Dear Friends,
The collaborative series Seeking Resonance is at the heart of Indigo Arts Alliance and Portland Ovations’ programming this year. At a time when we cannot gather in person, these virtual conversations and presentations are more vital than ever in helping us connect with each other, the artists we share and the places and spaces we call home.
Our latest program, Toward Being Future Beings, introduces dancemaker and community activator Emily Johnson and her collaborators, mask maker Drew Michael and textile artist Maggie Thompson. Ovations is honored to be a co-commissioner of Emily’s newest work, Being Future Being (to be presented in coming years) and grateful for the partnership with Indigo Arts Alliance that places this new work in Maine, starting with this dynamic virtual conversation.
[/fusion_text][fusion_text]Originally from Alaska now living in NYC, Emily is of Yup’ik descent and since 1998 has created work that considers the experience of sensing and seeing performance. She’s a Bessie Award-winning choreographer, Guggenheim and United States Artists Fellow, and recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award. She is a leading voice nationally and internationally in imagining, creating and advocating for a more equitable and inclusive space for sharing and honoring the work of Indigenous artists. An artist working from a truly humanist perspective, Emily’s work is imbued with compassion and thoughtful consideration.
| Emily Johnson Photo by Tracy Rector and Melissa Ponder |
| Jason Brown and Donna Decontie |
Joined in conversation by two of Maine’s most exciting creative forces, Jason Brown and Donna Decontie of the Penobscot Nation, these artists work across dance, performance, fashion, visual and textile arts, and music to illuminate the work they do today while honoring the ancient traditions of Indigenous identity and culture.
We are grateful for this moment: to begin conversations, to build connections and to think forward. Together.
Marcia Minter
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Indigo Arts Alliance
Aimée M. Petrin
Executive & Artistic Director, Portland Ovations
