Institute of Prophetic Activist Art!
The second session of the Institute is gearing up and we have a wonderful and passionate collection of prophet/artists! Something we definitely need more of -- as opposed to what we seem to be getting:
Rosary Solimanto (http://rosarysolimanto.com): is best known for her mixed media conceptual based work which explores the objectification she has faced battling multiple sclerosis.
James Leonard (www.jamesleonard.org): Part children’s blanket fort, part post-apocalyptic wigwam, The Tent of Casually Observed Phenologies serves as a portable ritual space intended for one day, pop-up installations. Inside, using Tarot, I give free climate change divination readings to the public.
Molly Gallentine (https://www.facebook.com/molly.gallentine): is a performance artist and a graduate of the Creative Writing Program at The New School. She is working with James on his Tent of Casually Observed Phenologies
Ari Gold (http://www.arigold.com/): is developing a project which explores how we keep our “queerness,” our dance music as the soundtrack for our freedom, and the rituals of club life a valid part of our cultural identity while addressing issues like addiction, mental health, stigma, shame, self esteem, generational coalitions, and making sure our stories and histories are being heard during this important progression in our fight for equality.
Julia Levine (www.juliaslevine.com): her art-activist project GAIA: an ecotheatre project, resonates from her layered concern for the world’s changing climate systems, and the impact on communities that struggle for local or global resources.
Catherine Mueller (www.mywonderchamber.com): Intimate Commissions: What if going to an art event were more like a holy mass, a potlatch, a potluck family reunion, a Secret Santa exchange, or an 8- year-old’s birthday party in 1965?
J.P. Makowski: Through the use of camp and pop imagery, I hope to rekindle the fire of activism in art that was so prevalent during the 1980s and early 1990s, but seems to be lost as the LGBT community accepts domination under the faux guise of rights from the majority, mainly heteronormative society.
Sarah Keyes (www.sarahkeyes.com): her activist theatre concept will be grounded in a near future where the world is without seasons, when cities are submerged by oceans, scientists are rushing to put man on Mars, and Antarctica is the playground of the elite. The play will include music, dance, and prolonged moments of pure, ecstatic joy. It will utilize grassroots techniques to connect to the audience.
