photo by Polina Kovaleva courtesy Pexels
The many ways the creative arts spoke to and through us this year.
“Lyndsay Rush, aka Mary Oliver’s Drunk Cousin, is brilliant. Her homage to the great Mary Oliver is a thin veil for her own genius. I love her immensely. We are soulmates. No, we have never met IRL… bless the weird and wonderful, the upteen ways you or I might choose to spend our one wild and precious life.” –Jennifer Aniskovich (Cohort 10), Outrageous
“I wrote it to play with the notions of perspective, of suffering, of the despair that can be felt within our current political environment and the expansiveness and wonder and movements for liberation that are still here and alive.” –Baba Onígbọ̀nná Enroue Halfkenny (Cohort 10), On this grey morning
“African dance is a way of life for me now. I turn to African dance to bridge divides, and share the perspective that many of us African American descendants of enslaved people grapple with.” –Jolyn Walker (Cohort 9), Freedom & Faith
“It’s where I say the things I never had the space or courage to say out loud before. I don’t write it just to be heard, I write it to become.” –Maria Solomon (Cohort 31), Embracing the Journey of Becoming (Part 1)
“I find joy and inspiration in people in not just the arts, the visual arts, or design, but in other disciplines that have unlocked their creative potential as well, and are finding novel solutions.” –Daniel Pizarro (Cohort 25) Interview
“What dredged up the most pain was my recollection of him directing rehearsals for that very same war-themed play…” –Janis Astor del Valle (Cohort 10), Telling the Truth
“Standing in that space, I found it impossible to reconcile and balance the sublime and the profane: world class art surrounded by lush, manicured landscapes, on blood-stained, spirit-killing prior fields of rice.” –Gloria Holmes Ph.D. (Cohort 7), Meditations on America Part 1: Race, Rice & Power
“It seems to me, the grace of these times is the increasing call for beauty. Big, beautiful stories, songs, art and experiences. The kind of beauty that helps me to remember to un-freeze…” –Christina Kane (Cohort 26), Wayfinding
“I’m of the idea that cemeteries are beautiful places that we can enjoy, but at the same time, should be preserved and honored… I thought, if I start writing about people here, if I find somebody who can be honored or respected, then maybe people would care more about the cemetery.” –Sherill Lee Baldwin (Cohort 12), History, Remembrance & Truth-Telling
“…we can truly hear each other’s stories; we can create a world where everyone truly feels that they matter.” –Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Power of Storytelling
“In our retail space, we stage and sell used furniture and the maker things, the co-working space, and a wood shop in the back. The mural on the outside of the building is part of the City’s Public Art project — the artist is Jason Naylor. We painted the windows to make the inside match the outside, and complement the mural.” –Carmen Nieves (Cohort 17) Interview
“The work is a mirror. It reflects the fruit of my Yes… the power of the ways our showing up and speaking our voice can create connection.” –Maria Solomon (Cohort 31), Embracing the Journey of Becoming (Part 2)
“…in the same way that I need time with this instrument, I need time with people in order to interpret them. Not just translate them, but interpret them.” –Evelyn Glennie, in her TED talk: How to truly listen
Curated by The Circle’s creative director & editor, Lara Herscovitch. To reach Lara directly: thecircle@clpnewhaven.org or Lara@LaraHerscovitch.com