A SHORTLIST OF CULTURAL CONTENT FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 21, 2020
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Portrait of Jasmine Wahi. Pencil on Paper by Phong H. Bui.
“For this issue, I sought the company of colleagues/friends with whom I’ve had numerous discussions on what is holding this nation back—not just in the Trump era, but as a whole. It is no secret that we are also at the cusp of a new digital era that reinforces binary thinking. We are in a moment where cancel culture teeters on the edge of erasing nuance—particularly in “progressive” sociopolitical spaces, including the art world (see: postponement of the Philip Guston retrospective). Here is the question we must ask ourselves: What is at risk when we sink deeper into “either/or” or “us/them” or “normal/other” thinking?”
make
December 19-31, 2020
“This year’s virtual festival runs through December 31, featuring online programs inspired by the seven principles of Kwanzaa (unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith). Don’t miss out on any of the fun!”
watch anytime
“Join us for a talk with artists Layqa Nuna Yawar and Chrystofer Davisto talk about “This Guiding Light,” Newark’s newest mural.”
listen
“In this episode, Black Girl in Om Founder Lauren Ash explores the belief of creativity as a spiritual practice with mystic and mixed media artist, Chetna Mehta, creator of @mosaiceye. Through the lens of wisdom she has gained from lived experience and studying psychology, Chetna explains how practicing self-compassion can not only expand our capacity to connect with others, but also opens the floodgates of our divine creativity. Chetna encourages us to connect to and lean on our spiritual support system as a way to cultivate a deeper relationship with ourselves and subsequently the world around us. She offers decolonizing our relationship to creativity as a soothing balm to comparison mind and creativity as a gift for our inner child. Chetna believes that “our capacity to feel the “darker”, more uncomfortable emotions informs our capacity to feel the other spectrum of emotions. They play into each other and there’s wisdom in both.”
