Social Practice

2023

As a More Art Engaging Artists Fellow, I developed I AM THE EARTH AND THE EARTH IS ME (I AM THE EARTH…). I AM THE EARTH… engaged the residents of Bed-Stuy through contemplative practice in an attempt to rectify and reduce the harms of environmental racism. There is increasing data that makes the correlation between the lack of urban green space in communities of lower socioeconomic status and increased usage of antidepressants. Bed-Stuy has been one of the most redlined neighborhoods in New York City, historically leaving it without adequate tree-top coverage. This divestment leaves Bed-Stuy residents susceptible to both the physical and mental damage of climate change. 

In March 2020, the New York City Council released an ambitious report outlining policy proposals for fighting climate change across the five boroughs. To truly rectify the divestment in city services, the NYC Council must invest in the environmental resiliency of historically black and brown neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy. There is an urgent need to think creatively in response to the climate crisis. Through both social connection and public policy, we can build sustainable relationships with the natural resources on which we rely. I AM THE EARTH… responds to the urgency to take care of the land and, through doing so, take care of our mental well-being.

The workshop component of this project took place on Sunday, October 8, 2023. During this 2 hr. workshop, through contemplation, writing, poetry and photography, participants explored how the land we inhabit holds and carries us and what we can offer the Earth in return. The workshop was co-facilitated with poet and educator Meagan Washington. For the More Art Fellow final presentation, Rituals of Social Transformation, I shared a performance lecture sharing research and reflections from the project, as well as presented a riso-printed zine. 

Photos 3 - 6 by Avery J. Savage.