ROOTS Weekend: Jackson
RENEW!
November 8-11, 2018 | Jackson, MS
ROOTS Weekend is coming to Jackson, MS, November 8-11, 2018! Through the theme of RENEW!, we’re digging into the what it takes to envision and enact a true people’s democracy – one where active, creative community members work together, building collective strategies that allow equity and justice to thrive.
ROOTS Weekend: Jackson brings together artists, cultural workers, activists, elected officials, and community members to engage in deep dialogue, make and witness art, and learn from one another. At this time of civic renewal in Jackson – when the power of the people is recognized everywhere from the movement for a new state flag to the mayor’s office – the community’s artists and activists are coming together and leading the way. ROOTS Weekend: Jackson features a day trip to the Mississippi Center for Cultural Production in Utica, MS where art and agriculture are at the center of sustainable community development. What’s happening in Jackson and Utica shows us that the work of social change is a balance of renewing the wisdom of the past while also calling in new ideas and ways of working. Click to learn more about ROOTS Weekend: Jackson!
In putting this event together we want to hear from you. What are you working on that you would like to share? Who you would like to hear from? What would you like to see, to talk about? We invite proposals for performances, workshops, visual arts exhibitions, local excursions, and more. We also invite your programming ideas – whether you know of a local artist or activist we should reach out to, or a method of community building that we might integrate into the weekend. Preference will be given to those who live in Mississippi, and the surrounding region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee. ROOTS will also prioritize proposals from members of First Peoples, Native, and Indigenous communities, trans people of color, and youth (age 30 and under).
If you have ideas, or work to share, please fill out the following Proposal Form by Friday, August 31, 2018 at 5pm EST. Questions? Contact Wendy Shenefelt, Programs Director, at 404-577-1079, or wendy@alternateroots.org.
Thank you for your interest in this work – we look forward to hearing from you!
Please note: In order to assist with the curatorial process, we encourage you to submit at least one work sample that is reflective of the proposed programming.
Work Samples: Work samples should be submitted as a Google document or URL.
- Please save the document with your First and Last Name, and a description of the work sample (e.g. Janet Johnson Spoken Word Performance).
- URLs: You can link your website, YouTube, SoundCloud, or other web platforms that contain examples of your work. If submitting a web-based work sample, please paste the URLs as hyperlinks in a Google document.
Length: Please keep these short! Think quality over quantity.
- Written samples should be limited to 3 pages maximum and submitted as a Google document.
- Limit audio and video samples to 5 minutes. A few clips no longer than one minute is even better.
- If your sample is longer, include instructions that point reviewers to the minute and second where you’d like them to begin with notes about what they should pay attention to in particular.
Alternate ROOTS is an organization based in the Southern USA* whose mission is to support the creation and presentation of original art, in all its forms, which is rooted in a particular community of place, tradition, or spirit. As a coalition of cultural workers, we strive to be allies in the elimination of all forms of oppression. ROOTS is committed to social and economic justice and the protection of the natural world, and addresses these concerns through its programs and services.
*The ROOTS Region covers the Southern area of the United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.