How to Build a Fire: Reclamation
February 22, 2019
8:00pm
STORYTELLERS:
Keisha-Gaye Anderson
Yesenia Guerra
Christina Marks
Ingrid X. Galvez
RECLAMATION – the process of claiming something back or of reasserting a right, i.e. “the reclamation of our shared history”
The theme is inspired by Nicholas Galanin’s works. Galanin believes in destroying the commodification of culture and evidencing the damage to expand, forward dialogue on what art is and how it can be endless possibility – “My works teach and tell histories, based on my relationship to land and communities.”
The process of channeling ideas and knowledge into physical form has been practiced by Indigenous communities for as long as they have existed. Have you ever had the impulse to reuse pre-existing material, ideas, experiences, feelings, words, no matter how offensive, to destroy the fake masks to make something new of them? Reclaim the oppressor’s tool to confront the traumatic past but not wallow in it? have you reclaimed yourself, your internal land, environment, truth, trauma, pain, hurt, loss; creating positive from the negative, creating movement from things once static? Was your reclamation creative? visual? a spoken language? did it embody giving, living respectful of land and water? Did it offer space for dialogue with community that contributes towards progress? Did it take care of the environment? Our children are faced with the necessity to survive and care for the land, water & sea, what will you do?
Created five years ago, How to Build a Fire is a community storytelling series where a diverse group of individuals share real-life, personal narratives centered around a different theme each month. At times funny, at times sad, their stories weave together a broad illustration of the human experience. How to Build a Fire takes place at Open Source Gallery -a welcoming, nurturing, intimate, safe environment- where, monthly, one can see a new exhibition installed by an array of up-and-coming and established visual artists. Every year, poet and event founder Terence Degnan partners with Open Source Gallery to select two new co-hosts/curators of “HTBAF.” This year’s curators are poets Shafina Ahmed and Phillip J. Ammonds.
Can’t be with us in person? Watch on Livestream!
