Our Collective Capacity to Manifest Change: Skywatchers, Featuring Shavonne Allen, Joel Yates, and Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes
Art Heals All Wounds
05/10/23
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Today, I’m joined by Shavonne Allen, Joel Yates, and Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes, three members of Skywatchers, a performance ensemble based in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. Skywatchers is an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, mixed-ability, and multicultural performance group that aims to amplify the voices of Tenderloin residents. Their mix of movement, music, visual art, and spoken word get to the core of what the Tenderloin is, which, despite the despair that is visible on the streets, is a place of abundant generosity. In Dazié’s words, community members in the Tenderloin have been given a limited view of themselves based on what outsiders see on the surface. The Tenderloin is an inclusive neighborhood where people support their neighbors and forge social spaces despite the hostile architecture that discourages social gathering in the area. Skywatchers performances explore the real, raw, lived experiences of ensemble members and life in the Tenderloin, but also share a vision of how things could be. Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié highlight the impact their art has on the neighborhood and reflect on how their lives have changed since joining the ensemble.
Listen, rate, and review Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● The history of the Tenderloin neighborhood and how it became a containment zone for the city’s biggest unsolved social issues
● How Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié were introduced to Skywatchers
● The story behind the ‘Opulence Portraits’ and ‘Towards Opulence' pieces
● Examples of what hostile architecture looks like, particularly in downtown San Francisco
● What Shavonne, Joel, and Dazié have gained from being part of Skywatchers
● What other Tenderloin community members gain from the work of Skywatchers
Guest Info:
● Towards Opulence, the Opera at The Cutting Ball Theater
● Skywatchers on Facebook
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● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
Previous Episode
Today, I’m joined by filmmakers Shweta Ghosh and Priyanka Pal to discuss their work together on We Make Film, a feature documentary about filmmaking by people with disabilities in India. Through a series of ‘interview workshops,’ the film highlights the creative ways that filmmakers with disabilities articulate their perspective and artistic vision, despite the accessibility challenges they face. Shweta and Priyanka connected on the idea of making a film where people with disabilities can bring their professional experience, as well their story, into their production process. What started out as Shweta’s PhD project in 2015 eventually became a deep dive into the dynamics within communities of people with disabilities, how they engage with each other, and how they define themselves. In our conversation, Shweta and Priyanka expand on stand-out moments from interviews and how those conversations opened their eyes to small, yet powerful ways to create a more accessible and inclusive filmmaking environment. They also describe how they’re working with the next generation of artists to challenge stereotypes and welcome diverse voices both in front of and behind the camera.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Why it’s so important to Priyanka, a filmmaker with a locomotor disability, to create a new narrative for how people with disabilities are portrayed in mainstream media
● Shweta’s process for defining the project scope and finding people for each role
● The surprising ways that different participants interpreted Shweta’s interview prompts
● How Shweta’s father’s disability shaped her perspective as an able-bodied filmmaker
● Priyanka and Shweta’s vision for how film crews and media can be more accessible and inclusive
Guest Info:
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
● Art Heals All Wounds Twitter
● Art Heals All Wounds Facebook
● &
Next Episode
Today, I’m joined by Brittany Delany, a dancer, choreographer, and co-director of the dance and social justice collective GROUND SERIES. We discuss the latest project from GROUND SERIES called “Free the Body,” an interactive art installation at The Coachella Valley Art Center that explores what it means to free the body within personal, cultural, social, and political settings. In our conversation, Brittany describes the inception of this project and how different elements of writing, sound, movement, and visual art were introduced. She shares what people can expect from the installation, including the various workshops the collective is hosting with local nonprofit organizations. When Brittany found herself in a cycle of rage and frustration brought on by the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the overturn of Roe v. Wade, she joined with collaborators to channel that energy into “Free the Body,” using the text Abolition. Feminism. Now as inspiration. Brittany unpacks the refuge that this project offers her and what she hopes people will take away from the experience. She also highlights ways that the collective is working to engage with local community organizations and foster restorative justice services within the Coachella Valley community.
Listen, rate, and review to Art Heals All Wounds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Castbox, or on your favorite podcast platform.
Topics Covered:
● Dance through the lens of politics, spirituality, and research
● Brittany’s perspective on what it means to free the body
● Rage as a powerful motivator for artists
● The fortification of community through in-person events
● The core curriculum and methodology of “Free the Body” workshops
Resources Mentioned:
● Abolition. Feminism. Now. by Angela Y. Davis, Gina Dent, Erica Meiners, Beth Richie
Guest Info:
● Coachella Valley Art Center Website
● Brittany's Instagram
Follow Me:
● Art Heals All Wounds Website
● Art Heals All Wounds Instagram
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