Becoming Artfully AWARE: Linking Local and International Communities through the Arts

12/2011 10th Issue

SAVE THE DATE: Friday, February 3, 2012 from 5pm-10pm Becoming Artfully AWARE: Linking Local and International Communities through the Arts Artfully AWARE (AfA) will take over the New Orleans Museum of Art for a special event. For a night that will celebrate the rich diversity of New Orleans, children and adults from across the community and the world have contributed artwork and creative writing that will be displayed in the Great Hall and surrounding galleries. The evening begins with a performance by the Mardi Gras Indian tribe, the Guardians of the Flame. Michael Watson, the musical director of Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, will play with a four-piece band, and the New Orleans Dance Collective will perform an inspiring dance piece based on unity. Visitors can interact with professional writers and artists from A Studio in the Woods, catch a literary reading organized by the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society, listen to original poetry and prose read by students from the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, view photography that reflects the Sierra Club‘s local environmental efforts, hear speakers from the Young Leadership Council and watch short films selected by FosterBear Films that explore the vital role of the arts in society. One Million Bones, a hands-on art initiative that raises genocide awareness, will exhibit an installation that contains thousands of handmade bones. The Odgen Museum of Southern Art will display their Artists and Sense of Place exhibit, which pairs students with artists to explore the influence of situation and geography on their lives, and the Contemporary Arts Center will show a short film, alongside a selection of handmade masks, about self identity, produced by their talented Youth Group. “Adults and children strengthen their minds and abilities through creative stimulation,” says Hilary Wallis, Executive Director of Artfully AWARE. “Our goal is to welcome a cross section of community members under one roof, so we can celebrate our uniqueness as well as what makes us relate to the rest of the world. We want to express why arts and culture are so vitally important, and emphasize their positive impact on society.” All visitors will receive a booklet of poems, short stories, and visual art created by AfA participants. Food and drink will be available from Ralph Brennan’s Café NOMA. For this event, Artfully AWARE is collaborating with the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council (NOCDC), the World Trade Center of New Orleans (WTC), Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society and the World Affairs Council of New Orleans (WACNO). Special thanks also to the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC), Ogden Museum of Southern Art, A Studio in the Woods, Young Leadership Council (YLC), One Million Bones, FosterBear Films, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), New Orleans Dance Collective and the Sierra Club.

WHAT WE’RE UP TO

Cultural Exchange and The ForestIt has a been a busy year for AfA UK, as we have settled into our new home in Bristol. We are pleased to introduce Python Hill Primary School in Nottinghamshire, who have begun an exciting new relationship with our community in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Cultural exchanges are underway, and we look forward to developing innovative new projects for the children to collaborate on. We have teamed up with Alchemy Productions, a production company that specializes in outdoor arts, festivals and circus. We are creating an arts and environmental awareness project called The Forest, a 12 month unique intervention that will take place in Bristol from December 2013 – 2014. Using trees as a universal representation for growth, change and renewal, our project aims to unite our community, education and business sectors. It will provide a local, national and international platform to raise awareness of environmental issues such as sustainability and climate change whilst encouraging people to become responsible, active global citizens. Emily Hatfield, UK Director Storybook and Business MentoringOur Ugandan based AfA Africa Team continues to work closely with our UK and US based members to develop sustainable educational programs for our Tororo and Gulu communities. An incredible summer training led to the creation of our AfA Storybook, a project that encouraged community members to write, paint and perform about their personal stories consisting of family, positive health and peace & reconciliation after the 20 year civil war. The book is currently under design and will be published and ready for purchase early next year in both English and Acholi. We have already begun some exciting new partnerships, including providing educational workshops for World Vision and The AIDS Support Organization (TASO). We are working on developing a business mindset in our community members, such as starting up investment clubs to bring business ideas to the market so they can expand their financial power. Crucial to this is improving the quality of artwork and crafts that are currently being produced by workshop participants and finding additional outlets to market them. Brian Pade, UG Communications   New Look, New WebsiteAs the years have passed, AfA has grown into new shoes and spread larger wings. We are thrilled to announce that we will have a brand new website that will bring followers closer to the work we do and provide an image that accurately expresses where we’re heading. Stay tuned. Website launches at the start of the new year! AfA Short Animation FilmSpring 2012 will be the debut of our new Artfully AWARE short animation film designed and produced by a UK based animation team. Our film will bring AfA’s message to a whole new audience. Many thanks go to the team that include ex-Aardman Animation’s trained CGI directors and animators.

Make a difference. Connect. Collaborate. Change. Become Artfully AWARE.    UKinfo@artfullyaware.org  •  USAinfo@artfullyaware.org   •  AFRICAinfo@artfullyaware.org Artfully AWARE is an international not for profit organization that connects communities, collaborates with local partners and generates positive change in peoples lives through advocacy events and innovative community development projects.Our philosophy is to inspire each one of us to recognize our power as an individual to promote change. Whether advocating for human rights, facilitating educational workshops or teaching income generating skills in rural communities, we bring a creative global perspective to society. 501(c)(3) Public Charity, USA  •  Community Interest Company, UK #6589913

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