Jordan
Hirsch;
accepting a donation from
Styx; Asali DeVan
LESSONS FROM NEW ORLEANS
In
response to
last summer's flood, Legion Arts, Access Iowa, and the Iowa Cultural Corridor
Alliance have teamed up to sponsor this free public forum addressing
how artists and communities can support each other during the
rebuilding process that follows a disaster.
The program, titled “The Arts in a
Post-Disaster Community,” will focus on the lessons learned after Hurricane
Katrina. Scheduled speakers for the event include two New Orleans arts
organizers: Jordan Hirsch, executive director of the musicians'
service organization Sweet Home New
Orleans, and Asali DeVan, an activist, spoken word artist, and
executive producer of the Akoben Words-In-Action Festival.
"The Arts in a Post-Disaster Community” will comprise a one-hour discussion
led by Hirsch and DeVan. The discussion aims to put Eastern Iowa artists and
organizations in touch with regional and national resources, bring the
cultural community together, and explore opportunities for working together
during this difficult time.
The discussion will be followed by a reception catered by Vernon Inn, The
Greek Place.
The program is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending
are asked to make a reservation with Joe Jennison, Executive Director of
Iowa Cultural
Corridor Alliance, at
joe@culturalcorridor.org. :: Jordan Hirsch is the Executive Director of
Sweet Home New
Orleans, an umbrella organization comprising fourteen non-profits
serving New Orleans’ music community. Sweet Home New Orleans provides
relocation assistance, housing assistance, and social services to the city’s
tradition bearers. Its case management system links together the fourteen
service organizations and functions as a clearinghouse for artists in need
and those with the resources to assist them. Jordan Hirsch has been involved
in relief efforts for the city’s musicians since the levees failed in
August, 2005. A native New Orleanian, he is a committed and effective
advocate for the bearers of the city’s indigenous traditions. ::
Asali DeVan is a mother, educator, event producer, spoken word artist,
and community servant. She is a member of the
New Orleans Women Artists Collective, as well as co-founder and
executive producer of the Akoben Words-In-Action Festival, a four-day poetry
and community service event. She teaches spoken word, social justice, and
service learning at Tulane University in New Orleans; has performed and
conducted workshops for universities, conferences, and slam venues across
the country; and is sought after as a speaker on community development
issues. She is also the coordinator of the
Congo Square African Marketplace at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage
Festival, the largest music and arts festival in the world. :: Mon
Oct 20 |
5:30 pm CSPS | 1103 Third
St SE | Cedar Rapids
Free | Reservations requested
This event is part of
Americans for the Arts' "Creative Conversations"
program, which works to identify and
cultivate the next generation of arts leaders in America.
