Mujeres en Ritual Danza-Teatro will be performing at this years ROOTS Week, August 4-9 2015! Telares (o el olvido) / Looms (or, the forgetting) By Fabiola Ruiz A work-in-progress performance in Spanish Directed by: Dora Arreola Performed by: Gisela…
In Solidarity with Charleston
Alternate ROOTS stands in solidarity with the community of Charleston, SC in the wake of this act of terrorism committed against the African American community. “It’s a tough one but it’s not unexpected in a culture like Charleston. This city…
Artability Artist Spotlight: Camille Shafer
Article by Nicole Gurgel, Alternate ROOTS Content Developer (Albuquerque, NM) This is the first in a four-part series that highlights differently-abled artists and runs throughout Alternate ROOTS’ Artability campaign, which provides scholarships for artists with disabilities to attend ROOTS Week.…
The Land Man & A Love For
Article by Carrie Brunk, Clear Creek Creative (Clear Creek, Rockcastle County, KY) Photos by Melisa Cardona (New Orleans, LA) Clear Creek Creative is a member of Alternate ROOTS’ 2014-15 Partners in Action cohort. It’s a bold move to drive off a rural…
A Terrifying Liberation: The Opportunity in Appalachia’s Uncertain Future
Article by Ben Spangler, Appalshop (Whitesburg, KY) Appalshop is a member of Alternate ROOTS’ 2014-15 Partners in Action cohort. Central Appalachia is presently in a strange place as the collapse of the coal industry leaves the region in an historical moment…
LOVEbaltiMORE
Article by Ashley Minner, ExComm Member (Baltimore, MD) Photos by Sean Scheidt (Baltimore, MD) Baltimore is always the center of my world, but over the past few days it seems like it’s become the center of the world. We have seen…
In Solidarity with Baltimore
By Carlton Turner, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director (Utica, MS) “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” –Frederick Douglass This quote has been on my mind today as I think about the uprising that is…
The Mississippi Performing Arts Summit: Doing the Right Work, Right Now
Article by Wendy Shenefelt, Alternate ROOTS Programs Associate (Jackson, MS) On February 15-16, 2015 New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Theater Project, along with Alternate ROOTS, and Turner World Around Productions convened the Mississippi Performing Arts Summit in Jackson,…
ExComm Loves Nawlins: Face-to-Face Report, March 2015
Article by Bob Martin (Clear Creek, KY); Photos by Bob Martin and Nicole Garneau (Chicago, IL) Hey ROOTers, Bob Martin, your Executive Committee (ExComm) Board Chair here with an update and recap from our spring Face-to-Face (F2F) meeting down in…
Power & Subversion
Article by Joseph Thomas (Philadelphia, PA) I began to explore the subject of power in 2012 during the rehearsal process for a play written by Jean Genet called Splendid’s. The play takes place in a hotel suite where seven gangsters…
Shifting Narratives through Art and Culture
Article by Kiyoko McCrae (New Orleans, LA) On January 20th and 21st, Alternate ROOTS held a meeting for the 2014 Partners in Action cohort. During the two-day meeting, a theme emerged: How can art help to shift narratives? Robert Martin…
Next Gen: At the Intersection of Past, Present, and Future
Article by Nicole Gurgel, Alternate ROOTS Content Developer (Albuquerque, NM) Next is a futuristic conversation. It’s talking about the psychic space of the future. Next is a stepping stone, a progression– it’s thinking about legacy. Next is a conversation with…
Tagged with: Next Gen
#SpotlightonFerguson
Article & Photos by Katina Parker (Durham, NC) Since August, Katina Parker has been traveling to Ferguson, documenting and organizing against police brutality. Here, she shares a series of photo essays and her written, first-person account of the #Blacklivesmatter movement in Ferguson. …
The Sweetness and the Spoil: Durham Stories of Resistance
Article by Nia Wilson (Durham, NC) and Rodrigo Dorfman (Durham, NC); Photographs by Rodrigo Dorfman Reflections: Building towards “Mother to Mother” Nia: August 10th 2014: I heard about the premature deaths of two young Black men — John Crawford in Ohio…
Scholarships Available for the 2015 Americans for the Arts Convention
Scholarships Available for the 2015 Americans for the Arts Convention, Applications close February 26th! Americans for the Arts is offering scholarships to help you attend our Annual Convention, held this year in Chicago, June 12-14–and also several preconferences, including Art, Power, and Empowerment:…
Breathing Room for Something Unstoppable
“Wholehearted.” Collage for June Jordan by Alexis Pauline Gumbs. Article by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Ph.D. (Durham, NC) A. Opening Prayer (take deep breaths in the stanza breaks) C(h)ant. Breathe. Dedicated to Eric Garner* And to…
Something to Behold in West Baltimore
By Jamie Haft, (Syracuse, NY) This article was originally published at Roadside Theater: Art in a Democracy. It is reprinted here with permission. This is a story about how residents, artists, community organizers, university professors, and students responded to a…
Spotlight on Ferguson (Part 1): An Activist Framework
Article & Video by Katina Parker (Durham, NC) Don’t miss Part 2 of this series: Spotlight on Ferguson: A First-hand Account. To donate to support continued documentation by #SpotlightOnFerguson, please visit: igg.me/at/dontshoot. Mike Brown’s Memorial – Canfield from Katina Parker on Vimeo.…
Spotlight on Ferguson (Part 2): A First-hand Account
Article and Photos by Katina Parker Don’t miss Part 1 of this series: Spotlight on Ferguson: An Activist Framework. To donate to support continued documentation by #SpotlightOnFerguson, please visit: igg.me/at/dontshoot. August 30, 2014 Ferguson Today, I stood where 17-year old Mike Brown…
Upon News of Plea Deal, Activists Vow to Organize Until Marissa Alexander is Free
NEWS RELEASE Monday, November 24, 2014 From: Free Marissa Now Mobilization Campaign FreeMarissaNow@gmail.com; www.FreeMarissaNow.org Upon News of Plea Deal, Activists Vow to Organize Until Marissa Alexander is Free Today, Marissa Alexander chose to accept a plea deal with the State of Florida. The plea…
Tagged with: Free Marissa Now