JANUARY 2022
JANUARY 2022
Welcome 2022! We are happy to begin the new year with the development of new Compassion Arts projects that are currently in the works such as The Tulip Tree Project, CompassionSpeaks, and Animal Story. We are also looking forward to upcoming partnerships to be launched in the coming months, as well as being excited to continue with ongoing collaborations that were started last year such as Creating Peace Reading Circle and Vegans of New England. You can find information and updates about all programs on our website’s News/Events page as projects unfold, moving further into the year.
FOLLOWING UP
The Fifth Trust Exhibit
Linnea Ryshke, “Embers” Detail
January is the final month to see THE FIFTH TRUST virtual exhibit with Compassion Arts. Please be sure not to miss seeing this stunning group exhibition, which is in its the last four weeks with us until 1/31/22 at compassionartsfestival.org/program/fifth-trust. Curated by artists Jane O’Hara and Janell O’Rourke, this powerful exhibition features the work of fifteen women artists for animals and explores The Fifth Trust tenet “Be Wise Stewards of Life on Earth.” Presenters include Linda Brant, Lee Deigaard, Patricia Denys, Alise Eastgate, Kathryn Eddy, Karen Fiorito, Erica Gajewski, Suzy González, Isa Leshko, Jane O’Hara, Janell O’Rourke, Colleen Plumb, Linnea Ryshke, L.A. Watson, and Gretchen Woodman. A video of the exhibit’s virtual art opening event hosted by Carolyn Mullin is available to view on the website all month.
It has been Compassion Arts great honor and privilege to host this beautiful exhibition. We hope that viewers who spend time with this important visual arts program will take a moment to also explore the websites of the individual artists, to learn more about their work and their dedicated advocacy through artistry in advancing compassion for animals and the earth.
GRANT REMINDER
A reminder to those who may be interested in applying for a grant with our friends at the Culture and Animals Foundation, the grant application deadline is at the end of this month January 31st. For information visit their website for FAQS or to access the grant application. The Culture & Animals Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1985 by the late Tom and Nancy Regan, with a mission to support artists and scholars in advancing the understanding of and commitment to animals. Culture & Animals provides annual grants to scholars and artists using their intellect, creativity, and compassion to build a deeper understanding of human–animal relationships and a greater respect for animal rights. Many past Compassion Arts’ presenters have been Culture & Animal grantees, and Compassion Arts partnered with Culture & Animals for our NYC festival in 2017. We encourage artists to check out this amazing organization and their important work.
COMPASSIONSPEAKS
Photo: Dawn Casteel-Lorick / The Listening Project
Interviews, talks, presentations and roundtable discussions are all part of our fledgling CompassionSpeaks programs and podcast, which can be found on our website at compassionarts.org/compassion-speaks as episodes become available at the end of each month. Our first installments for this project over the winter months will follow up on some of our guest presenters from the 2021 Compassion Arts Festival, with in-depth interviews and creative presentations on ways we can use our creativity to inspire positive change and compassion for animals. Join us to learn more about vegan activist Gwenna Hunter (Dec 2021), artist and Best Friends Animal Society co-founder Cyrus Mejia (Jan 2022) and our Sanctuary Arts Spotlight coming in February. If there is an artist, advocate or group that you would like us to interview in the coming months, please email info@compassionarts.org. Thanks!
What’s Ahead?
For much of this next year, Compassion Arts will be in the process of transitioning from our old format of being an all-volunteer collective project, to moving forward in the work of hopefully changing to a different organizational structure for becoming a non-profit group in the future, in order to facilitate our ability to grow and be sustainable. This will require a different focus for Compassion Arts’ in 2022, and so some of our newer programs may take more time to develop to launch in the late spring, summer and next fall. Among these new projects in progress are a unique community art project for young people called The Tulip Tree Project and a multi-tiered multi-arts writing/performance series called Animal Story (which has been in development for some time but formally launches later this year). Next month’s newsletter will provide details on both of these programs, how to get involved, and submission information, for those who may be interested in learning about these projects or participating.
In the meantime, thank you for all that you are doing for the animals. Looking forward!
“We join in a circle, to do together that which we can’t do alone”
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