ACTUALIZE EQUITY, SPARK CREATIVE INQUIRY + RECLAIM THE NARRATIVE.
CORE WORK ::
SERVICE
adé PROJECT | Highlight Reel
2018 + Beyond – Service:
- We honor planetary wisdom by acknowledging those that came before us and committed their lives to living and creating from a cooperative mind.
- We honor the elders by seeking the treasure and wisdom of their lived experience. We weave this fabric of connection intentionally with youth.
- We honor the youth by designing programs that are experiential, hands-on, inclusive with a focus on afro-futurism, in addition to history as a celebration of the Black culture that has shaped and influenced the world.
- We honor Mother Earth through projects, initiatives and service learning that centers waste reduction, beautification, recycling + reducing of waste through upcycled art or repurposing of materials, waterway cleanup (prioritizing rivers and oceans when necessary) and securing support for farmers, pollinators, healers and spiritual practitioners working on and with natural materials for their goods and services.
Big Ups + Wins
Catalyzed the linking of art + social justice in the Asheville community, inspired dozens of murals in Reparations Summer.
Introduced upcycled, regenerative art into youth + green spaces.
Launched Listening Lounge concept.
119 youth served.
38 collaborators.
13 US Cities. 5 Countries.
CASE STUDY
Art + Wellness Weekend | July 25-28, 2019
YMI Cultural Center
STORY OF NOW
As we align with the adé PROJECT mission – actualize equity, spark creative inquiry + reclaim the narrative, we carefully curated the space in collab with artists and healers of color, with most of our contractors identifying as Black. As we do, we spend the months prior to the event inviting the community to speak what it needs as we design a space that is in celebration of the culture of black + brown folks. We act, and first we listen. And this is the result. Kaabo ile..welcome home!
adé PROJECT: SCOPE OF WORK
Host Equity-Rooted Yoga Sessions
Collaborated with Asheville Yoga Festival to highlight Black yoga instructors and offer equity passes to the local Black community to their sessions to increase accessibility, engagement and a sense of inclusion.
Host a Mini-Film Festival
Designed program, coordinated logistics and facilitated panel with producers of “Silence Sam”, a youth-led documentary.
Host a Community Dance Party
Curated a dancehall vibe inside the historic YMI Cultural Center with African drummer, Darrell Rose, followed by a DJ set by DJ Hijx de la Chingada.
Host Caucus on Black Healing
Co-facilitated community conversation around the question, “what is healing?” with members of the Racial Equity Institute planning committee.
STORY OF ORIGIN
adé PROJECT sought to create a space directly in support of healing for the Black community. Every year, the Asheville Yoga Festival brought in instructors and practitioners from around the country with very little participation by Asheville’s very own Black and POC community. We sought to change that. After initial conversations and planning with the organizing team of the Asheville Yoga Festival, the equity pass was created and promoted throughout the community to bring access and wellness to the historic neighborhoods where our people called home. In addition, we brought together a few other free-flowing ideas and plans into one weekend full of action and wellness. As a result we created a space for us, by us and celebrated in the ways our people always have – food, music, culture, sharing healing practices, decolonizing our minds and making new connections.
The story + impact.
Never before has Asheville seen a weekend focused on Black healing, Black art and Black culture like the Asheville Wellness Weekend, and perhaps it may not be seen in the small town pretending to be a city again…at least not like this. Over the course of three days, there was a mini-film festival that was coupled with a community workshop and facilitated interview panel of the production team; a dance party fusing together traditional African drumming with lofi-trap music; a community caucus on healing; over a dozen yoga sessions led by Black yoga instructors from all over the United States; community art workshops hosted with Art Ecologie Collective as part of Celebrating African-Americans through Public Arts; and the culinary tastes of Kente Kitchen Catering & Cooking with Comedy. The connections were numerous and the time invaluable.
- Equity Passes Redeemed with Black Yogis – 100%
- First Timers to YMI Cultural Center – 65%
- Participants Expressing a Desire for More Like this – 90%
ARTISTS hired
Black Yogis Supported
Caterers contracted
Weekend Participants
Why IT MATTERS
Creative expression in a judgment-free environment is not just about fun. Worries about the past or future disappear, and we find ourselves in the flow of the present moment. When we express ourselves without trying to be perfect, we experience happiness regardless of our circumstances. Numerous studies point to the benefits of creative expression for health. Notable is the work of Dr. James Pennebaker, who found that writing with emotion about one’s life experiences increases immune function and decreases reliance on healthcare. Additionally, we remember our inherent creative power to design and shape our own lives.
We Must Afront Limitations with a Discipline of Hope.
For the Black Community, Healing is in Community.
In America, Our Youth of Color Are in Crisis, and in Need of Positive Expression + Release of Difficult, Tramautic, and Painful Experiences.
Let’s CREATE + DESIGN TOGETHER. Say Hello!
Drop us a line using the form below to inquire about adé PROJECT Service.