#Knight Foundation grant to connect people to the arts

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Projects | Dabls' MBAD African Bead Museum: Townhouse Renovation | Patronicity

Dabls' MBAD African Bead Museum : Townhouse Renovation

Detroit-based artist and community activist Olayami Dabls is partnering with Los Angeles/Detroit-based design firm Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects [LOHA] and Allied Media Projects, on the renovation of townhouses at the African Bead Museum project on Detroit’s West Side.

This renovation will allow for free rotating exhibitions of African material culture from Dabls' extensive collection of beads and artifacts, as well as immersive public spaces for gathering and events.This space will further foster African-based arts education for local children through partnerships with schools and museums.

HISTORY OF THE BEAD MUSEUM

Here, ancient cultural artifacts are found in a mirrored townhouse next to a freeway. 

Here, beads are for sale that serve as a connection point to another culture.

Here, stories are told in sculptures outside using everyday objects, where any person can walk up and experience them. 

These elements create an environment of approachability - an essential asset to a culturally diverse city. 

A Place for Local Community

MBAD African Bead Museum began in 1994 as the culmination of the ideas of one man known as Olayami Dabls. Occupying almost an entire city block, the MBAD African Bead Museum houses 18 outdoor installations as well as the African Bead Gallery, N'kisi House and African Language Wall. 

Born of his own visual cosmology, Dabls' MBAD African Bead Museum is a quiet revolution that sparks a vital conversation with global and local audiences. Recently designated as a "jewel" of Michigan, the bead gallery, mirrored buildings and massive outdoor sculptural installations bring 35,000 visitors a year of astounding diversity, from all over the world. It's uniqueness is its strength!

Set in a neighborhood in Detroit's West Side, Dabls' MBAD African Bead Museum encourages local community access to cultural artifacts. The museum exists within three townhouses, and includes large outdoor sculptural installations and the N'Kisi House, which holds the African Languages Wall on its exterior. One townhouse holds the active Bead Gallery, while the other two are currently storage space for the collection of African Material Culture. The three townhouses were donated in 2001 by Detroiter Ardie Riddick who believed in Dabls’ vision to educate the public about the vast numbers of artifacts and ornamentation reflecting African life and our story. 

LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING!This Campaign

Thanks to a generous grant from the Knight Foundation and the support of Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects [LOHA], a Los Angeles/Detroit based architectural design firm, we were able to put a new roof on the houses and make repairs to structural damage incurred over the years.

Now, LOHA is engaged in revitalizing the museum and in securing Dabls' artwork as well as his significant collection of African artifacts. Through this Patronicity campaign, we will complete the renovation to the interiors of the three townhouses, making way for an exhibition space, multi-use community space, an artist-in-residence, and a remodeled bead store.

Through partnership with Allied Media Projects, the museum will also become a primary site for the local and national audiences that convene in Detroit each June as part of the Allied Media Conference, or AMC. Approaching its 20th year, the AMC brings together a vibrant community of people using media to incite change and celebrate diverse and inclusive identities. The renovation of the iconic Dabls' MBAD African Bead Museum and the 20th anniversary of the AMC offer an opportunity to solidify and connect Detroit’s unique spaces for creative exchange and cultivating our understanding of one another.

Together, the museum, Allied Media Projects, and LOHA will continue to uplift local culture and artistry, and reinforce national and local exchanges of creativity.

The Renovation of the Townhouses

The funding raised in this campaign will complete the renovation process that will include:

Repair and refinish interiors (including bead store, bathroom, and kitchen)

Build out new gallery spaces

Install ADA access ramp

Create accessible shelves in basement for collection storage

Create gathering spaces and flex spaces for community engagement and programming

This campaign will allow the museum to complete the renovations of the townhouse interiors and make possible the first Museum exhibit, Kuba textiles from the Democratic Republic of Congo, by Spring 2018.

COMMUNITY IMPACT: 

Access to Culture is the Mission

The Museum weaves together the immense power and complexity of African heritage into a vital contemporary context that has engaged and attracted local and global audiences for years. A large portion of that audience are local students of all ages who enjoy learning about the arts in an accessible and dynamic manner. This campaign will provide much needed space to continue and broaden these arts educational programs for the local community.

Dabls creates artwork with traditional African imagery and storytelling, telling the stories of our present through a lens of cultural awareness. Synthesizing the past into the present, the Bead Museum creates a stirring and harmonious space of self-discovery and healing, empowering us to use our imagination, and teaching us about African culture through the language of beads. Exposure to the Museum via this new exhibition space for the African Material Collection will afford visitors an opportunity to see, talk, reflect upon and feel the past.

HERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT! If you help us reach our goal , the Michigan Economic Development Corporation will match that funding essentially DOUBLING YOUR DONATION.Your gift of $10, $100 or $1,000 will become $20, $200, or $2,000. 

Support us by donating here or simply sharing the campaign with friends and family on social media,in person, or via email (our share buttons at the top of the page make this easy).

[x----tine]

Pérez Art Museum Miami Launches PAMMTV,

Museum’s First On-Demand Streaming Service for Video Art Generously Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, PAMM’s Latest Digital Initiative Provides Free Access to World-Class Films and Video Artworks

(Miami, FL — August 31, 2023) — Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is pleased to announce the launch of PAMMTV—a first-of-its-kind streaming service that delivers video art from our museum to the walls of your home. PAMMTV offers a free array of cutting-edge, international video art from the museum’s collection, alongside selections from film festivals, guest curators, and regional filmmakers. With a focus on boundary-pushing artists across South Florida, Latin America, the Caribbean, and African Diaspora, PAMMTV showcases the dynamic media ecosystem throughout the Global South. All videos on PAMMTV are free to access and only require an account to login; the streaming service is available on web browsers, mobile phones, and tablets, as well as Apple TV.

“Digital Engagement at PAMM means scaling the mission of the museum beyond the walls of the building. One way we are doing this is extending the museum’s galleries into virtual spaces,” said PAMM Director of Digital Engagement Jay Mollica. “With PAMMTV, we are granting unprecedented access to selections from our world class video art collection by fusing the familiar user experience of Netflix with the intimacy of a museum gallery.”

Viewers around the world will be able to access PAMMTV through their web browsers or mobile browsers, and Apple TV. The inaugural selections focus on video art from the museum’s permanent collection—including pieces by artists Wangechi Mutu, Youssef Nabil—as well as works from the region of South Florida, and films curated by Third Horizon showcasing cinema from the Caribbean and its Diaspora.

“In recent years, there have been substantial shifts in how people engage with art, underscoring the notion that art should be readily available and accessible beyond the confines of a museum’s physical space,” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans. “With the generous support from the Knight Foundation, we are able to extend the reach of PAMM’s ambitious programs to a global audience while growing the infrastructure for media arts across the Global South, expanding on the at-times forgotten original promise of more connectivity in a global world via the internet.”

In addition to artwork from the museum’s permanent collection, PAMMTV features works by South Florida artists including Keisha Rae Witherspoon, Faren Humes, Monica Sorelle, Cristine Brache, and Kevin Contento. The South Florida works selected for PAMMTV seek to illustrate the multifaceted character of the region. Selected works from Third Horizon span documentary and fiction shorts celebrating formally radical and politically-focused cinema from the Caribbean and its Diaspora. Spanning Cuba, Antigua, the Dominican Republic, and beyond, featured artists include Miryam Charles, Dalissa Montes de Oca, Everlane Moraes, Amir Aether Valen, and Shabier Kirchner.

The launch of PAMMTV comes on the heels of various digital initiatives including a renovation of the museum’s website and virtual reality gallery, generously supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Digital Engagement Initiatives Grant. Launched in May 2022, all website content—including the entirety of the museum’s collection—is available in both English and Spanish, alongside visual descriptions to improve accessibility for visually impaired users. PAMM’s New Realities gallery, launched last year during Miami Art Week, showcases rotating commissions in augmented reality, accessible wherever the PAMM logo exists. With interaction at the core, this virtual reality gallery catalyzes participation in art rather than merely viewing it.

Anyone can access PAMMTV streaming service on web browsers, mobile phones, and tablets, by visiting https://pamm.tv or searching for it on Apple TV.

To commemorate the launch of PAMMTV the museum will host an event on September 14, 2023 from 6–10pm which will feature a special film screening of works from PAMM’s new service displayed on Ballyhoo Media’s 60-foot floating screen.

LINKS

PAMMTV: https://www.pamm.tv Apple TV: https://apps.apple.com/app/pammtv/id6463186701 More info: https://www.pamm.org/en/pammtv/

Launch event: https://www.pamm.org/en/event/pamm-tv-launch-event

PAMMTV LAUNCH PROGRAM

All videos on PAMMTV are free to access and only require an account, with films in each capsule available on a rotating basis for 4–9 months.

Curated videos from PAMM's permanent collection

● Wangechi Mutu, "Amazing Grace" ● Los Carpinteros, "Conga Irreversible" ● Sandra Ramos, "Acuarium" ● Luis Gispert, "Block Watching" ● Youssef Nabil, "I Saved My Belly Dancer"

Intertidal: Moving Images from South Florida

● Keisha Rae Witherspoon, "1968<2018>2068" ● Monica Sorelle, “Reeds/Wozo: Movement Study I” ● Cristine Brache, "CARMEN" ● Faren Humes, “Liberty” ● Kevin Contento, "From Fish to Moon"

Third Horizon Presents: A Celebration Cinema from the Caribbean and its Ever-expanding Diaspora

● Miryam Charles, "Song for the New World" ● Amir Aether Valen, "The Whisper of the Leaves" ● Everlane Moraes, "Pattaki" ● Dalissa Montes de Oca, "Pacaman" ● Shabier Kirchner, "Dadli"

PAMMTV Launch Event | September 14 | 5–10pm

Join us on the waterfront terrace for the launch of Pérez Art Museum Miami’s (PAMM) new video-on-demand gallery—PAMM TV. Enjoy video works from PAMM's permanent collection, selections by Third Horizon Film Festival, and films by South Florida filmmakers on Ballyhoo Media’s 60-foot floating screen. Prior to the video works, audiences can enjoy tours in the galleries, live music on the terrace, tables by community organizations, and happy hour drinks and specials at Verde.

Full Schedule

5–7pm | Live music and happy hour at Verde 7–8pm | PAMMTV screening 8–10pm | Afterparty and live music

This event is free with RSVP. Ongoing support for PAMM TV and PAMM’s other digital efforts is generously provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

[biglisbonnews]

Knight Foundation Funds the Future of Art With Grants for South Florida Artists Digital transformation has become the language we use to challenge the status quo, experiment, and reach new audiences. For artists and art organizations, it’s the next frontier. That’s why Knight Foundation awarded a total of $500,000 to winners of the Knight New Work challenge. It’s an effort to accelerate the integration of technology with the arts to offer communities greater access and foster meaningful connections between people and place. Knight New Work (KNW) 2022 supports South Florida-area artists working in all genres who use technology in their practices to create, disseminate, and enhance the way art is experienced. More Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Knight Foundation Funds the Future of Art With Grants for South Florida Artists appeared first on Colossal. https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/02/knight-foundation-grants/

[anjaniedringhaus]

Fatima Shbair wins the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award

© photo: Fatima Shbair / text: IWMF

Brazilian and Iranian-Canadian women photographers also recognized

[September 29, 2021 – WASHINGTON, DC] – Today, the International Women’s Media Foundation presented Palestinian freelance photojournalist Fatima Shbair with the seventh annual Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. Since 2015, the international award has honored women photojournalists who take risks to capture humanity in dire circumstances, illuminating underreported and sometimes silenced stories. The prestigious award was created in honor of German Associated Press photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2014.

Shbair’s portfolio rose above more than 100 applications that represented women photojournalists from more than 40 countries. At 24 years old, Shbair is the youngest winner of the ‘Anja Award’ to-date and is a self-taught, freelance photojournalist. Her portfolio, “11 Days of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” includes unique moments of tension, violence, devastation, and hope all captured from Gaza City in May 2021.

“Life here is different, and I had to find a way to [show] what was happening,” says Shbair from Gaza. “Despite successive wars and tragedies, people here dig deep in search of hope, and their lives matter – it’s my responsibility to convey their voices to the world.” Shbair continued: “Anja’s work gives us the determination to continue on the path despite the difficulties. I can’t find the words to describe how honored I feel to receive this award.”

The IWMF also recognized two other women photojournalists with honorable mentions in the competition: Brazilian photojournalist Adriana Zehbrauskas, currently working in Phoenix, Arizona, and Iranian-Canadian photographer Kiana Hayeri, who is based in Kabul, Afghanistan. Zehbrauskas’ portfolio included energetic yet sensitive portrayals of migration and the toll of COVID-19 in Latin America, while Hayeri’s work spotlighted the rising conflict and looming crisis in Afghanistan from an alternative perspective.

“Within the past two years so many communities worldwide have been pushed to the brink in order to survive,” says the IWMF’s Executive Director Elisa Lees Muñoz. “Anja’s focus on resilience, hope and the intimate struggles people face in times of crisis is a legacy we turn to now more than ever. The IWMF is thrilled to recognize this year’s winner, Fatima Shbair, as well as Kiana Hayeri and Adriana Zehbrauskas in Anja’s name.”

This year’s jury included Corinne Dufka, Jacqueline Larma, Robert Nickelsberg, Tara Pixley, and Bernadette Tuazon. Together, the committee issued the following statement on this year’s Anja Award selection: “The portfolios from this year’s winner and honorees draw in the viewer and continue to grow with impact and intimacy. Each photojournalist demonstrated remarkable tenacity and developed clear and close bonds with her subject, accessing what few photographers can convey. We congratulate Fatima, Adriana and Kiana on their remarkable work; Anja would be proud to recognize each of you.”

Anja Niedringhaus was a recipient of the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2005. The winner’s $20,000 prize is made possible by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. Honorees’ images and captions, biographies and headshots are available for media use with proper attribution; to inquire further, please contact Charlotte Fox (cfox@iwmf.org).

Courage in Photojournalism Award Winner

This year’s winner, Fatima Shbair, is a Palestinian freelance photojournalist from Gaza City.

After studying business administration for three years at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, Shbair switched to study journalism and began concentrating on photojournalism in 2019 through independent study and working in the field.

In 2020, Shbair began to receive assignments from several international agencies, including Getty Images and The New York Times, to cover her hometown as tensions continued between Israel and Palestine. Her assignments increased in 2021 but came with the challenge of working during a global pandemic, which also strained and ravaged her own community. Shbair is currently a contributor to Everyday Middle East and continues her work with Getty Images. Her work has been exhibited in Palestine, the UAE, London, and Paris.

As a women photojournalist, Shbair’s gender and line of work are challenged daily, due to the conservative nature of society in Gaza, and the prevenance of male photojournalists in the industry.

Juror Dufka noted, “Fatima’s stunning photo essay is one of the strongest entries the jury had the pleasure of reviewing these past several years. Her work with light, angles, and composition is remarkable as she weaves through a forest of destruction in her own backyard.”

Juror Larma continued, “She clearly spent a great deal of time with her subjects and pursued what’s beyond obvious for most photojournalists. Within these 11 days, Fatima took the time to pursue intimate storytelling, showing us both the physical and emotional toll on her subjects while operating in extreme danger.”

From Gaza, Shbair further remarked: “Courage is not just about taking risks; being human first is the true courage of a photojournalist. It is a great honor to receive this award, especially in Anja’s image, as we are all still learning from her creativity, journey, and pursuit of the truth.”

Twitter: @FatimaMshbair, Instagram: @fatimashbair

Courage in Photojournalism Honorees

Honoree Kiana Hayeri was born and partially raised in Iran and was first introduced to photography in high school after her family moved to Canada. Hayeri left Toronto during her final year of university and traveled to Afghanistan on assignment in 2013, where she’s remained.

In 2021, Hayeri received the Robert Capa Gold Medal for her photographic series, “Where Prison is Kind of a Freedom,” documenting the lives of Afghan women in Herat Prison. In 2020, she received the Tim Hetherington Visionary award and was named as the 6th recipient of the James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting.

Hayeri was an IAAB fellow in 2011 and completed a CIS artist residency at MIT University in 2012. In 2014, she was named as one of the emerging photographers by PDN 30 Under 30. In 2016, she was selected for the IWMF’s cross-border reporting fellowship to work on her proposed story in Rwanda and DRC and was selected as the recipient of Chris Hondros Fund Award as an emerging photographer. In 2017, Hayeri received a grant from European Journalism Center to do a series of reporting on gender equality out of Afghanistan and received Stern Grant in 2018 to continue her work on the state of mental health among Afghan women.

Hayeri is a Senior TED fellow, and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Le Monde, Harper’s Magazine, Washington Post, NPR, Monocle Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Marie Clare, Glamour, The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera America, and CBC, among others.

When reviewing Hayeri’s portfolio, Tuazon noted that, “These images can only be captured by a woman with her specific access and lens. Every single day in this portfolio demonstrates unbelievable courage as the women and children she illuminates convey a harrowing narrative.”

Twitter: @kianahayeri, Instagram: @kianahayeri

Adriana Zehbrauskas is a Brazilian documentary photographer based in Phoenix, Arizona. Her work is largely focused on issues related to migration, religion, human rights, underrepresented communities, and the violence resulting from the drug trade in Mexico, Central and South America.

Zehbrauskas contributes regularly to The New York Times, UNICEF and BuzzFeed News and her work has been widely published in outlets such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Stern, Le Monde and El País, among others.

She is the recipient of a 2021 Maria Moors Cabot Prize, a New York Press Club Award in Feature-Science Medicine and Technology in the Newspaper category for the article “Zika’s Legacy: Catastrophic Consequences of a Continuing Crisis (NY-2018) and a POY International (2019). She was a finalist for the Premio Gabo (2018) and received two Honorable Mentions at the Julia Margaret Cameron Award (2018).

Zehbrauskas is one of the three photographers profiled in the documentary “Beyond Assignment” (USA, 2011, produced by The Knight Center for International Media and the University of Miami. She’s a recipient of the first Getty Images Instagram Grant and was awarded Best Female Photojournalist -Troféu Mulher Imprensa (Brazil). Her mobile photography work was selected by Time Magazine for the “29 Instagrams That Defined the World in 2014″ and her project on Faith in Brazil and Mexico was awarded an Art & Worship World Prize by the Niavaran Artistic Creation Foundation.

She’s an instructor with the International Center of Photography (ICP- NY), the World Press Photo Foundation, Gabriel García Márquez’s Fundación Gabo, the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop and serves as a jury member to dozens of grants and awards worldwide.

Commenting on Zehbrauskas’ portfolio, juror Pixley said, “The strength of her images is indicative of a lengthy time occupying difficult spaces despite both health and safety concerns. Her consistency across countries, issues and movements reveals the same, unique human connection.”

Twitter: @AZehbrauskas, Instagram: @adrianazehbrauskas

[madamhatter]

act 0. observer’s notes your name is….. occult, the remnants of antiquated ‘ichor’ theory meta.

Rugged and torn leather cover, its moss green color held a title that most eyes wouldn’t be able to translate; if anything, the words read more like markings as opposed to a formal and recognizable alphabet.

- ACT. ????, outlandish occultic occupancy. 

*For clarity purposes: Read ichor as having two forms: its material concentration (used primary by machinery nowadays) and its emitted energy emitted that has flow and connection to living matter and reality. 

At pivot of magical ingenuity was the equally technologically breaking and devastatingly powerful Order and ichor-infused knights. While the prestige of the Order’s influence has long since dissipated from dominant culture of Topaxi alliance, and the fallout of the empire it originated from, they remain the most commonly recognized basis and symbol of the empire’s advancements into the future. 

However, the development of ichor manipulation and human subjects is one that rests upon a foundation of modern and scientific findings and research into the stability, security, and utility of ichor. expanded much into the golden era of the Empire. Though, what is imperative is to realize that all foundations to greatness once preceded another that would soon be lost to time. It is the larger bank underneath the modernity of the times. A long since recognized and theoretical unbound.

This time period we will formally refer to as the “antes de mecanism” or AM for short.

During AM, salvaging and refining ichor wasn’t a conquest but a partnership between both unrivaled and untouchable power and humans. The usefulness and depth of ichor to be a human enhancer  hadn’t been recognized during this time; it was seen an untapped and respected entity of sorts, only those capable of respecting and devoting time, blood, sweat, and every mortal fiber of their person to it would be able to be ‘granted permission’ to use it. 

Most of what can be harnessed wasn’t completely possible without the creations of a language. Just in the way that humans have created speech and scripture, accumulating each utterance and reference to have meaning in a common symbol, humans developed a language around magic. This will be referred to as raíz.  Just like common languages differed, as did raíz, as the concentration, nature, and flow of ichor varies differently throughout the world and has more specifics to how it must be used.

However, the bridge between ichor and humans wasn’t completely raíz, as it was only a human equivalence of translating the true nature of ichor and how to conduct it. Under raíz is the universal laws of ichor, all of which cannot be given phonetics and cannot be pronounced normally like how a human would practice their common language. 

Understanding this true nature meant to coast around the immaterial, uncontrollable reality that existed between planes ; it is paper-thin and invisible to humankind. It exists between the boundaries of all life forms and the planet they inhabit. It is the subspace that ichor naturally travels and the same space that ichor, at its core, can be channeled through.  

This language does exist by human hands, but it was written by ichor itself. Devotees of acquiring knowledge, known as magi, were able to create writing instruments that could temporarily channel ichor at its raw state. Onto paper, the instrument would begin writing and creating shapes for whatever object, person, other material forms were nearby. Each material form is known to have a glyph. There are variations of glyphs that exist to indicate actions, movement, and change too. One can then create a unique sigil through combining glyphs that behaves like a pre-coded command. 

Access to glyphs and knowing of its existence was very far and few in-between. Most populations relied on raíz and were only aware of the secondary language. 

As a sword to its knight, as too was a grimoire/tome, scroll, and tablet were to the magi. These were the tools necessary to exchange knowledge and glyphs, as well as use them. It is required for them to use these tools. Other variations existed but they weren’t as safe. In current times, and MUCH earlier in this age, most of these artifacts were destroyed. As to why they were, well, it was considered mainly ‘unsafe practice’ and ordered to be destroyed by major empires. However, this can very well be a ploy to remove knowledge and power from civilians and keep such power available only for the elite and wealthy. 

Only very few ancient writings remain and all are written in these dead languages (sometimes all in regional raíz , glyphs, or a combination of the two) that a normal person would find useless/unable to be understood. It’s basically the equivalent of them seeing chicken scratch and nonsensical scribbles.. 

In the time before mechanical ichor handling was possible, there were several forms created that were attempts to harbor its power. These would be the ‘lost arts’ that varied by culture, location, etc. 

Lost arts would include, but are not limited to: 

Possession of a cemi on the person, acting as a concentration and anchor for ichor. This used either raíz or glyphs -- sometimes both (which is possible to mix in order to cast magic). Considered one that has greatest outcome for the type of spell casting. However, it is the most demanding on the subject and tends to greatly reduce their life expectancy. Lost texts have also described a personality shift in the person and distinct change in features like having a ‘glassy look’ in their eyes. It is almost as if the original life had been sapped out of the body in place of the magic. 

Sundials that have raíz inscribed around the round base, all of which are related to the unique function and purpose of its wielder. It is one, however, that isn’t transportable and has to be fixed into the ground. Depending on the time and weather, and where it shadows landed, was considered the most opportune time to partake in particular magical spells that is heightened by ichor. This method was popular mostly for artisans, blacksmiths, and other careers that had a ‘home base’ for work from. 

Tattooing transmuted ichor into one’s body, allowing them a range of casting possibility and ability to bend elements around them. This technique used glyphs. The particular ‘hot spots’ to tattoo would be centered around the five senses (face, hands and feet). This one fell out of fashion as quickly as it was introduced due to the horrific ramifications of overexerting ichor through an unprepared and unfit subject. It ended with human combustion, sudden suffocation/collapse of the lungs, spontaneous and rapid growth and decaying of limbs, etc. 

Ichor, as previously mentioned, was portrayed by most to have its distinct characteristics that placed emphasis on the the power it has over people, rather than the people having power over it. Alluded to in the ‘lost arts,’ there were many effects for those who tried to overwhelm themselves with power and tried to exploit the capability with ichor. It is by the fact that ichor carries an immaterial presence and its energy exists the spaces of reality and acts as a conduit between living matter and magic. A space that not humans do not naturally exist in, but only around it. Avarice can lead to negative consequence, especially for beings not made to survive in that plane. 

Miasma refers to the repercussions of ichor usage/magic casting. Back in AM, the term specifically referred to the repercussions of unregulated and overabundant that ichor would do to the ‘soul’ of a being. It’s commonly depicted in tales and art as a seed; it is a corruption that slowly reveals itself like a plant growing inside the person’s body that takes a toll on their physical form. Miasma does not appear the same for everyone during that time, but there will always be the fact that the affected areas revolve around where the magic is concentrated (hands, eyes, ears, mouth, chest, etc). In the case of which ichor was used for internal improvements, for example,  the flesh could have discoloration over vital organs.

"Depues de mecanism” (DM) finds that miasma can be referred to any repercussion that ichor has on a subject. This extends away from only being about ichor usage/magic casting. . 

There isn’t a supernatural element or ‘corruption’ theme surrounding it anymore, as science theorize it as the body reacting to overexposure to ichor. Instead of corruption, however,  it is now referred to as ‘rot’ by common people and not all supernatural connections were cut from it.  

Modern medicine has helped those who suffer from miasma with things like sedatives, pain relievers,  psycho-pharmaceuticals, or any other drugs to specifically alleviate symptoms. Miasma, in this case, isn’t seen as permanent for those generally exposed to it .

However, not all miasma can be handled with drugs. Those capable of ichor usage/magic casting* still suffer permanent psychological and physical scarring and alterations to their psyche/body. Thankfully, these cases aren’t as extreme and deadly as they were back in the day. 

( *coming up soon w/ explanation )

In the current state of the world, most countries under the Topaxi alliance have forgotten. Most instead look towards more updated and published works, a great amount unaware of the antiquated groundwork. One would find that in reference to ichor, most would only reference creations and discoveries made during DM and only a handful of AM creations (ie: sundial) that existed at the end of AM/beginning of DM. 

Current countries under the Topaxi alliance long have forgotten these customs and practices. However, it is commonly found in smaller countries that pose no militant threat but get ichor concentrations. Similarly, however, a lot of the theories and practices have long since out-of-fashion and magic casting isn’t as typical or sought-out anymore (unless in cases of specializations, academics, and high-ranking officials).

However, in both the Topaxi alliance and remaining countries, there are still remnants.  Language integration has happened in Topaxi that has combined raíz into local dialect.  The same could be applied for glyphs, but they are only used as symbols to refer to particular buildings, and guilds. These languages do not possess any power unless if they’re being used by the trained magi or certain people.

These ‘certain people’ were once the subject of debates for scholars and researchers during AM. The future that was theorized for them, however, was lost to history. 

The innate, those who were adept in ichor channeling without needing to dedicate themselves to academics or use glyphs and raiz to use magic. Innates were considered the ‘path of the future’ as their bodies are naturally possessing abilities to have ichor flow through them (not that they are born with it, but think of them as prisms). This, in itself, is a mutation; they transcend the need to use the magic languages to cast spells, do not need spells to use ichor, and their ability is usually naturally occurring and always active.  

This ability is extremely rare and the chances of having it if there’s an extended family history of ichor exposure (or genetics, give or take). The innate usually have one of these senses altered by the ichor and provides them a unique ability to interact with living matter and reality. Sometimes, the ichor allows them enter/see/hear/talk in ways humanly impossible. The innate, as well, can naturally translate/read/understand glyphs.  Raíz is a different case, given that it varies per region and still functions in the sanctions of human languages. It has to be learned just like any other language. 

Tose who are innate are often not aware of such a mutation or even the title they possess. All information are kept by magi and made exclusive to them. It is without saying, however, that these gifts are often kept quiet about and are not usually shared with anyone. Tales of those naturally controlling ichor are usually ones that end with disappearances, short lives, and worse fates. These are stories that not all know, but it is the risk of standing out that would usually keep others on the alert and secretive.  

The innate, versus the acquired (anyone else who can channel ichor/cast magic), have uncharted possibilities and growth available to them. And it is the fact that they’re unbound that makes them terrifying, even profitable. 

However, in the rise of new history awaiting to be made, the remainders of the past have not always slumbered peacefully in its death. The innate still linger in a society that will soon be met with tides of great change in the city of Topaxi. 

A once ancient civilization, perched upon a sky-breaking mountain, is now home to another presence. But the spirit of the ancestors have never left. All are bound to the past and all are as capable to be subjected to meet the phantoms past in present day. 

“I felt that..” A shiver down their spine, a phantom sensation embracing their mortal coil. They turn their cheek, locks of silver dancing in the autumn breeze, eyes wide and intent on discovering the source.

“Whatever that was.” 

The phantasm arts, will it make its undead return? 

NOTES:  This only one school of practice (and theory) used to understand and channel ichor. Not all countries and cultures would have the same developments surrounding ichor. (This is basically me saying this isn’t cemented and more pathways are available and you can write your own interpretation.) 

Topaxi residents will not be aware of this extensive history. This should be considered something entirely scholarly and academic that is branched from others. Those from smaller countries (as described before) would have familiarity with the customs, but not the complete story. 

Yon mentioned this before, but magic is STILL not at all common with people. It is completely rare and the same can be said for ye ol’ days. It was just more accessible to the lower classes and was vastly present in conversation (but not practiced). 

[hiraeth-wayfarer]

Hiraeth Creature #1000 - Vesailia 

Aesalith, City of Ghosts; Fierfohen, City of Beasts, and Empyrean, City of Blasphemies. The bones of a transient golden age sit stark and wilted in the furthest reaches of Hiraeth's northern wilds. Beyond beautiful fields and ancient forests, kissed by snow and embraced by flowing sunlight, a curse festers and squirms under its heaving weight. The cursed forest guards the way to the kingdoms, its breath haggard by toxins and its voice strained by the calls of malformed and otherworldly creatures that spirits watch from afar, lest the forest take them as well. This place was once a sprawling, radiant paradise, built with unprecedented magic.

Those who crafted this utopia were three Summerfolk siblings: youngest brother Ezia, cunning and tricksy with words; middle sister Tevenka, strong and brave until the end, and eldest sister Vesailia, kind and compassionate to all. Though Vesailia was eldest, she was meek, but her fragility came with a blessing. As a child, she had stumbled upon a beautiful staff, but when she touched it, celestial magic coursed through her body, scaring and burning her inside and out. Her siblings took care of her always, well after they were left as orphaned nomads in the desert. Wherever they went, they helped those they could and survived by the good will of others. Ezia fought for the rights of peasants and workers, Tevenka fought bandits and monsters who tormented them, and Vesailia fought to keep them alive as they struggled to make a life in the wastes. Vesailia's blessing was that she could use celestial magic with Hiraeth's innate magic in tandem, and though it pained her tremendously, she saved many with her miraculous gift.

Word of the siblings changing each town they passed went far and wide, and soon they had caravans following them, seeking their aid and teachings. Their once aimless wandering was taken over by a great pilgrimage of lost people, looking for salvation. Kingdoms from all over had been devoured by the Earthen Maiden, mother of Hiraeth's balance. Those who grew too quick or practiced forbidden arts were swallowed into the abyss and the survivors sought out hope, finding it in the three siblings. They planned to head north to the great City of Myths, home of legendary spirits, to beg for sanctuary. They braved the northern winds as far as they could, before Vesailia could walk no more. They built a town around her resting spot, and people from all over came to pray for her health. Eventually the town grew into a city, as Ezia and Tevenka used their strengths to bind folk together and give them purpose. Once wanderers, they become citizens, workers, and knights, strung together by focus and determination.

While her siblings eked out a new life, Vesailia was plunged into a deep, dark dream-- visions billowed like storm clouds and overwhelmed her senses. She sunk into a sea of conscience and found another her-- a her that wasn't her, but had the same soul. She saw a soul connected to countless souls, coalescing into a great winged form, each silver feather a veil, the silhouette of far-off lands behind each one. She awoke from this dream to the joyful tears of her siblings and the unending devotion of friend and stranger alike. She felt the hands that weren't hers clutch together against her beating heart, and found the magic she needed to save her people.

---------------------------------

With unfathomable power, the grandest city Hiraeth had ever seen was built. Separated into thirds, they became knowns as Aesalith, City of Riches, Fierfohen, City of Steel, and Empyrean, City of Wonders. Vesailia wished to make the people of Hiraeth their City of Myth, so that their journeys would not end in the deathly pale like theirs had almost done. She met with the spirits of the wilds and begged them for their blessings, which they granted after seeing that their lands had been undamaged by the miracle Vesailia performed, and the land became saturated in fertility. The Earthen Maiden was not keen with the choice the spirits of the north had made, but found that the grand city was protected by wards never seen before, as if pulled from another world entirely. The foundation was changed, and the Earthen Maiden's judgement could not be passed.

Together, the siblings ruled wisely over their kingdoms, meeting often in council. Ezia brought the kingdoms prosperity, Tevenka brought safety, and Vesailia brought miracles. She poured over old and new teachings, and her knowledge lead Empyrean to be capital of magical studies. They welcomed travellers and refuges from across the world, but Vesailia began to feel a great unease when she would see caravans of the needy and the sickly enter their walls. Years were passing, and all the magic she had burned within her was taking its toll-- she wanted more power to keep everyone safe, but the more she gained, the weaker she felt. Her whims changed over time-- she stopped appearing at council, and her royal ministers took her place in greeting the people and walking the streets. Vesailia saw the other her when she closed her eyes, and wanted to join with her at all costs, seeing the strength in her that she needed. Her eyes for the people shifted away to the ethereal reflection always in front of her, but just out of reach. She toiled in her castle, forming a new council of her own, made up of bright and twisted minds-- those who had lost themselves to magic, willing to do anything to reach and become higher beings. Maleficorum once shunned by the world now whispered in the queen's ear, telling her of ancient secrets long left behind.

Vesailia, once healer and weaver of blessings, put her foot forward down a foreboding road-- a road she would walk alone for now, she thought. If the people of Hiraeth were to be saved, she would need to save herself first. Many had to be taken to the castle to learn this royal vow and were never seen again. Witches, druids, shamans, soothsayers, arcane beasts, spirits, demons, Fae, and many others with powerful magic were gathered in the gloom of the castle, and joined with the queen's soul to help her continue making miracles. Even members of her family weren't immune to the castle's cold shadow. Vesailia wanted souls to flourish and join with her's to make her wings, just as she saw in her dream years ago. The souls she embraced warped her body in odd ways, but she could feel her wings sprouting along her back, and continued bringing more and more souls into her caress. Her devotees called upon creatures far away to aid her, but many of them began fleeing their queen and escaped into the wilds, changing the land slowly, to the dismay of both folk and spirit. Vesailia cared little if a few got away, as her metamorphosis was almost complete.

She needed two more things to finish her decree: magic in its purest form and a fitting symbol of her change. Her ministers recovered the staff in the south that blessed her long ago-- a great metal horn, which kept a colossal, consuming flame at bay until she had it brought to her side. She looked to the Land of Giants, where forbidden stories told of a Ravenous Beast made from the chaos of the celestial sea was left to rot away. She took the pure blood of the beast, awakening it in the process. The paradise she had been tending had descended into wild madness, but once her other self was here and once they shared the same pair of wings, she could right all the wrongs of the world. Monsters howled in the night and realms tore apart at the seams, but in her throne room, Vesailia stood proudly and unflinchingly as her attendants performed the ritual to call upon her other self. Before they could finish, the spirits she had imprisoned let loose the light of the Niveous Moon. The queen's eyes were blinded by the moonlight, no longer seeing her other self, she fell back into her old dreams to try and find her again. Some say she still stands in her throne room, waiting for her other self. Her machinations brought calamity to the world, destroying everything she understood, and yet she still lives in the depths of the cursed forest. Like a statue she endures, a monument to the Mother of Blasphemies, the Blight of the North, and the Queen of Nothing.

[newyorktheater]

The announcement of forthcoming Broadway productions of Torch Song, a pioneering play about a gay character, and a stage adaptation of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a drama about a case of racial injustice, comes in a week when most news seems at best discouraging —

NEA Gives Grants to Dozens of NYC Theaters. Then Trump Proposes Eliminating It

— and at worst, horrific.

Can theater make a difference?

Mass Shootings on Stage: Healing or Titillating?

It’s worth noting that Glenda Jackson left acting for 23 years after she became a member of Parliament to fight Thatcherism. “There’s no way you could do both,” she says in an article linked below, hooked to her return to Broadway in “Three Tall Women”

On the other hand, “I think my work is always at its best during Republican administrations,” Tony Kushner says in an article, also linked below, about the forthcoming Broadway revival of “Angels in America.”

Also below: Katharine McPhee makes her Broadway debut; a new August Wilson award; the World Trade Center performing arts center gets an artistic director; playwrights Lynn Nottage and Terrence McNally get a new honor; a million dollars will be given away for good ideas about using technology to help the arts.

Week in New York Theater Reviews

Kings

”There is one thing about which we all agree, left, right, center: Money has corrupted our politics,” says Rep. Sydney Millsap (Eisa Davis), summing up the point and the plot of “Kings,” a new play written by Sarah Burgess (“Dry Powder”) and directed by Thomas Kail (“Hamilton”) at the Public Theater. The Congresswoman, a Gold Star widow newly elected as the first black woman to represent her district in Dallas, Texas, learns the bitter lesson of money and politics while fighting to resist the moneyed interests and do what’s right on a particular bill.

Terminus

Eller (Deirdre O’Connell) is losing her mind, and thus lives in two worlds on stage in “Terminus,” a lyrical, Southern Gothic stew of a play by Gabriel Jason Dean running through March 10 at Next Door at New York Theatre Workshop. In one of her worlds, it is 1994, and Eller, 65, resides in a soon-to-be-condemned shack by the railroad tracks in rural Attapulugus, Georgia with her biracial grandson Jaybo (Reynaldo Piniella), 17, who takes care of her as best he can. The other world is in Eller’s head, populated by family long gone — people whom she abandoned or who abandoned her – a ghastly past full of racism, stifled love, hidden homicide, chanting ghosts, a train-flattened nail in the shape of a cross, a gold-leafed Bible opened to a prophetic page, and a noose.

Week in New York Theater News

Roxanna Hope Radja, Ward Horton, Michael Urie and Michael Rosen

Torch Song with Michael Urie is moving to Broadway. The production, which ran at Second Stage Theater’s Off-Broadway house last Fall, is set to open on November 1, 2018 at the Helen Hayes, the same theater (then called the Little Theater) where the original Broadway production (then called Torch Song Trilogy) appeared in 1982.  Second Stage Theater recently bought it, to have a Broadway presence;  their first production at the theater, Lobby Hero, is scheduled to open on March 26.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” is coming to Broadway!, Adapted by Aaron Sorkin, directed by Barlett She, it is set to open December 13 (the theater yet to be selected), starring Jeff Daniels, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Gideon Glick, Stark Sands, and LaTanya Richardson Jackson

Tony Yazbeck (On the Town) and Peter Friedman (The Treasurer) will star in John Kander’s new musical adaptation of Henry James’ novella “The Beast in the Jungle.” Susan Stroman will direct. It is scheduled to open May 23 at the Vineyard Theatre.

joining @dolabunny in cast of @mtc_nyc‘s #SaintJoan: @ChandelierBeret @DanielSunjata @pagepatrick. Also (not pictured) Jack Davenport, John Glover, Maurice Jones Opens April 25 pic.twitter.com/U3Y8zaTT87

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) February 20, 2018

Bill Rauch, artistic director of @osfashland, is moving to NYC to become artistic director of the forthcoming World Trade Center performing arts center, @ThePerelmanWTC, which aims to open 2020-21.https://t.co/R9rmVxGJ3h pic.twitter.com/lKvsV2pT1m

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) February 16, 2018

Warren Carlyle (Hello Dolly etc) will be directing and choreographing the first Broadway revival of The Secret Garden, which aims for “next season” on Broadway

Lynn Nottage

Mr.Terrence Mc Nally

Congratulations to playwrights Lynn Nottage and Terrence McNally for being among the 12 new members of the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters. Historian Ron Chernow (Hamilton, Grant), artist Jenny Holzer, and novelist Maxine Hong Kingston are also among the inductees.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 Jonathan Larson Award winners. Ten thousand dollars each to:

  Jay Adana (music and lyrics),

Andrew R. Butler and Andrew Farmer (music, lyrics, and book)

Emily Kaczmarek & Zoe Sarnak (music, lyrics, and book),

and Mark Sonnenblick (music and lyrics).

A new August Wilson American Century Cycle Award honors theater companies that have staged all ten Cycle plays. The award is the creation of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and co-sponsored by the August Wilson House

Glenda Jackson on Quitting Parliament, Playing Lear and Returning to Broadway

Jelani Alladin as Kristoff and Patti Murin as Anna

$30 lottery tickets begin today for first preview this Thurs February 22 of Frozen. Enter at http://www.luckyseat.com/frozen .

We already knew that @OfficialALW was releasing Unmasked the memoir, and Unmasked the album. Now @Paper_Mill will present Unmasked the show Sept 27-Oct 28, a “musical portrait” w/ songs & stories, old & new. pic.twitter.com/Io0tYK8ONb

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) February 16, 2018

Charles Busch will return to Theater for the New City in The Confession of Lily Dare  April 4 -April 29

Actress Katharine McPhee is heading to Broadway.  She will assume the lead role in “Waitress,” April 10 through June 17. This marking the Broadway debut for the runner-up in American Idol and the  former cast member of NBC’s “Smash.” “People come up to me all the time and say, ‘You’ve done Broadway, right?’ And I’m like, ‘Nope, I’ve never done it,’” McPhee told the A.P. “I did a show about it but I was never, in fact, on Broadway.” She currently co-stars in the TV series Scorpion

David Korins, set designer for Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, has been added to the roster of speakers at the seventh annual TedXBroadway on February 27th.

Billy Crudup will reprise his performance in the title role of Harry Clarke, moving to the Minetta Lane Theater, opening March 18.

  .@mcctheater has cancelled Reasons to be Pretty Happy by Neil LaBute and is terminating his playwright-in-residence. They don’t explain why. The playwright has produced 10 of his plays w/ MCC over past 15 years. pic.twitter.com/idv3whxolO

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) February 15, 2018

Angels in America’: Inside Broadway’s Big Bet, Led by Andrew Garfield With Renewed Relevance (Variety) Playwrights Horizons 2018-2019 season:

  “I Was Most Alive With You” written and directed by Craig Lucas the New York premiere of a new play written and directed by Craig Lucas, with Lisa Emery, Russell Harvard and Lois Smith.  Previews begin August 31, 2018. He has a blessed life, thankful every day for the gifts of his family, his addiction, and his son’s Deafness. But on one fateful day, everything’s taken from him. Performed simultaneously in English and ASL by two casts.

  “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa Fasthorse, directed by Moritz Von Stuelpnagel. October 2018 A troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.

“Noura”, written and performed by Heather Raffo. November 2018 Eight years ago, Nouraand her family fled their home in Iraq. Today, she plans the perfect Christmas dinner to celebrate their new life in New York. But when the arrival of a visitor stirs up long-buried memories, she and her husband are forced to confront the cost of their choices,

“If Pretty Hurts Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka” written by Tori Sampson, directed by Liesl Tommy. Feb 2019 In the village of Affreakah-Amirrorkah, no one questions that Akim is the one true, perfect beauty – not even her jealous classmates. But they’ll be damned before they let her be the leading lady in this story.

“The Pain of My Belligerence” written and performed by Halley Feiffer. April 2019 The play charts the spiky relationship between brilliant young journalist Cat and magnetic Guy  over eight years and a rapidly changing America.

“A Stange Loop,” a musical by Michael R. Jackson, directed by Stephen Brackett May, 2019 Usher is a black, gay writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical: a piece about a black, gay writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical.

  How might cultural institutions use technology to connect people to the arts? That’s a million-dollar question.@knightfdn is giving out $1 million in grants through its #prototypefund for the best answers. Deadline: March 6, 2018 Details:https://t.co/8klyWtJUMJ

— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) February 15, 2018

Torch Song, To Kill a Mockingbird Coming to Broadway. Can Theater Matter? Week in New York Theater The announcement of forthcoming Broadway productions of Torch Song, a pioneering play about a gay character, and a stage adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird," a drama about a case of racial injustice, comes in a week when most news seems at best discouraging --

[loreleywrites]

Raiders of the Lost Arcs

Marvel didn’t start with The Avengers. Instead, they gave Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Captain America their own films to set foundations for their characters before showing how they interacted. Every development from these four superheroes since is still rooted in those original films. Tony Stark is still striving to improve the world with technology. Bruce Banner just wants to be left alone.

Wizards of the Coast didn’t start with the Gatewatch either. Instead, Magic Origins provided us with the backstories of the five pivotal Planeswalkers in this group. Chandra, Nissa, Gideon, Liliana, and Jace were born at different times and on different planes. They each have their own stories, only coming together as one fighting force to confront some of the deadliest foes in the Multiverse.

Like the members of the Avengers, the members of the Gatewatch are still defined by their origin stories. In fact, many of those stories set up conflicts that are still playing out in Magic years later. Today’s article is going to go through each Planeswalker’s origin story and trace where those first conflicts stand in today’s lore.

Chandra

Story art by Lius Lasahido

Chandra Nalaar’s origin is told in “Fire Logic.” She was born in the city of Ghirapur on the plane of Kaladesh. Aether is refined and distributed by a governing body known as the Consulate. While this organization is intended to benefit all citizens of Ghirapur, a handful of corrupt officials have perverted it for a profit.

Aether is strictly regulated, much to the chagrin of many brilliant inventors. Mages are outlawed, as their powers are wild and unpredictable. Unfortunately for Chandra, she is a pyromancer and daughter of two aether smugglers. This pits her against an icon of the Consulate, bad cop Dhiren Baral. He murders Chandra’s father, captures her mother, and is set to personally execute the pyromancer. This is when Chandra’s spark ignites, bathing Baral in a blaze.

Of course, we know what happens to this story arc. In Kaladesh and Aether Revolt, Chandra returns home for the first time in eleven years. She rescues her mother, defeats Baral, and helps the renegade forces extricate the corrupt Consuls.

It doesn’t go so easy, however, and we end up getting insight into Chandra’s personal demons. We learn that she’s internalized Baral’s words branding her as a monster, that she’s reckless and a danger to everyone around her. And for Chandra, that’s difficult to deny. She’s killed people, innocent people, and she never really comes to terms with it. In “Burn,” she almost lets it get the best of her:

“I’m not a monster. But I can be.”

Nissa’s intervention convinces Chandra that despite Baral’s taunts, she is a loved part of many people’s lives.

Chandra has closure on her initial external conflict; Baral is rotting in prison for the rest of his life. What is still to be seen is how she reconciles her past recklessness. As a Red character, personal responsibility is not her strong suit. She’s also only twenty-three. Good intentions and destructive magic make for a volatile life. Shouldering this is her next step into adulthood.

Nissa

Nissa’s Revelation by Izzy

In “Home,” Nissa forges an animist’s connection with Zendikar as it conscripts her in the fight against the still-trapped eldrazi titans. It leads Nissa to Akoum, where her mind is attacked by the dormant Emrakul. She is whisked away into the Blind Eternities, awakening as a Planeswalker.

From there on out, Nissa’s conflicts continually put her at odds with the eldrazi. She ends up releasing the titans themselves in The Teeth of Akoum, hoping they would flee Zendikar for another plane. The next two years involved her failing to stop Ulamog’s relentless assault.

Nissa spent almost forty years living alone with Zendikar, so she didn’t quite understand what was at stake in her fight. It’s not until “Nissa, Worldwaker” that she realizes there are other people who she can ally with. Other people who have lost loved ones. Other people who have fled their ancestral homes. And when Gideon, Jace, and Chandra show up; other people who bear the shameful responsibility of unleashing the eldrazi.

Defeating Ulamog and Kozilek requires Nissa to play well with others. Her skill manipulating leylines is only one part of the puzzle. Chandra’s harnessing of a plane’s worth of mana into one spell is the other.

Emrakul still loomed on Innistrad, however. Emrakul, the titan who flung Nissa into the Blind Eternities in the first place. The Gatewatch helped Nissa realize that she has the power to help planes other than Zendikar, and this was her opportunity for closure against the eldrazi.

But did she win? Was there closure?

Nissa tries to use a similar technique to try to destroy Emrakul, but Innistrad’s mana does not cooperate. In addition, Emrakul manipulates Tamiyo into merely binding her in the moon. “The Promised End” depicts just that, an end. Victory? I’d say not.

Nissa’s core internal conflict is trust. Kaladesh block had her warm up to Chandra, while Amonkhet broadened her perspective with access to Blue mana. Her social skills are new, but growing. The question remains if Nissa herself is trustworthy.

“The Hand That Moves” gives us some horrifying clues for the future. Nissa has a vision of what she interpreted as Emrakul, who utters:

“I can do anything I want. Anything at all.”

A corrupted version of Nissa also said these words to Jace in his vision in “The Promised End.” The Emrakul inside Nissa’s trance also asks if she’s a pawn or a queen. This ties back to the game of chess Jace played with the titan. Remember, that ended with one of Jace’s pawns stabbing his queen.

We don’t know exactly what this Nissa-Emrakul connection means, but calling it foreboding is an understatement.

Gideon

Tragic Arrogance by Winona Nelson

I didn’t used to be much of a Gideon fan, but he’s grown on me a lot in the past two years. His arc is an internal struggle.

He wasn’t always called Gideon Jura, as we learned in his origin story. “Kytheon Iora of Akros” chronicles Gideon’s youth as an orphan, prisoner, and Sun’s Champion. Kytheon and his buddies are petty thieves, landing them in jail. The warden, Hixus, sees Kytheon’s potential as a hieromancer, a law mage. He trains Kytheon in such magic and instills in him a sense of justice. Kytheon ends up using his power of indestructibility to help defend Akros from monsters and feels pretty good about doing a good thing.

Heliod, God of the Sun, later tasks him with killing a giant sent by Erebos, God of the Dead. Kytheon is given a glowing spear, which easily slays the menace. But hubris drives him to take aim at Erebos himself. The god reverses the spear’s trajectory, killing all of Kytheon’s friends. Kytheon survives, flung off to Bant (before the Conflux that reunited Alara). The knight who finds him mishears “Kytheon Iora” as “Gideon Jura,” and the Planeswalker adopts this new identity.

Why?

It’s a complicated question. Gideon spends the rest of his life defending the weak, putting his own life on the line for others. He carries regret and blames himself for the death of his friends. But he also still carries the tragic arrogance that killed them. This parallel is directly echoed in “The Liberation of Sea Gate” during the Battle for Zendikar story. Gideon falters in finding his purpose. Is he a figure for others to rally around? Is he a one-man army?

These questions get more profound during the rebellion on Kaladesh. In the appropriately named “Quiet Moments,” Gideon ponders the role of the Gatewatch on the plane:

“Jace and Liliana's alarm at Tezzeret's presence seemed genuine, but both had been scant in the details of the specific threat he poses. Yes, Tezzeret inserting himself into the politics and leadership of Kaladesh certainly caused Gideon concern and was reason enough for the Gatewatch to investigate. But Tezzeret's entanglement with Kaladeshi forces, along with the relationship between the Consulate and the renegades made things...complicated. Cutting down Eldrazi and the threat they posed to Zendikar and Innistrad left little room for questions. His sural slicing through whirring gears of Kaladeshi-forged automatons, battling Consulate forces that were just trying to defend the laws of the land...

Far more complicated.”

Amonkhet doesn’t make anything easier for Gideon. He leads the charge into Nicol Bolas’s hell-plane…only to find gods that are actually nice to the people. It’s sunny. Folks work hard and are well cared for. The gods even call Gideon by his old name, Kytheon Iora. He does eventually find out the cruel intent of the trials in “Brazen,” but not without Bontu, God of Ambition (metaphorically) slicing right into Gideon’s heart:

“Such a long quest for faith, Kytheon Iora, and still you know nothing of it. Of course they doubt. Doubt is the necessary shadow to the light of faith, Kytheon. The stronger the faith, the deeper the shadows of uncertainty. Yet still, their ambitions drive them to shine brighter, reach higher, unsatisfied by complacent divinity. When will you be able to say the same for yourself?”

Gideon is waffling on what he believes, what ideals he defends, whose benefit he’s fighting for. Who is Gideon? So far, all he’s figured out is, “Not Kytheon Iora.” I think Gideon so readily accepted a new name because he wanted to leave Kytheon Iora dead on Theros.

How perfectly tragic that the soldier who wishes to die protecting his friends is cursed with indestructibility. We’ll see if Gideon’s wish ever gets granted.

Liliana

Story art by Victor Adame Minguez

Holy moly does Liliana have a lot going on. She’s a pre-Mending Planeswalker, which means she first ascended when Planeswalkers were immortal, god-like beings. The Mending stopped the collapse of the Multiverse, but made Planeswalkers normal mages again. Live for 200 years like Liliana and you get wrapped up in a lot of drama. So let’s focus on her narrative through-line: cheating death.

“The Fourth Pact” is Liliana’s origin story, but hers is not the first life she tries to save. That belongs to her brother, Josu, fatally injured in war. Liliana was a healer who dabbled in necromancy, and was tricked into turning Josu into an undead monster by the mysterious Raven Man. Emotional trauma! Liliana ascends.

After the Mending, Liliana begins to age again. Near death, Nicol Bolas arranges meetings with four demons for her. They each offer Liliana power and youth in exchange for her services whenever they call.

Death is averted, for now, but it doesn’t take long for the demon Kothophed to task Liliana with bringing him an artifact known as the Chain Veil (told in the webcomics “The Hunter and the Veil” and “The Veil’s Curse”). She retrieves the vexing and hexing item, but uses it to kill Kothophed instead of handing it over. She has found a way out of her pacts! Except the Veil fills her mind with the droning of ghostly ogres, threatening to kill her to bring about some new calamity. I’ve written a lot about the Chain Veil and the Onakke Ogres and the Raven Man already, so I’ll just refer you to my past article about them instead of explaining more here.

In case “The Promised End” wasn’t meaty enough already, it’s also the story where Liliana joins the Gatewatch. The Chain Veil is killing her, so it’s time for her to avoid death once again and find a new source of power. Her oath says it all:

"I see that together we're more powerful than we are alone. If that means I can do what needs to be done without relying on the Chain Veil, then I'll keep watch. Happy now?"

Currently, she’s relying on the Gatewatch to help kill her third demon, Razaketh, on Amonkhet (She killed Griselbrand with the Veil back on Innistrad.) But we also know Razaketh serves Bolas. Liliana has woven a complicated web of relationships, ripe for drama. I told you she was wrapped up in a lot of drama.

Liliana’s story is still developing (as it has slowly been doing since before Innistrad), but where does it end up? She has two demons left to kill. The Onakke want out of the Chain Veil. The Raven Man’s mysterious plans for her are still blooming. And, most importantly to Liliana, she still hasn’t found a way to save her brother:

“Only one thing, in those days, had seemed beyond the reach of her magic: undoing what she had done to Josu.”

The ending of Aether Revolt strongly hinted at a return to Dominaria, Liliana’s home plane. Expect big things from Magic’s most ambitious necromancer as her life spins out of control.

Jace

Story art by Ryan Barger

And that brings us to Jace. This poor boy from Vryn is just outright lost. He was bullied for being a telepath. A sphinx named Alhammarret recognized his talent, however, and trained him in the mental arts. Then Jace found out Alhammarret was using him to steal military secrets and prolong the plane’s civil war, wiping the boy’s memory after each mission. Jace confronted Alhammarret and engaged in a telepathy battle. Jace wins, but “Absent Minds” ends with him waking up on Ravnica with no idea who he is, where he’s from, or what he’s doing.

As you can imagine, this makes it difficult for Jace to continue his origin story’s arc. We know Jace’s family is still on Vryn. The war might even still be raging. But without an external impetus to go there, Jace won’t find his way back on his own.

That isn’t to say he hasn’t kept himself busy. Jace is naturally curious, and that’s what has defined his story since ascension. He’s gotten his hands into Bolas plots, Tezzeret plots, Liliana plots, Garruk plots, Chandra plots, eldrazi plots, Ob Nixilis plots, and is the highest-ranking government official on Ravnica. Not that he sticks around much.

You know what happens when you keep jumping from project to project? You don’t follow up with the consequences of your actions. “Keeping busy” becomes a way of avoiding your problems. Jace lacks responsibility.

This passage from The Secretist is a perfect indication of the lengths Jace goes to not deal with things. He has just wiped the memories of Kavin, a vedalken who was helping him investigate the Implicit Maze, because he thought they were going to get in trouble. Emmara, his elf friend, is witnessing the event and begs Jace to stop:

“It’s not about watching you do it. It’s not even about you choosing not to help me, or about being present while you destroy part of yourself. It’s about the mistake you’re making. That’s what [sic] impossible to watch.

He wondered if their friendship was breaking apart, but decided it was worth it to protect her.

“I can’t help you.”

“You have to. Just think about it for a moment.”

“I have,” he said. “Please stay.” And then he cast a spell he never thought he would use on himself.

Not only does Jace stay busy to avoid dealing his problems, but he’s still wiping his own mind too. To be fair to Jace, we’ve seen a little growth in this regard. He runs off with Gideon to Zendikar to own his role in releasing the eldrazi. Jace never wiped his memories of his relationship with Liliana, which of course means he’s still wallowing in that toxicity.

Jace may not remember his past, but his story has been one of a child becoming an adult, making difficult decisions, and dealing with problems in healthy ways. He’s not there yet, but the Gatewatch sure is giving him opportunities to mature and finally take responsibility for his actions.

A Storied Future

Feel free to dismiss any complaints that the Gatewatch members aren’t developed as characters. While Chandra’s origin story has come full circle, we’re still witnessing repercussions of events deep in the past of the other four members. Nissa’s battle with Emrakul doesn’t seem over, Gideon still hasn’t figured out what he stands for, Liliana’s flight from death keeps running right back into it, and Jace’s lost memories have left him a powerful yet immature person thrust into adult situations.

During a panel at Momocon, Kelly Digges confirmed that Hour of Devastation is going to represent a major shift in Magic’s story. The Gatewatch is heading into a battle that will fundamentally change them. Will Liliana’s loyalties be tested? Will Jace finally step up and take responsibility for his shady past? Will Gideon finally die the heroic death he thinks he deserves?

Hold on tight, Planeswalkers, for there is so much more Magic story to tell.

[nyfacurrent]

Conversations | Meet ABI Business Caribbean Film Academy

Part of NYFA Arts Business Incubator’s first cohort, CaFA is increasing the visibility of Caribbean films and filmmakers in NYC and beyond.

Established in 2012, Caribbean Film Academy (CaFA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and support of Caribbean filmmaking and filmmakers in the region and the Diaspora. CaFA’s work is focused on promoting and sharing the art of storytelling through film from the perspective of the Caribbean. The organization is part of NYFA’s Arts Business Incubator (ABI) program’s inaugural cohort, where they receive custom-tailored, formalized support from NYFA’s staff and network of experts to help them fully realize their mission. CaFA is also part of NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, which helps individual artists and emerging arts organizations optimize fundraising efforts.

We spoke with CaFA Co-Founders Romola Lucas and Justen Blaize at the close of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month to see what they’ve been up to, and what’s next for their growing business.

NYFA: What's the Caribbean film industry like in both the Caribbean and in New York? How'd you become interested in helping to support it?

Caribbean Film Academy: Overall, the Caribbean film industry can best be described as emerging, but depending on where you are, the “industry” is in different stages of development. The Spanish and French Caribbean are producing more films for the regional as well as global markets, than the English and Dutch Caribbean. The largest film festival dedicated specifically to Caribbean films is the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival, and through the Festival and other local initiatives, Trinidad & Tobago has emerged as a leader in film in the English Caribbean.

With respect to New York, the picture is not as clear. The Caribbean arts and culture scene generally is becoming more and more vibrant through the activities of the dance, literary, cultural, and film organizations. With respect to film, it is difficult in many instances to identify the Caribbean filmmakers and actors in New York and the remainder of the Diaspora unless they themselves identify as Caribbean, since their work tends to be more reflective of the country they’re currently living in and not the Caribbean.

Having said that, through the work of our organization, we have created a year-round platform for anyone interested in the Caribbean film, by programming screening series and hosting filmmaker Q+As that raise the level of awareness of the existence of these films and filmmakers, growing an audience for them, and providing opportunities for filmmakers and viewers to interact and be of more support to each other.

We became interested in wanting to support the filmmakers, because we ourselves wanted to see Caribbean films. We were tired with the lack of diversity in cinemas in New York, showing mostly Hollywood films, and with the smaller, artsy venues, showing mostly foreign, as in European, films. We wanted to see films about our lives and cultures, see our stories, and hear our accents on the big screen. The Caribbean as whole is very diverse, but there are many similarities in the ways in which we live which can be shared through film, allowing people from different countries to learn about life in other countries they’ve never actually visited. We started off small, watching films with a few other people sharing this same interest at Nicholas Variety on Fulton Street in Brooklyn, and we have grown from there.  

NYFA: Tell us more about the ways in which CaFA is increasing the visibility of Caribbean films and filmmakers. What're your key vehicles for promotion?

CaFA: We are doing this work in several different ways:

The Caribbean Film Series. Our signature program and an almost quarterly series where we bring 4/5 of the best in Caribbean films to screen per year at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

CaFA Cinema Nights. Where we started: our monthly screening series. It’s being held this year at the IFP Media Center in Brooklyn, where we present regularly-scheduled screenings of Caribbean films.

Third Horizon Caribbean Film Festival. A festival based in Miami that was started with a grant from the Knight Foundation in 2016 in partnership with Third Horizon Media to showcase the best in Caribbean cinema.

Timehri Film Festival. A Guyanese and Caribbean film festival we started in Guyana to provide a platform for Guyanese filmmakers, as well as to share films from other countries in the Caribbean, with Guyanese audiences.

Studio Anansi Tv. An online platform similar to Netflix that we created specifically for Caribbean films, to make them available to audiences worldwide.

Caribbean Film Project. A production program, through which we co-produce short films by emerging Caribbean writer/directors.

NYFA: What are some of the projects you're working on now? Did you do anything special to celebrate Caribbean-American Heritage Month?

CaFA: With our programming pretty much established, our projects are mostly internal and geared at growing the organization as a whole, as well as presenting individual programming.

We are currently rebuilding two of our websites, and will be working with a distributor to develop Studio Anansi into the go-to distribution company for Caribbean films, as well as working on partnerships in other countries to host film screenings and festivals in order to share Caribbean films more widely in the Caribbean, and in the United States, Canada, and England.

For Caribbean-American Heritage Month (CAHM) this year, we are hosting a special outdoor screening in Brooklyn’s Brower Park of a film adaptation of a short story by one of the Caribbean’s favorite authors, Earl Lovelace. The film, Joebell and America, by Asha Lovelace, is based on the short story by the same name, written by her father, Earl Lovelace. It is an immigrant story, speaking to the experiences of many Caribbean people living here in New York. We are partnering with Union Docs and the Luminal Theater to present this screening, which will be held tonight, June 28, at 7:00 PM.

NYFA: We don't want to put you on the spot...but do you have any favorite Caribbean films or filmmakers to recommend to our readers? Is there a film that would make a good introduction to the Caribbean film industry for the unfamiliar? 

Ha. Now this is a tough one.

Some good contemporary films from the English Caribbean (not one, but a few 😊 ) are Children of God by Kareem Mortimer (the Bahamas), God Loves the Fighter by Damian Marcano (Trinidad & Tobago), Better Mus’ Come by Storm Saulter (Jamaica), Play the Devil by Maria Govan (the Bahamas), Ring di Alarm by the New Caribbean Cinema (Jamaica), Captureland by Nabil Elderkin (shot in Jamaica), The Sweetest Mango by HaMA Films (Antigua & Barbuda), Art Connect by Miquel Galofré (shot in Trinidad & Tobago), and Doubles with Slight Pepper by Ian Harnarine (Trinidad & Tobago).

These films cover a variety of stories, from LGBT to love, art, folklore, and music, and are generally stories of everyday life in the Caribbean, giving those unfamiliar with the “real” Caribbean, with life beyond the parties, white sand beaches, and blue waters, a good understanding of what it actually means to live in “paradise.”

Some good emerging filmmakers are Shaun Escayg from Trinidad & Tobago (Fish, Noka): Keeper of World’s), Chris Guinness from Trinidad & Tobago (Pothound, Capt T+T), Gabrielle Blackwood from Jamaica (Denis), Lisa Harewood from Barbados (Auntie), Mariel Brown from Trinidad & Tobago (Smallman: The World My Father Made), Jason Fitzroy Jeffers from Barbados (Papa Machete), and Vashti Anderson from Trinidad & Tobago (Moko Jumbie and Jeffrey’s Calypso).

These are some of the filmmakers are at the forefront of defining what it means to be a filmmaker in the Caribbean. They are using technology like VFX and animation and are not afraid to extend the bounds of their creativity in the context of the Caribbean in terms of style and the types of stories they are telling.

NYFA: What drew you to ABI? What's your experience been in the first year (now in the second year) of the program?

We were drawn to ABI by the opportunity to work behind the scenes, to make our organization sustainable. We started the organization and ran it all these years on our own, coming up with program ideas to fill the needs we found along the way, and figuring out which ideas would work best over the long term. With the resources NYFA has to offer, we hoped to be able to better organize and fund CaFA and put it on a path to sustainability.

We have had a fantastic experience in the program. The program’s coordinator, Peter Cobb, is an amazing resource and an avid supporter of the work we do. With the financial resources made available to us through the program, we were able to work with a consultant who helped us to organize our programming, develop our branding, and build our board, as well as develop a budget and fundraising plan for our activities. We were also able to work with a web developer to rebuild and customize our websites, bring on a person specifically dedicated to promoting our programs through social media, and begin development of an app to improve the online viewing experience for our subscribers. With NYFA’s organizational resources which were made available to us, we were able to network with other similarly situated organizations, get a mentor who is now actively supporting our efforts by becoming a member of our board, and gain further insight into successfully running an organization by participating in the workshops offered through the program.

NYFA: What's next for CaFA?

CaFA: On an organizational level, we will be getting our board up and running, and executing our fundraising plans to begin putting the organization on the sustainability track. On a programming level, we are working to grow our audience base to see greater attendance at screenings and festivals, as well as viewership online.  

Our more long-term plans include creating a Caribbean film festival in New York, as well as building a facility to function as a co-working, event, performance, and exhibition space for Caribbean organizations working in dance, film, culture, literature, in the New York area.

Please visit our website to learn more about NYFA’s Arts Business Incubator program. Stay tuned for future posts featuring the members of the ABI cohort.

NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship’s next quarterly no-fee application deadlines are June 30 and September 30, and you can learn more about NYFA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program here. Read about other exciting projects utilizing sponsorship in our NYFA Fiscal Sponsorship Directory.

- Interview conducted by Amy Aronoff, Communications Officer

Images from top: Romola Lucas, Photo Credit: Justen Blaize; Justen Blaize, Photo Credit: Davone Alexis; audience cross section at the Caribbean Film Series, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Photo Credit: Justen Blaize; Filmmaker Q&A at the Caribbean Film Series, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Photo Credit: Justen Blaize

[bouldertreeopp-blog]

Creativity, Community and the TreeOpp Project

“Once I found myself in BLDG 61, I felt instant captivation by the technology at our disposal. 3D printers, a laser cutter, and a shop dedicated to nothing more than creative inspiration of those who enter.” – Bryce, TreeOpp crew member. 

TreeOpp 

TreeOpp has been a difficult project to describe because there are so many components: trees, homelessness, woodworking skills, technology skills, selling products, holding workshops, and the list goes on. 

Above: Bryce learning as part of the TreeOpp crew.

While the TreeOpp project addresses dying public trees and homelessness, the real focus is on the future: new skills learned, opportunities, usable products, art, and ultimately creative ideas producing the tangible. 

When the Knight Foundation announced the City of Boulder won a Knight Cities Challenge grant for the TreeOpp project, there was excitement, along with unanswered and open-ended questions. 

We didn’t know if anyone who was transitioning out of homelessness wanted to learn woodworking. We didn’t know if anyone would want to buy art and products the crew created. We didn’t know how multiple city departments, local businesses and nonprofits would work together on this project. 

Creativity and community were the answers.

Community Connections 

Emily Messina, development director at the Bridge House, says people who are homeless don’t feel a part of the community – that the housed community doesn’t see them, and if they do, they see a homeless person, defining the person by his or her current circumstance. 

Art and creativity act as a connection for people who are transitioning out of homelessness to re-enter the community and connect in a way beyond the homeless/housed dichotomy. 

Above: TreeOpp community workshop

One unanticipated consequence of the TreeOpp program is how the crew joined the BLDG 61 maker community. Janet Hollingsworth, creative technologist at the Boulder Public Library’s BLDG 61 and TreeOpp instructor, said she was surprised to see TreeOpp crew members coming in on their own time to use the makerspace and interact with community members as collaborators – helping each other with projects. 

While this is a great benefit to the TreeOpp crew, it also adds social and economic diversity to the makerspace, which is a benefit to all. 

The TreeOpp crew interacted with the public outside of the makerspace as well. At the most recent Boulder County Farmers Market Artisan Show, the crew talked with the public all day about products created, using local, reclaimed wood, and the problems the community is facing with the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. These interactions focus on the future and showcase the crews’ abilities, talents and worth. 

Work and Creativity 

It takes a lot of work just to be accepted into the Boulder Bridge House’s Ready to Work Program. Applicants must first show a commitment to sobriety, have all their paperwork in order so they can be hired, and be ready to gain experience in the working world by being able to show up for work on time, follow directions and work as part of a team. 

While this is quite an endeavor in itself – especially considering the backgrounds many participants have experienced – their job prospects are slim after being incarcerated, homeless, or whatever challenges they have recently faced. 

Above: First TreeOpp crew working together

Many choose either picking up trash in parks or food service – necessary jobs that give them solid experience for future work. But, in addition to these jobs, a creative outlet is an integral part of the transition back to the housed and working community. 

Emily, at the Bridge House, says that while creative expression won’t solve homelessness on its own, it helps bring out participants’ talents, skills and interests and demonstrates them to the community – even if the participant isn’t a natural artist. 

Creativity and the TreeOpp Project 

TreeOpp crew members have showed up for the TreeOpp project enthusiastically and put their creativity to use immediately, encouraged by instructors and staff. Many crew members contributed their creativity towards the project – beyond building the products. 

One crew member, Shannon, came up with the idea of creating a butterfly to symbolize sobriety and new life and opportunities. 

Above: TreeOpp butterflies

Rico, another TreeOpp crew member, is a talented illustrator and has donated his drawings to the TreeOpp outreach efforts and used them for laser cutting projects. 

John, TreeOpp crew member and gifted photographer and videographer, created a video slideshow about the project from his perspective. 

Contributing to the Community 

Another benefit of the project is the opportunity for the crew to give back to the community by turning downed lumber into art and usable products. 

Crew member Dan said, “I'm a Boulder native looking to help the trees and learn a new trade.” After learning about the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation, the crew was also in a position to educate the community and help address this community problem, while rejoining the community as a contributing member.

Above: TreeOpp May sale

Bryce, who once lived in a park in Longmont, been hired for some contracting work at BLDG 61 and continues to be a contributing member of the BLDG 61 team. 

He wrote a letter about his experience with Ready to Work, BLDG 61 and Treeopp, and stated, “When I got to participate in the activities and discussions held by staff, and felt my ideas were just as important as anyone else’s, I felt welcome; not as a student, or even a guest, but a member, things begin to turn around. I am so blessed to have had this intervening factor brought to me. If everyone were given this chance, I feel I’m not the only one who would be making this claim.” 

[thesoapfactory-art]

Rethinking Public Spaces Throughout Minnesota

The Soap Factory’s public space program invites artists to submit proposals for projects outside of The Soap Factory that re-think public spaces, and/or utilize spaces that are often neglected or overlooked.

The following artists and collaboratives have been chosen to present their projects as part of Rethinking Public Spaces Throughout Minnesota:

JESS HIRSCH

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to accurately identify an emotion and react appropriately through awareness. This may seem simple, however, emotions convolute our behavior, making us react quickly without recognizing our motivations. Emotional Platings is a series of picnic kits made from trees that heal specific emotions. Two people will check out a kit and have a series of prompts to explore the emotion together. Emotional Platings will take place throughout rural Minnesota.

Jess Hirsch is a conceptual artist investigating the healing world through installation and sculpture. She received her MFA from the University of Minnesota in 2013 and is the recipient of the Jerome Emerging Artist Fellowship, MN State Arts Board Grant, and the Jerome Emerging Artist Project Grant. Her art practice focuses on educating the public on alternative health practices through everyday experiences such as bathing, eating, and sleeping.

AARON DYSART

Produced for specific purposes, data sets’ accuracy tends to limit their audience, as long lists of numbers need to be interpreted for non-specialists. Dysart’s project will turn over the aesthetics of a large colorful public spectacle in the Twin Cities to data in order to tell the story of place, highlighting the role interpretation and orientation plays in our understanding of different environments and how we process knowledge. The quantifiable will become qualitative as aesthetics mingles with interpretation allowing people to see place in a new light.

Aaron Dysart is a sculptor whose objects and environmental interventions push ideas of propriety, gift giving, and reciprocity, while showcasing his love of material’s ability to carry content. He has received awards from Franconia Sculpture Park, Forecast Public Art, The Knight Foundation, and The Minnesota State Arts Board and his work has been in Art in America, Hyperallergic, Berlin Art Link along with other publications He has shown nationally and is currently a City Artist through Public Art Saint Paul, embedded in the city of St. Paul.

Juxtaposition Arts

Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA) will build on the momentum they’ve created over the last 3 years around the celebration of Black August by combining the respective placemaking and art-based engagement skill sets of JXTA’s Public Arts, Tactical, and Environmental Design studios to bring 2017 Black August programming outdoors and onto the intersection of Emerson and West Broadway Avenues in North Minneapolis. This will include the creation and execution of Black August programming, the design and construction of a flatpak parklet, and the extension of Public Art’s 2016 mural, ​‘Who We Are​.’ The extension will ​use the aesthetic style of Chicago’s 1967 mural, ‘​The Wall of Respect​.’

Juxtaposition Arts (JXTA) is a youth development organization and a social enterprise located in North Minneapolis. JXTA envisions the youth of North Minneapolis entering the creative workforce as dynamic innovators and problem solvers with the confidence, skills and connections they need to accomplish their educational and professional goals, and to contribute to the revitalization of the communities where they live and work.

MARIA CAMERON

“Is Your Rebellion Sitting Still?” is a project by Maria Cameron that will transform public spaces in Rochester, MN into spaces of contemplation, self-reflection, and conversation. By installing a series of large-scale thought bubbles on buildings and in community spaces that are considered works in progress, this project highlights the present flux this city is currently in as it grows and expands. The questions aim to create dialogues about renovation and renewal inviting conversation about the meditative and often healing act of finding art in the every day. The viewer is given the opportunity to focus on some of the complicated questions that come with living, thriving, hurting, and healing.

Maria Cameron’s work examines the relationship between traditional techniques and modern methods by dissecting contemporary social behaviors and activities and reconstructing them into visual experiences. Her work is an extension and expansion of her experiences in Alzheimer’s research and memory care which she uses to reevaluate memory and personal experience. She has most recently been featured in Moon Magazine, at Coe College (Cedar Rapids, IA), and in collaborations for Northern Spark (Twin Cities).

ANDY STURDEVANT AND SERGIO VUCCI

Common Room is a series of artist-led tours of Twin Cities sites, with each tour themed around a specific concept that the group uses as a lens to explore facets of the urban geography — in the past, these themes have included cats, alleys, skyways, fishing, freeway construction, weather, community kitchens, personal memory, and many more. Common Room is the work by Sergio Vucci and Andy Sturdevant, along with a rotating lineup of contributors. Now in its eighth year, is using the occasion of the Rethinking Public Spaces project to expand the scope of its programming for this summer to travel beyond The Soap Factory, and various neighborhoods of the Twin Cities by foot, bicycle and bus. Common Room’s themes in 2017 will include silence, sacredness, islands, neighborhood music, and more.

Sergio Vucci is a Minneapolis-based artist. He is a graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his work focuses primarily on engaging his surroundings outside of gallery spaces and on relational interactions, co-authoring ephemeral creative experiences with participants in response to place.

Andy Sturdevant is an artist and writer living in Minneapolis. He is the author of two books of nonfiction, and his artistic projects have been exhibited at venues in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle and elsewhere.

LAMIA ABUKHADRA AND LEILA AWADALLAH

In the wake of an election that has left us facing such xenophobic rhetoric as “Build the Wall” and establishing a “Muslim Ban,” many activists have said we must build bridges in order to make human connections and provide people with sanctuary, not walls. As Palestinian Americans witnessing the destruction of communities and diverse ethnic and ecological landscapes both in the U.S. and internationally, Lamia Abukhadra and Leila Awadallah are interested in breaking down walls that should never have existed. With the support of The Soap Factory, they will build a physical wall in an outdoor or easily accessible indoor space, where it can be easily discovered and interacted with.The installation piece will culminate in a final interactive performance in which the lead artists will invite the community to break down “The Wall.” Lamia and Leila hope to ultimately convey that a concrete or metal facade is just that: a facade. A wall can divide and negatively define communities, landscapes, ecologies and livelihoods, but it can and will be dismantled by the subversive acts of our community.

Lamia Abukhadra is a Palestinian American artist based in Minneapolis. She is interested in the idea of art as a vessel of expression, communication, identity, and culture for and between the disenfranchised communities. Her art aims to dismantle harmful dominant narratives that cultivate and celebrate acts of colonialism, occupation, and genocide in Palestine and the Arab world through personal stories and historical events. Her work has been featured by Altered Aesthetics, the University of Minnesota T.R. Anderson Gallery, and the Quarter Gallery.

Leila Awadallah is a Palestinian-American dance artist and creator located in the Twin Cities. She explores movement by imaging where sensations moving from deep within the body begin and then how they move through the body in order to release energy. She crafts work built with the intention of nuancing, complicating and working to subvert narratives about Palestine. Her work has been presented at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. (2016) and in the Moultaqa Leymoun international dance festival in Beirut, Lebanon (2017). Her movement film reflections on ice received a SAGE Award (2016). She is in her fourth year as a company member of Ananya Dance Theatre.

PETE DRIESSEN

Pete Driessen will be orchestrating a large scale, abstract trestle sculpture and installation reflecting contemporary culture in the Blacksmith Shop building at the Northern Pacific Railway Yard, Brainerd, MN for The Soap Factory ReThinking Public Space in Minnesota program during June-October of 2017. A trestle is often defined as a complex of braced framework serving as a vertical support structure, created with wooden timbers, rock piles, and iron or steelwork for carrying a horizontal traversed beam, such as a table-like road or railroad over a lower geographic depression. Trestle language, semiotics and symbolism are synonymous with current self-help trends of scaffolding, bootstrapping, sustainability and empowerment.

The Northern Pacific Railroad yard is a large historic grouping of 12 brick and wood beam buildings that sit on a massive 47-acre plot of land in Brainerd, MN. The massive industrial site contains the aesthetic atmosphere and former physical workings of the past turn-of-the-century railroad era. The old railroad Blacksmith Shop building is 50,000 square feet, with 20-foot high sidewalls, an 80-foot wide cross span, and concrete floors. Listed on National Register of Historic Places, the NP site is centrally located near the geographic center of the state. Both the industrial rawness and the monumental scale of the Northern Pacific site and its Blacksmith Shop space are reflective of The Soap Factory’s artistic history and its current ReThinking Public Space in MN programming goals.

Driessen envisions an interior, site-specific abstract trestle installation based in found object sculpture and its connection to the physicality of train tracks, rail ties and site detritus. The main trestle sculpture will be a conceptual fallen train track “spur” that reflects a trestle bridge. The NP Blacksmith Shop trestle installation will physically explore the typical rail transportation form, the trestle as figural representation, and expand sculptural and public art vocabulary and personal spatial vernacular.

Pete Driessen is a Minneapolis based multipractice visual artist, curator and cultural producer who creates abstract and sociopolitical paintings, mixed media ship fleets, found object installations, conceptual art statements, interdisciplinary public art, and performative participatory projects.

Driessen received his MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, VT, and BA from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul. Pete was recently named Minneapolis City Pages 2015 Artist of the Year, and has been awarded numerous regional grants and awards, including a 2015 Jerome/FSP Fellowship at Franconia Sculpture Park for his Franconia Boat Tower project, a 2014 MRAC Next Step grant for his Silverwood Park sculpture project, and two MSAB Artist Initiative grants (2017, 2013). Pete’s exhibition record includes national and regional solo and group exhibitions at a wide range of venues. He currently directs and curates a hybridic, experimental garage-based gallery known as TuckUnder Projects that specializes in emerging and midcareer artists focusing on conceptual visual arts practice, curatorial projects, and institutional critique.

[tea-and-conspiracy]

Summary: The Arismont Storyline

For the past year-ish or so, Eliane and Martiallais (@mythrilreflections) were involved in a storyline (run by @arismont-juliembert ) involving intrigue, backstabbing, and even an attack on the Bellworks. But half of the storyline occurred in game, and half occurred over skype or here on tumblr, so there’s a lot of detail missing. With part 2 gearing up soon, and the potential for more people to be involved, we wanted to provide a proper summary from our characters’ perspectives so that people who have been following along can know everything that happened. Craziness under the cut!

The Story So Far...

About a year ago, Eliane was in New Gridania on business when she encountered a young, eccentric Duskwight who asked to sketch her. Caught off guard, the lady accepted and the two got to talking about a great many subjects, one of which was Astrology. When the Duskwight learned she was an Astrologian from Ishgard, he desperately wanted to know everything she could teach him. Eliane eventually took him on as an apprentice.

This Duskwight, Arismont, proved a prodigious pupil. Eliane granted him access to all of the tomes and facilities she had access to, but he absorbed information nearly as fast as she could give it to him. The two shared a friendly if not awkward rapport, and for some time it seemed as though all was well…until Eliane received an anonymous and threatening note. This note informed Eliane that if she continued to teach Arismont astromancy, she and her house would be destroyed. Eliane took it as a mere empty threat. She sent a bouquet of flowers essentially meaning “stupidity” back to the sender, and continued about her business.

But not long after that, all hell broke loose.

Brigands began attacking Ishgardian caravans while wearing a copy of House Dufresne’s crest, especially those belonging to House Toussaint and its allies. At the time, Eliane was betrothed to House Toussaint’s heir, Etinaud. These brigands committed every atrocity against their victims, although they made certain to conveniently allow at least one victim to escape so that he could spread his story around the Foundations. As crimes against House Toussaint began to grow, Etinaud eventually confronted Eliane, but she temporarily convinced him that the whole situation was suspicious and that he should help her find the true culprits instead. This lasted until a group of thugs broke into the Toussaint manor and bullied Etinaud into submission. Instead, he broke off the engagement with her and took his case to the Inquisition, and the Tribunal began investigating House Dufresne.

Eliane began to tear all of Ishgard apart trying to find the identity of her secret enemy and the inquisitors they were connected to, to no avail. In the meanwhile, someone infiltrated the physicians’ office that often saw to her disabled father, and was able to slip aetheric poison into his next batch of pain medication. When Eliane served him his customary drink one night, the Baron began to perish. Eliane was able to keep him alive with her own healing artes long enough for the chirugeon Hyrtwyda Eyhafrynwyn to arrive. With a risky spell, Hyrtwyda brought the Baron back from the jaws of death.

A mysterious carriage arrived at the Bellworks’ Ul’dah Branch office one evening. A cold, rude, and arrogant man introducing himself as Lord Sadeas of House Drievine demanded to speak to Eliane, to which she obliged – but only with Martiallais present. The three retreated to her office, where Sadeas confessed he had been working for Elder Briodont, Arismont’s older brother. The Briodonts, as it turned out, were part of a hidden Duskwight enclave deep in the Shroud that was fanatically devoted to the Twelve – more a cult than a proper worship.  Their cruelty had caused Arismont to flee, and Sadeas, too, was trapped in their service due to unpaid debts. Sadeas was no friend of the Briodonts, however, and he offered Eliane a bargain: marry him, elevate his fallen house back to glory, help rescue his sister from the Briodonts, and he would show House Dufresne the way to its enemies.

Eliane would reluctantly accept, but with every intention to murder him before their wedding day.

Sadeas, for his part, was true to his word. With his brutal methods, he was able to assassinate the Inquisitor handling House Toussaint’s case against House Dufresne and free it from further investigation. He and Eliane were briefly seen together at public outings, although their demeanor with each other was distant and cold. Though to remove all rumor, he requested that Ser Heuloix be assigned anywhere but the Dufresne Manor. In the meanwhile, Arismont showed up at last, far more harrowed and scarred than he had been. Eliane demanded to know where he had gone, and Arismont related a tale of others who Briodont had been tormenting, others who he had tried to help. He also admitted that Briodont had convinced him that Eliane had been manipulating him, and that’s why he had been avoiding her for so long. Eliane was furious, telling him that so much could could have been prevented had he simply talked to her. She removed him as her apprentice, and refused him further aid from her house.

At that, Ser Martiallais Heuloix, captain of House Dufresne’s knights, set out to uncover the truth himself. Using his position, Martiallais was able to easily find the names of those who survived the initial assault by those posing as House Dufresne’s forces. Talking down a rather rowdy and somewhat drunken crowd in the Forgotten Knight, Ser Heuloix managed to obtain not only confirmation of the inquisitor’s involvement in something larger, known as the Sword of the Twelve, but details on how the men were working in the Brume to slander the Dufresne name. Given the charity the house was known for, the brutal mercenaries made a number of examples of the poor residents, something that eventually made it’s way back to Eliane and Martiallais. Discussing their options in secret, Martiallais disguised himself undercover and ambushed a pair of the mercenaries, leaving one dead and the other a temporary source of information. With their counterattack came reprisal as Sadeas dispatched the scarred torturer known as Glass to cripple Martiallais.

The pair met in broad daylight at the Ishgardian manufactory in a short but brutal battle as Dufresne employees looked on. By the time it came to an end, both combatants were incapacitated, covered in burns, breaks, and bruises. The Dufresne manufactory was also left nearly destroyed as a result of the energies released by the pair as they clashed.

Eliane and her (now) ward, Gwenneth Gilrouis, recovered Martiallais and transported him back to Dufresne Manor, where he was healed and cared for around the clock. The knight remained in a coma for a good week, and in that time his lady refused to leave his side. When at last he awoke, the Baron was there as well. The three discussed all that had occurred and made their next plans.

Instead, Sadeas announced after several delays that he’d located the entrance to the Duskwight cave and requested that both House Dufresne and House Drievine rally their collective forces, to march upon the Briodonts’ cave compound in the Shroud. Although Martiallais was officially in charge of the Dufresne forces, Eliane tagged along in the guise of a field medic, in order to ensure Sadeas didn’t pull anything funny. Sadeas began employing ruthless tactics yet again, however, literally suffocating the Duskwights out of their caves, to which Martiallais did not take kindly. The knight captain confronted the lordling, and after a fierce battle of words, Sadeas informed him that House Dufresne’s forces would now be in the invasion’s vanguard.

Joined by Martiallais’ squire-turned-swordsman, Sylveret, the Au Ra witch Khojin, and Arismont himself, the knights of Dufresne ventured into the tunnels – only to have them blast shut behind them. Sadeas had already secured his sister ahead of time, it seemed, and left the rest of them to die. They had no choice but to venture deeper into the tunnels and find another exit.

As the little army ventured deeper, they encountered more and more horrors. It would seem the local Duskwights had somehow found themselves trapped in a pact with a powerful voidsent, which used their worship of the Twelve as a cover  in order to secure their devotion. More and more void terrors came at them the deeper they ventured into the tunnels. The knights held fast, however, enough that Martiallais, Sylveret, and Khojin could destroy any who came at them. Eliane protected her allies, and kept them healed.

With more voidsent rushing up from behind, the knights bunkered down in order to defend the others as they ventured on ahead. The party discovered a horrifying chamber where citizens of the Duskwight city were glued to the walls, their aether slowly being siphoned in order to feed a void terror unlike any they had seen before. It was clear, then, that this creature was the true puppet master behind the year’s chaos: the void terror held Briodont in its grasp, and through Briodont, it sewed chaos. Briodont was no longer of use to it, however, and the Duskwight elder was devoured for more power.

The five were left facing off against a creature that they could not hope to match. Eliane was grievously wounded in the battle, and it was all Martiallais could do to save both her and himself; Arismont was able to weaken the beast, however, and Sylveret and Khojin were able to banish it back to whence it came. Battered, bloody, and mentally scarred, they all retreated back to their homes…but the victory still felt hollow with Sadeas still on the loose.

Now that they’ve recovered from the expedition, Eliane and Martiallais are none too happy. Eliane has sent as many forces out as she can spare in order to find Sadeas, and Martiallais has resumed his own personal investigations to that end. Rumor has it that House Dufresne is soon to place a generous bounty on the fallen lord’s head, rewarding either a knighthood or a generous sum of money; but if either of the two finds Sadeas first, chances are he’s no longer in for a quick death.

[thewebofslime]

Kenyon Gibson is the author of Awkar al-sharr (Nest of Evil), which is an Arabic translation of his book Common Sense: A Study of the Bushes, the CIA, and the Suspicions Regarding 9/11. He is also coauthor of Hemp for Victory. [Woody Harrelson is a co-author]. Gibson has worked undercover for years, as an investigative reporter and in intelligence for the US Navy. By Ken Gibson The phone rang and I knew who it was even before I looked at the screen, which flashed the words IZMO MARINE; Mark Epstein’s former company. Earlier in the day, he had lost his only brother: Jeffrey. For weeks, I had been predicting Jeffrey’s demise. Mark, I reasoned, would be safe as long as Jeffrey lived. Certain people wanted Jeffrey cold in earth, and they wanted this done quietly. Getting rid of Mark would only make noise, making it harder to eliminate their main target: prisoner #76318-054 in the Manhattan Correctional Center. Mark Epstein is said to be concerned he might wind up dead like his brother, Jeffrey. According to Ken Gibson, Mark does not think his brother committed suicide but believes his brother is definitely deceased. [Photo Jan Benda.] Once that was accomplished, the secrets that Jeffrey had expressed a willingness to divulge in return for leniency, would be left to very few. His younger sibling, for instance. Those who secured Jeffrey’s omerta would have no qualms about ensuring their own liberty while creating a little business for undertakers. Mark claims to be an honest businessman; on the phone, he insisted that he had not spoken to his brother in 10 years. Mark Epstein claimed he had not spoken to brother Jeffrey in 10 years. Not only are there questions about that statement, but also questions about Mark’s financial empire. Questions which could lead Mark to occupy the same facility his brother did. He, too, could be faced with decisions about turning state’s evidence. These questions had been in my mind since the Spring of 2012. That was when we met, and at first, it looked like the beginning of a beautiful friendship. He would listen to my stories of infiltrating neo-Nazis in London and New York, allowing me into his Vandam Street apartment. For years I kept a file on him, updating it on occasion, as when he hosted a teacher from Horace Mann school who had sexually abused his students. This he did at an event at Cooper Union, his Alma-mater. Cooper Union is a school in lower Manhattan, known for its free tuition. Both brothers attended, benefiting from this policy, which Mark, as a director, tried to do away with. The students saw fit to do away with him; he is no longer a director. Tuition remains free. While Mark did not pay for his education, he thought it right that others pay for theirs. The same might be said of his housing. In 1992, he acquired, from Leslie Wexner, a close associate of Jeffrey’s, a large residential building at 301 East 66th Street. While some of the 220 apartments are privately owned, the majority are his. Documents relating to the transfer of the property show the amount paid: $0.00. Somehow Mark Epstein acquired property from Leslie Wexner – just like his brother Jeffrey did. What is the connection between Wexner and Mark Epstein? Mark Epstein owns most of the apartments at 301 East 66th Street It is not the only building he owns. 515 Greenwich Street belongs to him, where I rented an art studio he had listed in the Village Voice. As payment, he wanted the sum of $666 a month, which I amended to $667 – for obvious reasons. I stayed but seven weeks, as that is how long it took for me to make the mistake of letting him know that, in addition to investigating racist groups, I also worked on cases involving politicians and child sex abusers. The moment I did, I sensed a strange look on his face and a lull in the conversation. I tried not to let him see me looking at the playpens in his apartment, which had always seemed a bit out of place with the grand pianos in the home of a bachelor. That night, I heard a loud bang on the door. Mark was on the other side, yelling at me that I had to leave at that moment. He is not above performing an illegal eviction, for which a previous tenant challenged him in court and won substantial damages. Not wishing to spend long hours in a courtroom, I agreed to leave in a fortnight. We parted company at the end of April 2012. Until the day of Jeffrey’s death, I had not spoken to Mark. I resolved, however, to know just what Mark was up to, as I was not quite sure that his wealth was really generated from the silkscreen business. I took that story to be a smokescreen. It is oft-repeated on the internet, the name Izmo appearing in articles about him, but I have yet to see any credible record of it generating serious revenues. Did Mark Epstein really amass a fortune from the silkscreen business? Press Has Tread Lightly on Mark Epstein – Maybe That Will Change The press has been kind to Mark over the years; few questions of his source of income ever get into print. I contacted people at the New York Times whom I knew, having been a source of information to the Gray Lady for over a decade, but to no avail. James Stewart, its head financial reporter, heard me out but did nothing with the information I provided. Stewart had been privy to Jeffrey’s lifestyle, going so far as to visit him at his East 71st Street townhouse. Another of the NYT’s financial reporters, Landon Thomas Jr., had actually taken a $30,000 donation from Jeffrey. Then there is the inconvenient fact that the president of the NYT, Stephen Dunbar-Johnson, is in Jeffrey’s ‘black book’, the list of contacts that ended up published on the internet. And yet another, perhaps more inconvenient fact, is that Joicho Ito, who sat on the board at the Gray Lady, accepted $1.7 million from the felon. Joicho Ito is a Japanese activist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He is the former director of the MIT Media Lab, and a former professor of the practice of media arts and sciences at MIT. Ito has received recognition for his role as an entrepreneur focused on Internet and technology companies and has founded PSINet Japan, Digital Garage and Infoseek Japan. Ito is a strategic advisor to Sony Corporation and general partner of Neoteny Labs. Ito resigned from his roles at MIT, Harvard, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Knight Foundation, PureTech Health and The New York Times Company on September 7, 2019, following allegations of financial ties to sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein. My hopes of getting the press to take the story on Mark Epstein were slim. The Wall Street Journal seemed rabidly enthusiastic, calling me from their London offices and begging for an exclusive. Which I tried to grant, but on the condition that freelance writer Davis Richardson be involved. My contact at the WSJ sent me long texts and emails disapproving of his involvement. When they did do a story on him, I was not impressed. Freelance journalist Davis Richardson has written for the Observer, Vice, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller and Wired. Gibson wanted him to help with the Mark Epstein story. But I was impressed with Richardson, a young journalist up from the Beltway area, who was then working for the Observer and contributing to both Daily Beast and Daily Caller. I took him with me to talk to people who knew the Epsteins, including Stuart Pivar, a founder of the New York Academy of Art. He, along with Andy Warhol, started that in 1982. Pivar talked at length about them to Richardson and me, stating: “I’ve seen Jeffrey do lots of bad things to lots of people.” I told Pivar that Jeffrey was not long for this world and that Mark would be a target as well. Pivar took it in stride, while his entourage looked happy to end the conversation. Richardson and I went to Mark’s downtown buildings and took notes, finding Mark’s car with Pennsylvania plates. A week later, Richardson called me, telling me to show up at the East 66th Street location [Epstein’s building], to which he was being granted inside access. We came, we saw, and we were overwhelmed. Mark Epstein’s apartments were fit for kings, with a doorman and a spacious entrance hall adorned with murals. From the roof, a view of the East Side commanded respect and demanded we take pictures. The residences were well worth the king’s ransom that neither of us could afford. Richardson continued to dig. In early August, he called me to ask me what I knew about the Humpty Dumpty Institute. “The what”?, I replied. The Humpty Dumpty Institute [HDI], with offices located on West 46th Street, was founded in 1988 by Constance Milstein, heiress to the Emigrant Savings Bank fortune and a major Clinton donor. On their website, Mark is listed as a director. The HDI Congressional Advisory Board lists some 30 or more Congress members. Affiliates had ties to Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey’s partner-in-deeds, and to her now-defunct charity, Terra Mar. On 5 August, I started to call some of the congressmen named on the ‘Humpty Dumpty’ list, telling their aides that I would like to pose some questions. Each time, I was given an email to follow up with, and I did so. I resumed this task on 9 August, but found that I was getting hostile receptions, and having to answer lots of questions from the aides about why I was asking questions. They seemed very sensitive to questions. I told them I was preparing a report for the Senate, which they did not like to hear. US Rep. Barbara Lee’s aide refused to give her name or that of anyone in Lee’s office. US Rep. Gregory Meeks’ staff asked lots of questions but gave no answers. Unbeknownst to me, Davis Richardson had published an article about the Humpty Dumpty Institute on the Daily Caller site. It went up on 7 August, and I was getting the fallout. To make matters worse, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was calling for an investigation about Mark. However, when I called her office and left my contact details, I got no response. I did get excellent response from both her challenger, Miguel Hernandez in New York’s 14th congressional district, and a candidate in the 13th, Henry Grullon. Their support lifted my spirits, made low after hours of performing this unpleasant task with dozens of lawmakers’ staff. I expected that at least a few would answer the three simple questions: When did they join Humpty Dumpty’s advisory board, who introduced them, and how well did they know Mark Epstein? None did answer any of the questions. But the press seemed to be waking up. From England, I got a call from Tony Gosling, a controversial journalist with a weekly radio show. When he asked about what ‘Humpty Dumpty’ might be up to, I bluntly replied that it might be a front for child rapists going to Third World countries to find victims. Gosling touched on the suspicions that Jeffrey might have been an intel agent, possibly for Mossad, and I gave a dissenting opinion, pointing out that while the logic of associating a Jew with the Mossad was to a degree logical, it was illogical to conclude that he was an Israeli spy when it was found that most of the people he would be presumed to have spied on were Jews and Israelis. I did bring up a new angle to it all when I mentioned that I had information that China might be behind it. Could China Be Involved? Years ago, shortly before I met Mark, I had been introduced to a Chinese agent – or former agent, as he had fallen out with his handlers in Beijing over his relationship with an Uyghur woman. He had told me many things that I did not understand at the time about Chinese involvement in US politics, and their ability to use patsies to carry out their projects, thus hiding their hand. Spy uses spy. The great game can be quite deceptive. And it can be dangerous. In fact, I had been stabbed while arresting a drug dealer in 1994. I too could have been cold in earth, and this reality was not lost on me. Quite recently, a contact at the Department of Homeland Security reminded me to watch my back. The former Marine with this concern for my safety was also my confidante, privy to my infiltration of neo-Nazis for over a decade. While most in this neo-Nazi crowd do not have a lot going for them, some do, including a character recently named in the press as ‘X’. Based in London, ‘X’ had recently gotten in contact with Jason Jorjani, an Iranian dissident based in New York. Jorjani was told that he would be assisted in making changes in Iran if he joined forces with Michael Bagley, then head of Jellyfish. The two met a number of times, and Jorjani was told that Bagley had presented Donald Trump with a plan to make a revolution in Iran. Not only was Trump supposed to be involved, but so was Michael Flynn. Jorjani may have doubted the veracity of all this or realized that he was in over his head. He went to the press with his stories of Bagley, Flynn, and ‘X’, saying that there may have also been a ‘Y’ and a ‘Z’. It is possible that he was alluding to me in the latter references, as Jorjani had been put in touch with me by ‘X’, who wanted me to get Richard Spencer a place in the Trump victory party. Richard Bertrand Spencer is an American neo-Nazi and white supremacist. He is president of the National Policy Institute, a white supremacist think tank, as well as Washington Summit Publishers. Gibson went undercover to investigate and report on neo-Nazis. The Trump people wanted nothing to do with Spencer, and neither did I in reality. Far from being the right-wing, quasi-criminal that they took me for, I was feeding information on all of them to the press and to government agencies. And I did the latter as a precaution so that any misunderstandings that could result from my interactions with foreign governments and the flow of classified information that found its way into my hands might be quickly resolved with a phone call to people with top security clearances who knew what I was up to. ‘X’ had introduced me to a lot of people over the years – Rui Gabirro, Gary Krupp, and a former US Navy nuke with top security clearance who was working on a classified deal to give Egypt nuclear power: Robert Abtey. I was getting involved with government actors, and there were sometimes questions as to which government they might be acting for. People are not always who they say they are. Which could be the case in the press, where I met with strange resistance. One NYT reporter was initially enthusiastic about all the emails I had from Operations Intelligence and Jellyfish regarding Bagley, but then suddenly backed off. It was left to UK radio host Gosling to out some of my secret information, which he did a few days before the 2016 US election, hosting me on the air in the United Kingdom. I made public information about ‘X’ – aka Jonothon Boulter – and Bagley. At that time, Bagley was involved in Syria, having been granted secret US State Department waivers (which he showed to me a year earlier) to arm rebels and set up refugee camps, that he said would be used as cover. Enter Hillary Clinton The Hillary Clinton State Department had no objections. No surprise, I was also able to tell the listener, as she was well liked by the Iranians, whose agents I had access to in London. I got close to enough to them to be on Iran TV and Press TV with Yvonne Ridley, before the powers that be shut down their operations. Hillary was their woman in the US in 2012, backed by agents from Tehran, who hoped she would win the party nomination for president. Obama took that hope away from them, but she ended up as Secretary of State, and they were happy. With her there, and later with Kerry in as her replacement, Bagley’s escapades were kept under the radar. Boulter developed a plan to make more money from the camps, for which he expected to have UN backing. Hillary Clinton seems to have been favored by certain parties in Iran. Wars are good business, and Bagley went on tour with his ideas, going on the radio in NYC at one point. Bagley, rather than come off as a spook, looked more like a Wall Street executive and Jellyfish was presented more as a PR firm than an outfit with black ops in the Congo and Mexico. What I did not understand were the ties to Clinton and her democrats. I assumed, given the fact that Boulter worked with the New Right (aka the London Forum), that they would support the right-wing, and Trump along with it. Had I known more about Bagley’s background as an aide to senator Patty Murray, I would have known better. Not until Boulter told me that he was not concerned about Trump, and that he had Clinton support for his deals, did I revise my perception. Bagley, after my tip to the officer at the DHS, came under investigation. Shortly before Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest, Bagley was taken in by undercover FBI men for money laundering. Caught red-handed with the greenbacks, he was deemed a flight risk by prosecutors. Of concern to them was the allegation that he had told undercover agents: “I wanna let you know that I’m also moving for [Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada] in Mexico City as well, with his number one guy.” El Mayo is El Chapo’s replacement. It is not the first time that Bagley did not know who he was really talking to. He may have learned by now that people are not always who they say they are. Which brings me to some people who have been mentioned a number of times: The Clintons. Who are they really? Lawyers, governor and first lady, president and first lady… or spies? Drug dealers? Sexual predators? Murderers? I would say yes to all four and more. Not only would I suspect that Bill’s act of giving American technology to China in his White House days was espionage, or that he was a drug dealer in Arkansas or a sexual predator with many more flights on the Lolita Express than he or the Clinton friendly press want to admit, but that he personally gave the order to murder Jeffrey. Somehow, I doubt that Mrs. Clinton is unaware of his activities, making her in my mind an accomplice. Ghislaine Maxwell attends the wedding of Chelsea Clinton. Several weeks ago, Mr. Clinton had lunch at Nello’s on Madison Avenue. Joining him at this uptown eatery was one of the guests at his daughter’s wedding – Ghislaine Maxwell. Not with them was their mutual friend, Jeffrey. He was dining that day downtown, at the MCC. So just what did Clinton and Maxwell discuss? That was the last record of a sighting of Maxwell in the Big Apple, and quite possibly the last sighting of her in public since. Reports of her in Paris, London, Tribeca and Los Angeles all seem to be deliberately planted red herrings, the latter of which was debunked by the Frank Report and the Daily Mail. Both publications tied the Los Angeles pictures to Maxwell’s friend Leah Saffian, an American born lawyer who plies her trade in England, Wales and California. Frank Report broke the story that Leah Saffian may have been responsible for leaking the photoshopped pictures of Ghislaine Maxwell at the In-N-Out fast food restaurant in Los Angeles in August Saffian’s association with Maxwell may have begun in England, when working for the law firm Peters & Peters, which represented one of Maxwell’s brothers in a serious fraud case relating to the embezzlement of the pension funds that occurred when their father, Robert owned the Daily Mirror. Robert was never brought to trial, as he was found dead in the water before the crown prosecution services could make their case. His daughter might be on the run from process servers; one female plaintiff alleges that she acted like a ‘Nazi guard’ in her zeal to serve Jeffrey, and the entire #MeToo movement is on the lookout for her. But despite her zeal in her service to Jeffrey, her loyalty may well be more with Clinton, especially after it was reported that Jeffrey, in a bid to make a deal, was willing to name names. She also might not want her next meal to be in prison, where bad things happen to lots of people. Was Jeffrey Epstein really suicidal? Or was he looking to make a deal that would limit his prison time in return for a candid and robust disclosure of his co-conspirators? So, just who made a bad thing happen to her man? In naming a suspect, motive and opportunity must be examined. Motive here is strong. Suffice it to say that William and Hillary would rather lunch at Nello’s than lunch in the Big House. But the Clintons are not alone as suspects. An examination of opportunity narrows it down to a much shorter list, which still does not exclude a number of other parties, but does place them at the top. Robert Maxwell had an untimely death. Opportunity would only present itself to someone with friends in low places. The New York City prison and justice systems could well be described as low places, and one might say that they are not without people friendly to the Clintons. Given the history of corruption in New York, both city and state, it is not surprising that a prisoner might not make it to the courtroom. Curious Justice System in New York On top of which are the circumstances that surround Jeffrey’s demise; which, being so well known, are not necessary to repeat in this discourse. It might be more of interest to look at the wickedness in high places that supports the thesis that a Clinton might be able to get certain dirty jobs done, perhaps at a dirt-cheap rate. Starting at the top, the governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, was himself recently under investigation, which led to the arrest and conviction of eight of his friends; and then stopped short. Andrew Cuomo, New York governor. This governor had nine lives – and eight of them were used up by the arrest of his eight top cronies. Somehow, the investigation stopped short of him. A previous governor, Elliot Spitzer, who was once Attorney General, had to resign in disgrace over his proclivities with prostitutes. Some say he liked to wear a dog collar, crawl on all fours and be whipped by his charges. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office might be expected to be stand above that, were it not for the ties between Cyrus Vance Jr., the DA, and one of Jeffrey’s business associates: Harvey Weinstein, whose prosecution seems to lag. Could it have something to do with the fact that one of the prosecutors on the case, Jennifer Gaffney, resigned her post from the sexual crimes division, taking a job in the private sector, as the Weinstein case made its way to her office? Taken by itself, this is not so suspicious; but taken along with the fact that Gaffney also consented, in 2016, to convicted sex offender Robert Hadden registering as a level 1 sex offender without having to serve any jail time; and that in 2011, she was willing to have another sex offender reduce his offender level from a level 3, the highest, to a level 1, the lowest. Who just happened to be Jeffrey. At the time, the judge, Justice Ruth Pickholz, denied Gaffney’s request and expressed bewilderment at such a motion. Jeffrey, although registered as a top-level sex offender under obligation to check in with the police regularly, never did so, and the DA’s office did not enforce the stipulations even when reminded of them by the police. The justice system here may be full of play-for-pay con artists posing as public servants, waiting to get kickbacks, either in the form of donations or as jobs in the private sector. Viewed from that perspective, it is not hard to see how a rich and powerful person could get a man dead. A counter-argument to that might be that the facility in which Jeffrey was held is under federal jurisdiction; the Justice Department. But that argument holds little weight, and, in fact, could add to the perception that the Clintons could have meddled in the case. It does not in the least ease suspicion, but rather exacerbates it, when it is remembered that the Justice Department once granted a sweetheart deal for a felon with the largest stash of child pornography and bestiality in American history which allowed him to stay out of jail. The prosecutors in New York are not the only ones with a soft spot for serious sex offenders. The one involving child pornography, which occurred in Los Angeles in 1998, was signed off on by Robert Mueller. For unknown reasons, Robert Mueller helped arrange the sweetest plea deal imaginable for David Asimov – son of the late author Isaac Asimov. David Asimov was the lucky perpetrator. But no surprise, as this same Justice Department kept four innocent men in jail for decades for crimes that Whitey Bulger was responsible for. One of these innocents was a WWII hero. Did Bill Clinton Order the Murder of Jeffrey Epstein? Having named the Clintons as suspects, the next step is to apply pressure, or, to use a better word, tension, to get this case cracked. This is not so easy to do with a slack press. But maybe I ought not to expect any support, given the historical record. Did the NYT put any pressure on Hitler back in the day when presented with reports of concentration camps? Did it put any on Stalin when reports of Ukrainians being starved emerged? Did it put any on the State Department when I gave them the inside scoop on Bagley? No, no, and no. In fact, the reporter that denied the Ukrainian starvation reports got a Pulitzer Prize. More recently, the Ed Buck case, which finally made it to the front page – was ignored for years as this wealthy donor to the Democrats was allowed to party on as young black men ended up dead at his house. Edward Bernard Peter Buck is an American businessman, LGBTQ political activist, and Democratic political fundraiser. Two African American men have been discovered dead in Buck’s West Hollywood home since 2017 due to drug overdoses. On September 17, 2019, Buck was arrested and charged with three counts of battery causing serious injury, administering methamphetamine and maintaining a drug house. Buck is awaiting trial. Outraged, one young man’s mother publicly lobbied the Democrat Los Angeles DA to have him arrested but was rudely ignored. A similar case in the 1980s is even more harrowing: that of John Wayne Gacy. Then the parents of a victim made 100 attempts to get the police to investigate. They did so only when the stench of his victims seeped out from under the floorboards, by which time, he had tortured dozens to death. He laughed about it, wearing a clown costume that he used for fundraising. He, too, was a donor to the Democrat party, a candidate for the same, and a ward leader in Illinois. By saying all this, and naming the Clintons as suspects in Jeffrey’s death, it might seem that I am taking aim at that party. I am not, I am in no political party, and am not paid by any party. I would hope that Democrats join me, though I am sure that party loyalists will refuse, just as they did with Buck and Gacy. I would hope that ALL Americans would join me. I would hope that ALL Democrats see through Clinton and his allies, and investigate the Humpty Dumpty congressmen. It is not that I have concern for either of the Epsteins, but that what is going on is of national concern. Everyone needs not just to take a look at it, but to apply real pressure – again – tension is a better word. That word was once used as the title of a film made in 1949, in which Barry Sullivan played Police Lieutenant Collier Bonnabel, who explains that he only knows one way to solve a case: by applying pressure to all the suspects, playing on their strengths and weaknesses, until one of them snaps under the tension. Quite recently, this tactic was proven a success when Frank Parlato exposed Keith Raniere and his NXIVM sex cult. Not surprisingly, its members were donors to Hillary Clinton. It was not easy to get the investigation to go forward. Parlato ended up writing thousands of articles and contacting both major press and government agencies. Tension worked, and now Raniere is in prison and Allison Mack and others are headed there soon. And soon to join them, I hope, will be the Clintons, Mark Epstein, and the Humpty Dumpty congress members.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 9.8

617 – Battle of Huoyi: Li Yuan defeats a Sui dynasty army, opening the path to his capture of the imperial capital Chang'an and the eventual establishment of the Tang dynasty. 1100 – Election of Antipope Theodoric. 1198 – Philip of Swabia, Prince of Hohenstaufen, is crowned King of Germany (King of the Romans) 1253 – Pope Innocent IV canonises Stanislaus of Szczepanów, killed by king Bolesław II. 1264 – The Statute of Kalisz, guaranteeing Jews safety and personal liberties and giving battei din jurisdiction over Jewish matters, is promulgated by Bolesław the Pious, Duke of Greater Poland. 1276 – Pope John XXI is chosen. 1331 – Stefan Dušan declares himself king of Serbia. 1380 – Battle of Kulikovo: Russian forces defeat a mixed army of Tatars and Mongols, stopping their advance. 1504 – Michelangelo's David is unveiled in Piazza della Signoria in Florence. 1514 – Battle of Orsha: In one of the biggest battles of the century, Lithuanians and Poles defeat the Russian army. 1522 – Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation: Victoria arrives at Seville, technically completing the first circumnavigation. 1551 – The foundation day in Vitória, Brazil. 1565 – St. Augustine, Florida is founded by Spanish admiral and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. 1565 – The Knights of Malta lift the Ottoman siege of Malta that began on May 18. 1612 – The foundation day in São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil. 1655 – Warsaw falls without resistance to a small force under the command of Charles X Gustav of Sweden during The Deluge, making it the first time the city is captured by a foreign army. 1727 – A barn fire during a puppet show in the village of Burwell in Cambridgeshire, England kills 78 people, many of whom are children. 1755 – French and Indian War: Battle of Lake George. 1756 – French and Indian War: Kittanning Expedition. 1761 – Marriage of King George III of the United Kingdom to Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. 1775 – The unsuccessful Rising of the Priests in Malta. 1781 – American Revolutionary War: The Battle of Eutaw Springs in South Carolina, the war's last significant battle in the Southern theater, ends in a narrow British tactical victory. 1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Hondschoote. 1796 – French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of Bassano: French forces defeat Austrian troops at Bassano del Grappa. 1810 – The Tonquin sets sail from New York Harbor with 33 employees of John Jacob Astor's newly created Pacific Fur Company on board. After a six-month journey around the tip of South America, the ship arrives at the mouth of the Columbia River and Astor's men establish the fur-trading town of Astoria, Oregon. 1831 – William IV and Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen are crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. 1831 – November uprising: The Battle of Warsaw effectively ends the Polish insurrection. 1860 – The steamship PS Lady Elgin sinks on Lake Michigan, with the loss of around 300 lives. 1862 – Millennium of Russia monument is unveiled in Novgorod. 1863 – American Civil War: In the Second Battle of Sabine Pass, a small Confederate force thwarts a Union invasion of Texas. 1883 – The Northern Pacific Railway (reporting mark NP) was completed in a ceremony at Gold Creek, Montana. Former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in an event attended by rail and political luminaries. 1888 – Isaac Peral's submarine is first tested. 1888 – In London, the body of Jack the Ripper's second murder victim, Annie Chapman, is found. 1888 – In England, the first six Football League matches are played. 1892 – The Pledge of Allegiance is first recited. 1900 – Galveston hurricane: A powerful hurricane hits Galveston, Texas killing about 8,000 people. 1905 – The 7.2 Mw  Calabria earthquake shakes southern Italy with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme), killing between 557 and 2,500 people. 1914 – World War I: Private Thomas Highgate becomes the first British soldier to be executed for desertion during the war. 1916 – In a bid to prove that women were capable of serving as military dispatch riders, Augusta and Adeline Van Buren arrive in Los Angeles, completing a 60-day, 5,500 mile cross-country trip on motorcycles. 1921 – Margaret Gorman, a 16-year-old, wins the Atlantic City Pageant's Golden Mermaid trophy; pageant officials later dubbed her the first Miss America. 1923 – Honda Point disaster: Nine US Navy destroyers run aground off the California coast. Seven are lost, and twenty-three sailors killed. 1925 – Rif War: Spanish forces including troops from the Foreign Legion under Colonel Francisco Franco landing at Al Hoceima, Morocco. 1926 – Germany is admitted to the League of Nations. 1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch transparent tape. 1933 – Ghazi bin Faisal became King of Iraq. 1934 – Off the New Jersey coast, a fire aboard the passenger liner SS Morro Castle kills 137 people. 1935 – US Senator from Louisiana Huey Long is fatally shot in the Louisiana State Capitol building. 1941 – World War II: German forces begin the Siege of Leningrad. 1943 – World War II: The O.B.S. (German General Headquarters for the Mediterranean zone) is attacked in an air raid on Frascati. 1943 – World War II: United States General Dwight D. Eisenhower publicly announces the armistice with Italy. 1944 – World War II: London is hit by a V-2 rocket for the first time. 1945 – The division of Korea begins when United States troops arrive to partition the southern part of Korea in response to Soviet troops occupying the northern part of the peninsula a month earlier. 1946 – The referendum abolishes the monarchy in Bulgaria. 1952 – The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation makes its first televised broadcast on the second escape of the Boyd Gang. 1954 – The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) is established. 1960 – In Huntsville, Alabama, US President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally dedicates the Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA had already activated the facility on July 1). 1962 – Last run of the famous Pines Express over the Somerset and Dorset Railway line (UK) fittingly using the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, BR Standard Class 9F 92220 Evening Star. 1966 – The landmark American science fiction television series Star Trek premieres with its first-aired episode, "The Man Trap". 1970 – Trans International Airlines Flight 863 crashes during take off from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, killing all 11 aboard.[1] 1971 – In Washington, D.C., the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated, with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass. 1974 – Watergate scandal: US President Gerald Ford signs the pardon of Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office. 1975 – Gays in the military: US Air Force Tech Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, appears in his Air Force uniform on the cover of Time magazine with the headline "I Am A Homosexual". He is given a general discharge, later upgraded to honorable. 1978 – Black Friday, a massacre by soldiers against protesters in Tehran, results in 700–3000 deaths, it marks the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Iran. 1988 – Yellowstone National Park is closed for the first time in U.S. history due to ongoing fires. 1989 – Partnair Flight 394 dives into the North Sea, killing 55 people. The investigation showed that the tail of the plane vibrated loose in flight due to sub-standard connecting bolts that had been fraudulently sold as aircraft-grade. 1991 – The Republic of Macedonia becomes independent. 1994 – USAir Flight 427, on approach to Pittsburgh International Airport, suddenly crashes in clear weather killing all 132 aboard, resulting in the most extensive aviation investigation in world history and altering manufacturing practices in the industry. 2004 – NASA's unmanned spacecraft Genesis crash-lands when its parachute fails to open. 2005 – Two Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft from EMERCOM land at a disaster aid staging area at Little Rock Air Force Base; the first time Russia has flown such a mission to North America. 2016 – NASA launches OSIRIS-REx, its first asteroid sample return mission. The probe will visit 101955 Bennu and is expected to return with samples in 2023.

[caveartfair]

Knight Foundation awards $600,000 to projects seeking to make culture more accessible through technology.

After the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation launched an open call in February prompting institutions with the question, “how might cultural institutions use technology to connect people to the arts?”, it received a flood of innovative answers. On July 12, the Foundation announced that 12 of those ideas would be granted $50,000 each for development and early-stage testing.

The chosen institutions span a wide range of spaces––performing art venues, design studios, research groups, museums, and more—but each winner put forth an idea that could be adopted by a variety of arts organizations. For example, many projects focus on improving visitor engagement with mobile apps, interactive wall labels, and digital tools for soliciting visitor input. Others seek to make more data available through the use of business planning software, improved Wikipedia information, and an app for gathering visitor demographic data. Grant recipients range from major art institutions like the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to a partnership between the Smithsonian Institution and Wikimedia D.C. and a project by Temple University’s Institute on Disabilitie.

For the Knight Foundation, this $600,000 project is vital for the arts. As digital technology becomes more personalized, more interactive, and more accessible, art audiences expect similarly engaging and dynamic experiences from cultural organizations. As Victoria Rogers, the Knight Foundation’s vice president for arts, puts it:

While the importance of arts institutions in building community remains unchanged, the preferences and expectations of audiences have transformed in the age of technology. Museum-goers increasingly demand personalized, interactive and shareable experiences. These projects help pave a way forward for cultural organizations to expand and command their use of technology to connect with and inspire audiences.

Each recipient has nine months to develop and refine a prototype of its idea, before all the grant-winners convene for a demo day in April 2019.

from Artsy News

[angelofhistory]

The Racial Politics of Privilege

(Luke Cage, left, confronts Danny Rand, right, in Marvel’s The Defenders, 2017, Netflix)

[Note: The following contains spoilers for Marvel’s The Defenders, Season 1.]

The most powerful scene in Netflix’s newly released Defenders (2017) appears early in the show, when Luke Cage (Mike Colter) confronts Danny Rand (Finn Jones) about his white privilege. Audiences familiar with Netflix’s Marvel remakes will know that Cage became a powerful symbol of resistance to police violence on his own show, Luke Cage (2016), for, as a towering, bulletproof black man in a hoodie, he could not be shot and killed by the cops. He acquired unbreakable skin through subjection to illegal scientific experimentation while incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. His character appeared on screen in the wake of the deaths of Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and others, making a much-needed if too understated point about the ways in which the US police apparatus and prison system enact white supremacy.

In stark contrast stands Rand, a billionaire white kid who through martial arts training at the mythological city of K’un-L’un, becomes endowed with a supernatural ability to channel energy into a power-packed punch, earning him the pseudonym “Iron Fist.” The trope is familiar, though for that matter no less tired or orientalizing: white guy goes “east” to find himself, learns ancient mystical arts, becomes the master (think Doctor Strange). The contrast between Rand and Cage inheres not so much in their physical differences—though when they meet in the same room those differences are striking—but their political ones. In Cage’s story, we get a critique of race and class, the prison industrial complex, and police violence. In Rand’s, we get yet another colonialist and culturally appropriative white savior narrative.

Such diametrically opposed characters are bound to clash. They first encounter each other in the second episode, during a street fight in which Cage protects a young black man named Cole (J. Mallory McCree) from a near deadly blow by Rand’s “iron fist.” At the beginning of the following episode, Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson), a mutual connection, convinces them to meet to sort out their differences and work together.

The meeting quickly turns confrontational. A dispute arises around what it means to fight The Hand, a global order of power-hungry ninjas seeking to destroy New York City in pursuit of regaining control over “life itself.” Rand contends that beating Cole was necessary, for he had been doing The Hand’s dirty work, disposing of bodies after the group’s successful assassinations.

Rand maintains that fighting anyone with connections to The Hand means fighting the organization itself. Cage disagrees, pointing out that the young man in question needed a job to feed his family. Poor and black, Cole was willing to take anything that paid well. Fighting him, Cage argues, means fighting someone he and Rand should protect.

The conversation that ensues is worth quoting:

RAND: You never fought someone to protect someone else?

CAGE: Of course I have!

RAND: Okay, so what’s the difference?

CAGE: The difference is I live on their block. The difference is I’m not some billionaire white boy who takes justice into his own hands and slams a black kid against a wall because of his personal vendetta. […]

RAND: The money—that doesn’t define me.

CAGE: Maybe not. But that kid is sitting in a jail cell tonight and you’re not.

RAND: Neither are you.

CAGE: Not this time. But I’ve seen my share of injustice.

RAND: […] You’re not thinking about the bigger picture.

CAGE: And you’re not thinking about anything but yourself…

RAND: Hey, you know nothing about me!

CAGE: I know enough. And I know privilege when I see it. You may think you earned your strength, but you had power the day you were born. Before the dragons, before the qi, you had the ability to change the world without getting anybody hurt.

The scene is remarkable if for no other reason than that it calls Rand on his privilege in a way few mainstream shows have dared. Of course, it could carry its critique further, for the critique occurs merely in word, not deed. Immediately after the conversation between the two, Rand runs off, pursuing his own plan for justice, despite the reprimand Cage has just given him. What results is Rand’s need to be saved from kidnapping by The Hand, at which point all “Defenders” unite to help him. If Rand doesn’t learn from Cage’s critique of white privilege, neither does the show: Rand still occupies center stage of the narrative. It is his character around whom the primary plot turns, his character and, by proxy, New York, who must be defended against evil. If the title of the show implicitly asks us to think about what or who is being defended, this scene appears to give us the answer. By protecting the white guy and maintaining the status quo, the Defenders protect themselves and everyone else.  

Despite the show’s reluctance to practice the politics it preaches, the critique opened up by Cage’s commentary remains powerful. When Cage calls Rand a “white boy who takes justice into his own hands,” one hears echoes of the history of lynching, past and present. One thinks of the countless victims strung up by white men avenging themselves of perceived wrongs. One sees in Rand the faint outline of George Zimmerman, who keeping watch over his neighborhood like Rand does over New York, shot and killed Trayvon Martin without legal consequence. Even if the Defenders are on the right side of history, and even if Cage is a Defender himself, his comments call to mind the racialized violence of vigilante justice. One wonders whether the mysterious force killing off under-the-table black employees of The Hand at the beginning of the season is The Hand or Rand himself, seeking “justice” independently of the law.  

In the show, even the law has limits. It perhaps comes as no surprise that the young man Rand assaulted is arrested and sent to prison. In a move that’s all too real, Cole, like Luke Cage, is framed for a crime he did not commit. With the exception of Misty Knight (Simone Missick), the agents of the law, embodied in the show by the NYPD, cannot imagine a world in blackness does not automatically equal criminality. By extension, they cannot imagine a world in which Cole is not always already guilty. Rand, of course, goes free, his whiteness a badge of innocence.

The injustice Cole faces is not limited to the attack by Rand, his imprisonment, and his eventual death. That The Hand employs Cole and other young black men like him to do their late-night dirty work, disposing of them when they threaten to reveal the organization to the public, calls to mind the long history of racial capitalism in the United States. In Cole’s labor exploitation are traces of chattel slavery, a capitalist system that produced wealth for the few on the backs of millions of African and African-descended peoples throughout the Americas. Cole, of course, gets paid for his work, but he lives in a world that operates in much the same way.

It is no mistake that the crime lord of The Hand, Alexandra Reid (Sigourney Weaver), sits around in furs inside gilded mansions and privately-funded skyscrapers with a seemingly endless pool of financial resources at her disposal to perpetuate her own life. The legacy of racial slavery appears not in Cole’s nominally free legal status but in the taken-for-granted distinction between whose life is valuable (Alexandra’s) and whose is not (Cole’s) as well as in the economic structure in which the exploitation of Cole’s labor and the labor of an entire racialized class of people serves as the foundation for the production of global capital. In the Marvel universe, not unlike our own, the exploitation of racialized labor makes the world turn.

The show brings this critique into view only to leave it underdeveloped and ultimately unaddressed. As becomes obvious in the conversation between Cage and Rand, part of the problem is that the show ventriloquizes its political stance almost exclusively through Cage’s character. Narratively, if Cole had been allowed to live, the season might have followed him and expanded his character beyond the stereotype of the black criminal. It might have brought into view the inequities he faced on the basis of his structural position as a black male in a white supremacist world. This formal strategy, of course, would not rectify the manner in which the show places the burden of explaining oppression onto the shoulders of the already oppressed, limiting even Cage’s potential for character development. Cage becomes a political mouthpiece addressing race and class inequality, largely evacuating his character of nuance and leaving him wedged between superhero and politically conscious social justice activist, neither identity with enough depth to be fully realized.

If we frame the conversation between Cage and Rand as one between two would-be “activists,” the scene holds rich metaphorical potential. When Rand refuses to listen to Cage, instead pursing his own plan and forcing Cage to protect him, he performs the relation of many white social justice warriors to activist projects led by people of color. Time and again, when white people involve themselves in activist circles, with surely good intentions, they refuse to listen, seize center stage, and demand support from the allies they have marginalized by asking them both to assuage them of guilt for racial violence and to literally use their bodies to protect them from physical harm. In this way, white activists more often than not reproduce the system of white supremacy they purport to dismantle. As a metaphorical representation of the white activist—harming those he intends to serve in his fight for justice—Rand’s character is spot on.

If you can grit your teeth long enough to stand Rand’s frequent whimpering, whining, and pathetic self-pity, the first season of Defenders makes for an exciting, even provocative, viewing experience. Despite its ambivalent politics, the show is well worth the watch.