ROOTS Week 2017 Program Book by Alternate ROOTS

Back to the Basics Down to the ROOTS

ROOTS Week 2017 August 8-13 | Arden, NC

Table of Contents WELCOME & OVERVIEW Welcome to ROOTS Week............................................................5 Welcome from the ExComm..........................................................6 Artist Statement: Jessica Clark......................................................7 2016-17 Organizational Snapshot.............................................8-12 PROGRAMMING A Note about Programming..........................................................14 UpROOTing Racism & Undoing Oppression..........................15-17 Getting Back to Work: ROOTS and the Critical Response Process........................................................................................18 Deeply ROOTed Honors...............................................................19 Learning Exchanges & Self Organized Space........................20-27 Performances & Exhibitions....................................................28-35 Bios for All Presenters.............................................................36-42 ORIENTATION Meeting Processes & Roles....................................................44-45 Important Information..............................................................46-48 Glossary of Terms...................................................................49-50 Donate to ROOTS........................................................................51 Funders, Sponsors, and Special Thanks.....................................52 Staff & Executive Committee........................................................53 Campus Map................................................................................54 Notes............................................................................................55

#AlternateROOTS Alternate ROOTS

#ROOTSWeek2017 Alternate_ROOTS

#Alternate ROOTS

Welcome & Overview

Welcome to ROOTS Week! Carlton Turner In life, we often think we are choosing our own paths, but when looking back over my time with ROOTS, I feel like this path chose me. I didn’t set out to be a ROOTer, I just wanted to create aspirational art that reflected all the things I love about my community, about myself. A few years into that journey I met a group of artists that would challenge my understanding of art and community and encourage the best parts of me to grow.

Photo: Kevin Edwards

As I enter into the 41st Annual Meeting and Artists’ Retreat of Alternate ROOTS, for the last time as executive director, I do so with gratitude for the family that is ROOTS. I am grateful for the community that has nurtured my vision, shaped my analysis, fed my artistic soul, and supported my artistic practice as an essential part of my leadership qualities. But most of this would not have been possible if I didn’t lean into this community. ROOTS is no utopia. It is a place where dreams are nurtured and made possible by connecting them to on-the-ground strategies. A place where ideas and mistakes are challenged with love and compassion. A place where art is the first language and change is celebrated as a natural part of growth. I have learned more in the past sixteen years in ROOTS than I ever thought possible. And for that I am forever indebted to you all. For those returning for the second, fifth, twentieth, or fortieth time: Welcome back! For those of you here for the first time: Lean in. Listen. Laugh. Ask questions. Dance. Sing. Be you. Give this group a sixteen-year trial period and see what path chooses you.

Welcome from the ExComm Executive Committee Officers Dear ROOTers, In our 41st year of gathering cultural workers, artists, and changemakers across the region, we have many beautiful things to celebrate. This past year, we held ROOTS Weekends throughout the South to honor our 40th year and have convened so many brilliant folks to share their art, their skills, and their hearts. Through the work of Alternate ROOTS members, we have grown and evolved into an organization that continues to move the arts and culture field toward equity, as a thought leader with a platform across the South and beyond. At this moment we are witnessing the clock moving backwards, double time; it is indeed a necessary time to regroup and gather, to share space and practices, and to heal together. We are living in an urgent time that is challenging us to be our best selves in all the different ways we show up in our work toward liberation and the elimination of oppression in all its forms. In what ways can we bring joy, self care, and love into our practices? How can we better take care of ourselves and one another? This moment calls upon us to build together across all our differences and to bring our full identities, and all their parts, into the spaces we claim as our own. The land on which we will break bread, make art, and share stories belongs to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee. Defying removal by Andrew Jackson, the Cherokees in Western North Carolina today descend from those who were able to hold onto land they owned, those who hid in the hills, defying removal, and others who returned, many on foot1. It is with that spirit of resistance and strength that we come together today in these same hills. We come from our different corners of the South, and beyond, to share our hopes and visions that together we can transform ourselves, our communities, and the world. Whether you are coming to ROOTS for the first time, a long-time ROOTer, or someone in between, we welcome you all and thank you for your presence! In solidarity and love, Tamiko Ambrose Murray, Chair Trey Hartt, President Nicole Garneau, Secretary Monique Davis, Treasurer ExComm Officers Artwork: Monique Davis

UNC American Indian Center. http://americanindiancenter.unc.edu/resources/about-nc-native-communities/

Artist Statement - Cover Art Jessica Clark Back to the Basics, Down to the ROOTS. When I learned of this theme, I immediately wanted to research and represent the beginning of Alternate ROOTS. I began to search The History Project on the ROOTS website to familiarize myself with the evolution of ROOTS, and how it began. Back to the Basics means that we are getting to the bare bones of who we are, so looking back at where ROOTS began was the first step. I wanted to symbolize that by having the tree rooted in Tennessee where the Highlander Center is located, and where The Call – the very first ROOTS meeting – happened. When I think of Alternate ROOTS, images that come to mind are a large tree, roots, a patchwork, and people of all shapes, colors, sizes, and occupations. Although the southern states are presented in many forms for ROOTS, I still wanted to incorporate them because they are a key part of our identity. We are Southern artists and activists. They are painted to resemble a patchwork quilt with roots weaving in and out to symbolize our branching out and ROOTing. The mountains pay homage to the location where the annual meetings are held. The people represent ROOTS’ membership, which is comprised of dancers, performers, musicians, artists, singers, and advocates of many ethnicities and occupations.

Trying to represent all that ROOTS stands for in one painting was truly a challenge, and anything but basic. I am truly honored to be able to showcase ROOTS in this capacity and hope I have made you all proud. Jessica Clark resides in Fairmont, NC and is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of NC. She received a B.A. in Studio Art from UNC-Pembroke and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from SCAD. Jessica has exhibited in numerous national and international shows. Her work concentrates on documenting, preserving, and educating others on Southeastern Native American identity. She is employed by the Public Schools of Robeson County as a Visual Arts teacher and has a 16-year old son. Her artwork can be found online at JessicaClarkArt.com.

2016-17 Organizational Snapshot It’s It’s been been aa very very full full year year for forROOTS ROOTSsince sincewe wewere weregathered gatheredtogether togetherininthese these hills. We selected a new Partners in Action cohort, awarded almost $150,000 hills. We selected a new Partners in Action cohort, awarded almost $150,000 in in Artistic Artistic Assistance Assistance grants, grants, held held ROOTS ROOTSWeekends WeekendsininDallas Dallasand andRichmond, Richmond, hosted the first-ever Intercultural Leadership Institute gathering in Jackson, and and hosted the first-ever Intercultural Leadership Institute gathering in Jackson, saw some big changes to our staff team. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up saw some big changes to our staff team. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to to since ROOTS Week 2016! since ROOTS Week 2016!

Partners in Action: 2016-17 Cohort PATOIS – New Orleans, LA The Graduates – New Orleans, LA SpiritHouse Inc. – Durham, NC Queer Histories/Queer Futures – New Orleans, LA Working Narratives – Wilmington, NC Looking for Lilith – Louisville, KY Total Direct Funds Distributed: $99,000 *Additional Technical Assistance funds are set aside to support the projects throughout the 18 month partnership period.

2016-17 Partners in Action cohort in Richmond, VA. Photo: Jasmine Roberts.

Artistic Assistance, Winter 2016-17: Project Development Bear Hebert – New Orleans, LA Kimi Maeda – Columbia, SC Aimee McCoy – Decatur, GA Stephanie McKee – New Orleans, LA Vicki Meek – Dallas, TX Meredith Martin Moats – Dardanelle, AR

Stephen Morrison – Atlanta, GA Melody Reeves – Dungannon, VA Arianna Ross – Germantown, MD Amada Torruella – Columbia, SC Shannon Turner – Atlanta, GA Pioneer Winter – Miami, FL

Total Distributed: $49,600

Artistic Assistance, Winter 2016-17: Professional Development Ali Blair – Berea, KY Jayeesha Dutta – New Orleans, LA Monifa Lemmons Jackson – Columbia, SC daniel johnson – Jackson, MS

Eli Lakes – Atlanta, GA Kevin Roberts – Jackson, MS Jeannie Stone – Little Rock, AR Candace G. Wiley – York, SC

Total Distributed: $15,400

Artistic Assistance, Spring 2017: Special Project Development Grants Thanks to a generous anonymous donation at the end of 2016, we were able to award 7 additional Project Development grants to individuals who applied in the Fall 2016 round. Kelly Corcoran - Nashville, TN Ben Hamburger - Baltimore, MD Kesha McKey - New Orleans, LA Ron Ragin - New Orleans, LA

Johanne Rahaman - Miami, FL Sonia Osio Ron - Marietta, GA Jessica Valoris - Washington, D.C.

Total Distributed: $29,500

Artistic Assistance, Spring/Summer 2017: Professional Development In 2017, with an eye toward staff capacity, we are offering two rounds of Artistic Assistance – Professional Development in the spring, and Project Development in the fall. Mitch Barrett - Berea, KY Melisa Cardona - Atlanta, GA Hope Clark - Chestertown, MD Orion Cook - Atlanta, GA Monique Davis - Jackson, MS Rodrigo Dorfman - Durham, NC Tae Eady - Stone Mountain, GA Trina Fischer - Louisville, KY Nicole Garneau - Big Hill, KY Liza Garza - Atlanta, GA Christine Gautreaux - Duluth, GA Veronika Jackson - Decatur, GA

Jerry Jenkins - Jackson, MS Ashley Minner - Baltimore, MD Charmaine Minniefield - Decatur, GA Billy Muñoz - San Antonio, TX Tamiko Ambrose Murray - Asheville, NC Rebecca Mwase - New Orleans, LA LeSheia Oubre - Charleston, SC Busi Peters - Houston, TX Suzanne Richards - Germantown, MD Lisa Shattuck - New Orleans, LA José Torres-Tama - New Orleans, LA Felipe Vargas - Von Ormy, TX

Total Distributed: $48,038

ROOTS Week & Weekends Over the past year, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had three opportunities to gather together with artists and activists from throughout the South (and beyond!). ROOTS Week and ROOTS Weekends continue to be the foundation of our work. By bringing together artists, organizers, culture bearers, and activists, we deepen our collective understanding of the work of social change by lifting up creative, community-rooted responses to long-standing issues.

Travel Subsidies

Attendance

ROOTS Week 2016 & 40th Anniversary ROOTS Reunion August 10-14, 2016 | Arden, NC

ROOTS Weekend-Dallas Creating Vibrant Communities October 20-23, 2017 | Dallas, TX

ROOTS Week 2016

Dallas

Richmond

Richmond ROOTS Week 2016

Dallas

Richmond

ROOTS Weekend-Dallas Local Partners

ROOTS Weekend-Richmond Local Partners

ROOTS Weekend-Richmond Creating a World Without Prisons April 20-23, 2017 | Richmond, VA

Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) ROOTS hosted the first-ever cohort of Intercultural Leadership Institute (ILI) fellows on March 22-28, 2017 for a week-long Intensive in and around Jackson, MS. A collaborative program of Alternate ROOTS, First Peoples Fund, National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, and PA’I Foundation, ILI is a year-long rigorous personal and leadership development program for artists, culture bearers, and other arts professionals. The 30 ILI fellows were selected from 326 applicants. Throughout the fellowship year, the cohort meets for monthly virtual sessions, as well as three Intensives hosted by partner organizations in their home regions. Congratulations to the seven ROOTS members who are part of the inaugural ILI cohort: Cristal Chanelle Truscott, daniel johnson, Eli Lakes, Jonathan Clark, Kim Pevia, Kiyoko McCrae, and Vicki Meek.

ILI cohort at the Smith Robertson Museum in Jackson, MS. Photo: Bryan Parker.

Financial Health Alternate ROOTS’ financial health continues to be strong. In addition to the grants listed below, our 40th anniversary fundraising campaign raised $230,095 – well beyond the $40,000 goal! Thanks to the over 200 donors who supported this campaign, and special thanks to the anonymous donor who helped top off our 40 for 40 efforts with a very generous $200,000 gift. In addition, we’ve been awarded $355,000 from these four foundations in the last year: Nathan Cummings Foundation: $200,000 National Endowment for the Arts: $50,000 Quixote Foundation: $100,000 Rauschenberg Foundation: $5,000

Staff Structure The past year has been marked by three significant changes within our staff structure. In December 2016, Operations Director, Keryl McCord, retired after seven and a half years of service to Alternate ROOTS, and just over three decades of service to the field. In January, we welcomed Ashley Walden Davis in her move from Programs Director to Managing Director, slightly reorganizing the staff structure. And, in June, Carlton Turner made public his decision to step down as Executive Director after nine years in this role and thirteen years on staff. Applications for ROOTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; next Executive Director are being accepted through September 1, 2017.

Programming

A Note about Programming This year, with the theme of Back to the Basics, Down to the ROOTS, we’re paring back to create a retreat focused on some of the basics: artistic practice, organizing strategy, self care, and community building. As we say at ROOTS, innovation is remembering, and ROOTS Week 2017 is organized to be reminiscent of our early days in the mountains. We’ll focus on artistic practice with artmaking workshops, skill shares, and master classes. Throughout the week, we ROOTers will facilitate a series of UpROOTing Oppressions sessions, weaving this learning into all other programming (more on p. 15-17). We welcome Liz Lerman, Paloma McGregor, and John Borstel to lead us in a deep dive of the Critical Response Process (more on p. 18). We’ll continue to strengthen our alliances with the movements that are changing the South. We’ll witness visual and performing arts that extend from works-inprogress to tour/exhibition-ready pieces, and share a radical variety of art into the early hours at Late Night. We’ll sing, we’ll dance, we’ll share stories and quiet moments, and we’ll dig deep to the heart and soul of it all – our ROOTS.

Kesha McKey performs at ROOTS Week 2016. Photo: Melisa Cardona.

UpROOTing Racism & Undoing Oppression: A New Approach Keryl McCord and Ashley Walden Davis Back to the Basics, Down to the ROOTS. That’s the theme for the 41st ROOTS Week Annual Meeting and Artists’ Retreat. This means we will focus on a core part of our mission, “eliminating all forms of oppression.” Eliminating all forms of oppression means that our country must face race, America’s original sin, while being mindful of the ways that multiple systems of oppression are at play, including sexism and transphobia, classism and ableism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and xenophobia. In the era of Trumpism and increased visibility of hate groups, this year the urgency of this part of our mission feels more important than ever. Several years ago ROOTS committed to offering UpROOTing Racism and Undoing Oppression training at each ROOTS Week. We contracted outside facilitators to conduct these sessions and from the feedback, we recognized that members really wanted to do this work ourselves. This is the work many of our members are engaged in throughout the year, and so ROOTS members believed that, as the saying goes: everything we needed was in our own house. Moreover, we as a community know ourselves better than anyone else; we know the nuances of the ROOTS Week environment – the old wounds that need healing, the histories of specific triggers and hurts. Who better to do the work of UpROOTing Oppressions than our members? Finally, we were hearing the importance of providing several entry points to this work, so that we are supporting the needs of those who might be new to it, and offer something for those who have been in the room for the past forty-one years.

This year the urgency of this part of our mission feels more important than ever.

This Year’s Training: What to Expect Thus we set out to design an UpROOTing Racism and Undoing Oppression training that would be impactful for the entire Alternate ROOTS community, that honored our values and principles, and nurtured our vision of how we share space and interact with one another. Early this year, a planning team was assembled including ROOTS general and voting members as well as representatives from the ExComm and staff. This team led us to an overall framework and approach, and then invited additional ROOTS members in to serve as facilitators at ROOTS Week. Everyone involved is engaged in anti-oppression facilitation in their own work and communities year-round, and we’re envisioning facilitators as guides rather than experts, knowing that participants come to this work with a great deal of collective knowledge. This year we have created a learning environment for everyone to enter the process wherever they are. The training is designed to have smaller group learning and space for sharing around these difficult, uncomfortable issues. Throughout the week there will be two all-conference sessions – an introductory and closing session – as well as four 90-minute small group breakout sessions. The sessions will explore personal relationships to racism, systemic and institutional racism, analysis of intersectional oppression, as well as first responder tools and strategies to resist racism. You can see your program insert for more detailed descriptions of each session.

Participants at Learning Exchanges during ROOTS Weekend-Richmond. Photos: Jasmine Roberts.

ROOTS Week is a Healing Space and a Haven As we move into the difficult, vital work of UpROOTing Racism and Undoing Oppressions together, we invite you to keep in mind the specific environment of ROOTS Week. In the weeks and days leading up to our Annual Meeting, there are a flurry of calls, emails, and texts that all exclaim – is there still a chance for me to come? I have to be there! Is there any room left? I’ll sleep on the floor! What can I do? I need this! The flurry continues at ROOTS Week; people just show up. And we think: ROOTS Week is a space for those in need of healing, and it is a haven for those in need of community. This year we sense an urgency to gather in ways that are different than in past years. There’s a hunger to connect, to be with those who share our values about and commitment to art, community, and activism. The extremists and right wing appear to be more organized than ever – weekly or monthly organizing meetings and broad legislative strategy around issues that often are antithetical to our lives, our communities. Our community is experiencing crisis and trauma in this chaotic political environment. And we, our beloved ROOTS community, are experiencing these things in isolation from one another. We may catch up with each other at various conferences a couple times a year if we’re lucky. But this place in the mountains, ROOTS Week, this is ours. And as we catch our collective breaths, heal and hope, and make art, as we love, and hug, we must also fortify ourselves with knowledge. We will bring our values, our whole selves, operating from a place of love and best intentions. But we are also a microcosm of the world that we live in. We have not perfected eliminating all forms of oppression – namely, capitalism, sexism, racism, transphobia, homophobia, patriarchy, and class oppression – which affects how we show up and are able to be with one another. But we are on the journey. We are on a journey to continue to transform Alternate ROOTS from the inside out and create a community and practices that reflect our values that we can in turn continue sharing outward, to, as Adrienne Maree Brown says, create a world that doesn’t yet exist. A world where everyone thrives, a world rooted in equity and justice. UpROOTing Racism & Undoing Oppressions Training Facilitation Team Kim Pevia, Robert Martin, Carlton Turner, Kathie de Nobriga, Lisa Mount, MK Wegmann, Sage Crump, Keryl McCord, Andrea Assaf, Nicole Garneau, and Harold Steward.

Liz Lerman

Photo: Lise Metzger

Getting Back to Work: ROOTS and the Critical Response Process I was frustrated. What passed for feedback in my community of dance makers was something like: “Nice dance, Liz, now let’s go get a drink” or maybe just “Let’s go get a drink.” I could be found walking the streets of Washington, D.C., days after a concert, muttering over and over the things I would tell the newspaper critics if I only had the chance. Asked to critique the work of “local” artists while on tour, I found myself tongue-tied: I knew how to fix their work to make it more like mine; I wasn’t sure how to help them make it more like theirs.

In 1989 I eagerly attended two festivals, Colorado Dance Festival and Alternate ROOTS, which featured work-in-progress showings. While thrilled to be among people as hungry as I was for feedback, I was disappointed in the outcomes. So I approached the leadership at each to suggest that I would return the following summer to test a new set of protocols. Both agreed, and I went to work on what was to become the Critical Response Process. At the heart of my investigation was a definition of good feedback as an experience that makes you want to get right back to work. A year later I offered the Critical Response Process (CRP) in a form that was almost what it is today. We tried it. Participants at both festivals were enthusiastic for it. I was so grateful for everyone’s commitment to its presence. At ROOTS we immediately dove into the role that this feedback structure could play in relation to social justice, collaborative processes, and the progress towards equity. Those conversations have continued ever since, and I look forward to returning to this source to renew and reframe CRP so that it best serves those essential goals. Meanwhile, working with many partners over the years, we’ve probed it and messed with it and continued growing it. Joined by my colleagues Paloma McGregor and John Borstel, I am so glad to be returning with new knowledge and prepared to gain more by learning how members of the ROOTS community are using it, challenging it, and taking it in new directions.

Deeply ROOTed Honors In 2016, Alternate ROOTS created the Deeply ROOTed Honor to lift up the people who have have been actively involved in ROOTS for 30 years or more, laying the foundation for us to flourish. In 2016 19 members received the Deeply ROOTed Honor, and this year we add two more to their number. As staff, executive committee members, festival planners, organizers, and bad ass artists and activists, our growing list of Deeply ROOTed honorees have remained committed to Alternate ROOTS through the rich and poor times, the joys and the growing pains. With deep gratitude, we honor those who have been in it for the long haul!

Paula Larke Stone Mountain, GA

Allen Welty-Green Atlanta, GA

I teach and perform music and stories from history and contemporary life, nurturing positive social values in youth and adults. A lone star without a constellation became a pulsating fireball in a constellation of compassion shining in a galaxy of life-altering planets. Loner to networking activist, I now introduce folk I meet on my life journey to those who can work well with them to heal and enrich our world.

I am a composer and multi-media artist from Atlanta. I also helped run Eyedrum, a community art space that focused on emerging and avant-garde artists, for many years. ROOTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; biggest role in my life has been through the connections I have made with like-minded people. ROOTS has been a place of learning, healing, and support as I try to navigate and address the challenges facing the world in life and art.

Learning Exchanges & Self-Organized Space At ROOTS we use the term Learning Exchange – rather than workshop or panel – to reflect our values of shared power and open dialogue. Inspired by the principles of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal, the language of “Learning Exchange” frames the sessions as collaborative spaces that honor the gifts, lived experience, and knowledge each participant brings with them, trusting that the wisdom needed to solve any given problem is already in the room. In addition to participating in scheduled Learning Exchanges, we also invite ROOTS Week attendees to convene Self-Organized Space in the breaks between sessions and before or after meals. Each convener of a session takes responsibility for creating it, posting it on the Self-Organized Space bulletin board, assigning it a place and time to meet, and then later showing up and kicking off the exchange. Please review the agenda for pre-programmed times and spaces prior to assigning a location for your convening. If in doubt, check with Programs Manager Wendy Shenefelt or Programs Co-Curator Lauren Fitzgerald for available spaces.

Elise Witt leads a session at ROOTS Week 2016. Photo: Melisa Cardona

ConNECKted Presentation SaBrina Jeffcoat Insider/Outsider SaBrina Jeffcoat will present the current work in action of The Charleston Rhizome Collective, represented by a series of unique cultural art installations, and share stories related to their work. The Charleston Rhizome Collective is an art-in/with community group, where education, art, and activism intersect. By design we are grassroots, inter-generational, and inter-racial. Our â&#x20AC;&#x153;conNECKtedâ&#x20AC;? project, a Partners in Action recipient, amplifies the voices of neighborhoods absent from public and private plans.

Critical Response Process: Practitioner Exchange Session Liz Lerman, Paloma McGregor, and John Borstel Have you facilitated the Critical Response Process (CRP) at ROOTS or actively applied it in your cultural work or home organization? Join CRP originator Liz Lerman and colleagues for this informal session to review 25 years of ROOTS/CRP history and look to the future of this evolving practice.

Critical Response Process: Introductory Workshop Liz Lerman, Paloma McGregor, and John Borstel Long a staple of ROOTS gatherings, the Critical Response Process (CRP) is a facilitated structure for giving and getting feedback on artistic works in progress. Grounded in principles of meaning, inquiry, and dialogue, it promotes honest exchange that leaves makers eager and motivated to get back to rework their projects. CRP originator Liz Lerman returns to ROOTS with colleagues to lead an introductory workshop that explores the values that support useful critique and offers a hands-on demonstration of the four steps of CRP through conversation, reflection, and participation.

Critical Response Process: Intensive* Liz Lerman, Paloma McGregor, and John Borstel This Intensive builds on the Introductory Workshop by deepening practice in the four steps and three roles of the Process, with additional focus on facilitation. Exercises offer skill-building in observation, discerning and managing our own responses, and forming powerful questions. We also explore variations on CRP useful in coaching, teaching, collaboration, and creative process. *Participants must be pre-registered for this session.

Holistic Fitness Marquetta Dupree This dance workshop will allow even the most inexperienced dancer the opportunity to feel comfortable with moving their body. Experience the highly acclaimed dance/walk where we move through the community and dance with whomever we come across. Move through several different rhythms and learn a dance routine. Movement can connect community.

Movement Improvisation and Partnering Scores For All Levels Patton White Participants will be led through a range of movement improvisation and partnering exercises from a somatic approach. Fundamental movement concepts and relationships will be explored in a space of positive reinforcement and discovery. Focus will be on personal expression through investigation of fundamental ways the body moves, crafting a relationship to time and space, and exploring the full range of energetic possibility. Partnering investigations will be informed by Ensemble Thinking and Contact Improvisation, as well as the connection between the mind and body. The development of a movement score will lead to the participants sharing in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;performanceâ&#x20AC;? of the skills they have gained throughout the workshop.

Post-Performance Community Meditation

Radical Intimacy

Hope Clark

Radical Intimacy is a revolutionary ideology that encompasses principles of liberation, community building, and healing through closeness; it is the intentional practice of creating space for care, vulnerability, and energy sharing. This workshop will explore the culture of â&#x20AC;&#x153;intimacyâ&#x20AC;? on various levels, including physical, spiritual, and cultural, while teaching participants skills and techniques they can use to accomplish these goals. This project is deeply rooted in celebrating the magic and diversity that lies within all of us. Focused on shifting the cultural paradigms needed for revolutionary change, Radical Intimacy explores what it really means to invest in our wholeness.

Discuss, learn, and share the skills of community mediation, and how they may be used in post-performance discussions, art show openings, or for any hot-topic discussions that artists are interested in engaging in with communities. How are people heard? What are the feelings behind the statements they make? What are they talking about? What is important to them? How do we find common ground? How do we make community action plans? We will practice identifying feelings, values and topics embedded in comments, how to elicit brainstorming for solutions, how to construct agreements and plans using participant and common examples.

Tamika Lewis

The People’s Budget: Mixing Participatory Budgeting and the Arts Matthew Slaats What role does participatory budgeting play in connecting artists and residents together to respond to the needs our communities? A brief conversation about power, and the ways that civic participation works in our communities, followed by a participatory budgeting simulation that will allow participants to directly experience how this process can work to engage residents and build community leadership.

Vaudeville 101 Rodger French, with Chip Epsten, Andrew Ford, Lisa Q Mount, Toni Shifalo, and Eleanor Brownfield The old tradition of “hey, there’s a barn, let’s put on a show!” mixed perfectly with ROOTS’ early days of isolated, impoverished theatre companies struggling to be heard. ROOTS has a long tradition of Vaudeville shows, which has lain dormant for some years. It’s time for a comeback. This two-part workshop will present a history of Vaudeville in the US and will highlight the neo-Vaudevillian movement in ROOTS. We will teach the construction of a Vaudeville Show and participants will create individual and collaborative vaudeville acts, which may become part of the Friday night Vaudeville Conspiracy performance.

VTArtWorks

Working in Community

Bob Leonard

Linda Parris-Bailey, Andrea Assaf, Tamiko Murray, and Dr. Patricia Y. Jones

An online resource under construction by the VTArtWorks Initiative integrates dialogue and knowledge exchange to facilitate communication, learning, and critical discourse among artists and non-artists in the field of Community Cultural Development (CCD). This resource is designed to meet challenges in movement-making and community-building facing ROOTS artists and their partners, and CCD practitioners across the country, including: - Geographic isolation of communities and practitioners. - Intellectual isolation of disciplines and sectors, separated by different ways of thinking, experiencing the world, and discipline-based vocabularies. - A broad range of users with dissimilar ways of understanding community issues based on diverse cultural backgrounds and experience.

This panel will discuss processes that they have adopted and applied while working with military service members, veterans, and formerly incarcerated people. Their work includes families, friends, and communities. It is of great urgency that we closely examine ways to approach and effectively work with and in these communities such as: - Best practices of entering and exiting communities (things one can and should do that are peculiar to the work being done within these communities). - Partnerships and relationship building, i.e. inviting mental health partners to be apart of sensitive discussion or performances that could be triggering. - Self-care practices, individually and collectively.

Working with Artists with Different Abilities Samuel Valdez When there is talk about having an inclusive atmosphere, the primary focus goes to sexuality, gender, and race, and too many times the issue of different abilities is forgotten, especially in an artistic setting. Therefore, when an artist with different abilities enters the room, many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the deepest idea on how to incorporate them into our art work. In this Learning Exchange, participants will unite to explore ways in which a differently abled person can be included in our everyday artistic work.

(T-B) Kassi Dephinia; Marquez Rhyne; Jade Johnson, Jamie Merwin, and Will MacAdams. Photos: Melisa Cardona.

Performances & Exhibitions

900 Gallons

ALLEGED LESBIAN ACTIVITIES

Nicole Gurgel-Seefeldt 900 Gallons is an invitation to look deeply and honestly at legacies of whiteness. A performance combining ritual and poetry, story and song, and an unappetizing amount of milk drinking, 900 Gallons traces the subtle and not-so-subtle ways white supremacy is woven into Nicole Gurgel-Seefeldtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family history. Moving backwards and forwards in time, 900 Gallons reckons with the spiritual poison of white superiority, and creates space for the full hearted truth telling needed to undermine it. Ready to Tour

Last Call Over the last decade, lesbian bars have shuttered their doors. When the last lesbian bar in New Orleans closed we were filled with questions: What happened to all the dyke bars? What do we lose when we no longer have queer-centered spaces? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve sought answers by interviewing elders from the lesbian community about experiences in the thriving bar scene of the 1960s-80s. More than a place to have a cocktail, lesbian bars were crucial spaces for forming identity and fostering activism. ALLEGED LESBIAN ACTIVITIES stages a funeral for these queer spaces and lifts up a rallying cry against our erasure. Ready to Tour

And He Became a Man

body/s in question

Samuel Valdez & CARPA San Diego

Alison Hall Kibbe

AND HE BECAME MAN is a play about Manuel, a Latino disabled man who questions his manhood by recalling major events influencing his life, asking, “What is a man?” The story focuses on migration, the family, working in the fields, alcoholism, abuse, rivalry, and the questioning of identity. The importance of discovering oneself can be a very difficult journey looking into the past, trying to figure out the future. Manuel goes through his journey in this piece that uses music, dance, movement, and video influencing the audience to look back into their own past. With special performances by Rick Zazueta and Tricia Hernandez-Arce.

body/s in question charts the fault lines that cross the multi-racial body. The performer’s experience as a multi-racial woman raised in the US South and her family’s history of migration between Jamaica, Panama, Cuba, and the US serve as doorways to examine questions of race, belonging, citizenship, and memory. Using movement, original poetry and text, family oral history interviews, and archival and historical research, this choreopoem is a physical remembrance of the pushes and pulls that have moved our bodies, shaped our skin, and molded our tongues. It is a meditation on the borders we cross and the borders that cross us.

Ready to Tour

Early Idea/Workshop

GLOBAL MANDALA

Harmony in Diversity

Sonia Osio

Elise Witt

GLOBAL MANDALA is an international art collaboration, an installation made of circles of varying materials and sizes. Each circle represents a grain of sand, a person, a message, a dream, the power of One, Love, Justice, Peace, and Community. ROOTers will receive a circle on which they are invited to write, draw, paint their answer to this simple prompt: WHAT IS YOUR HOPE FOR HUMANITY? In workshop, these circles will become the ROOTS Mandala, joining the project to its greater whole. The exhibition/ presentation will also include photos of the other Mandalas, and the communities around the world contributing to the Global Mandala Project.

Discover, explore, and expand your voice. Become part of an Impromptu Glorious Chorusâ&#x201E;˘! Through vocal exercises, song, and improvisation, a group of humans find their common ground, while also celebrating each personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uniqueness. Singing to build community and passing it on.

It Makes Me Think: Our Stories About Reentry Reforming Arts It Makes Me Think: Our Stories About Reentry tells the stories of women who ended up incarcerated in the Georgia carceral system. Some of the stories include the experiences that led up to their incarcerations, others donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. All stories focus on the challenges and obstacles involved with reentry. The play doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try to solve the problems of reentry; rather, it addresses the problems in order to provoke discussion and critical thinking about a broken justice system. In the play, as in life, the women bring up serious questions about when their payment to society ends, and when their contributions can begin.

Liza Garza and Eli Lakes Rooted in a passion for Oneness and Tradition, Liza Garza and her oldest son, Eli Lakes, present an array of original music that carries on in the tradition of their family. Honoring their ancestors, they hold sacred the power of song and storytelling and its ability to unveil bridges between the hearts. Championing the vulnerable, they find joy within every creative exchange, celebrating their mutual passion for each other and their divine purpose. Ready to Tour

Work in Progress

Looking for Sister Angela Johnson Davis & nyx zierhut Looking for Sister signifies the presence of black womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work, grief, love, and power through a moving visual art performance. Angela Davis Johnson and nyx zierhut will embody stories and histories through body movement, language, and will display a glimpse into the lives of missing and invisibilized black women. Work in Progress

Rooted, The Undying Tree PhaeMonae Brooks A dance performance installation, Rooted will be witnessed in the habitat more common to the basic civilization of molecular organisms. Crafted with the ideas of growth, community and communication, death and reincarnation. The artists involved plan to take you on a journey in understanding the parallels we have discovered between the lives of trees and the lives of human beings. The generational theory that we all have roots that keep us grounded and essentially sustain our lineage as time continues. We develop, breed, and create new possibilities through genetic memory from our innate history as species. Reinventing oneself, becoming anew. Work in Progress

Sexual Healing: A Work in Process* Lauren Hind Sexual Healing: A Work in Process is a living document of one womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fervent effort to heal her own sexual trauma. Through documentation, archival video, dance and text, Lauren Hind, a 22 time sexual assault and incest survivor, shares her journey to reclaim her body, voice, and self-worth. *Content may be innappropriate for children, and may be triggering to those who have experienced sexual trauma.

Spoken Word Poetry Monica Elizabeth Atkins Three spoken word pieces: Workers Peripheral calls out issues around dangerous working conditions and the lack of representation for workers in the South. The Tryth places emphasis on people of color searching for the truth of our lineage while telling our narrative. And Waging War discusses the physical and spiritual warfare against communities of color. Ready to Tour

Work in Progress/Ready to Tour

The Way at Midnight

Upwardly Mobile

Mondo Bizarro

Diane Tower-Jones and Sekou Coleman

A humorous and incisive performance that explores the role cartography has played in colonization, and the way those legacies live in our bodies and continue to impact our lives. It is a call and response between the past, present, and future, between the timely and the timeless, where personal memories collide with histories left off the map. The performance will premiere in New Orleans in September 2017. Work-in-Process

Upwardly Mobile is a prelude to Beneath The Veneer, an independent documentary film about opportunity, success, and inequity in the United States. Currently in production, the film follows the lives of several young black men growing up in America for a year. Age 13 to 19, the boys are part of a group of 40 who participate in an enrichment program entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;My Daddy Taught Me That,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; founded and directed by Keynon Lake. An African American native of Asheville, NC and a social worker by day, Lake is passionate about making a difference, particularly through mentoring underprivileged kids and exposing them to life changing events. Work in Progress

Vaudeville Conspiracy Performance Rodger French, with Chip Epsten, Andrew Ford, Lisa Q Mount, Toni Shifalo, and Eleanor Brownfield More than a band, more than a theatrical format, the Vaudeville Conspiracy rears its head. Once upon a time in ROOTS, Vaudeville was an important element in the annual meetings, providing a format for many types of “acts” to be developed and performed. Magicians, illusionists, jugglers, acrobats, and performance artists of all stripes found acceptance, inspiration, training, camaraderie, and bookings at Alternate ROOTS. This year, we’ll revive that tradition with a workshop and a short, but brief, show. Retrospective

(T-B) Eylem Basaldi; Toni Shifalo, Mick Kinney, and Lisa Mount; William O’Neal. Photos: Ariston Jacks.

Bios for all Presenters Alison Hall Kibbe is a cultural organizer, strategic consultant, and multidisciplinary artist. Currently living in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, she was raised in North Carolina and her research and work have taken her through New York, Brazil, the Mississippi Delta, South Africa, and her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roots in Cuba and Jamaica, exploring questions of art, identity, and social change. Working with dance, performance, literary arts, and dialogue, she uses oral history and ethnographic research to develop multifaceted storytelling and participatory experiences. Andrea Assaf, Founding Artistic Director of Art2Action, is a writer, performer, director, and cultural organizer. She has a Masters in Performance Studies from NYU. Awards include: 2017 Freedom Plow Poetry & Activism Finalist, 2011 NPN Creation Fund, 2010 Princess Grace Award. Memberships: CAATA Board of Directors, Alternate ROOTS, and RAWI. Angela Davis Johnson, informed by the wisdom of the matriarchs in her family, creates paintings, sculptures, installations, and ritual performances to examine and archive the technologies of black folks. She generates experiential spaces to bring personal and communal healing around poverty, displacement, and state sanctioned violence. Bob Leonard - A theatre-maker and teacher at Virginia Tech, Bob Leonard directs community-based plays/projects for social justice. Bob heads the MFA program in Directing and Public Dialogue, and teaches acting and improvisation. He is the Project Director of the VTArtWorks Initiative. CARPA San Diego is an organization that creates a space where Latinx artists can showcase their talent through theater, dance, music, and other artistic expressions reaching out to the community in a non-traditional setting. It serves the community by bringing artists to their neighborhoods exposing them to the arts through presentation and education inviting them to participate as creative individuals in performances, workshops, and dialogues expanding their knowledge of artistic cultural. CARPA wants to build a fun, working atmosphere were artists and community members can learn from each other to inspire the prosperity of their surroundings. D. Patton White has danced with numerous companies throughout the metro Atlanta area since 1982. He has served as the Artistic/Administrative Director of Beacon Dance since 1990. He has taught on the faculty of Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA, and is currently on the faculty of Emory University in Atlanta, GA. White has toured nationally and internationally as a performer, and his choreography has been

(L-R) Ron Ragin & Rebecca Mwase; Andrea Assaf. Photos: Ariston Jacks. Kathy Randels & Samuel Valdez. Photo: Melisa Cardona.

performed by numerous companies throughout the US. He has been a member of Alternate ROOTS since 1997, and has trained extensively in the realm of community-engagement and social change through art making. Diane Tower-Jones and Sekou Coleman are the director-producer team responsible for Beneath The Veneer and its prelude short film, Upwardly Mobile. A native of the UK, Diane studied video production, directing, and vision mixing at Performing Arts school in London. Born in North Carolina, raised in Washington, D.C. and educated at the University of Pittsburgh, Sekouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production skills have been sharpened through his work as an entrepreneur, consultant, and employee with major corporations, government agencies, small businesses, and nonprofits. Although Diane and Sekou have numerous prior individual experiences with independent film projects, this is their largest effort thus far. Dr. Patricia Y. Jones (PhD) is a formerly incarcerated person who possesses a felony. She is a veteran with Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) linked to Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Through the sharing of her story as a digital storytelling facilitator she assists others from being silenced to empowering them in the reclaiming and reframing of their stories. Eli Lakes is a musician, producer, and art activist. Raised and rooted in culture and purpose he has pursued his passion from an early age. Eli began experimenting with his voice and several instruments and due to his self driven work ethic got on the road as his mother Liza Garzaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official guitarist and backup vocalist at the age of 15. He has joined her at The Happy Feelings Concert at the Flint Institute of Arts, The Clear Creek Festival (Berea, KY), Taking it the Streets Festival (Chicago, IL) and numerous universities. His experience and inherent wisdom radiates far and wide.

(L-R) Linda Parris-Bailey & Grandson. Photo: Melisa Cardona; Joe Tolbert & Jess Solomon. Photo: Ariston Jacks; Robert “Bobby B” Martin & Will MacAdams. Photo: Melisa Cardona.

Elise Witt’s concerts of Global, Local & Homemade Songs™ and her Impromptu Glorious Chorus™ workshops create and connect singing communities around the globe. A ROOTS member since 1978, Elise was born in Switzerland, raised in North Carolina, and has made her home in Atlanta since 1977. She speaks five languages fluently, sings in at least a dozen more, and recently released We’re All BORN SINGING, her eleventh recording on the independent EMWorld Records label. Recipient of the William L. Womack Creative Arts Award, Elise currently serves as Director of Music Programs at the Global Village Project, a school for teenage refugee girls in Decatur, GA. Hope Clark founded Wheelbarrow Productions, Inc. (WHEE) to partner with communities to create positive social change and economic opportunities through the performing arts. WHEE partnered with Circus, Theater, Dance, and Music Associations in Lalibela Ethiopia to produce the Lalibela Circus and Cultural Show Pilot Project which created a show about Lalibela history and culture for sustainable income and a play about “Early Marriage”. This summer she is an Artist in Residence at Culture Vultures in Sefrou Morocco, and resides in Chestertown, Maryland where she is a community mediator. She was a member of the RSC workgroup from 2007- 2012. John Borstel is a maker, writer, and facilitator of experiences in critique and learning. As Director of Critical Response Initiatives he continues his 24-year association with Liz Lerman. Co-author and illustrator of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process, he has contributed articles to Youth Drama Ireland, Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, Parterre Box, and multiple projects for Animating Democracy. John’s award-winning artistic work combines aspects of photography, performance, and text.

Last Call is a multiracial collective of queer artists, activists, and archivists. Drawn together by the closing of the last remaining dyke bar, Last Call creates innovative, multi-platform performances, events, and digital media that document and interpret neglected queer history, creating connections between those who lived this history and those who have much at stake if it is forgotten. We conjure up intergenerational gathering places where the movement for queer liberation is carried forward. Lauren Hind is an image maker and performance artist based in New Orleans. Her work explores the body as a political cannon for healing trauma. Her films and photographs have been shown worldwide including the 2011 Berlinale and the 2010 International Queer Lisboa Film Festival, among others. Most recently, her series, Bath Boys exhibited as part of the New Orleans’ Contemporary Art Center’s Mark of the Feminine. She has since moved from behind the camera finding herself in front of live audiences - and for the first time in her life, she feels alive. Linda Parris-Bailey is the Executive/Artistic Director of The Carpetbag Theatre Inc. and primary Playwright. She is the recipient of the 2015 Doris Duke Artist Award in theater. Her story-based plays with music focus on themes of transformation and empowerment. Her current work, Speed Killed My Cousin, was awarded a NEFA National Theater Project grant and NPN Creation Fund grant. Liz Lerman is a choreographer, performer, writer, educator and speaker whose honors include a 2002 MacArthur “Genius Grant,” 2011 United States Artists Ford Fellowship, and 2017 Jacob’s Pillow Award. Founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in 1976, she cultivated the company’s unique multi-generational ensemble as a leading force in contemporary dance until 2011.The originator of the Critical Response Process and author of Hiking the Horizontal: Field Notes from a Choreographer, Liz was recently named Institute Professor at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University, where her laboratory focuses on creative research and arts-based tools. Liza Garza - Emmy Award nominated Liza Garza is a lightworker, mother, activist, poet, and vocalist who is passionate about Oneness. From her soulful sounds of Mexican folk tunes with the intricacy of Hip Hop rhyme schemes, to her handcrafted adornments inspired by indigenous textiles, she bridges the ancestral with the modern. With performances that include The Lincoln Center, The Apollo, NALAC, HBO Def Poetry, and numerous stages worldwide, diverse people find a home in her voice. Possessing a self-formatted degree in Performance Activism from the University of Michigan-Flint, Liza spends the balance of her time speaking at universities and conferences.

Marquetta Dupree of MD Wellness provides holistic fitness, health, and wellness services to diverse communities. She is a Master Trainer and Instructor and also a licensed Zumba® Jammer hosting choreography sessions for instructors. MD Wellness’ most sought after services are dance and dance fitness, but rehabilitation and consulting are a large part of the company as well. We offer personal, small and large group, and corporate fitness/wellness services, from Reiki to nutrition counseling and event planning across Atlanta and surrounding areas. We offer opportunities for community involvement in the form of events and classes, and we never turn anyone away for lack of money. Matthew Slaats is an artist, designer, teacher, organizer, and activist, focusing on participatory modes of democracy that strengthen resident voices in defining the future of their neighborhoods. Matthew works at the University of Virginia’s Open Grounds, and serves as the Creative Director of PauseLab, a Charlottesville based nonprofit focused on community engagement, placemaking, and design thinking. Mondo Bizarro is a New Orleans-based company that has been creating daring, interdisciplinary art and fostering creative partnerships in local, national, and international communities for fourteen years. Our creative endeavors range from ensemble performances to large-scale community festivals, from innovative digital storytelling projects to site-responsive productions. Since 2002, our wide array of imaginative projects including FLIGHT (2007-2010), LOUP GAROU (2009-Present), RACE PEACE (2008-Present) and CRY YOU ONE (2013-Present), have toured to art centers, universities, and outdoor locations in 34 states across the country and abroad. Monica Atkins is a Chicago native and graduate of Jackson State University where she completed a Bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in Journalism. A poet and activist in Jackson, MS, Atkins has shown leadership in engaging public service workers around civil, human, and workers rights. She has organized social and cultural awareness events including Art, Poetry, and Justice Slam annually. Atkins is currently serving as a program manager for Deep Seedz Art Collective for young artists. Nicole Gurgel-Seefeldt is a poet and performer, arts organizer and activist. Together with communities in Minnesota, Virginia, and Texas she has co-created original performances around issues of homelessness, immigration, and racial justice. She holds an MFA in Performance as Public Practice from the University of Texas at Austin and serves as Alternate ROOTS’ Communications Manager. Midwestern by birth, she makes her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. nyx zierhut is a multiracial black genderqueer performance artist, dancer, and poet. a creator of visceral aesthetic and political interventions, they practice within

(L-R) Lauren Fitzgerald; Ashley Minner & Camille Shafer; Omari Fox. Photos: Melisa Cardona.

an array of somatic healing and contemplative movement traditions. nyx wields creativity as resistance, as a tool for political change, as a path of liberation. Paloma McGregor is a New York-based, Caribbean-born choreographer focused on centering Black voices through collaborative, process-based art-making and organizing. She is Co-Founder and Director of Angela’s Pulse, which produces performance work dedicated to building community and illuminating bold stories. She is in her fifth year as the instigator of Dancing While Black, which supports dialogue, documentation, and performance among Black dance artists. Paloma toured internationally for six years with Urban Bush Women and two years with Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. The third installment of her iterative performance reclamation project, Building A Better Fishtrap, premieres on the Bronx River next summer. PhaeMonae Brooks is a movement artist who originated from Washington, D.C. PhaeMonae grew her aspiration for dance as she began to experiment with raw movement. PhaeMonae attended Georgian Court University as a Dance Major under the direction of Silvana Cardell. PhaeMonae attended Bates Dance Festival working alongside the BDF faculty for the Young Dancers Workshop. PhaeMonae has had the pleasure of working with Greg Catellier’s “First Fridays,” T.Lang’s “Lit” variation and T.Lang’s “Post.” PhaeMonae is also a dance artist for Scrap performance group’s residency at the Workroom with Lucky Penny and is a dance artist with CORE Performance Company. Radical Intimacy is the brainchild of two revolutionaries who dream of a vibrant world where people embrace moments of intimacy with friends and loved ones as a way to nourish themselves. This project is deeply rooted in celebrating the magic and diversity that lies within all of us. Focused on shifting the cultural paradigms needed for revolutionary change, we, as artists, understand the importance of creating work that explores what it really means to invest in our wholeness.

Reforming Arts provides a theatre infused liberal arts education to women who are under carceral control in Georgia. Through our education-in-prison and reentry programs, we foster the development of critical and creative thinking skills, encouraging students to build livable lives. SaBrina Jeffcoat is a studio art graduate of the College of Charleston, currently working as a practicing visual artist and community organizer with experience working in the museum and public art sectors. SaBrina was first introduced to ConNECKted while working as an artist in residence with JEMAGWGA. SaBrina now functions within the ConNECKted Team as an assistant. Samuel Valdez, a disabled theater artist, received his B.A. degree from San Diego State University in 1991, with an emphasis in directing. He has directed plays such as ROOSTERS by Milcha Sanchez Scott, THE CONDUCT OF LIFE by Maria Irene Fornes, and THE GUITARRON by Lynne Alvarez. Mr. Valdez has also written some works which include SOY YO/IT’S ME, P13-VIVE, AMBOS/BOTH, OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE, and most recently AND HE BECAME MAN. His community work is very extensive. He has incorporated his artistic talents to create positive change in whoever he works with. Sonia Osio - Born in Valencia, Venezuela, Sonia Osio is a healer, visual artist, singer, songwriter, and improviser. At age 18, she joined a community of Native Peoples in the mountains of Carabobo. People there grew coffee, oranges, and cacao. She lived for 20 years in that magical environment, creating visual and performance art with the community. In 2004 Sonia came to the United States to further develop her multiple arts. Her current project is the Global Mandala, supported by a ROOTS Artistic Assistance grant. Tamiko Ambrose Murray is a co-founder of Asheville Writers in the Schools and Community and “Word on the Street,” a bilingual arts and culture magazine for and by youth of color. She has taught creating as a healing practice to youth and adults for over 12 years. Vaudeville 101 workshop leaders: Rodger French (Fearless Leader, accordion, juggling), Chip Epsten (violin, saxophone, writer), Andrew Ford (euphonium, juggling), Lisa Q Mount (banjo, writer, director), Toni Shifalo (La Banana, washtub bass, juggling), and Eleanor Brownfield (stage manager) are the core of The DeLuxe Vaudeville Orchestra, which grew from the Vaudeville movement at ROOTS. Long time ROOTers, seasoned performers, accomplished musicians, and willing organizers with strong political sensibilities, the DVO seizes the moment to reunite whenever our fearless leader is in the US.

Orientation

Meeting Processes & Roles As part of ROOTS’ community-building practice, we are intentional about the ways in which we gather together and share space. These meeting agreements are an evolving snapshot of practices we use to cultivate equity, community, and wellness when we convene as a group. They are by no means a requirement for every gathering, nor are they ever complete. As you get together throughout the week, please feel free to use these agreements as a starting point and add/ change/invent new language to better serve the unique needs of your group. Meeting Agreements At the beginning of meetings/Learning Exchanges/etc., we create a meeting contract. This agreement includes everything from emotional needs to physical requests in order to keep us together and moving as a cohesive, productive group. It can include things like: • • • • • • • • •

Include the pronouns you use when you introduce yourself. (More on this at the bottom of p. 45) Use “I” statements: speak from your own experience and feelings. Take care of yourself and your own needs. Avoid alphabet soup/coded language; don’t assume everyone knows what acronyms or buzzwords mean. Seek first to understand; assume good intent. Leave the space in better shape than you found it. Come forward, come back; if you’re participating a lot, make space for others to have a turn; if you’re not participating very much, challenge yourself to do so. Ask before you hug. (More on this on p. 45) Take stretch breaks and creatively use your body whenever possible!

Assigned Roles At the beginning of a meeting/Learning Exchange, we assign roles. Some of these roles are already in place (e.g. Learning Exchanges are facilitated by the artist/activist who proposed that session) and not every role is necessary for every kind of gathering (e.g. a dance Learning Exchange may not need a note taker). Roles can include: •

Facilitator: knows the goals and objectives of the session and keeps everyone on point toward that end.

• • • • • •

Co-Facilitator: jumps in when the facilitator needs help, often will also keep “the stack” or “queue” (the list of people who are waiting to speak). Time Keeper: is aware of how much time has been allotted for an exercise/ discussion item and gives verbal or visual cues when time is coming to a close. Public Scribe: takes notes publically on butcher paper/chalkboard/etc. Note Taker: takes notes for archival purposes on computer. Emotions Monitor: keeps a temperature reading on the room. If things get heated, suggests a breathing exercise, bio-break, etc. If the group moves through a hard piece successfully, suggests a celebratory moment. Door Keeper: greets latecomers or those who have had to leave and come back; catches them up on what the group has been discussing so the session does not have to stop with each new entry.

Check-ins/Check-outs Generally, as time and agenda allow, meetings/Learning Exchanges begin with a check-in and end with a check-out. Individuals are invited to say what’s going on in their neck of the woods, or in what physical, spiritual, or emotional state they’re entering or leaving the space. This process can be shortened creatively by asking participants to use one word, movement, a song title, or some other abbreviating concept to capture an energetic reading. Sharing and minding folks’ pronouns. We encourage everyone sharing space with us this week to identify your pronouns on your nametag. Being intentional about sharing pronouns and attentive to using folks’ correct pronouns is part of growing our practice of gender liberation. It’s a way to make the space at ROOTS Week more welcoming and affirming to gender non-conforming, transgender, and genderqueer folks – and doing so makes us ALL more free! If being mindful of pronouns is new to you, this week is a fabulous opportunity to make this part of your practice. Cultivating a culture of consent: Ask before you hug. Seek a verbal “yes” before extending your arms for a hug or placing your hand on someone. No matter our intentions, we do not know folks’ boundaries or what they may be feeling inside – you never know what someone is or has gone through. This is especially important if you do not know the person but is also a good idea to practice with all of your friends and family. And yes, it may seem awkward or silly, but this practice ensures that all ROOTS Week participants can feel safe and empowered in their own bodies.

Important Info ROOTS Week: The Annual Meeting & Artists’ Retreat is a fun, challenging, and life-altering gathering for many people. Because this is an experiential event, it may be difficult to describe ROOTS Week to someone who has not attended before. However, we’ve provided answers to some of the questions you might have if this is your first ROOTS Week. Who attends ROOTS Week? Artists, cultural workers, educators, art supporters, and activists/organizers from throughout the South, other parts of the U.S., and even some international friends. Participants are people who want to meet and learn about the work of community-based artists making change happen. They are people who want to learn new methods of interacting with their communities, people who want to work towards the elimination of all forms of oppression, and protection of the natural world. Who will be performing and sharing art? Check out the Learning Exchange, Performance & Exhibition sections of your program book for a full line-up. In addition to a dynamic schedule, there are also informal opportunities for attendees to share art. Art Breaks are a regular feature of business meetings, and Late Night is open to anyone who has something to share. Spontaneous ciphers/song circles/dance parties are also part of our culture – you never know where or when you might witness/make art at ROOTS Week! Is there wireless access? How will I check my e-mail?!?!? Yes, there is limited, sometimes unreliable wireless access. The main internet cafe is on the second level of Kohnjoy. You can also find internet at cafes off campus. However, we encourage you to be as low-tech as you can this week. It can be a lovely thing to step away from your computer for a while. Can I drink at ROOTS Week? Yes – if you’re over 21. We like to let loose around here. But, please keep in mind: not everyone drinks or feels comfortable around drinking. Please be discreet about your alcohol consumption and do not push it on others. Additionally, please do not serve alcohol to an underage participant. When’s the pool open? Weather permitting, the pool is open everyday from 10 am-12 pm and 1-5 pm. Come join us for a Pool Party on Saturday starting at 1pm!

Work Co-Ops: Everybody works at ROOTS Week! Whether you’re coming to ROOTS Week for the first time or are a founding member, there is a place for you to contribute your genius and energy in the work co-op. By working together, we can keep costs low, build community, and live out our values of sharing labor fairly. The vision is that everyone works one shift over the course of the week. Year after year, ROOTS members say that their experiences working together are some of the most important parts of ROOTS Week. Please be mindful of your personal fragrances. Some ROOTS Week attendees experience sensitivity to strong fragrances. We ask that you be mindful of your use of perfume or cologne, fragrant laundry/body soaps and shampoos, or any other chemicals/fragrances, particularly when you will be engaging in our public spaces. Please note our gender neutral restrooms. Alternate ROOTS welcomes, celebrates, and supports gender diversity. All ROOTS Week participants are invited to use the restroom that best fits their identity. Multi-stall restrooms are located in the Faith Center, Dining Room, and Mission Halls. Single stall restrooms are located in Thornberg and Kohnjoy. Collective Accessibility Alternate ROOTS aims to provide inclusive community building by making our organization and its events accessible across a full spectrum of abilities. We are sensitive to, and do our best to accommodate, mobility differences, communication differences, sensory differences, chemical injury/sensitivities, and environmental illnesses. In so doing, we commit to our practice of “All of us, or none.” This practice of collective accessibility includes, but is not limited to: • • • •

Selecting a conference site that is as fully accessible as possible to participants with mobility challenges Providing an American Sign Language interpreter for participants that are deaf or hard of hearing Avoiding the use of strong fragrances that irritate participants’ chemical sensitivities Sharing the importance of mindful language, particularly related to a wide range of abilities and differences

It is our desire that ROOTS Week attendees integrate inclusive language that does not privilege and normalize non-disabled ways of thinking, communicating, feeling, and moving through the world (e.g. “moving through the world” rather than “walking through the world,” “coming forward for membership” rather than “stepping up for membership.”)

What do I do in case of an emergency? If the incident is an emergency please call 911. Parkridge Hospital is the closest: 100 Hospital Dr, Hendersonville, NC 28792 / 828-684-8501. Mission Health System is also nearby: 509 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 / 828-213-1111. Pardee UNC Health Care is also nearby: 2695 Hendersonville Rd, Arden NC 28704 / 828-651-6300. How can I get in touch with Lutheridge and/or ROOTS Staff? Please contact Lutheridge staff for issues with building maintenance, lost keys, or anything having to do with the physical grounds. All other questions can be directed to ROOTS staff. Lutheridge Guest Services can be reached, day or night at: 828-606-5684. ROOTS Staff can be reached by calling the office number, which will be re-routed to our various cell phones. To reach ROOTS Staff, call 404-577-1079 and dial the extension of the person you need to speak with: Wendy Shenefelt, Programs Manager: x306 Paige Heurtin, Operations Manager: x305 Nicole Gurgel-Seefeldt, Communications Manager: x303 Tiffany Vega-Gibson, ROOTS Week Registration Assistant: x308

Photo: Melisa Cardona

Glossary of Terms ROOTS has a 41-year history of creating and defining language. Here are a few terms you might hear over the course of this week: Business Meetings: All meeting attendees, no matter how new they are to the organization, are encouraged to participate in ROOTS’ business meetings which include, but are not limited to, program updates and evaluations, planning the future and clarifying our vision, and voting in new members. ExComm: ROOTS’ Executive Committee is frequently referred to as the “ExComm.” The ExComm is comprised of elected representatives, and a slate of officers. Late Night: Based on an open mic or cabaret format, Late Night is an opportunity for you to get up and show some of your stuff. Totally casual and off-the-cuff, Late Night is a place where our night owls come together to share poetry, dance, music, monologues, blog entries – whatever you want to show. Each evening has a host or hosts and that’s who you would speak to about getting on the list.

Special Cafe Bizzoso edition of Late Night for ROOTS’ 40th Anniversary Reunion. Photo (L): Ariston Jacks; Photo (R): Melisa Cardona.

Learning Exchange: A Learning Exchange looks different wherever and whenever it happens. It is an opportunity for a community to come together around an agreed upon topic. Inspired by the principles of Paulo Freire and Augusto Boal, ROOTS has adopted the term “learning exchange” to show that all the knowledge that is needed to solve any given problem is already in the room. Region: ROOTS has a 14-state service area, plus the District of Columbia. Our service region is the geographic area of the United States often referred to as “The South”: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Rhizome: Taken from a horticultural term that relates to plants that grow through their root structure, rhizomes are small groupings of ROOTS members and friends who convene and participate in ROOTS-related activities across the region. A Rhizome is sometimes a smaller grouping within a region (e.g.: GA/AL/ SC = Region, Charleston = Rhizome). Self-Organized Space: A meeting technique that acknowledges your power to set your own agenda. Come prepared to share with one another. Studios, workshops, discussion sessions, and performances can all happen during time set aside for Self-Organized Space. Spontaneous performance/happenings/combustion: Also known as “Gettin’ ROOT-y.” We occasionally burst out into song during the middle of a meal, create an impromptu performance on the way to the pool, or make a sculpture of tin cans. You don’t need permission to join this sort of thing – you just have to give yourself permission. Strategic Plan(ning): This is the process of setting priorities and new directions for an organization. These priorities will serve as a roadmap for future programmatic decisions. Every 3-5 years ROOTS evaluates and sets new directions. All meeting attendees, no matter how new they are to the organization, are encouraged to participate.

Donate to ROOTS! When you Give to Alternate ROOTS, you support Cultural Organizing, Artistic Expression, and Social Justice.

As part of the Performing Statistics project (a 2015-16 PIA partner) 200 community members marched in Richmond declaring “Prisons Don’t Work!”. Photo: Craig Zirpolo.

WHAT TO GIVE Monetary Donations: You’ll have opportunities to give at evening performances and can always stop in the registration office to make a donation! In-kind Lodging (retreat spaces, hotels, rental housing, etc.), Transportation (travel vouchers or member points for airfare, bus, trains, carpooling services, etc.), or Professional Development/Artistic Supplies (supplies or vouchers for supplies, leadership development programs, software, computers and other technology, marketing and press, website development services for our members, etc.).

HOW TO GIVE Planned Giving (donations for a future date, in perpetuity, or even many years beyond life passing), Tribute Giving (in honor or memory of a loved one), Gifts of Stocks and Securities (stock, mutual funds, IRA contributions, and donor advised funds), Sponsorship (organizations and businesses giving via monetary donations or in-kind gifts).

Thank you for supporting the mission and vision of Alternate ROOTS!

www.alternateroots.org/donate-now

Funders, Sponsors, and Special Thanks 2017 Institutional Funders Fund for Southern Communities National Endowment for the Arts Surdna Foundation The Ford Foundation Quixote Foundation The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation The Nathan Cummings Foundation Robert Rauschenberg Foundation The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta

Sponsor

Special Thanks Angie Yates, Susan Presto, Neil S. Robinson, Chef Pinky P. Varghese, Chef Mike Jerideau, Chef Tony Catlett, Philip Little, Kasiya Little, Thomas Nus, Summer Whiteside, Megan Mills, Jenny Allen, and Parris Parks

Staff and Executive Committee Alternate ROOTS Staff Carlton Turner, Executive Director Ashley Walden Davis, Managing Director Paige Heurtin, Operations Manager Wendy Shenefelt, Programs Manager Nicole Gurgel-Seefeldt, Communications Manager Kerry Lee, Operations Associate Joseph Thomas, Communications Developer

Alternate ROOTS 2016-2017 Executive Committee Tamiko Ambrose Murray, Chair Trey Hartt, President Nicole Garneau, Secretary Monique Davis, Treasurer Esme Balthazar Hasan Davis

Don Harrell Charmaine Minniefield Kim Pevia Jess Solomon Samuel Valdez

ROOTS Week Staff Joseph Bazelais, Tech Team Arielle Brown, Artistic Programs Co-Curator Karimah Dillard, Health and Wellness Co-Captain and Camp Counselor Rebecca Drew Ramsey, Youth Village Captain Marquetta Dupree, Accessibility Captain Jayeesha Dutta, Visual Arts Coordinator Lauren Fitzgerald, Artistic Programs Co-Curator Jason Foster, Tech Team Christine Gautreaux, Health and Wellness Co-Captain and Camp Counselor Sara Green, Camp Counselor Alex Hernandez, Co- Stage Manager Aaron Havel, Co-Stage Manager Normando Ismay, Translator daniel johnson, Green Team Captain Erica Johnson, Youth Village Child Care Provider Mark W. Kidd, Tech Team Adewunmi Oke, Tech Team Billy Munoz, Tech Team Hannah Pepper, ROOTS 101 Captain Mary Burke Pitts, Youth Village Child Care Provider Patton White, Hospitality Captain Ami Worthen, Documentation Captain Amy Zapien, Translator

Campus Map

Notes

Join Us in September!

Through the theme of Creating Place: The Art of Equitable Community Building, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re digging into the practice of creative placemaking within the context of Atlantaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast changing landscape, paying special attention to how art can both drive and resist gentrification.

ROOTS Weekend-Atlanta Local Partners: