Local Artist and Performer Jodi Netzer of Conscious Collective and Tucson Arts Brigade is initiating a new festival tradition here, one that is grounded both in community and in the desert locale where this community makes its home. Though we far too often take it for granted –as we do with so many things of seemingly endless supply– water is one of the vital threads weaving our lives together. We come into being within water, we are made of water, we require water to sustain us. Water is a precious, essential thing, and we who live in the desert should perhaps hold water in especially sacred regard. Festival can be a time and place set apart from ordinary routines to rally our attention, capture our imaginations and galvanize our energies. Let’s listen to what Jodi has to say about her vision for the Water Festival, and learn what we can do to help make it a living reality that can benefit us all.

jhon: Tell me where the inspiration for the Water Festival came from.

Jodi: Well, I came here to Tucson after living in Philadelphia for 15 years, and as a performing artist and community artist I really always want to identify what are the key issues that can be addressed as a community and as a creative endeavor that has goals.

So I identified water as an important issue for this locale. I have this performance cycle that I tend to do one big thing a year, and so I felt, “okay, let’s do a performance about water issues”. And then I always have a tendency to want to build an event around that, so it became a festival as well as a performance.

For example in Philadelphia I did a performance where I locked myself in a box for three days straight that spoke to confinement in social, mental and emotional life. And then I did a stage piece as well with that, but I built a circus around it, and even brought Flam Chen out from Tucson to Philadelphia for it before I really knew who Flam Chen was to participate, as well as all these other local artists, puppeteers, theatre, dance, side-shows….

jhon: What was the name of that again?

Jodi: The Bumpin Big-Top. So we did that for two years during the Fringe Festival while I was also art director there. I tend to do a lot of things at the same time, I’m just that kind of ambitious person. And I love bringing people together. I can’t do it by myself and I don’t want to do it by myself. So it took awhile but I’ve been going around from organization to organization and city department and local people trying to bring them together on this issue, and to get people excited to come up with creative solutions.

And to put the arts in front, let the artists be at the table to help solve issues about water.

So we developed this process of these community brainstorm gatherings to collect information and see what creative ideas happen when you put artists together at the table with culture-workers and scientists and city planners and conservationists and politicians. What happens? New technologies can come out of that, new systems, new ways of doing things.

jhon: How does that fit together, because a lot of people would think of something like art and politics or science as being completely incongruous. People don’t normally think of arts connecting in any way with science for instance, so how would they work well together?

Jodi: I love to pull out the creative spirit in people that is already there. And in people’s daily work, they are thinking creatively about how to approach problems within their work. Add a specific art element to that and there you have a creative, communicative tool that would be able to be pulled out into the communities. So organizations and the city can come together on that. I think that when people get tapped in to their creative center, their whole world opens up. They start to come to ideas that they wouldn’t have otherwise, and when you bring people together on these cross-sector collaborations, that’s when the juicy richness of possibility comes forth. It’s through that creative element that is the synergy.

I don’t like to use the word “art” because people have preconceived notions of that. As far as dance goes, people can think ballet, or with a painting people think it has to be a Van Gogh. No. I think when people give themselves permission to be creative in their own right and their own way….I mean, to be a city planner, there’s creative elements to that, you know? Put that with ideas of conservation and a visual aesthetic that speaks to community and that a community decides on; that’s the real work. That’s the binding work that promotes stewardship.

And that’s what this festival intends to do, to provide education to motivate. To actually do something, to be inspired to examine one’s lifestyle or to come up with new solutions, systems, processes that work.

jhon: What people usually consider “art” I think you could call the playful side of creativity, and then the other side is that of problem-solving that’s employed by scientists, engineers, designers. You could say it’s just two sides of the same process.

Jodi: Yes, and actually I would say they both cross-pollinate each other. As far as arts go, when you’re creating a work of some kind there’s some problem-solving going on there; how do you create a composition, how do you make this material work, and how can it be applied to real-world situations? And from a scientist or city-planner or politician’s point-of-view, they are thinking of systems and ways to administer to make things efficient, and there is creativity that goes into that. But there is this sweet spot of where it all comes together and really essentially is the same thing. That’s where the work happens and where people really see the possibilities. And with those possibilities, then action can actually take place. As long as you can capture and hold on to that energy and push it forward into actual projects, then there’s that continuity that this work can thrive on. One of the goals for the Water Festival is that it doesn’t just end there at the festival, other projects come out of it so that it can flourish. Water is a metaphor also for flowing together.

One thing I want to mention about the Water Festival is that there’s something for everybody in there. If someone wants to have those facts and figures and hard information, they can go see the films or attend the panel discussions or the community breakout sessions. If people are looking for spectacle or fun or just to get a taste of the issues but not think too analytically about it, they can go to or participate in the performance, or see the art happenings or visit the booths. There’s also an after-party, where people are encouraged to dress up with a watery theme. And through the process too of developing the performance; you can build puppets, and there’s rehearsals for the dance and theatre. Also, for the intrinsic value aspects of this festival, there’s the Water Ritual at Sabino Canyon that’s also a part of the program to honor water as the precious resource.

jhon: Talk about the community element of all this. It seems that the way that you’ve planned this and the way that it’s coming together is a bit different from the way that the average festival is organized.

Jodi: I come from an artist/activist background. I first encountered large-scale puppets when I met Bread and Puppet at a demonstration against bio-technology and genetic engineering in ‘98 or ‘99. I went on to do the WTO/IMF demonstrations in D.C., and then also before the election in 2000 the GOP national convention in Philadelphia where I was the lead organizer of the huge puppet warehouse that was preemptively raided and shut down. That’s where I really examined that kind of methodology to get messages across, and I became jaded myself of the “that is bad, rah-rah-rah” go on the street and pooh-pooh this, you know? It didn’t address the positive and actual solutions. The positive things were that we took up the streets and we were drumming and doing puppets and creative expressions on the issue. That was positive, but it didn’t engage community in a way that is really necessary to actually make something happen.

And so I started to just create performances that involve community members with a mix of people who have never performed before along with people who are professional performers to learn from each other, on the skill level part, but also on the authentic level part of doing this work. Bringing the issues onto the stage or into the street in a different way, so that it’s not a bang-you-over-the-head protesting kind of thing, but it’s a process that’s more engaging and participatory.

jhon: A more dynamic approach, because it’s not just making a point or posing a question, it’s actually making an attempt to answer that question. And in multiple ways, not just one.

Jodi: Exactly. This work is so important to really bring people together. And if you just focus on spectacle, it ends there. It might live on in people’s memory to some extent, it might have some sort of afterlife, but if you anchor it with real-world concerns and working towards solutions, that exponentially makes the work that much better. And that’s where I say artists can be part of the solution, to make a creative economy, to uplift a culture.

jhon: And when you say “artists”, you’re not speaking of some select elite, you’re talking about anyone within the community-at-large with something to express who wants a way and a place to do that.

Jodi: Yes. There’s a distinction between “community” arts and the “fine” arts. Both have their place and purpose. Not all studio artists make good teachers for example, or like to engage in community. However, their work can be profound and it touches someone to motivate someone in a particular way, even if it’s posted on a gallery wall. Community artists really go into that civic dialogue, so that it’s almost like social work in some way, but the art is the focus, but the focus is also solution-based. That’s the work that (community mural artist) Michael Schwartz and I do, to engage people in community arts which bring people together and promote stewardship.

And that’s what is so needed. There’s like a starvation going on, that people don’t have access to this permission to be creative and to engage, or politics gets in the way. I want to see people at the same table because there is a common thread of a values system, whether it simply be “we love Tucson and we want to see it be fun and great”. That’s a starting point, and then from there we can get into nuances like, “okay, what does that mean?”, conservation of water resources, beautifying neighborhoods.

Collaboration is the way to go, it is so key and so crucial. With collaboration, that’s how we can lift everybody up. I invite anybody who wants to get involved with this to bring in their talents and expertise and also advice on how to steer the festival even.

jhon: And when you say anybody, you mean anybody.

Jodi: Yep. You don’t have to be a “professional”. If you’re enthusiastic or passionate about these issues, or if you simply have a talent and you want to apply it in a unique way, then yeah, bring it on.

jhon: And if you’re the sort of person who thinks you don’t have any talents, come anyway, because you may find talent in you that you’d never have imagined.

Jodi: Ohhh, yeah, that’s the juicy thing that I live for. I love that moment when someone opens up and sees something for the first time, even if it’s within themselves. That’s the energy that I thrive on, and that’s where the passion is.

And so maybe you’ve never drawn a picture before. Don’t worry, you can try it, or you don’t have to try it. Maybe you come to a movement workshop and you say, “hey, wow, this is something”. You never know until you try.

So I encourage anybody to come onboard, partner up, create something, offer ideas. And help also, there’s a lot of logistics that go into making a festival happen. Just being a support in that way is huge. So, yeah, bring it on!

The Water Festival is happening March 26^th-28^th.

To learn everything you’ll need to know about how to participate in The Water Festival, go to www.waterprojectfestival.org

For more information via email, write to Jodi at info@waterprojectfestival.org

(you might want to turn the volume down on your computer just a touch before viewing)

Opening ceremonies at Carnaval 2010 with Odaiko Sonora.

Porangui McGrew of Sedona leads The University of Arizona World Music Gang

Flagstaff’s one and only bateria Sambatuque tears it up

Tucson Circus Arts teaching poi-spin at Celebration Village

Popping, breaking and vogueing in the streets with The Human Project Urban Dance Theatre

Carnaval 2010 closing Procession with the mighty Batucaxé and Family, part 1

Closing Procession, part 2

Fire and drum finale with Flam Chen and Batucaxé  closing out Tucson Carnaval 2010, part 1

Carnaval finale with Flam Chen and Batucaxe, part 2

Tucson Carnaval 2010  is in the works, and Batucaxé and friends are working hard to create an experience to bestow the blessing of the beat for you and me! Go to tucsoncarnaval.org to learn about this event and how you can help to make it happen. Be sure to visit batucaxe.org to find out more about Tucson’s premiere samba troupe, how to take classes in afro-brazilian dance, be a part of their community performance group, sign on to their mailing list, and more! Also check out the Mouth interview with Batucaxé bandleader Cliff Berrien and dance teacher Yarrow King from last year where we discuss the meaning of Carnaval, and an article on the history of Carnival traditions around the world.

]]> http://www.manymouths.org/2010/02/getting-ready-for-tucson-carnaval-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.manymouths.org/2010/02/sowing-the-festal-seeds-5/ http://www.manymouths.org/2010/02/sowing-the-festal-seeds-5/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:28:59 +0000 jhon http://www.manymouths.org/?p=2309

Bisbee stilt workshop underway! photo courtesy of Paul Weir.

At the heart of Many Mouths One Stomach, Flam Chen and Tucson Circus Arts is a common vision and will; to inspire creative action and strengthen community through a vigorous, grassroots festal culture. We find such things as imagination, play, celebration and the shared experience of these to be vital to the well-being of  both the lives of individuals and of society as a whole. There are many ways by which the world at large might be made into a happier, heathier, more fulfilling place to be for all of us. Festal culture is our chosen way.

Crafting stilts for the kids workshops in Bisbee. photo courtesy of Paul Weir.

A Bisbee stilt-walk workshop participant shows her stuff at the New Year's Eve parade, 12/31/09. photo courtesy of Ariel Campbell

When something resonates with the deepest needs of the soul, it often catches on quickly and easily. Let’s face it, people love having fun. They love to discover, use and develop their talents. They love being together and taking part in something greater than themselves. Often all that’s needed to stoke those fires within each of us is a little encouragement from without by being shown what’s possible. When we come alive to those possibilities and begin to manifest them through our acts in the world, we become part of an extended family of co-inspirators and will in turn relay that energy on to others who will do the same, and so on.

An essential part of our mission as transmitters of the festal culture meme is to ensure its perpetuation and nurture its growth where we find it. To that end, MMOS, Flam Chen and Tucson Circus Arts work in tandem on an ever-widening path of public outreach.

One example of these efforts is the ongoing partnership we’ve struck with our friends to the south in the city of Bisbee.In 2007, Flam Chen was contacted by Bisbee artist and organizer Shawnee Hicks to help revive their informal New Year’s Eve festivities with a fresh focus and renewed exuberance. Since then, with the support of local merchants and the Bisbee Arts Commission, the MMOS/Flam Chen/TCA contingent has been able to provide the citizens of Bisbee not only with the peak experience of a midnight spectacular in City Park that caps off an evening of parades and street gatherings but perhaps even more importantly with the free stilting workshops for youth and the beneficial relationships that are evolving out of that. Since involvement began in ‘07, Flam Chen has offered these workshops each New Year’s Eve, but this year, for the first time, TCA brought in four instructors to teach stilting over a three day period in the run-up to festival day, free of charge as always, and with newly-made stilts available for use or purchase at a small, sliding-scale price. Eighteen kids took part in these workshops, and twelve of those went on to sport their new found skills in the evening kid’s parade. The interest this year was such that some of these families have already brought or will be bringing their children all the way up to Tucson for the weekly Sunday stilt clinics at Mansfield Park! In addition, a weekend stilt workshop is planned in Bisbee for the spring as a follow-through on our commitment to the youth there. Other plans for the future of Bisbee New Year involve the continued expansion of participatory elements, including the possibility of installations by local video artists along the parade route.

Residency programs have been an integral part of the TCA mission from the start, locally, regionally and internationally. In 2006, the Crimson Coast Dance Society of Nanaimo, British Columbia solicited the help of TCA confederates Flam Chen and the Carpetbag Brigade to collaborate with them on the development of a festival-worthy performance piece that drew on the history and folklore of their locale. A four-week series of stilt-walk, fire-dance and physical theatre workshops were held for youth, families and some two dozen semi-professional performers that summer. A return visit two years later involved follow-up workshops and rehearsals that finally culminated in the multi-media extravaganza know as “The Whizzbang!”.

"The Whizzbang!", a collaboration between Crimson Ghost Dance Society, Flam Chen, and Carpetbag Brigade. Nanaimo, British Columbia, 2008. photo courtesy of Sean Fenzl.

Exploring the magic of possibility goes with the territory of childhood, and Tucson Circus Arts seeks to make the most of that opportunity through their youth-based outreach. TCA began hosting the Circus Arts Summer Camp at Rhythm Industry in June 2009, with expanded class schedules on tap for this year’s sessions. Here, a variety of performance disciplines are taught to kids from age seven on up – taiko drumming, poi-spinning, stilt-walking, ballet and aerial arts– all in a safe, supportive and non-competitive environment. These Circus Camp kids all go on to graduate with honors in a showcase performance at the quarterly

Rhythm Industry Review where they proudly display their skills and self-belief for the community. Some of these children may not go on to pursue these particular arts, but will surely apply the discipline, poise and confidence gained during their time at Circus Camp as building blocks toward whatever they do with their futures. Others will come to look back on Circus Camp in later years as a formative experience in their journey on the path of performing artistry. Already there are kids who participated in Circus Camp and the ongoing TCA classes open to young people that are involved with Flam Chen and Many Mouths-related events. Some of them performed at last year’s Procession of Little Angels and in the All Souls Procession grand finale, and will appear in the upcoming Tucson Carnaval as well. Four TCA youths also appeared on stilts with Flam Chen in last December’s Angel Charity for Children benefit event.

Most people know Many Mouths One Stomach through our stewardship of the All Souls Procession Weekend, a role of service to the community that is our great honor and privilege to fulfill. What drives our efforts is a wider mission to inspire festal culture of all kinds throughout the year, in which to creatively process and celebrate our most valued human experiences, aspirations and desires together. We will continue to grow this family and its activities as they evolve into a movement that we hope will do its part to bring people toward a greater understanding of themselves and each other.

Poi-spin at TCA Circus Camp, June 2009.

TCA students learning taiko drumming at Circus Camp, June 2009.

Circle-up for stilting at Circus Camp, June 2009

TCA students appearing with Flam Chen at Angel Charity for Children, December 2009.

TCA students onstage at Angel Charity, December 2009. photo courtesy of Ariel Campbell.

All photos courtesy of Charles Middagh.

Shepherd and flock in "Deep Sleeper"

A captive audience in the box seats.

Groundhog and Shadow awaken.

The lively Andean musical stylings of Entre Peruanos!

"Flowers". Attracting mates by black magic is a thing you may live to regret.

"We're living in a strange world, working toward a strange goal: turning flesh and body into soul!" The great Jimmy Carr performs.

Puppet melee! Carr's music arousing passions in the crowd.

Your Master of Ceremonies and his socio de la danza.

Mykl Well's artwork for All Souls Procession flyers and ads the first year it came to be called by that name. Ink on paper.

Call to Artists flyer for proto-Flam Chen performance group Then Tingari's All Fools Day happening "Many Mouths One Stomach". Artwork by Nadia Hagen; ink on paper

Thank You Thank You Thank You! to EVERYONE who worked and played so hard with us at last year’s All Souls Procession Weekend.

This is Tucson’s largest, most inclusive grass roots Festival, and this year, your individual donations surpassed small business donations and both State and County grants combined! In this time, we are seeing our community step up and use this opportunity to change our cultural models and to create entertainment and festivity that comes from the ground-up, not the top-down.

Here we present the budget breakdown for 2009, including total revenues gathered, expenses incurred, and remaining debt as of January 2010.

All Souls Procession Weekend 2009

Profit and Loss Statement

REVENUE

Total:     $30,359

Grants

State/Arizona Commission for the Arts:  $2038

Tucson Pima Arts Council:  $5040

Misc. Donations and Other Revenue

Corporate*:  $7213

Private Donors:  $8768

Special Events:  $3007

Merchandise:  $4293

___________________________________

EXPENSES

Total:   $30,603

Artist Fees*:  $4650

Space Rental:  $850

Insurance:  $236

Security/Tucson Police Department:  $3480/2700

Equipment Rental:  $5250

Supplies*:  $8126

Website:  $672

Marketing/Promotion*:  $1463

Tech fees*:  $2921

Infrastructure*:  $1265

General operating costs*:  $1690

___________________________________

DEBTS  as of January 2010

Total:   $3454

Security:  $2700

Insurance:   $754

* detailed breakdowns available on request

photo courtesy of Ariel Campbell

In recent years, Flam Chen, MMOS and Tucson Circus Arts have been helping our friends in Bisbee to bring in the New Year with a special infusion of festal flair, including workshops, parades and a midnight spectacular. For those of us who haven’t yet made it down for this unique celebration, here is a taste of what you’ve been missing.

Special thanks to Ariel Campbell, Jim Vigileos and Spence Hilton for the use of their photographs!

photo courtesy of Ariel Campbell

photo courtesy of Ariel Campbell

photo courtesy of Spence Hilton

photo courtesy of Jim Vigileos

photo courtesy Jim Vigileos

photo courtesy of Spence Hilton

photo courtesy of Spence Hilton

photo courtesy of Ariel Campbell