MixedMedia

Hey everybody!

I’m at Gatwick, headed to Dublin and got to thinking its a good time to share some highlights from Dennis’ trip here in the U.S. – a wonderful experience for the two of us that many of you helped to create. Between October 20 and 28 we visited four community-based NGOs, four international NGOs/networks, a major television network, two Universities, and lots of amazing individuals doing solo projects – all of this spread across 5 states. We also got our dose of culture along the way! So here goes:

– New York –
We arrived Saturday evening in time to check in to the Millennium Hilton hotel which, if you don’t know it, sits adjacent to the former World Trade Center site.  It offered an amazing view of the site below as well as the Statue of Liberty to the south and uptown Manhattan to the north. It was a pretty awesome view of the city – can’t imagine the impression for a first-time visitor to the U.S.!

Later that night we went to see ‘Tings Dey Happen,’ a one-person play by Dan Hoyle chronicling the oil situation in the Nigerian delta region through the eyes of a range of actors – Scottish oil men, commercial sex workers, pipe workers and gangsters.  From the front row, we had a rare view of a talented, plasticine actor at work, complete with all the un-amplified sounds of his craft.  Afterward we met with a new producer at the Culture Project (http://www.cultureproject.org) at the Antique Alley where we learned more about their efforts to use theater as a tool to engage citizens more deeply in democratic life. And Dennis had his first Martini… *not* a hit.

Monday we had the chance to meet young people (teens) studying economic and political participation at the Global Citizenship High School (http://hs-gc.org/) through a weekly global affairs course taught by Global Kids staff (http://www.globalkids.org). It was a great opportunity so talk about Peace Tiles, link it to larger communication efforts like theater – specifically the Magnet Theater approach Dennis employs – and talk about Kenya over the course of two class periods.  Sounds like they might have an interest in keeping in touch as they deepen their studies around the economic and political impact of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. It was my first opportunity to see Dennis in action, and he kept the questions coming!

Later in the day we went round to the Staying Alive Foundation and MTV Studios at Times Square.  We were introduced around by a new – and for now the only – staff member who was completely enthusiastic about Dennis’ work and arranged a meeting for us the next day with one of the Staying Alive Foundation board members. I was so impressed by his active interest in Dennis’ work and his ability to link the visual arts to important dimensions of youth expression-education-empowerment. I am sure Dennis made a lasting impression on this important ally in youth-focused efforts to raise awareness around HIV/AIDS in Kenya.

Afterward we had a brief meeting with the folks at the Global Youth Coalition on AIDS then moved south (after a wheat grass shot – yech!) to the Tony Dipolito Recreation Center in the Village. There we introduced the Peace Tiles project to a lively group of 7-12 year-olds and Dennis had the children enraptured during his Q&A session about life in Kenya.  It seems they will host a workshop in the run-up to World AIDS Day and look to link their activities to partners around the world, possibly Kenya.

While in the city we were able to sample some great food, crane our necks at the the dizzying spectacle of light and vertical lines that is Times Square, pick up a digital camera for Dennis as a tool for documentation and reporting, catch a great film (Ben Affleck’s “Gone Baby Gone”), and even get lost in Brooklyn at half-past 10:00…!

– New Jersey –
We were able to hook up with Dean Landsman, a veteran radio announcer/programmer/producer/researcher who gave us incalculable advice on setting up low-power community radio and ways to successfully program and market the station. We will definitely keep in touch as Dennis and his group (REPACTED) work to establish new media channels in Nakuru. Later we arrived at Princeton University where Dennis was being hosted to give two talks the next day about his theater work arranged for him by his friend Mahiri Mwita, a colleague in the theater arts.  We toured the campus and on our last evening met the ebullient and lovely Annasuya Isaacs, founder of Let Love Lead (http://www.letlovelead.org/) who’s love of the universe and embracing creativity is contagious – watch out! I am sure we’ll have the occasion to combine forces in the future. Over the next month or so she’ll be preparing to visit eastern and southern Africa where she’ll be collecting women’s stories of quiet struggle.

While at Princeton Dennis dove in American beer vernacular with a sweeping seven-part sampler of ales and stouts – along with some lamb chops and great fries.  For some reason, we spent a lot of time in one particular bar – nibbling away almost an entire afternoon and well into the evening…! I had my greatest glimpse of the place while hurrying some guests of Dennis and Mahiri’s to the railroad station to catch an 11:03 train. My personal associations for Princeton will forever be geese, gales and ales.

– Maryland –
I had one of my best experiences running a Peace Tiles workshop ever at Goucher College on the 25 October. Of course, every workshop is special and has its own dynamic built around the experiences and involvement of each group of participants – yet there was something special about working (for the first time) with all college students who are eager to do something to make the world a better place.  Profs Rory and Chadia (http://www.goucher.edu/x4737.xml) arranged details to perfection so we could just swoop in and snatch up the hearts and minds of their lovely students through creativity. Dennis and I discussed our respective areas of work for about 10mins until we could sense the students were chomping at the bit to make their tiles around the question, “What change do you want to see in the world – change that you can be an agent of?” I was so impressed with the openness, curiosity, and readiness of your students to embrace Peace Tiles – it was one of those rare opportunities in which everything just seemed to go perfectly.  Next year students will be off to all parts of the world – Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Germany, South Africa and elsewhere – and perhaps Peace Tiles can be a new resource for making a lasting contribution while they are there…!

That night as we pulled out of the college visitor parking lot, we were chased down the street by the bright notes and rhythms of Tito Puente Jr and his orchestra who were playing that night. Boy did I feel at home!

– Washington, DC –
I was moved to tears by the warm reception we received by all the beautiful staff at the Women’s Collective (http://www.womenscollective.org) who made us feel so welcome, so included, so much a part of the same walk in this life, no matter where we come from or what we bring…  It was such a treasure to share with women involved in a range of services to help women of color in the District of Columbia fight AIDS – from prevention outreach and education to testing, counseling, direct service and advocacy.  It was inspiring to hear WC founder Patricia Nalls talk a bit about how the Collective began (as a support group out of her home) and to look around at the vibrant staff and see where it is today (they are about to purchase their own building and expand community services). During our time I was able to introduce Peace Tiles (with visuals thanks to Rory for printing extras at Goucher!) and Dennis had an opportunity to introduce his theater work and the ways he and his group are using it to support AIDS prevention work in Kenya.  They were also able to discuss some nitty-gritty ideas around women’s empowerment and I expect will remain in touch as important information comes available on issues like microbicides.  I think Peace Tiles will have the opportunity to work with the Collective on intergenerational dialogues, possibly more…!

After lunch and a short course on blogging at Busboys and Poets (http://www.busboysandpoets.com/) we visited Dr Ron Simmons of Us Helping Us (http://www.uhupil.org/). Like the Womens Collective, Us Helping Us was founded by an individual seeking to fill a gap – out of a mix of personal need and seeing a gap in social services. Dennis got to see the latest in oral HIV testing technology, as well as hear about ways of reaching out to young gay men.  We an interesting discussion about how to “cast a broad net” in outreach efforts, while paying close attention to the culture of one’s own agency or group to ensure a safe and inclusive atmosphere for young men who might be on the “down low” and hard to reach due to social stigma.

Over early drinks and light fare we then met up with Andrea over at Fair Fund (http://www.fairfund.org/): it was inspiring to hear their stories and learn more about the ways they are engaging young people around human trafficking. It was also very interesting to learn about some of their novel programs – from a drop-in center in Serbia to jewelry-making, outreach to street children in Kenya and gender empowerment work.  I am sure they’ll have plenty to follow up on as Fair Fund works to strengthen anti-trafficking frameworks in Kenya.

Later that night we met up with friends at the Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL)(http://www.eslmusic.com/), producers of some of my favorite mixes for long drives and late nights. In addition to a producer for DCTV and a friend who manages something like 500 websites for a large environmental coalition, we had the chance to meet up with an old friend of Dennis’ who he met in Kenya years back. It was great to see them get caught up, and for Dennis to expand his network of technical resource persons as REPACTED moves into blogging and video production. We ended the day at about 1:30am after a very late dinner at Kramer Books and Afterwords (http://www.kramers.com/).

Our final day of the Great Mid-Atlantic Road Tour was spent meandering about the capital, from Dupont Circle to the Mall to China Town – pointing out various important spots, from the well-known (The White House) to the less known (St Matthew’s Cathedral, where JFKs funeral mass was said) in the company of one of Dennis’ old friends from Kenya who made the drive up from North Carolina to see him. We were able to visit one of my favorite spots, the National Gallery of Art – where I made awkward efforts to explain what I love about Thomas Coles’ “Voyage of Life” series along with Titian and ending with the mobiles of Alexander Calder. After a few snapshots we found ourselves in China Town for lunch where we gnoshed on Spanish tapas.  Our evening wound down over tea – where Dennis was joined by Arts for Global Development (http://www.art4development.net) and again by his friends from Kenya and her fiance – then we headed our for sushi – a first for Dennis!

Well, this pretty much wraps up our invigorating and memorable time together. Dennis is now in Boston and then Rhode Island visiting colleagues from the online network http://groups.yahoo.com/group/actalive/ – discussing ways to deepen programs and strengthen partnerships. He’ll be back in Vermont for Halloween at our local school then the front porch, and then to Middlebury College on November 1. I’ll leave for the UK early on the 2nd and Dennis back to Kenya later in the day.  It has been an incredibly productive and valuable time together, and I can only say thank you so much for making it all possible.

Vermont (Pre-Post Update)
In Vermont, my stomping grounds where we had a few days to get to know each other before hitting the road, we visited a local highschool class that is planning an international trip – just there to plan one of their fundraising activities but it was neat to show off the school, which is small, rural, close-knit. Also sat in on a restorative justice meeting (“Circles of Support and Accountability,” or COSA) that I’m involved in – I thought it would make an interesting model for Dennis and some of his colleagues as they continue to find ways to support ex-felons avoid the easy trap of falling back into poor decision-making that can lead to re-incarceration.

One of the highlights for me was sharing a bit more about the “collage” aspects of the peace tiles process, which I realize just doesn’t come through in the materials I’ve been developing. I think it must be an intimidating process for non-trained artists to integrate at the community level. But I think it was interesting for Dennis to learn this technique of composition and he’ll be able to share it with others in ANFORD and REPACTED and elsewhere.

The real highlight for me was a friday-night-before-hitting-the-road dinner I’d put together: an egyptian artist, a friend visiting from Germany, and a couple who are writer/artist/educators/musicians (lots of talent there!) got together for a big couscous dinner and some sharing our our various work-forms, passions, etc. We had this *very* salon-like vibe going on, and even had the chance to learn in-depth about our Egyptian friend’s work in a small fishing village outside of Alexandria called El Max.  For this to sink in, you have to imagine two things: first, that the entire village is the “canvas” or the “stage” – the site of intervention. Second is that the process of creation is a spontaneous, organic process that arises from visiting artists in dialogue with villagers. The aim of the effort (dubbed “Gudran”) is to a) preserve the village from destruction (a gas company wants the land for port) and b) transform this village into a thriving place to live by helping the social conditions along – nurturing a kind of social evolution if you will, from gender-relations to children’s education. It’s a long-term project with a major commitment from Sameh and his colleagues to leave behind both an infrastructure and the capacity for renewal in a small Egyptian village – all powered by the arts.

Anyway, a great evening!

On our last evening together – the 1 November – Dennis heading back the next evening and myself departing early the same, we visited Allison at Middlebury College for an evening of great music and dance to the sounds of Vancouver-based Alpha Yaya Diallo.  It was a lovely treat and made for a very uplifting winding down of our time together.

Thanks so much, and I’m sure we’ll be in touch.

Peace, and stay strong,

lars
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www.peacetiles.net + www.mixedmedia.us
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