PLANET HEART’S 10th ANNIVERSARY
“ANNUAL WORLD PEACE EARTH DAY CELEBRATION”
Produced by Andrew Kaen in Association
with We, The World (fiscal sponsor) & Jodi Serota.
Come join us in NYC in a Conscious Community Gathering in Unity, Honoring Mother Earth & The New Earth,
with Inspirational Talks,
Live Music Performances,
Meditation, Ceremony,
Vendors and
Celebration.
Featuring:
Myra Jackson, http://gaiafield.net/
Julian Michael, http://www.julianmichael.net/
Jodi Serota, http://www.jodiserota.com/
Olivia Olkowski, http://www.spiritrockshamanichealing.com/
Rick Ulfik, https://we.net/
Bethany and Rufus, http://www.bethanyandrufus.com/
Deborah Moldow, http://revdeborah.com/
More to come…
More details coming soon!
ALL ARE WELCOME! Please Share!
Time: 6:30PM Sharp – 9:30PM.
(Doors Open at 6pm for Registration)
Price: $25 (pre-paid by April 21st) or $33 cash only at door. (No Refunds).
Location: Church of Saint Paul & Saint Andrew
263 W. 86th Street @ West End Ave.
Tickets & Info: www.planetheart.org,
Email: info@PlanetHeart.org ,
Call: 212-222-5432.
A portion of the proceeds helps support We.Net.
For anyone that is going to the March for Science NYC, this is the perfect antidote for the evening to be led to, as we connect as ONE.
Sponsors: We.net, Planetheart.org, Vividseats.com
Co-Sponsors/Partners: Inner Realm Magazine, Wisdom Magazine, Creations Magazine, Natural Awakenings Magazine, Heart of Mind Radio, WBAI, Talking Alternatives Broadcast, Good News Broadcast, Green Festival, Vigil for International Peace and Ecology, We Care for Humanity… more to be added.
The time is upon us and on Monday morning we will be performing this artistic ritual with 150 dancers from all over the globe as an example of what can be if we all work together for one peaceful collaborative world. Our human mandala of peace will send up a cry to the heavens, to the universe. and to the world that there is a better way and we are taking proactive steps to create a world of peaceful coexistence for all. Please join us live online and add your vibrations of peace and good will as we meditate and reach out together during this half hour sacred offering. A cry for Peace.
MindfulmediaMom Karen Palmer host of GlobalkindnessTV will interview the founder and hear the back story of how #LoveGlassesRevolution is spreading love and hope all over the world.
Please join us at Unity Village for the 24th annual Unity World Day of Prayer!
Weds, Sept 13:
* 7-8:30pm Opening Service in the Activities Center with keynote by Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett. Music by Jana Stanfield. A candlelight walk to the Silent Unity Chapel will follow to open the 24-hour prayer vigil.
* 8:45pm Reception at Unity Banquet and Dining.
Thurs, Sept 14:
* 7:30-9am Interfaith Prayer Breakfast at Unity Banquet and Dining – In Person & Live Online.
* 11am Silent Unity Prayer Service in Activities Center – In Person & Live Online.
* 1:30pm Sacred Circle prayer experience in the central courtyard by flagpole
* 2:30-3:30 Sound Immersion (Gongs) in Activities Center – In Person & Live Online
* 3:30-5pm Art Gallery opening and Poetry Reading behind the bookstore.
* 4-6pm Open House for Unity Worldwide Ministries in Unity Education Building.
* 7-8pm Inspirational Concert by Jana Stanfield and closing celebration – In Person & Live Online.
* 8pm Closing of the 24-hour prayer vigil in the Silent Unity Chapel.
All events are free and open to the public. No registration required.
Donations gratefully accepted.
Poetry Slam for Peace
Rev. Susana Bastarrica will be delivering a Prayer for Peace at 6pm. She is an evolutionary interactivist and the Founder/Organizer of The Vigil for Peace and Ecology. The Vigil was born from the ashes the 9/11 tragedy and inspired by The United Nations Resolutions 36/67 and 55/282 declaring an International Day of Peace and to have the entire World observe a full day of “global ceasefire and nonviolence. Rev. Bastarrica, has been instrumental in expanding the vision of the Central Park Bandshell Vigil for 15 years through cultural interaction and education to raise for Global Peace awareness. Ordained Interfaith Minister of the New Seminary. International multilingual consultant in English, Spanish, French, Rumanian and Italian. She is a teacher and lecturer in the USA, Australia, South America and Europe. Certified Feng Shui Practitioner by the Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design. Founding President of the “United Nations Staff Recreation Council” (UNSRC). SaluS Well-Being Network-and UNSRC-Former President of UNSRC Society of Enlightenment Transformation, Friendship Club, Former UNSRC Assistant Treasurer. Certified Bach Flower Remedy Counselor, Member of the “Flower Essences Society”. Crystal Healing Certification with Katrina Raphaell, Former bilingual volunteer and teacher at HealingWorks, NYC, Wellness center. Aromatherapy teacher and volunteer counselor for the American Red Cross, and the September 11 Recovery Program.
Celebrating the completion of 21 days of Peace with founder of Path to Ananadam on GlobalkindnessTV with host Karen Palmer.
Peace Summit everyone is invited to share an evening of peaceful connecting. If you would like to enjoy more peace in your heart, home, and community please join us and invite friends and family.
All are invited who would like to experience more peace in their heart, home, and community.
Conference to Bring Together Environmental and Peace Movements
http://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2017
Speakers will include: Medea Benjamin, Nadine Bloch, Max Blumenthal, Natalia Cardona, Suzanne Cole, Alice Day, Lincoln Day, Tim DeChristopher, Dale Dewar, Pat Elder, Bruce Gagnon, Philip Giraldi, Will Griffin, Seymour Hersh, Tony Jenkins, Larry Johnson, Kathy Kelly, Jonathan King, Lindsay Koshgarian, Peter Kuznick, James Marc Leas, Annie Machon, Ray McGovern, Rev Lukata Mjumbe, Elizabeth Murray, Anthony Rogers-Wright, Alice Slater, Gar Smith, Susi Snyder, Mike Stagg, Jill Stein, David Swanson, Robin Taubenfeld, Eric Teller, Brian Terrell, Brian Trautman, Richard Tucker, Donnal Walter, Larry Wilkerson, Diane Wilson, Emily Wurth, Kevin Zeese.
We are so honored to have been invited to co-produce PEACE IN THE PARK, a free event put on by the Brahma Kumaris in the Music Concourse (bandshell) on 9/23 from 11-6. The event is tied in with U.N. International Day of Peace (which is 9/21, with many events on the same Saturday as ours), and will also participate in the Earthdance Prayer for Peace. I am running the Talk Tent, am curating the speakers, and will emcee throughout the day, and – if I can save myself a time slot – will READ A PASSAGE from my upcoming book The Secret Power of LOVE! And if that weren’t enough, my NEW band S.O.U.L. Twin Messiah will be HEADLINING this event for our DEBUT gig!! We will be playing all new, original songs for YOU! Plus, we will lead a singalong to finish the day, and it will almost-for-sure be Imagine by John Lennon. Our timeslot is 5:30pm in the Bandshell. Wow! What a debut!!
I really hope that YOU can make it to this very special event,
Grassroots, interfaith and cultural Peacemakers celebrating and catalyzing greater peace in our community and world. Special 3 pm calling – in Drum Circle
4pm trail of tears intertribal dancers open program. Dances of Universal Peace will be taught. Special performances include: Poem and flute by TJ Anderson, African dance by local youth, Collaborative peace performance by Bernadette Brown & Semelle Ramsey “A Change is gonna Come” by Hadassah Faison, songs by Joy Tru, announcements and community Peace Blessing.
Potluck feast to follow. Bring a food item and friends!
Artists and people from the community will be given canvases and paints to create their visions of what can be done to heal people and halt HIV/AIDS. The winner will receive $500 and have her or his work displayed at the Old Dillard Museum.
Audrye S. Arbe is a #1 International Best-Selling Author with RAISING RACE CONSCIOUSNESS Healing Racism Sexism and Other Isms (RRC). Audrye is a Cosmic Being, The Transformation Catalyst, Diversity Expert, Metaphysician, Life Strategist, Healer, Frequency Shifter, Award-Winning Author and Artist, Speaker, Seminar Leader.
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info@windhouseresources.com
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Date/Time
Date(s) – 22/03/2018 in GHANA
All Day
-
Location
Chief’s palace
Sankofa: Reclaiming relevant indigenous cultural and ancestral values to make a case for nature-based solutions
The chieftaincy, elders and people of Funko community-located in the Western Region of Ghana- honored World Water Day by creating awareness about the need for circumspection when adopting vices or policies which consequently cause public health problems and are detrimental to the environment. Illegal/unsustainable mining – popularly referred to as “Galamsey”in the country- and fringe activities which indirectly empower the practice are examples of such vices.
The Funko community is close to the Ankobra river and, symbolic of the strong inter-connectivity still existent between most societies and their natural environment. This river is an important source of drinking water for many communities in the Western Region of Ghana- and beyond- but continues to be polluted through illegal mining activities. It flows at least 120 km south to the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic) and is located very close to the western part of Axim, a commercial center of the river basin.
In celebrating this important day, we sought to highlight the important role some historic cultural practices (spoken word, dancing and drumming) and community dialogues can play in influencing the re-adaptation of relevant conservation values which were more commonly applied by the ancestors. Overall, the concept of Sankofa is espoused. Sankofa is a Ghanaian-originated cultural principle which literally means to take back what was lost in order to protect the future. This -arguably- manifests the tenets of sustainability. There are many of such doctrines in many communities across the world.
The principle teaches communities the importance of going back to their roots- and reclaiming worthy values- in order to move forward. For example, the indigenous and unadulterated local anthropological cognition reveres some key natural receptors – such as rivers, wetlands and forests- as deities. By tapping into the novelty of such values, the current mega trend of sustainability would be well anchored and in a way which significantly addresses most of the conservation, food security and sub regional stability challenges existent now. A cultural dance and community dialogue were among the activities undertaken to commemorate the day.
On World Water Day, the funding partner and collaborator for the performances –who is also the founder of Windhouse Resources Systems (WRS)- would reach out to stakeholders to solicit input on case studies concepts intended to be develop in order to make a stronger case for nature-based solutions. WRS is a boutique sustainability consultancy located in Ghana – West Africa.
Contact information
Email Address:
info@windhouseresources.com
Date/Time
Date(s) – 22/03/2018
All Day
Location
Chief’s palace
Share your smiles, compliments, time, talents, money, and energy with those around you. We must truly be the change that we want to see. And we can do it. We are doing it. Believe that the future is full of mindfulness where hearts mean more than our accounts.
The Love Initiative.
Notes From the Road – Bright Lights Blog
http://troubadourofpeace.blogspot.com/
Book a house concert or music for a yoga class today!!
TOUR DATES
| Date | Time | Venue | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/22/18 | 3:00 PM | Choices | Akron, OH | |
| 3/22/18 | 6:00 PM | Tea Time for Peace | Kent, OH | |
| 3/23/18 | 5:00 PM | Friends of the Metro Parks Benefit w/ the Bright Lights | Akron, OH | |
| 3/27/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
| 3/30/18 | 6:30 PM | 330 Day @ Akron Civic Theatre | Akron, OH | |
| 3/31/18 | 10:30 AM | Celebration of Life for Marilyn Stroud | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | |
| 4/3/18 | 6:30 PM | MLK Kirtan | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 4/4/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Circle | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 4/6/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Rhodes St Rude Boys | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
| 4/7/18 | 8:30 PM | Mustard Seed Highland Square w/ Bright Lights! | Akron, OH | |
| 4/10/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
| 4/16/18 | 7:00 PM | Wolf Creek Winery | Norton, OH | |
| 4/21/18 | 6:30 PM | Bright Lights @ the Rialto | Akron, OH | $5 |
| 4/22/18 | 4:00 PM | Yoga Central | Canton, OH | |
| 4/28/18 | 7:00 PM | Wine Mill | Peninsula, OH | |
| 5/2/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Series | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 5/4/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Gretchen Pleuss | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
| 5/5/18 | 12:00 PM | Cleveland VegFest | Cleveland, OH | |
| 5/5/18 | 6:00 PM | Bent Ladder winery | Doylestown , OH | |
| 5/8/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH |
Hosted by The Annual “Who’s Your Mama?” EARTH DAY & Environmental Film Fest Events.
Alta Earth Day
- April 14, 2018
- Presented By: Alta Ski Area
- Venue: Alta Ski Area
East State Highway 210/Little Cottonwood Canyon
Alta, UT 84092 - Time: See official website for schedule: https://www.alta.com/the-mountain/events/earth-day
- Start Time:10:00 AM
- End Time:11:59 PM
- Category: Festivals & Special Events
- Add to Trip Planner
Join Alta for its 9th annual community Alta Earth Day on Saturday, April 14, 2018. We aim to encourage environmental stewardship, responsible recreation and awareness of the relationship between climate change and the future of the ski industry in Little Cottonwood Canyon and beyond. The day will feature: Eco-Friendly Vendors, Naturalist Tours, Birding in Alta, Après Earth Day & Film!
SAVE THE DATE SATURDAY APRIL 21ST, 2018
PLANET HEART’S 11th
ANNUAL WORLD PEACE EARTH DAY CELEBRATION
“Celebrating Our Planet, Healing Our Heart”
Produced by Andrew Kaen in Association
with We, The World (fiscal sponsor) & Jodi Serota.
Come join us in NYC for A Very Special Evening with our Conscious Community as we Gather in Unity Honoring Mother Earth & The New Earth.
Listen to Inspirational Talks, Experience Live Music Performances, and Inspired Poetry along with Guided Meditations.
Heal, Awaken & be Ignited through Vibrational Sound Activations.
There will be Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Celebrations & Prayers for World Peace, Planet Earth & All Inhabitants.
All Are Welcome! Please Share! We Are One!
May Peace Prevail On Earth!
Featuring:
❤️Mitchell Rabin (Host/MC): Founder/Host/Producer, A Better World Radio and TVP, www.abetterworld.net
❤️Andrew Kaen: Executive Producer/Vibrational Sound Healer/Poet
❤️Jodi Serota: Metaphysical Educator, Channel, Vibrational Healer, Professional Artist, www.jodiserota.com
❤️Rick Ulfik: Founder of We, the World, We Campaign (www.we.net)
❤️Kurt Johnson – Author, The Coming Interspiritual Age, President of the Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences (FIONS), www.interspirituality.com
❤️Ron and Victoria Friedman: Co-Founders, Vistar Foundation
www.vistarfoundation.org
❤️Barbara Biziou: Spiritual Life Coach and Global Ritual Expert
http://barbarabiziou.com/
❤️Premik Russell Tubbs: Composer, Arranger, Producer and an accomplished Multi-Instrumentalist, www.premik.com
❤️and you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
❤️Visit our Full Website for FULL DETAILS and bios of Presenters
http://www.planetheart.org/
Contact: info@planetheart.org
Event hotline: 212-222-5432
Direct line: 646-765-7890 – Andrew Kaen,
Executive Producer, Founder, Principal Organizer
❤️Visit the website http://www.planetheart.org/
ALL ARE WELCOME! Please Share!❤️
Time: 6:30PM Sharp – 9:30PM.
(Doors Open at 6pm for Registration)
Price: $25 (pre-paid by April 20th) or $33 cash only at door. (No Refunds).
Location: New York New Church
114 East 35th Street, New York, NY, 10016
More Info: www.planetheart.org ❤️
Email: EarthDay@WeTheWorld,org
Call: 212-222-5432.
A portion of the proceeds helps support We.Net.❤️
Sponsors: We.net, Planetheart.org
Co-Sponsors/Partners: Inner Realm Magazine, Wisdom Magazine, Creations Magazine, Natural Awakenings Magazine, Heart of Mind Radio, WBAI, Talking Alternatives Broadcast, Good News Broadcast, Vigil for International Peace and Ecology, We Care for Humanity, Pete Rogina and Eileen Cohen’s Peace Lights, Aum Shanti Bookshop, Forest Nation, Action Moves People United, Interspiritual Network, A Better World with Mitchell Rabin, The Family of Light: Artists, Psychics & Healers (Alan Pratt), Ayurveda Cafe, Sanctuary for Harmonic Living, Peace December (NY Peace Coalition), Sylvia Moss, Vistar Foundation, FIONS, Peace Toys (HUGG A PLANET), Peace Lights Org, Media Dream Productions, Vanessa Espinosa Graphic Design, Anne Leighton Media Relations, #EarthDay2018 #PledgetoPlant
Planet Heart Logo © Elana Stanger, a.k.a. St. Angel www.diversityarts.com
“The World Sends Us Garbage, We Send Back Music”
– Favio Chávez, The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura
Mon, April 23, 2018 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM AEST
Lendlease, Tower Three, International Towers Sydney
300 Barangaroo Avenue
Barangaroo, NSW 2000 Australia
Get creative at our recycled art and sculpture workshop, hear from local environmental groups and see this year’s Sculptures @ Bayside exhibition.
DATE AND TIME
Tue. 24 April 2018
11:00 am – 2:00 pm AE
LOCATION
Cook Park, Kyeemagh
Cnr Bestic St and The Grand Parade
Sydney, New South Wales 2216
Australia
Lily Sanders {Author, Speaker, Radio Personality, Coach} cordially invites you to join us for a discussion and book signing of “Truth To Triumph: A Spiritual Guide to Finding Your Truth”. Get ready to be inspired!
A Blanket of Dust is a political thriller and a new addition to the Theater of Resistance. It is the story of Diana Crane, a modern day Antigone. The daughter of a US Senator whose husband has died in the World Trade Center, her subsequent ordeal in seeking justice for his murder ultimately drives her to the outer fringes of society. Struggling with facts that the government, the media, her family and her countrymen deny, she finally confronts them all with a harrowing act of sacrificial tragedy.
A great soul /funk concert. Come and be uplifted by great music and let’s raise as much money as possible to help re-unite children who have been separated from their families at the U.S. border. Tickets are $10. Please click on the link below to buy tickets, bring friends! You may make an extra donation on the night if you so wish. All proceeds will go to this great cause. Rob Duncan has played music all over the world, is a father of 3 and writes music about his experience of being human, man and father.
Here’s what he says about his music and this concert:
My music draws from my life experience; spiritually, soulfully, intellectually, and emotionally. All of my songs represent my musical influences like soul music, blues, jazz, and rock. Deeply soulful, funky, melancholy music with ultimately a message of hope. That’s how I write my music. That’s how I sing my music. I lay my heart on the table and reach you in places that you feel.
I have decided to donate the cover charge from my upcoming show at Rockwood Music Hall 3 to RAICES. RAICES primarily provides two very very important things.
It provides lawyers for the children who have been torn from their parents by ICES, and it pays the Immigration Bond which releases the parent from detention allowing their children to rejoin them. This is where your $10 cover charge for my upcoming show will go. If you wish to donate extra you may do so on the night of the show.
ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL PRESENTS
ROB DUNCAN LIVE with his Funkin Soul Band
Date: Saturday, July 7
Time: 7 PM – 8 PM (Arrive by 6:30. Show starts at 7:00! )
Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3
185 Orchard St, New York, NY
Hosted by North Corner Music
$10 Cover Charge
For Tickets, Click Here: https://bit.ly/2LB0QPM
https://11daysca.eventbrite.com
This powerful film serves as a warning sign of the impending threat of escalating regional war in the Middle East. With the increasing number of U.S. military bases and direct U.S. military involvement in the region, it is clear that our governmental officials as well as the public are not sufficiently informed in regards to the dynamics of the conflicts in the region. Enemies of Peace shines a spotlight on the instigators, aggressors and funders of these catastrophic wars as well as their motives. Featuring some of the most renowned scholars, journalists and activists on the subject, Enemies of Peace offers insights and solutions not often expressed by the mainstream media and serves to empower activists in helping to bring the principles of peace, justice, cooperation and diplomacy back into politics, international relations and the collective consciousness.
For more information about Enemies of Peace and to view the trailer, visit:
EnemiesOfPeaceFilm.com
facebook.com/EnemiesOfPeaceFilm/
Join others for 15 glorious minutes of Laughter Yoga on the phone as we celebrate 11 Days of Global Unity!
No previous experience, no special clothes or equipment required. CALL: +1-218-339-2460 CODE: 52844# (LAUGH#) We’ll start with SMILE-UPsSM and get the giggles with silly, playful LAUGHTER exercises that help unite us as we decrease stress, anxiety and depression, increase joy, connection, creativity, energy, focus and productivity. Connect to others through LAUGHTER! Different times each day so check the calendar carefully. Times given for Central Standard Time. More information about Sarah and her work on www.SeriousGiggles.com The Event Page has more details including a MAP to find the correct time in YOUR time zone and a link to the Facebook Event where you can RSVP if you want to connect further. Come together to LAUGH for joy! “Laughter is the shortest distance between 2 people.” – Victor Borge
Share and support the Peace Pledge on the International Day of Peace.
What you can do:
One action or many from the suggestions below.
1. Print out the Peace Pledge document and give it to someone (download @ www.peacepledgeproject.org) Available in 11 languages.
2. Post the Peace Pledge document on your Facebook Page (download @ www.peacepledgeproject.org)
3. Sign the Peace Pledge on Change.org ( www.change.org/p/the-peace-pledge-to-live-loving-kindness-compassion )
4. Share the Peace Pledge Petition on your Facebook Page ( www.change.org/p/the-peace-pledge-to-live-loving-kindness-compassion )
5. Share the Peace Pledge document with a school, organization, institution, business etc.
Can the world be peaceful for 24 hours? Every hour a new invitation, action, mission, and hero will invite you in the UNIFY Experience for all to do and share together! This is hosted by UNIFY and all our amazing Partners honoring The International Day of Peace. The Incredible Celebration will be led LIVE on UNIFY FB Page.
Sept 21 we will be LIVE on FB,starting the kick off of this Global Synchronized Event and will be working towards breaking our last Guinness World Record!
Learn more about this at http://www.home.unify.org/
Share your peaceful actions on Twitter, FB, Instagram with us featuring hashtag # reporting your actions on the Map on our site
Please share this event! Peace on!
From Peace Accelerators Description: It is our dream (and hopefully it will become your dream as well) that over the next decade we begin to celebrate the International Day of Peace (September 21st) more and more each year, until over time it becomes the first holiday that the entire world celebrates.
It is not religious and it is not about any made-up country — it is about all of us seeing the commonality between each other, realizing we’re on one Earth (and in many ways this place needs us to adapt to her quite quickly at this crucial point in history).
This Thursday we are holding a large beautiful inspiring event for the International Day of Peace. There will be community leaders, speakers, musicians, meditation, yoga, dj’s and much more.
This will be one evening you will not want to miss.
It will be the largest celebration for the International Day of Peace in NYC, the heartbeat city of our one planet.
Let’s show the world what we want.
MARCH 2-MAY 8, volunteers invited to participate in workshops working with the community to create spectacular visual art, giant puppets, and costumes for the Ecological City procession celebrating climate solutions.
-Costume Workshops: WEDNESDAYS, 6-9:30pm with artist Yelaine Rodriguez
-Puppet Workshops: SATURDAYS, 12-4pm with artist Lucrecia Novoa
Workshops are free of cost and take place every week at Two Bridges Neighborhood Council (Community Room) 82 Rutgers Slip (between FDR and Cherry St. -LES)
Please register here: http://earthcelebrations.com/register-ecological-city-workshops-2/
ECOLOGICAL CITY PAGEANT, on Saturday May 11, 2019 (Rain date- May 12), is a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event featuring a spectacular 7 hour procession of visual art, giant puppets and costumes with 20 site performances of dance, music, theater and poetry celebrating sustainability solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
ECOLOGICAL CITY PAGEANT, on Saturday May 11, 2019 (Rain date- May 12), is a climate action, ecological urban pilgrimage and performance art event featuring a spectacular 7 hour procession of visual art, giant puppets and costumes with 20 site performances of dance, music, theater and poetry celebrating sustainability solutions throughout the community gardens, neighborhood and East River Park waterfront on the Lower East Side of New York City.
For more information: http://earthcelebrations.com/ecological-city-project/
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – SIGN UP – PARTICIPATE IN THE ECOLOGICAL CITY PAGEANT
PAGEANT DAY: Volunteers are needed to participate for various roles. Sign up today!
-Wear a spectacular ecological costume, direct puppets, marshal parade, direct make-up/body painting, photograph/video document and more…
-Marshals/ Key Performers needed: 8am-6pm / Make-Up artists 8am-12pm
Sign up here: http://earthcelebrations.com/volunteer-ecological-city-sign/
Get in Touch!
The Center for Sacred Studies
A FREE Community Prayer Portal CALL ~ Listening to the Wisdom of the Earth with Jyoti ~ July 31st @ 5pm PST
Dear Community and Relatives,
We would like to invite you to our Center for Sacred Studies Prayer Portal call on July 31, 2019, 5 pm PST.
Margin will be hosting the Prayer Portal call this month with our Center for Sacred Studies Grandmother Elder Jyoti. This will be the eighth of twelve calls that have been scheduled once a month on the last Wednesday of the month. These calls include different facilitators each time so that we can offer a diverse dialogue.
We are hoping to hold a focus of the Now!
What is happening and what can be our response?
How is this walk a prayer in motion for unity and peace?
What is the shadow that has been brought out in our collective for healing?
How can we stay fully present as we follow the guidance of prophecy that comes to guide us through these times?
Witness the many Divine channels that are intervening now to help us.
Our call this month is “Listening to the Wisdom of the Earth” – Please join us as Jyoti our Grandma Elder, Founding member of Kayumari with her husband Russell Park; one of the Founding members of the Center for Sacred Studies; Founder of the Fountain Project and Spiritual Grandma for our Global Community Village, shares with us on July 31st about her pilgrimage trip across the UK starting at the north shore and extended across the UK to the south shore, aligning and restoring the Michael and Mary lines. Along these lines, she attended the KIVA gathering and the Glastonbury Festival. She then went onto Peru, participating in meetings and ceremonies with elders of the Quechua Peoples. Her final stopping point was in Colombia in meetings and ceremony with the Mamos. She brings back messages and shares the collaborative actions that are following the direction of the Eagle/Condor Prophecy.
Jyoti writes:
‘Dear Relatives and Community,
I am traveling in a spiritual pilgrimage for almost 6 weeks which will take me across England and into Peru and Colombia. Shortly after I return, we will have our call. So much is challenging us in this turning time. Mother Earth has a clear focus on where she is taking us. Listen carefully to her messages. They may come in your dreams. In your experiences with Nature. Through your intuition and visions. Gather this as I travel, so that we can all share what we have received. And through that collaborative sharing, we will glimpse at what she is revealing.
Off on my pony!!!
Talk to you soon.’
Jyoti
We look forward to being on the call together!
Please read on to see how to join us!!
See you there!!!
With blessings of love and peace,
Jyoti, Darlene and the Staff of the Center for Sacred Studies
We invite you to come together on the FREE Teleconference Call
Wednesday, July 31st at 5:00 pm PST
Listening to the Wisdom of the Earth
OR REGISTER BELOW
These offerings are medicine for these times.
It is now time to unify our diversity as One People for One Earth.
If you have any questions, please email us at
Meditation and Prayer Gathering for World Peace on Hiroshima Day
August 5 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
This is a simple call for a gathering of spiritually-minded persons dedicated to world peace. Please join us, to make peaceful compassionate steps to help heal our wounded world. Walk together one step at a time mindfully. Let us cultivate peaceful minds and hearts within, and work harmoniously with our fellow beings on earth.
The event includes A-bomb panels, experiencing a walking mindful meditation, Origami, Tanabata tree of wishes, music, prayer and readings.
May Peace Prevail On Earth International
Nagasaki Peace Pals Art Awards by artist
Join us in a one minute SYNCHRONIZED GLOBAL MEDITATION
WATCH THE LIVE Broadcast HERE
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wppc
Our friends at the URI – United Religious Initiatives
invite you to recite The Nuclear Prayer on Hiroshima Day
as a call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Join 791 URI Community Circle in 98 countries
in a call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Learn more about The Nuclear Prayer and the
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons URI Cooperation Circle.
www.TheNuclearPrayer.org
May Peace Prevail On Earth
Art Exhibition – Christie Sheele: Atlas /Forms of Water
- WHEN:
- September 14, 2019: 5:00PM to November 17, 2019: 5:00PM
- WHERE:
- Albert Shahinian Fine Art – 22 E Market St, Rhinebeck, NY 12572 map
- TO ATTEND:
- Learn More
Join Albert Shahinian Fine Art for an exhibition of Christie Scheele’s Atlas/Forms of Water, running from September 14 – November 17, 2019. Scheele’s work in this exhibition focuses on water, and its environmental, political, and personal meanings.
Riverkeeper is pleased to join for the opening reception (9/14) and Benefit Gala for Regional Conservation Organizations (10/12).
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The First People of the River
![[image]](https://i2.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/first_people/munsee_country.jpg?resize=450%2C274&ssl=1)
The Salomon Collection, The Historical Society of Rockland County
People have lived along the shores of the Hudson River since the last ice age, bathing in its waters, living off its bounty, caring for its future. The Lenape tribe balanced the needs of man and the needs of fish and fowl, plant and animal.
![[image]](https://i2.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/first_people/sky.jpg?resize=448%2C322&ssl=1)
Photo courtesy Mo Fridlich: mofrid@hotmail.commofrid@hotmail.com
Henry Hudson ‘discovered’ what the Lenape called Muhheakunnuk, The River that Runs Both Ways.
![[image]](https://i0.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/first_people/lenape.jpg?resize=228%2C94&ssl=1)
Photo courtesy of Lenape Lifeways, Inc.
There were six to twelve thousand widely dispersed people — both Lenape and Algonquin — living in small bands on the lower estuary. The river connected them and was a major source of food. Travelling in dug-out canoes that held forty people, they’d visit and trade with each other. In smaller dug-outs, they’d set and pull fishing nets, harpoon the whales and seals that often came upriver, and shoot duck with bow and arrow.
Knowledge of and respect for the river was essential for survival. The Lenape believed in a single creator and a series of gods who looked after both people and animals. While women planted maize along the shore, and men hunted deer, Lenape children were taught to take only what they needed from the environment.
If the thousands of years of Lenape history seems to have been erased from the Hudson Valley, that’s partly due to the disease and intolerance that European settlers brought with them. But it’s also a result of how lightly the Lenape lived on the soil: generations of river dwellers left little more environmental change than some ancient oyster middens, rock drawings, and scattered arrowheads.V
![[image]](https://i0.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/first_people/lenape_2.jpg?resize=210%2C292&ssl=1)
Collections of The New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, NJ, MG 1363
Before European contact, whales swam where the Manhattoes tribe lived, the Sinsink band fed off huge oyster beds that grew in the bays, and the upriver shallows provided shad, sturgeon, smelt, and crab for the Iroquois nation.
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In cooperation with the WE-Energime-Global Cooperation Turtle Island International Civil Society Organization and in support of peaceful interfaith dialogue, especially in light of Laudato Si, the recent message from Pope Francis on “Care for Mother Earth”, Drawdown Markham will be assisting Global Cooperation Day (GCD, New Zealand) to Celebrate the 800 year Anniversary (in 2019) of the meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and Sultan Al Kamil in the year 1219 by planting a *Commemorative Tree of Peace* on a property in the East end of Markham (Locust Hill) on Sunday, September 15th.
This event is being done in support of the DD Markham CCAH Collaborative Exchange Project (CEP) and the “Spark for Humanity” project by We Are Mother Earth! (WAME) and GTI Enterprises (cooperative corporation), and for the eventual establishment of our “Go Local” Campaign for community resilience and adaptation, supported by our local Drawdown Markham Interfaith Neighborhood and Business Collaborative (which is part of the EncounterCanada collaborative, which is intended “to localize the Sustainable Development Goals to build ‘Climate Smart’ safe and sustainable communities and cities, pursuant to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction”).
The Grandmothers are getting ready to travel to New York next month to celebrate the Grandmothers Wisdom book launch and then we will travel to upstate New York for a historical event at Menla, LIFT THE EARTH, where we will be joined by other spiritual leaders.
Are you being called to action to support Mother Earth and world peace? Many have requested guidance on how to respond to the chaotic state of the world. Join us in traditional dialogue, ceremonies and circles, and participate in indigenous wisdom on these topics.
In love and peace,
Grandmother Mona Polacca
Book Launch
September 18, 2019
Tibet House US, New York, NY
Our much-anticipated book promises to be a ground-breaking portrayal of traditional spiritual women in history and will be an inspiration for all. These stories are ageless wisdom of earth-based cultures that can benefit all people in today’s climate of disconnection.
Please join the Grandmothers and special guests in New York City for the book launch of Grandmothers Wisdom: Reverence for All Creation.
Tickets are selling fast!
September 18, 2019
4:00 – 7:30 pm
Tibet House
22 West 15th Street
New York, NY 10011
Join the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, Dr. Henrietta Mann, Nena Thurman and other special guests for the book launch of“Grandmothers Wisdom: Reverence for All Creation”.
The Earth is our loving grandmother. For all time, Cheyenne storytellers, generation after generation, have repeated this belief with both their minds and their hearts. As they say, The Great One, Everywhere Spirit, created the universe and all life with power so vast it defies human imagination. Entirely with the force of thought, the four powerful spirit beings came into existence to witness creation and to eventually safeguard and shelter all life, especially human beings. Next came the water of life, the fire and light of the sun, the infinite sky air, and compassionate Earth. The Great One, Everywhere Spirit, contemplated creation and thought the Earth to be the most beautiful of all, then declared that the Earth be known as our grandmother.
Grandmother Earth is also, more commonly, referred to as Mother Earth. Indeed, she is first woman, first mother, first teacher, oldest mother, and oldest grandmother. The Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers whose magnificent lives are encapsulated in the work of this book represent Earth’s titanic spirit, power, beauty, and love. Individually and collectively, they are rooted in the Earth and carry her wisdom as a perpetual trust. They are committed to sustaining their Earth home and to educating and defending the hearts of all the world’s children.
Please join us in celebrating the manifestation of “Grandmothers Wisdom: Reverence for All Creation”, life and the continuation of this movement of peace, spiritual activism, honoring Mother Earth and future generations.
Seating is first-come, first-served.
Reception and book signing to follow. To join the signing line, we ask that you please purchase a copy of the book available at the event.
Celebration with words and music – Sir Mark Rylance, Jude Law, Emilie Sandé, Jack Savoretti among others. Discussion panel on Peace.
The Peace Fair of Bucks Quarterly Meeting of Friends
Dedicated to promoting harmony in the home,
the community,
the environment,
and the world
Saturday, September 21, 2019
at Buckingham Friends Meeting & Buckingham Friends School
The Peace Fair provides a comfortable family-friendly atmosphere in which adults and children can learn about how others promote peaceful relations in their organizations and their own lives. The Fair is nonsectarian and nonpartisan, and seeks to attract people of all beliefs from all walks of life.
- Dozens of information tables from organizations with peace-related messages and missions
- Non-competitive Fun for Children: human-powered Peace Train, Fish Pond, Beanbag Toss, face painting and more
- Family-friendly live musical entertainment, including EcoMan, Tookany Creek, and River Drivers
- Food including hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers
- Crafts by local artisans
- Gently used book sale
Contact Us:
For more information, please e-mail peacefair.org@gmail.com or call Peter Ray, Peace Fair coordinator, at 215-794-2708.
Peace Lanterns Festival 2019
September 21, 2019
2:00-8:30pm
Gantry Plaza State Park
Long Island City 11011
Our next peace event that Heiwa Peace & Reconciliation Foundation is co-sponsoring will be annual Peace Lanterns Festival on Saturday, September 21 (UN International Day of Peace!!!) from 2pm – 8:30pm. It will be held at Gantry Plaza State Park in LIC, NY (along with East River, across the River from the United Nations) – Center Blvd & 49th Ave., LIC.
Schedule of Peace Lanterns Festival:
-Free Public Event. Donations are welcome. –
2:00 – 6:00pm Lantern Decorating, Origami, Face Painting, Henna Tattoos, Seedball Making, and African Dance.
2:30 – 5:30pm “Meditate NYC” – Public Meditation Day
Practice mindfulness and calming under the guidance of revered teachers from Buddhist and other traditions from across the globe.
3:00 – 6:00pm Public Paddling, organized by HarborLAB
6:15pm – 7:30pm Speakers and Interfaith Prayers for Peace
Music by Heiwa Peace Band
7:30 – 8:30pm Floating Peace Lanterns
108 lanterns with your words and images of peace and set them afloat with the setting sun.
Peace Lanterns Festival is co-sponsored by the HaborLAB, the Heiwa Peace Reconciliation Foundation of New York and the Buddhist Council of New York, in partnership with the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace, the Interfaith Center of New York, the Interfaith Center of USA, the Newtown Creek Group, the NY de Volunteers, the Origami Therapy Association, the Sikh Cultural Society, the TF Cornerstone, and the World Yoga Community.
Join your hosts Adam Avin founder of Wuf Shanti and the Kids Association for Mindfulness in Education and Helen Maffini, researcher, co-author of Developing Children’s Emotional Intelligence and creator of Thriving Kids and MindBe Education and host of the Preschool Mindfulness Summit and the Mindfulness in Education Summit
Join your hosts Adam Avin founder of Wuf Shanti and the Kids Association for Mindfulness in Education and Helen Maffini, researcher, co-author of Developing Children’s Emotional Intelligence and creator of Thriving Kids and MindBe Education and host of the 
Helen Maffini is the host of the 2018 Mindfulness in Education Summit, she is a doctoral researcher, author and educator. Helen is the creator of the MindBE preschool curriculum used in schools across Asia. She is co-author of the book Developing Children´s Emotional Intelligence and creator of the course Thriving Kids -A Path to Compassion, Caring and Confident Children!
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Welcome to the first international Mindful Kids Peace Summit. The idea for this summit came because Adam was concerned about the violence in the world, and he wanted to help kids learn to live in health and wellness, and peace and positivity, so that they can grow up to live healthier and happier lives.
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Mindfulness is such an important topic in today´s busy world. Giving teens the best opportunities to use their natural skills in mindfulness, to develop happiness, calm, focus and confidence is a gift we all hope to give.
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PRESS RELEASE: ‘CELEBRATING AMBASSADORS OF PEACE’ (AOP) EVENT SET FOR SEPTEMBER 26 IN LOS ANGELES
“Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), an organization made up of prominent members of the entertainment industry that’s dedicated to promoting the arts as a means to peace, will honor several music business executives at its second annual Celebrating Ambassadors of Peace gala. More than 200 top entertainment industry leaders are expected to attend the event, which will be held Sep. 26 at the Holmby Hills home of CCFP board advisor and noted entertainment attorney Gary Stiffelman, whose clientele has included Justin Timberlake, Eminem and Yo-Yo Ma.”
A limited number of tickets for this exclusive event are available for purchase at the following site, along with sponsorship opportunities: https://www.creativecommunityforpeace.com/gala/honorees/
Web: http://CreativeCommunityForPeace.com
Contact: Alexandra Greenberg
Direct: 213-216-1755
Email: agreenberg@falconpublicity.com
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On Thursday, September 26, Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) will hold its second annual “Celebrating Ambassadors Of Peace” (AOP) event at the Holmby Hills home of noted entertainment attorney and CCFP Advisory Board member, Gary Stiffelman, Esq. (whose clients have included Justin Timberlake, Eminem, Yo-Yo Ma, Trent Reznor, Maroon 5).
In 2018, CCFP honored Scooter Braun, Geffen Records President Neil Jacobson and Warner Music Group executive Aton Ben-Horin. This year’s honorees are: Aaron Bay-Schuck (CEO/Co-Chairman Warner Records); Jacqueline Saturn (President, Caroline Music/CMG); Troy Carter (Founder of Q&A and Atom Factory); Walter Kolm (former President of Universal Music Latino and now manages Maluma, Carlos Vives, and Wisin amongst others); and special artist honoree, Ziggy Marley (GRAMMY Award-winning artist).
The honorees were chosen for their commitment to championing artistic freedom and advancing the idea that music and the arts are a powerful force for building cultural bridges. Through their work and influence, they have advanced coexistence to create a better future for all.
As stated by CCFP Co-Founder David Renzer, and Director Ari Ingel, “Creative Community for Peace was founded by entertainment industry executives on the principal that music and the arts can be a unifying force to bring people of different backgrounds together. We also believe that a cultural boycott of Israel does not further the prospects for peace.”
The honorees shared their excitement to be recognized as Ambassadors of Peace and the importance of CCFP’s work, stating the following:
Aaron Bay-Schuck: “I am honored to be recognized as an ‘Ambassador of Peace’ by Creative Community for Peace and humbled to be receiving it alongside such accomplished industry executives and friends. The cultural boycott movement is detrimental to prospects for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, as well as to artistic freedom around the world, and I will continue to stand with my friends and colleagues who are dedicated to using music and the arts to bring people together.”
Jacqueline Saturn: “I’m honored to receive the Ambassadors of Peace award from Creative Community for Peace. Music and all creative art forms have the unique ability to pierce through cultural barriers, reshape perspectives, and create common ground. CCFP bridges divergent communities, enabling them to find a common voice. Now more than ever, the creative community must take a courageous stance against those that seek to divide rather than unite. I am proud to be in a position to empower artists from many different backgrounds to help us get to “higher ground.”
Walter Kolm: “It’s an honor for me to receive an Ambassadors of Peace award this year. I’ve always been a firm believer in the power of music to bring people together, which is why I support CCFP and their mission. The fact that so many incredible Latin artists I’ve worked with over the years, like Maluma, Carlos Vives and Wisin, have performed in Israel is a testament to this. Our artists are always embraced with enthusiasm and love in such a way that truly shows that music crosses all cultural and national boundaries to unite us.”
Troy Carter: “There is no better way to bring people of different backgrounds together than through the arts. This is why I share the vision of Creative Community for Peace and am proud to receive their Ambassador of Peace award.”
Ziggy Marley: “It is an honor to be one of CCFP’s 2019 Ambassadors of Peace. We all should use our voices, music, and art in the struggle for justice, love, and peace for all human beings of all races, religions, and ethnicities. I am thankful to be a part of this year’s ceremony. One Love”
More than two-hundred top entertainment industry leaders are expected to attend the event, which will feature special musical performances. Sponsors include Sony/ATV, EA Music, BMI, Epic Records, Atlantic Records and Warner Records among many others. Variety, which recently included CCFP honoree Jacqueline Saturn on their “Women’s Impact Report,” is the event’s official media sponsor.
A limited number of tickets for this exclusive event are available for purchase at the following site, along with sponsorship opportunities: https://www.creativecommunityforpeace.com/gala/honorees/
Web: http://CreativeCommunityForPeace.com
Video: https://vimeo.com/332545709
Contact: Alexandra Greenberg
Direct: 213-216-1755
Email: agreenberg@falconpublicity.com
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A $30 donation per guest is highly appreciated.
Youth Champions for Peace:
Securing our Common Future with the United Nations onboard the Peace Boat
Peace, People and Ecology with Rina Kedem
Teleseminar is 12 PST/3EST on Sunday, December 15th.
Join O.N.E. and Rina Kedem, environmental peace-builder, as we dialogue about peace, ecology, and communities. Rina believes in peace between people and the land, and is part of an international network of projects and communities that are involved in this work.
Rina Kedem has developed and directed cooperative projects with Palestinians, Israelis, and Jordanians for the past 16 years. Her work is guided by a holistic perspective that includes social-economic and environmental well-being of communities, as well as hands-on, long term peace-building opportunities that impact policy. She helped found a multi-cultural center for peace and ecology at the Almog- Jericho junction, an area accessible to Israelis and Palestinians, and was part of a volunteer team that has built a network of ecological villages in Israel (GEN- Israel).
Rina is currently working on her Ph.D. in Community Development and Environmental Conservation Across Borders in the Department of Geography at Hebrew University and resides with her family in the Israeli desert. She is part of the University of San Diego’s 2019 Women PeaceMakers program. and lives with her family in the desert of Israel.
How to Call into the Teleseminar
The call in number for all seminars is 1-805-309-2350 and access code: 5771624#. You can also access the the teleseminar through your computer here using the same access code (5771624). Click here to find the correct teleseminar time for your local time zone.
Start: Monday, January 13, 2020• 5:30 PM
End: Monday, January 13, 2020• 8:30 PM
Location:Cherokee United Methodist Church•2105 Cosgrove Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
Host Contact Info: southcarolina@poorpeoplescampaign.org
Join the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival in South Carolina for the eighth stop of the We Must Do M.O.R.E. national tour as we Mobilize, Organize, Register and Educate.
Click here if you’d like to volunteer and help make this tour a success!
The tour in South Carolina will culminate with a Moral Monday March and Mass Meeting on Monday, January 13th in Charleston, SC. This will follow a weekend of activities a community canvas to register people for a movement that votes and a community site visit.
Monday, January 13th | Charleston, SC
South Carolina Moral Monday March & Mass Meeting
5:30 PM – Gather for the march
6:30 PM – Mass Meeting begins
Cherokee United Methodist Church, 2105 Cosgrove Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
**No large bags or umbrellas will be allowed in the mass meetings and small bags are subject to being searched.
At the Moral Monday, we will hear from South Carolinians directly impacted by systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, militarism and the war economy, and the corrupt moral narrative. We will also hear from Rev. Barber and Rev. Theoharis, Co-Chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival is organizing a 25-state We Must Do MORE national tour from September 2019 to May 2020. This tour will lead into the Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington, where thousands of poor people and moral agents will gather at the nation’s capitol on June 20, 2020 to demonstrate their power.
We will demand the implementation of our Moral Agenda and call all people of conscience to engage in deeply moral civic engagement and voting that cares about poor and low-wealth people, the sick, immigrants, workers, the environment, people with disabilities, first nations, the LGBTQ community, and peace over war.
My Queer Valentine Reception
Hosted by Torpedo Factory Art Center and Target Gallery
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Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7 PM – 10 PM
Next Week18–32°F Sunny
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105 N. Union St, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
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Art in Person and in Progress. Located in Old Town Alexandria, the Torpedo Factory Art Center is home to 165 working artists, seven galleries, The Art League, and the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. Free admission.
My Queer Valentine Shows the Richness of LGBTQ Life
The warmth of recognition is strong inside the exhibition.
“Acrylic” by Aurele Gould, 2017
I took my girlfriend to see My Queer Valentine on a Monday morning; it was a date, I told her. We took the Metro down to King Street and walked to the Alexandria waterfront. Once we got there, we strolled into The Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery, hands interlocked.
For My Queer Valentine, the contemporary gallery’s spring show, the small space is filled with large-scale photographic prints, paintings on both large and small canvases, and sculpture. Visually, the pieces cover a broad range of styles, including a digitally influenced take on Abstract Expressionism, geometric interpretations of fire, Basquiat-esque mark-making and writing over photographs, sculpture with few references to recognizable forms, canvases made three-dimensional by the attachment of glittery found objects, and small silkscreen prints. Thematically, they may at first seem to not cohere, but that’s only because My Queer Valentine’s juried works cover a diverse and rich swath of queer life.
As for taking my girlfriend, I had another motive that I didn’t say aloud, though she may have picked up on it. I wanted to enter that exhibition as a visibly gay person, and I wanted to see how that affected my experience of the art. It was the right choice. My Queer Valentine does more than curate work that examines what it means to be LGBTQ in the 21st century: It creates a queer space warm with the joy of recognition.
Some works speak directly to that joy, like artist Cat Gunn’s abstract canvases. Their dramatic patterns represent the harmony of being in a relationship where their partner sees them as their authentic, nonbinary self, they write in the wall text. There are glittering squares and wobbling lines moving back and forth across the plane, but things seem to be coming together the longer you look—parts that once made no sense have an internal logic that reveals itself with sustained attention and open mindedness. Recognition can be dangerous, and the closet offers safety, but it also means hiding behind a mask. The relief of dropping the charade and being seen is transcendent.
My Queer Valentine isn’t camp, not as a whole, but it’s full of artworks made by people who understand the humor and the wondrous pompousness of queer glamor. (That glamor and its high drama are knowingly self-important because there are still so many people who wish we didn’t have it.) The first pieces the viewer encounters play with the feminine trappings of artificial jewelry, glitter, plastic, and resin, all in bright, loud colors; one piece dripping with sequins invites viewers to “lick me until ice cream.” That kind of playful sexuality thrives in many of the works, even the more subdued ones. A beige canvas on the opposing wall asks the onlooker to “come (cum on my) back.” The half-joking, half-serious attitude toward sex is one of My Queer Valentine’s greatest strengths, highlighting the laughter and joy inherent in queer life and queer sex.
Linda Hesh’s “Kissing Booth” is another joyful artwork. It’s not a stunning feat of technique and construction; it’s just a wood and steel booth, like one you might see at a county fair in the ’50s. It advertises itself as, unsurprisingly, “KISSING BOOTH.” It’s not anchored to a wall. Instead, it stands out from a corner and beckons viewers to come in, where they might notice that its gingham pattern is made up of pictures of kissing same-sex couples. I’ll admit my biases here: I’ve always had a love for participatory art. But the booth’s standing invitation to come inside, to take a picture kissing underneath it, and to share that picture with the world is a brave act, even in 2020 in Alexandria—brave for the artist and the piece inviting those kisses, brave for the people who choose to do so. Even though queer desire is hypervisible in contemporary life, it’s not always recognized as a loving, human affect. By asking people to kiss, Hesh affirms the romance of the gesture and the genuine safety of the space around it.
The most striking pieces were by D.C.-based photographer Matt Storm, a transgender man. His work is challenging, cheeky, and hard to look away from. The two images on display come from his Act of Looking series, where he returns to the same studio in Provincetown, Massachusetts, the famous gay vacation spot, to photograph his body “to create an expanded lexicon of ways to see a body, inclusive of ways to see my body,” he writes in his artist’s statement. In the first image, we see him standing naked, in a pose that looks relaxed but requires him to hold himself in place with his own strength. His muscles are tense but not flexed. His face isn’t overly expressive, but there’s a spark of playfulness in his eyes and a hint of a smile on his mouth. And his arm drapes behind his back, coming to rest between his legs, where he holds his fingers playfully—an obvious commentary on how, as he says, “my body is incongruous with how we are taught to see bodies.” In another, he clasps his hands in front of his crotch, fingers crossed. We can’t see his face, but we can feel the humor. The piece is titled “Crossing my Fingers, Getting Away with Something.”
But a different series of works stopped me in my tracks. Aurele Gould’s photographs pulled my gaze from the moment I entered the gallery. When I saw her triptych of an athlete putting pre-wrap around another girl’s thigh, I felt a lump in my throat. “A moment of transference is constructed, a care and an intimacy among women,” she writes in the wall text. Immediately I thought of Barbara Kruger’s 1981 piece “Untitled (You Construct Intricate Rituals),” which famously says “You construct intricate rituals that allow you to touch the skin of other men” over an image of men roughhousing. But I thought of it less because of its artistic impact and more because, for years, queer kids on Tumblr have been using it as a memetic reference point for jokes about the forbidden, magnetic pull of another person’s skin. In the three images of the piece, we see hands grab the inner thigh, let go to wrap the tape around, and return to place both hands on the partner’s leg.
Likewise, I’d been primed to see Gould’s piece “Acrylic” before I walked in—it represents My Queer Valentine online—but I stopped myself from making a beeline to it. When I did make my way over and allowed myself to look, I noticed for the first time the two models’ sharp, long, matching acrylic nails gently cradling each other’s faces. That striking image is made more striking by those glittery nails. Gould knows this: “I like how thought processes can fold unto each other, like thinking about when stereotypes can be used and who they can be used by,” she wrote in the wall text. I felt a pang of recognition. I smiled. The two lovers in the photograph stared at me, nails shining, and I took my girlfriend’s manicured hand and stared back.
105 N. Union St., Alexandria. (703) 746-4587. torpedofactory.org.