The Empathy Workshop: Share Your Stories

Paul Rucker is sharing the making of his new body of work with The Project Room throughout 2013-2014. Please join him on October 11 at 6pm for an on-site workshop, and share your stories in response to this essay about his work and ideas.

A couple of weeks ago I was part of the “8th Annual Constitution Day” at the Maryland Institute and College of Art. The theme this year was Inequity and Incarceration in America. My video Proliferation is pictured here behind David Simon- creator of The Wire, Ashley Hunt- Artist Activist, and Susan Barton- Activist.

When I started working on bringing attention to incarceration, it wasn’t because I spent time in prison. During my first year of college, four of my friends back home were involved in a drug related murder. They robbed an elementary school principal who was working late one evening. When the principal resisted handing over his wallet, he was shot. They used the $76 from the robbery to buy drugs and beer. Later convicted, one was executed by lethal injection. A second was released and later incarcerated again for an unrelated crime. He died in prison during his second sentence. The other two have since been released after time served.

I felt for the shooting victim, but I also felt something different for the four involved in the shooting. I remember a time we were all young kids playing on the playground. Part of what I felt was survivor’s guilt; part of me knew that no one is born with ambitions of robbing, or killing.

So I’m creating work about incarceration, but I have never been incarcerated. Would I have more “street cred” if I had been? I ask this because out of the three panelists and the moderator at the Constitutional Day event, Susan Barton, understood the broken system more than anyone because she lived it. She served 6 prison terms for drug related offenses. What’s remarkable to me is that she started A New Way of Life Reentry Project, an organization that gives to just-released female offenders a sober and safe place to live and other support services. She’s helped more than 400 women get back on their feet.

I can try to understand, but even with the best imagination, I’ll fall short of having any idea about what she has experienced.

Former drug users that are now drug treatment counselors are far more trusted than someone who has never been an addict. Mutual understanding of the struggle can be a strong base for trust.

While I work on my project Recapitulation, I feel that exploring empathy should be part of the project. I’d like to extend an invitation to share your stories about your earliest experiences with empathy. You can submit it anonymously. Stories will be shared.

Special instructions:

Everyone:

Write 500 words or less about your early experience with empathy.

OR

For artists:

Create something using only discarded or failed art pieces that have been set aside. No one is allowed to buy any new art material, but they can and are encouraged to exchange failed or incomplete art pieces from each other. Any medium- including digital, photos, movies, drawings, sculpture, etc.

Please send writings and images to empathy@projectroomseattle.org

And Join me in The Project Room on Friday October 11 from 6-7pm for a workshop based on this work.

Thank you for joining in this discussion.

-Paul

Empathy: A workshop and conversation with Paul Rucker

Friday October 11, 6-7pm
Join composer, video artist and performer Paul Rucker in a public conversation as he tackles the idea of “empathy” and asks for participation from the audience to help inform this work-in-progress.

To submit a story for anonymous inclusion in the project, go here:

Recapitulation is a music and visual installation demonstrating the parallels between slavery and the contemporary prison industrial complex through animation, digital stills, sculpture, original music compositions, interactive sound and video. Although “slave” and “convict” are different in name, these labels share similar limitations and expectations. Both have faced exploitation for labor, a loss of rights and disenfranchisement. Currently over 2.3 million people are incarcerated in the U.S.; 40 percent are African Americans, although they comprise only 12 percent of the country’s total population. In Recapitulation, Paul Rucker will respond to the vast numbers affected by both institutions and the disparity in the racial makeup of the prison population.

Go here for more information about this long-term program, Recapitulation.

Top image: September 15, 1963 Birmingham, Alabama from the Soundless Series by Paul Rucker, 2013

Paul Marioni Presents His Work and Film

Wednesday, October 2
Paul Marioni conversation, 6-7pm at The Project Room: 1315 E Pine St
Film Screening and special reception: 7:15-8:30pm at Northwest Film Forum: 
1515 12th Ave

Free and open to the public

Please note that reserved seating is not available and space is limited for the 6pm conversation- seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. However, everyone will be accommodated at the Northwest Film Forum for the film screening at 7:15pm. We encourage you to arrive early.

Tickets to the film are being generously underwritten by Chihuly Garden and Glass. 

Glass artist Paul Marioni will give a free and unique presentation about his life and work at The Project Room (TPR) during the ongoing “How is Seattle Remembered?” series. Featuring a conversation with TPR Founder Jess Van Nostrand and a special screening of Paul’s 1972 experimental film, HOLE, this is a rare opportunity to see a different side of this legendary figure from the American Glass Movement. The program takes place in two parts, the first at The Project Room and the second at Northwest Film Forum. Join us at 6pm for the discussion and at 7:15pm for the screening down the street!

About the Program Series

As part of The Project Room’s 2013-2014 theme, How Are We Remembered? Seattle’s thematic based arts organization presents a unique series of conversations specific to Seattle, featuring guest presenters who have deep roots in the city. Taking The Project Room’s position as a platform for understanding creativity, questions that address Seattle’s legacy and its creativity will be addressed through a personal approach to our city’s history, this special group of guest presenters will share their stories, memories, and hopes for the city’s future.

Each event in the series will feature a guest speaker from a creative field who shares his or her point of view on this subject in a conversation with the audience. This will provide an unusually-intimate setting for these high-profile public figures- so arrive early and be ready to participate! Past speakers include Total Experience Gospel Choir’s Patrinell Wright, Architect Peter Steinbrueck, and Sub Pop Records’ Megan Jasper. For more info, go here.

About the Artist

Paul Marioni, one of the founding members of the American Studio Glass movement, creates sculptures and vessels that incorporate humor, images of taboo sexuality, genre figures, tribal masks, photographs, and visual puns.

Paul moved to California in the mid 1960s, where he was attracted to the beat poets of San Francisco and to the burgeoning counterculture of that city.  There, he became part of the influential group of artists working in stained glass in the Bay Area during the early 1970s.

Paul has completed more than 85 public commissions, including cast glass walls, ceilings, and skylights. Known as an innovator in the glass world, Marioni pushes his techniques to their limits, regularly redefining what is possible to achieve with the material.

Marioni graduated in 1967 from the University of Cincinnati, and is a Fellow of the American Crafts Council. He has received three fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts. He has taught at the Penland School of Crafts and at the Pilchuck Glass School.

Paul Marioni has a son, Dante, who is also a glassblower, and in 1998, the two of them presented a feature exhibition of their glass at the Fresno Art Museum in California. Paul Marioni’s program is sponsored by Chihuly Garden and Glass, which aims to celebrate our region’s creative energy and inspire visitors to engage with our region’s cultural community.

Lit Crawl Seattle Presents “Hauntings”

Thursday, October 24
8-8:45pm
Hauntings: Three authors tell stories of mothers and other ghosts

As part of the 2013 Seattle Lit Crawl, writers Wendy Call, Anastacia Tolbert and Storme Webber perform stories of women haunted, women who haunt, and the ties that bind them together. All three have participated in the Hedgebrook Women’s writing retreat, and will be introduced by Hedgebrook’s Katie Woodzick.

About the Presenters:

Wendy Call’s book No Word for Welcome won the Grub Street National Book Prize for Nonfiction in 2011. She has been Writer in Residence at twenty institutions, including Richard Hugo House, Harborview Medical Center, and Everglades National Park – all of which were definitely haunted.

Anastacia Tolbert is a writer, Cave Canem Fellow, Hedgebrook Alumna, EDGE Professional Writers Graduate, VONA alum, creative writing workshop facilitator, documentarian and playwright. She is the recipient of the San Diego Journalism Press Club Award for the article “War Torn.” She is writer, co-director, and co-producer of GOTBREAST? Documentary (2007): a documentary about the views of women regarding breast and body image. Her poetry, fiction and nonfiction have been published in: WomenArts Quarterly, Specter Magazine, Crab Creek Review, Everyday Other Things, Women Writers in Bloom, Saltwater Quarterly, The Poetry Breakfast, Things Lost, Midnight Tea Book, Reverie, Alehouse Journal, Women. Period., The Drunken Boat, Torch, Clamor Magazine, Cave Canem XI, Check the Rhyme, An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees (Nominated for the 2007 NAACP Award), I Woke Up and Put My Crown On: 76 Voices of African American Women, Essence Magazine, Number One Magazine, Chicken Bones Journal, The Nubian Chronicles, Hair Piecez, San Diego City Beat, The Pitch Weekly, and The Source Magazine.

Internationally nurtured poet, playwright, teacher, interdisciplinary artist Storme Webber creates blues infused, socially engaged texts about Two Spirit identity, art activism and the intersection of race, class, gender, sexuality, memory and spirit. Her performances are an innovative melding of text, performance and a cappella vocals. She’s featured in the award-winning documentary “Venus Boyz”.

Katie Woodzick is Hedgebrook’s External Relations Manager. She is also a writer, director and actress.

Hedgebrook is a global community of women writers and people who seek extraordinary books, poetry, plays, films and music by women. A literary nonprofit, our mission is to support visionary women writers whose stories and ideas shape our culture. We offer writing residencies, master classes and salons at our 25-year-old retreat on Whidbey Island, and public programs around the country that connect writers with readers and audiences.

About Lit Crawl Seattle:

Lit Crawl Seattle is literary mayhem at its finest: an entire evening of free readings by some of the Seattle area’s most groundbreaking and beloved writers in bars and cafés, bookstores and art galleries, performance spaces and dance halls. On Thursday, October 24, Seattle lit lovers will Crawl in three hour-long shifts beginning at 6 p.m., progressing toward an afterparty at Richard Hugo House.

Now in its second year, Lit Crawl Seattle is among the constellation of literary pub crawls that started in San Francisco as part of the storied Litquake festival and now has a presence in New York, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Iowa City, and London. Each location organizes its own version of the Crawl, reflecting the unique literary makeup and talents of that city.

Last year’s Seattle Lit Crawl featured more than 60 writers, actors, dancers, and musicians in 15 different venues across Capitol Hill. The 2013 event promises to be just as exciting, with fiction, memoir, poetry, art, and more from the likes of Ivan Doig, Nicole Hardy, Will Self, Kathleen Flinn, Sean Beaudoin, Ellen Forney, and many, many others.

For updates on author appearances and other news, follow Lit Crawl Seattle on Facebook and Twitter. Look for maps to appear early in October; they will be available at the Elliott Bay Book Company, the Richard Hugo House, and at various locations on Capitol Hill.

Above photos (L-R): Katie Woodzick by Kathryn Parrott, Anastacia Tolbert by Zorn Taylor, Wendy Call by Rosanne Olson, Storme Webber by Jack Straw Productions

Inside Art Series Debuts at Town Hall Seattle

Begins Tuesday, September 10
at Town Hall Seattle
7:30-9pm
Tickets: $5

LISTEN TO AUDIO HERE

The Project Room’s Founder Jess Van Nostrand hosts Town Hall Seattle’s new visual arts series titled “Inside Art.” Created by visual artist Juan Alonso and featuring four evening events that each feature three artists and a moderator, this series will open up a conversation about how, when and why visual artists do what they do. Jess will moderate events #1 and #4 based on The Project Room’s first two “big questions”: Why Do We Make Things? and How Are We Remembered? Actor and singer Sarah Rudinoff and writer Brangien Davis will moderate the other two conversations, rounding out the series with their perspectives as makers from different art forms. This first evening features Seattle artists Marita Dingus, Rodrigo Valenzuela, and Margie Livingston.

The schedule of programs is as follows:

Oct. 15: Inspiration, featuring Laura Castellanos, Dan Webb, and Sharon Arnold in a conversation moderated by actress Sarah Rudinoff;

Nov. 19: Imagery & Art, featuring Barbara Earl Thomas, Stephanie Hargrave, and Alan Lau, moderated by writer Brangien Davis

Dec. 10: How are We Remembered? featuring Diem Chau, Alfredo Arreguin and Ronald Hall and moderated by Jess Van Nostrand

To read more, go here!

Inside Art, curated by Juan Alonso, is presented by Town Hall and The Project Room as part of Town Hall’s Arts & Culture series. Media sponsorship provided by City Arts.

Note that this event takes place at Town Hall Seattle, not at The Project Room

Allen Ginsberg Marathon Concludes at TPR!

Remembering Allen Ginsberg’s LGBT Poetics and Activism

Part of the 12th Annual Allen Ginsberg Marathon

Sunday June 2, 10am

TPR is pleased to present one hour of the 12th Annual Allen Ginsberg Marathon with the poetry organization, SPLAB. As part of TPR’s new big question How Are We Remembered? Nadine Antoinette Maestas, PhD; Andy Meyer, PhD; and Gregory Laynor will discuss the poet Allen Ginsberg’s contributions to LGBT culture and activism. The presentations will include select Ginsberg poems and discussion with the audience. Whether you are attending the Marathon or just curious about it, this will be a great event that shines a light on the legacy of one of America’s most important cultural figures.

About Allen Ginsberg

One of the fathers of the Beat generation, and an influential 20th century American poet, Allen Ginsberg was a major contributor to modern poetry. He rose to fame during the counter-culture era of the 1950’s and 60’s, challenging the norms of society. While most poets of the time used eloquent language and spoke of things such as the natural world, love or death, Ginsberg’s poems could come off as violent rants, filled with vivid images and obscenities. Not surprisingly, this confrontational method of poems wasn’t necessarily well recieved by the general public. However, Ginsberg would find his place alongside other disillusioned artists of the era, helping shape the Beat generation, alongside fellow poets like Jack Kerouac, Carl Solomon and William Burroughs. These poets expressed anger with modern society, capitalism and the conformity of post-war America.
The wild writing style of Allen Ginsberg and his rebellious personality can be partly attributed to his upbringing in Patterson, New Jersey. His parents were Jewish, although far from traditionalists. His father, Louis, composed poetry as well and his mother, Naomi, was an active communist. She also suffered from mental illness and eventually was committed to a mental asylum, an experience that would have a great effect on Ginsberg. As a young man, he studied in New York, where he would meet the friends that would shape his future, through rebellious acts and discussions on poetry and society. Moving between the counter-culture centers of New York and San Francisco, Ginsberg would develop his poetic style. In 1956, he wrote and performed his most famous work, Howl, explicitly expressing the frustrations of his generation and sub-culture. Ginsberg would go on to play a role in inspiring and propelling the revolutionary spirit of the late 50’s and 60’s. He worked with artists like Bob Dylan, worked to spread awareness of LSD with Timothy Leary and appeared at countless protests and movements. Ginsberg would go on to help evolve poetry, bringing it into the ‘post-modern’ world, and challenging traditions. Throughout his life, Ginsberg would advocate free speech and left-wing ideals and also worked for gay rights, himself being a homosexual. The poems and personality of Allen Ginsberg are essential to understanding the Beat generation and the evolution of modern poetry. His pioneering style changed the structure and norms of poetry in America and across the world.

About SPLAB

The SPLAB mission is to promote spokenword performance, develop the audience for poetry, develop resources to support poetry, to do public outreach, and build community through shared experience of the spoken and written word.

The SPLAB membership includes poets, poetry organizations, and individuals that maintain a distinct presence in field of poetry both in the United States and internationally. As the SPLAB gathers support, finances, and staff to deploy its resources it will first concentrate its efforts in the Pacific Northwest, extending to other regions of the US and eventually reaching into Latin America.

Read more about SPLAB here

Swimming the List: Public Rehearsals and Preview Performance

About the Program:

 Photo by Cliff Despeaux (2009) of showing dancer Ying Zhou performing with digital drawings by Keeara Rhoades

The Susie J Lee Ensemble prepares their innovative dance/music/digital technology performance for the Beijing International Fringe Festival. Stop by during a rehearsal or come to see the only Seattle public performance in conjunction with a discussion with the performers. As part of TPR’s next “big question,“How Are We Remembered?” this program will include conversation about legacy, and how professional artists envision and plan for what is often beyond their control. Featuring Beijing-based dancer Ying Zhou, Minneapolis-based composer Emily Greenleaf, and Seattle visual artists Keeara Rhoades and Susie J Lee.

About the Work:

In 2009 and 2011, Stranger Genius Award winner Susie J Lee fused dance, technology and live music to present an imaginatively intense and fantastical journey of creativity throughout a routine day. FOR THESE UNCLOSINGS and SWIMMING THE LIST were presented in sold-out runs at New City Theater and Theatre Off Jackson. SWIMMING THE LIST now heads to Beijing for the Beijing International Fringe Festival.

SWIMMING THE LIST merges cutting-edge technology with physical artistry, in which dancer, music, and drawn light move together as one twirling, breathing, and dynamic body. These elements come together in a work about dovetailing creative and everyday actions. The work features choreography by Beijing dance artist Ying Zhou and musical composition by Minneapolis composer Emily Greenleaf. The live digital imagery is drawn by emerging local artist, Keeara Rhoades. The technology is provided by Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research.

SWIMMING THE LIST explores legacy through the perspective of the many working artists who are not recognized by “history” but who endeavor, balancing creative and more mundane obligations through their entire career. How do these artists define how they are remembered?