In Solidarity

Hi << Enter Your First Name >>,

Many of us who have discovered and formed Living Arts Collective (LAC) have been moving along a path of personal transformation and growth. We have been making time to explore our social conditioning, consider how we engage with our shadows, and actively envision the kind of world we hope to live in.

To the black members of our community: We see you, we support you, and we stand by you.

May we continue to dance and move in solidarity with our global black family, black brothers and sisters, black grandmothers and grandfathers, black children, black artists, black trans folx and black educators, and the black ancestors.May we take actionable steps for disassembling the centuries of racism deeply rooted in our nation’s systems and institutions. May the white-body supremacy and white comfort no longer trump black liberation. May we be emboldened to take deep responsibility for how we attend to our privilege and bias within this unjust ecology and become active allies with those who have been marginalized.

To echo the words from our friends at Culture Mill, we seek to recognize the historical and current violence and trauma inflicted on the black community, as well as on Indigenous communities and other people of color who have suffered and continue to suffer from systemic racism and white supremacy in America. We stand in solidarity with calls for systemic change, and are committed to doing our part as an arts organization in the South and specifically in Durham.

We invite you to join us as we continually hold ourselves accountable, do the work, and seek understanding. Confronting racism is so much more than any one donation, email, or social media post — it’s urgent, life-long work. We encourage you to seek support, get involved and educate yourself through resources such as Standing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and the Racial Equity Institue (REI).

The following agreements are lived and articulated by a multi-racial and multi-gendered group of LAC admin with guidance by Robin Zill’s life long journey and work that we call OUSIA. These agreements (3 of 10) are an invitation to integrate tools for use within the community and in your personal life. We encourage curiosity and practice as each agreement begins within and then ripples out. Every person has potent potential through breath, inner listening and embodiment.

Energetic Awareness: centering ∙
I agree to be mindful of my personal energy, the environment, and the beings with whom I am sharing space; practicing awareness of the source and destination of each breath.

Regenerative Environment: sharing ∙
I agree to practice mindful generation of my actions, learnings, and intentions, while exploring the ways I share in our responsibility for tending to the wellbeing of the local biosphere and global community. I seek to honor the lineage of the traditions that I share and learn; carrying forth information and wisdom while exploring and maintaining the integrity of inclusivity. I will engage in seeking peaceful solutions when discussing diverse, divisive, or difficult topics. I will support intergenerational ecosystems, and celebrate our shared bounty to expand abundance. I will only take what I need and use all that I take, leaving enough for others to do the same.

Equitable Engagement: exchanging ∙
I agree to give and receive in generative and inclusive ways; while being mindful of how I participate and what it takes to create a harmonious and welcoming community. I strive to interact with purposeful and ethical intention, while learning about local power dynamics, offering space to communicate concerns, paying tribute to the history of human dynamics, and committing to unlearning patterns of self and environmental harm. I seek to acknowledge the collective efforts for social and environmental reciprocity, just and equitable opportunity, and interconnective livelihoods. I participate in this model for peaceful resistance to injustice, respectful navigation through diverse perspectives, while engaging in honest conversations. I acknowledge the interconnected web of all things and hold space for creative exploration to improve existing structures for those who have been rendered voiceless.

(Click here to read the 10 Living Agreements of Ousia.)

True self-care reduces harm and is a revolutionary act.

Thank you for joining us while we dance forward in the spirit of shared humanity. We honor, support and celebrate the people that make LAC the vibrant and dynamic community that we are. Highlighted below are ways to participate and find nourishment while supporting local black artists, educators, creators and collaborators of LAC and beyond.

May we continue to take time to listen with whole physicality, and stay with the inquiry in every-body.

In solidarity with love,
Aubrey Griffith-Zill and Bruce Rozeboom
Founder and Custodian of LAC

TwinZIN Virtual Zumba w/ Gemelos Zumba
TwinZIN conducts and leads group fitness classes in a spirit of solidarity, unity and inclusiveness with a focus on cultural movement.

Midnight at the Oasis facilitated by Healing Arts Teacher Scopey Mosley

We will cultivate an oasis to help you
Midnight at the Oasis [A Late-Night Zoom Gathering}

Wednesdays at 11:50 pm

In this time of transition, nights can seem long. Join us for an hour of grounding and connection. We will hold a space of reflection, love and community. All are welcome in this freeform circle; our only agenda will be to support one another. We will cultivate an oasis to help you bring in a new day and time. Invite your friends to this weekly Late-Night Zoom Gathering.

-Rest in Silence and Meditation
-Share Poetry and Music
-Express Grief
-Tell Stories
-Personal Inquiry
-Set Intentions

Stop in for a few moments or the entire hour. This will be a time of replenishment, respite and release.

Host: Scopey Mosley
Presented By Hearth Studios and Living Arts Collective

This is currently a no fee gathering offered lovingly to the community. Donations and Benefactors are welcomed. Donate using venmo tag @MATO-Scopey

Zoom Meeting Info here

Handewa Farms

Handèwa Farms is a passionate, indigenous-led farming collective that seeks to provide organic, healthy food to all. It is the ultimate goal of the collective for future generations to be inspired to connect with the Earth and its natural medicine. As a woman-led collective, many of our members have indigenous ancestry, including Occaneechi-Saponi, Cherokee, Blackfoot, and Lakota tribes.
For volunteer signup handewafarms.com

Our mission is to create innovative ways of experiencing Art.To learn more about A.yoni Jeffries awaruhi.com/ayonijeffries

The Legacy Arts Project

Vegan Flava Cafe

Zoom Meeting Info here Handewa Farms

Handèwa Farms is a passionate, indigenous-led farming collective that seeks to provide organic, healthy food to all. It is the ultimate goal of the collective for future generations to be inspired to connect with the Earth and its natural medicine. As a woman-led collective, many of our members have indigenous ancestry, including Occaneechi-Saponi, Cherokee, Blackfoot, and Lakota tribes. For volunteer signup handewafarms.com

Our mission is to create innovative ways of experiencing Art.To learn more about A.yoni Jeffries awaruhi.com/ayonijeffries The Legacy Arts Project Vegan Flava Cafe