Photo: Melisa Cardona Leticia Contreras | December 14, 2016 The seeds that we have planted have come to harvest. As the brisk air of North Texas reminded us that a new season has come, we celebrated and harvested our creative…
Hollerin’ into the Space: Reflections on ROOTS Week 2016
The Hollerin’ Space Installation by Muthi Reed and Angela Davis Johnson. Photo by: Melisa Cardona By Ron Ragin | September 27, 2016 I’ve always leaned into the retreat element of ROOTS Week. Gathering with this extended family is (perhaps ironically)…
The Voices Pour Down: Our Theater ROOTS during the 40th Reunion
Founding members of Alternate ROOTS. Photo by: Melisa Cardona By Ashley Sparks | September 19, 2016 The late seventies and early 80s were seminal for U.S. theater history – especially southern theater history. In June 1976, a dynamic mix of…
In Pursuit of an Art with Consequences: Panel Discussion with Five ROOTS’ Founders
Transcribed & Edited by Jan Cohen-Cruz | July 29, 2016 This past July, when two more young black men were killed wantonly by white police, and then a black man killed five police, long time ROOTer Dudley Cocke wrote, “While…
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Arts: It Is Possible
By Keryl McCord, Operations Director, Alternate ROOTS | June 17, 2016 A few weeks ago Alternate ROOTS published my article, and its follow-up piece, Why We Must Have Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Arts: A Response to the National…
Tagged with: ArtSpot Productions, Azule, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Junebug Productions, Mondo Bizarro, ROOTS Culture, Transformation
Archival Revival | A Call for Cultural Development
By Dudley Cocke and Ruby Lerner Originally published: 1989 | Republished: April 11, 2016 The Archival Revival Series looks back at articles by ROOTers, about ROOTS, in celebration of our 40th anniversary. This series, and the field of arts activism, owes…
Tagged with: Archive, community and culture, cultural organizing, Dudley Cocke, Roadside Theatre, The South
Philanthropy Is a Transformational Act: Standing at the Intersection of Funding, Arts and Activism
L-R: Margo Miller and Sheila Gaskins at ROOTS Week. Photo: Melisa Cardona. Article by Margo Miller, Executive Director Appalachian Community Fund I find myself sitting at my desk thinking about my work in social justice and reflecting on the different…
Archival Revival | Cheerleader for the Revolution: Thoughts on Carpetbag Theater Company
By Ann Kilkelly Originally published: November 2002 | Republished: March 7, 2016 The Archival Revival Series looks back at articles by ROOTers, about ROOTS, in celebration of our 40th anniversary. This series and the field of arts activism, owes an…
Investing In Culture: 50 Years of the NEA
ROOTS’ Executive Director, Carlton Turner was invited to the NEA’s 50th anniversary concert at the White House, in which New Orleans’ Trombone Shorty performed. Article by Carlton Turner, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director (Utica, MS) | January 5, 2016 On October…
“Lord knows we’ll never be the same again, but at least we started telling the truth.”* A Report Back from Environment & Economy Day at ROOTS Week 2015
Land, Water, Food, Story altar installed by Clear Creek folks, created from copies of deeds to the land and rusty farm implements found on the land over the years. Photo: Nicole Garneau, 2015. Article by Nicole Garneau (Chicago, IL) Editor’s Note: This…
Using Art to Undo Imperialism
Dora Arreola in “Telares (o el Olvido),” with Mujeres en Ritual Danza-Teatro at ROOTS Week. Photo: Melisa Cardona, 2015. Article by Anu Yadav (Washington D.C.) A woman silently gestures to me in the cafeteria, her face partially obscured by…
ROOTS Week 2015: A Preview
We are pleased, proud, and excited to announce the incredible artists, culture-bearers, organizers, activists, and scholars who will share their work with us at ROOTS Week under the banner, A Call to Action: Transformation. Within this theme, we’ll be focusing…
Tagged with: ROOTS Week
Symbols of Struggle: Black Lives Matter
Chen Lo in Soundtrack ’63 by Soul Science Lab. Originally commissioned and produced by 651 ARTS, Soundtrack ’63 will be presented by Junebug Productions and Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans in January 2016. Photo: Xy-Fy Fotography. Article by Kiyoko…
Teatro Sin Fronteras: Shifting Narratives to Include Latina/os in the Rebirth of Post-Katrina New Orleans
A packed house at Teatro Sin Fronteras #3 at Old Marquer Theatre. Photo: Craig Morse, June 2015. Article by José Torres-Tama (New Orleans, LA) “The workers and families who helped rebuild New Orleans live in terror today … If they leave their…
Indigenous Artists Gathering 2015 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lumhe “Micco” Sampson presenting his workshop, “Hoop Dance Teaching: Indigenous Circles of Leadership” at the Indigenous Artists Gathering. Photo: Ashley Minner, 2015. Article by: Ashley Minner, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Alternate ROOTS Executive Committee Member (Baltimore, MD) Way back…
The Risk of Hopelessness
On June 2, 2015, Alternate ROOTS Executive Director, Carlton Turner, presented the following as a keynote address at the Grantmakers in the Arts Racial Equity Forum in Atlanta, Georgia. Introduction: Georgia Men “Black people did not come back from Georgia.” “A man…
Art, Ability, & Access: A Dialogue
Nikki Brown, facilitating at the Community Organizing Learning Exchange. Photo: Rodrigo Dorfman, 2014. Article by Nikki Brown, Alternate ROOTS ExComm Member (Durham, NC) From June 8-July 3, 2015, Alternate ROOTS will launch our first-ever Artability campaign on Indiegogo, raising…
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,…
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…
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:…