[PATREON] Year End Update
A Year in Review
The end of the year usually marks the perfect
excuse to look back and see what all has been done. I was recently “chastised”
that I don’t talk about what all I do publicly enough. So since my work is kind
of the point of my Patreon,
I thought I’d do this year end update.
I basically have three full time jobs: a
teacher (and librarian (where I gave this
talk) at The Oaks Academy
(where I gave this
talk on racial reconciliation), a writer (and editor at Apex Magazine (where my story, The Legacy of Alexandria
was just published, a love letter to libraries, community, and the Kheprw Institute)), and a community activist
(and resident Afrofuturist at the Kheprw Institute/founding member of Café Creative). They all function
to provide platforms to do work in the community.
KHEPRW
INSTITUTE/CAFÉ CREATIVE
The Kheprw Institute is a grassroots organization that trains up young leaders. The mantra is “Community Empowerment Through Self Mastery” which highlights the focus on developing people’s capacity to think and act critically to improve themselves, their community, and speak from their experiences. By elevating community vision, leadership and voice creating shared prosperity in under-invested communities, we want to build community wealth (I’m also part of their grants team).
(In this pic, l-r, Kheprw Institute co-founder, Imhotep Adisa; me, The Learning Tree founder, DeAmon Harges; and community griot, Januarie York). We had two major initiatives that launched this year. Alkhemy and Café Creative and Alkhemy. Alkhemy is a 3,000 square foot workspace located in the Concord Building. It is equipped with modern furnishings with an open-office design and high-speed internet. It’s a great place to work alone, meet others or host small meetings. Kheprw Institute collaborated with Forward Cities to launch a pilot entrepreneur hub there for under-resourced entrepreneurs to work, develop skills and build their network. It opened February 18th to much fanfare with the goal of gauging community needs and collecting information to adapt and scale the project. However, the entrepreneurial incubator and co-working space is on hiatus as the COVID-19 crisis resolves itself. Alkhemy made the pivot to virtual workshops and other collaborations.
Cafe Creative is an artist coworking space, performance venue and art gallery focused on supporting local artists and creating community and culture. The work of Afrofuture Fridays and Mo*Con fall under its auspices. We’re in the process of renovating the basement of the 16 Park Building, where artists will have access to the space and tools of their art (for example, studio space) for free use.
We, too, had to do a major pivot due to Covid-19. Once the pandemic lockdown began, I began writing from my front porch. I soon declared it my “coffeeshop, with my neighbors as the regulars.” After that pronouncement, artists began dropping by and I began mentoring artists and having conversations. One of the things that has arose from all of my porch meetings is RE-GROUP. It’s a series of conversations with Indiana artists about how they are charting their way forward despite the pandemics. Officially a partnership between the Indiana Arts Commission and Café Creative, it’s me and my co-host, Anna Tragesser. Here are some of the conversations we’ve had so far:
–Re-Group
– 11/11/20 (w/ Anna Powell Denton)
–Re-Group
– 10/28/20 (w/ Diop Adisa)
–Re-Group – 10/21/20
(w/ Maurice Broaddus)
For
those wanting more about how KI operates, I wrote this piece:
–The
Kheprw Institute: Nurturing Community During a Pandemic (Donate here)
AFROFUTURE FRIDAY
On the second Friday evenings of the month, the
Kheprw Institute/Café Creative launched Afrofuture Fridays, using Afrofuturism as
our framework to re-examine events of the past, critique the present day
dilemmas of the African Diaspora, and create a space to imagine and dream of
possible futures. The series brings community residents together to have hard
conversations about identity, race, economic models, systems of organization,
and justice but one that is rooted in innovation and imagining a hopeful
future. From music to film, discussions center around various forms of
Afrofuturist content as well as invited guest speakers who are authors,
artists, and visionaries creating Afrofuturist content. Our tagline is “building
a better future together.” This year we did:
–AFROFUTURE
FRIDAY: A Conversation with Maurice Broaddus
–AFROFUTURE
FRIDAY: Black Futurists and Community Work
–Afrofuture
Friday: Parable of the Sower Discussion
–Afrofuture
Fridays – Pimp My Airship by Maurice Broaddus
I ran a workshop using Afrofuturist
worldbuilding to model community work for Spirit & Place, exploring how to
build a new future, Corona Dialogues: Dreaming of New Worlds. The application
of science fiction to community work is something I plan on doing more of. Since
I was asked the question “what does it mean to be the resident
Afrofuturist at the Kheprw Institute?” quite a bit, I wrote this:
Radical
Black Re-Imaginings: Afrofuturism and Community Work
BOARDS
I’ve been asked to sit on the advisory board
for the Center for Ray Bradbury
Studies. It’s located on the campus of IUPUI and holds a significant
portion of Bradbury’s papers and artifacts. Jon Eller has been the director
(he’s transitioning into retirement), and he and Bradbury were friends, which
is why Bradbury left Jon in charge of his collections. The center has been
working to get the documents archived, digitized, and accessible to the public.
Meanwhile, researchers can visit the center, which has re-created Bradbury’s
office.
I was also asked to join the board of the daVinci Pursuit. “Connecting Art,
Science and Community,” the daVinci Pursuit brings together artists,
scientists, and community members to create unique interactions and
conversations.
The thing about year end reviews is that
looking back on what all we did, I’M EXHAUSTED! Next month, I’ll dive back in
exploring some potential new partnerships and programs and conversations. Thank
you for your support.
As
a bonus, I’ll leave you with this mini-documentary about Premium Blend, a local
jazz band, and their latest project, Vices. It features many of the artists I
work with in the community. Plus, they’re just great.
As always, I appreciate your support of my Patreon. Words cannot express how encouraging it is, especially during these dark times. I really appreciate it…and each and every one of you. Thank you!
I launched a Patreon because some friends wanted a way to help support the work that I do in the community. If you would like to support it (and receive updates on the work that’s being done) please feel free to join. Thank you so much!
Become a Patron!
