:

Tara Chadwick celebrates #WorldTourismDay with a visual reflection on her five decades of contributions to the tourism, art, culture and heritage industry sector.

1980s

Beginning in 1983, Tara participated in the earliest iterations of the Miami/Broward Carnival. Later she began her career in museology as a spring break student trainee at the Royal Ontario Museum. During high school, Tara's out of school time volunteer position as IMP on capital campaign committee earned her a share in the Saint Catharines Historical Museum.

1990s

During the 1990s Tara earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in socio-cultural Anthropology, attended archaeological field school and served as museologist for the Government of Belize in the creation of its first ever archaeological site museums and visitor centers. She also worked with the Government of Ontario and Chippewas of Rama First Nation to start a youth radio station a few months before the advent of the internet. 

2000s

During the 2000s Tara co-founded a community based environmental justice initiative that included partnerships with a local theatre company. 

2010s

In the 2010s Tara was active in the final stages of development of the travelling exhibition #MayaHiddenWorldsRevealed and continued her environmental work.

2020s

The 2020s necessitated a pivot and much reflection on the half century of work accomplished. This resulted in a widening of the field and narrowing of the focus to inspire the world to take meaningful action on behalf of our environment, each other, and all beings.

My work started at home with myself and family, expanded to my neighborhood and community, and has now traveled all the way around the world and back again. 

I am thankful to each and every person who continues to hold open just a crack in the armour around all our hearts, to pause and really listen for the possibilities that will lead us to a prosperous, healthy and sustainable future, and especially for those who say yes. 

Tara

🌎❤️🦋🌱🎉

Tara-Chadwick.square.site 

Tara Chadwick presenting new work in Zurich

Broward County, FL artist Tara Chadwick presents new work at Swiss Art Expo in Zurich, Switzerland this week. 

Expanding on recent success touring the  #GoldenHour and #Matriarch series across Europe and the US propelling a growing global consciousness of the connections between family, community, government and environment, Chadwick's newest work, #GoldenCascade, reflects the importance of biodiversity and climate to human health and wellness. 

Swiss Art Expo takes place at Zurich Hauptbahnof Platz during the fall folk festival September 6 - 10 and welcomes over 400,000 local, regional and international visitors. 

Info, enquiries and more art at Tara Chadwick.

Seeding the Papalotl (Butterfly) Project

Papalotl (Butterfly) Project is an interdisciplinary, multigenerational,  intercultural endeavor to increase wellness by taking action locally on sustainable development goals being addressed globally. 

This project and methodology has grown out of a lifetime of immersive, community based learning and leadership and consists of many volunteers, collaborators and cogenerators.

A short documentation of reflections from a decade ago after serving as teacher and mentor in the Twin Cities Region provide some of the project background:

Tara A. Chadwick On Generating Future Leaders

Papalotl (Butterfly) Project is available for public and private workshops, presentations, residencies and keynotes. Details and info at book Tara Chadwick. 

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture. the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts. Papalotl (Butterfly) Project is an active partner with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 

Matriarch migration

For Immediate Release:

August 11, 2023, 

Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Finally, after launching as a billboard during #ArtMiami/ Art Basel week followed by a year of prestigious gallery showings in London and Venice, the iconic original canvas print version of "Matriarch" has returned to South Florida. 

"Matriarch" framed photo paper print was first shown at Alliance for the Arts in Naples and now resides in the permanent collection of Akeesha Footman in Ontario, Canada. The canvas print was part of Anima Mundi, and now appears in the exhibition catalogue.

"Matriarch" was also exhibited in Palma de Mallorca, Spain last November, then returned as a large scale digital installation at Art Box Expo in Wynwood during Art Basel Miami.

Tara Chadwick is exhibiting two new  "Matriarch-inspired" works at the upcoming Swiss Art Expo in Zurich, including "Matriarch's Grandchild Speaks" which premiered this spring in Basel & NYC. The artists' reception in Zurich takes place at the main train station exhibit hall on September 9th. (Event tickets still available if anyone can or will be in Zurich that weekend!)

View recent works or email for enquiries at tara-chadwick.square.site. 

Monarchs & Milkweed Bioblitz

 

Dearest Colleagues & Collaborators:

Welcome to the final days of our epically short summer! Only three weeks now 'till the first day of school and there's still so much summer fun and back to school prep still to make happen. I want to remind you of my open invitation to participate in #PapalotlProject. There are several different ways we can cogenerate exciting interactive enrichment opportunities for yourselves and for your communities.

1. Join the bioblitz this week by taking photos of milkweed, monarchs, flowers or other butterflies and send them along with your name and location & tag #PapalotlProject.

2. Sign up to request a #PapalotlProject presentation in person or via livestream in September to participate in the 2023-24 symbolic migration.

3. Attend an upcoming #PapalotlProject presentation at Sunset Lakes Community Center (dates attached below).

Let me know if you'd like to meet to receive your complimentary seed packet of milkweed or marigold flowers - it's a perfect time to plant now for autumn flowers!!

Yours truly,

Tara Chadwick

#PapalotlProject

tara-chadwick.square.site