Alternate ROOTS supports the creation and presentation of original art that is rooted in community, place, tradition, or spirit. We are a group of artists, and cultural organizers based in the U.S. South, creating a better world together. As…
40 Magnificent Feet of Visibility: Creative Placemaking in Tampa, Florida
Detail of the mural “Painting Ourselves Visible” mural by Aya Tarek. Photo by Ameena Khan. September 2021 | Nicole Garneau “Painting Ourselves Visible” seeks to celebrate and increase the visibility of Arab, Middle Eastern/North African (MENA), and Muslim…
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE OF “NORMAL:” JAVA, DJEMBES, AND DJELIS
L-R Kam Kelly, LaQuita Marie Staten, workshop participant, and Corey The Talented Blind Guy leading the 757 Unity Drum Circle, June 2020. Photo by Karen Pino. September 2021 | LaQuita Marie Staten What do you get when you…
SOULCENTER’S VISION OF WAYMAKING IN THE SOUTH
SoulCenter participant Ekio with Dr. Shanya Cordis. Photo by SoulCenter Fellowship Alum, Marcus Hughes, The Riff, 2019. September 2021 | Shanya Cordis The vision to create SoulCenter came to Erin Michelle Washington, Founder and lead Waymaker, in successive…
I KNOW YOUR STORY. DO YOU KNOW MINE?
September 2021 | Jennifer Oladipo See members of the Lumbee tribe sitting together: sharing stories; sharing a practice; sharing space; sharing breath. I’ts the first weekend in July 2021: Lumbee homecoming weekend in Pembroke, NC, and it’s one of…
YINGGE AND HIP HOP UNITE
Ancient Chinese and modern-day American social justice heroes come together to defeat universal threats to humankind in the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company’s original piece “Together,” co-choreographed by Kerry Lee (Chinese dance) and AJ Paug (hip hop). Video stills from the…
2021-2022 EXCOMM PROPOSED SLATE
It is our honor to introduce you to the 2021-22 Executive Committee Slate. This slate was chosen through an open nomination process, which brought forth a selection of very qualified nominees that were then vetted by the Executive Committee officers…
2021 UpROOTing OPPRESSION SERIES
2018 ROOTS Week UpROOTing Oppressions. Photo by Melisa Cardona A continuación en español. Welcome to the 2021 model of Alternate ROOTS’ very own organically grown, custom-made anti-racism/anti-oppression workshop series. ROOTS has a long history of anti-racist and anti-oppression…
REGISTER FOR ROOTS WEEK 2021!
A continuación en español. Virtual ROOTS Week 2021 Southern Soil: Collective Liberation in Harmony with the Land Tuesday, August 3-Sunday, August 8, 2021 Register Here! ROOTS is an ever-growing, ever-evolving coalition of people committed to building a just world…
Michelle Ramos
MICHELLE RAMOS she/her/hers Vision Keeper [Executive Director] michelle@alternateroots.org Dr. Michelle Ramos brings a deep and incredibly robust diversity of experience to role as Executive Director of Alternate Roots. Her background includes most recently working in criminal justice reform as Project…
Wendy Shenefelt
Wendy Shenefelt she/her/hers Professional Auntie [Cultural Organizing Director] wendy@alternateroots.org The Programs Director executes the overall management, design, implementation, administration and evaluation of ROOTS Week and ROOT S Weekends, and our regranting program, Artistic Assistance. ROOTS Week is Alternate ROOTS’ signature…
Paige Heurtin
Paige Heurtin she/her/hers Caretaker, Peacemaker & Implementer [Operations Director] paige@alternateroots.org Paige is the leader of the Operations team, and sees her role with ROOTS as providing a firm and sturdy foundation for ROOTS’ programs work. Paige’s main responsibilities are managing…
Nicole Gurgel-Seefeldt
Nicole Gurgel-Seefelt she/her/hers Communications Orchestrator & Story Strategist [Communications Director] nicole@alternateroots.org As the Communications Manager, Nicole implements the strategy for all internal and external communications. Working closely with Programs and
Mel Cardona
MELISA (Mel) CARDONA they/them/theirs & she/her/hers Platforms Whisperer & Visual Story Alchemist [Communications Specialist] melisa@alternateroots.org Mel is a first generation queer Latinx self-taught artivist who grew up between Atlanta, GA and her parents native land of Colombia. They cut their…
Aimee McCoy
Aimee McCoy she/her/hers Oracle of Synthesis [Operations Manager] aimee@alternateroots.org Aimee McCoy is Co-founder of The Artizen Company (TAC), a theater and film company based in Georgia. Since 2013, she has served as managing director and co-artistic director, regularly taking on…