ROOTS Weekend: Whitakers. Photo: Melisa Cardona.
In This Issue:
- You Can Still Register for ROOTS Week
- Logo Redesign Presentation TONIGHT!
- Last July Porch Sits TONIGHT!
- This Year’s HYBRID Annual Meeting
- ExComm Voting Slate
- ROOTS is hiring
- Fall Artistic Assistance Application Launch Date
- Get Involved, Get Connected
- News from Members
Please note: due to ROOTS Week, this will be the last Member News published until Tuesday, September 5.
TONIGHT! Logo Redesign Process: We Want your Input!
ROOTS DESIGN PRESENTATION #2
Monday, July 24, 2023 @ 5pm ET / 4pm CT
Register HERE
As part of the Rebrand/Redesign process that was announced in May’s member news, all ROOTS members are invited to give feedback on the ROOTS logo of the future!
In a continued visual collaboration with Alternate ROOTS members and staff, SoulCenter will present a secondary iteration of visual devices. The presentation will include:
- Design Audit Overview
- Feedback Recap
- Updated Design Directions
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Also TONIGHT! LAST July Porch Sit
Final July Porch Sit
Monday, July 24, 2023 @ 6:30pm ET / 5:30pm CT
Register HERE
We have been apart for 4 long years and ROOTers want to connect before we touch the soil in North Carolina. Various topics like values, money, and our strategic direction are just some of the items members have asked to discuss. In response, we are inviting all members – especially those attending ROOTS Week – to come together in conversation at three Porch Sits throughout the month of July.
Porch Sits are a member-led space, amplifying the voices and agency of our vibrant community of artists and cultural organizers. These Porch Sits will be a dynamic space where each members’ unique perspectives about the issues that are on their minds – funding, leadership, and more – are discussed and valued. Even if you haven’t attended the previous Porch Sits, you can still join the final one tonight!
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ROOTS Week Registration is Still Open!
ROOTS Week 2023: CONNECT
Tuesday, August 8 – Sunday, August 13
Lutheridge Conference Center, Arden, NC
- On-campus tickets have sold out and the waitlist is now closed. join the waitlist.
- There are still plenty of tickets available without lodging.
ROOTS Week 2023 welcomes artists and activists back to the beloved weeklong retreat at Lutheridge Conference Center in North Carolina after a 4-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We gather in August to make community and make space for all that we bring as justice-loving cultural workers.
At ROOTS Week 2023 we will connect deeply again – together in unison as we have done for close to 50 years; we will be together. We will reconnect in all the ways we know, and find new ways.
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This Year’s Annual Meeting
ROOTS Week is when we hold our Annual Business Meeting. Our Annual Business Meeting features ROOTS program updates and evaluations, special announcements, and planning for the future as we clarify our vision during ROOTS Week. It is also when we vote in the next Executive Committee slate and anyone who is coming forward to join as a Voting Member.
This year we will be hosting a hybrid (in person and virtual) meeting during ROOTS Week (Tuesday August 8- Sunday August 13) – more details will be shared about exact dates, times, agenda, and how to join as soon as we have them.
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Early Voting on 2023-2024 Executive Committee Slate Open till Sunday, August 6
Attention all Voting Members: please review the slate and each individual’s bio on our website, and then cast your vote using the form at the bottom of the page.
Early online voting closes on Sunday, August 6. For those of you attending the Annual Business Meeting (August 8-13, 2023), you can either cast your vote early online or while attending the hybrid (in person and virtual) meeting. If you will not be attending this year’s Annual Meeting, this early voting period is your opportunity to exercise your board membership and vote for the Executive Committee slate.
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ROOTS is Hiring!
We are hiring for the following positions:
- Cultural Organizing Team Manager (full-time), applications due Wednesday, July 26
- Membership Services Assistant (part-time), applications due Wednesday, July 26
For more information on each position, its compensation and benefits package, and how to apply, visit our website.
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Fall Artistic Assistance Launch Date
Mark your calendars! The Fall round of Artistic Assistance launches Thursday, August 24.
Artistic Assistance is a partnership between Alternate ROOTS and individual artists/cultural workers in the US South. This grant program allows ROOTS to invest in our members’ creative and community-building work. We do that by providing money, publicity, connections, and other forms of support.
Two Artistic Assistance funding cycles are offered each year: Project Development in the fall and Professional Development in the spring.
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Get Involved, Get Connected
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“Welcome to these new members who joined last month!
Next Finance Work Group: Wednesday, July 26
The Finance Work Group meets quarterly on the last Wednesday of the month from 4:30-6:00 pm ET / 3:30-5 pm CT to assist with governance and policy decisions around the finances of the organization.
Do you ever have a finance question that you are afraid to ask? If so, come to our next meeting!
Wednesday, July 26
4:30-6:00 pm ET / 3:30-5pm CT
Join the meeting HERE.
Membership Team Office Hours
The Membership Team is holding office hours every Tuesday and Thursday! During office hours, the Membership team can be reached by phone to answer any questions and assist with any membership matters.
Membership Team Office Hours:
Tuesday & Thursday: 11am – 2pm ET
(404) 577-1079 EXT. 302
Questions? Reach out to membership@alternateroots.org
Next New Member Orientation: Thursday, August 24
The Membership Team and the ROOTS Membership Work Group have launched a quarterly New Member Orientation process!
This meeting is an introduction to the organization, our members, our history, and our purpose in a personal, impactful, and engaging way.
New members are highly encouraged to attend!
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News from Members
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Have news you want to share with your fellow ROOTS members? Fill out this form!
Rebellious Performance Retreat
August 31-September 4, 2023
In person at the Pine Mountain Settlement School, Harlan County, KY
Please apply by August 11, 2023
Nicole Garneau will lead a 5-day immersive residential retreat focused on activist performance practices and support for artists. Spend Labor Day weekend in a beautiful setting with access to nature and other humans who share struggles and joys on our paths as creators. Artists interested in intersectional feminism, LGBTQIA+ rights, anti-racism, and anti-oppression of all kinds to the front!