Support The (chrysalis) Archives at River to River Festival

As I prepare for the opening of my new project, The (chrysalis) Archives, which will be presented as part of the River to River Festival this summer in NYC, I am gathering support to reach an important fundraising milestone of $12,500, which will cover our remaining collaborator fees and production expenses.

The (chrysalis) Archives is an exhibition incorporating video installation, photographic imagery, sculpture, and performance in the Lower Gallery at The Arts Center at Governors Island. The project will incorporate past works including the film Chameleon (A Visual Album), three-channel video and installation Syllabus for Black Love, as well as fabricated sculptural works and images. The multi-media installation will include a performance activation titled (chrysalis: activation 1)—a hybrid media performance work that integrates sculpture, moving image, original poetry, and emergent choreographic strategies prompted by the audience. The work examines concepts of metamorphosis, intergenerational knowledge, blood memory, negative space, and the environmental grief that lingers in the aftermath of the living gesture.

I am working with some incredible collaborators who will help me activate the installation with a performance on June 9, including cellist/DJ Black Maij; theatrical ceremonialist, culture strategist, and creative doula Ebony Noelle Golden; sound artist and composer Everett Asis Saunders; and movement artist and creative doula Song Aziz Tucker.

Any amount is welcome, and I am grateful for all the ways in which you support my work. You may also make a tax-deductible donation through my fiscal sponsor, New York Live Arts, here.

I started making live performance work over 18 years ago because I envision a world where the arts are a powerful force for social change, sparking conversations that transcend boundaries and reshape perspectives. My work strives to be a beacon of innovation, weaving together diverse narratives, genres, and mediums to create immersive and thought-provoking art experiences for audiences across the globe. Through a commitment to experimentation, collaboration, and the celebration of Black critical studies and queer theories of the body, we aspire to be at the forefront of a global cultural movement that values complexity, authenticity, and the transformative power of the arts to heal a grieving planet.

You can see a video about early explorations of (chrysalis) below. Your contribution, no matter the size, will make a profound difference in our ability to bring this project to life!

(chrysalis), forthcoming

https://vimeo.com/851900311?from=outro-local