Reel Talk: In Our Mothers' Gardens

1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard,New Orleans LA 70113

26 March, 2022

Description

Join us for an evening of moving storytelling and witness Black women’s tales of triumph, courage, beauty, legacy, and love. “Guided by my heritage of a love of beauty and a respect for strength-in search of my mother's garden, I found my own.” - Alice Walker Co-presented by Ashé Cultural Arts Center and Junebug Productions, Reel Talk: In Our Mothers’ Gardens features an outdoor film screening of Shantrelle P. Lewis’ In Our Mothers’ Gardens, an excerpt of KM Dance Project’s Raw Fruit, and a post-film discussion with Shantrelle and No Dream Deferred’s Lauren Turner. Recirculating Farms will also be there serving up their delicious homemade hibiscus tea and information about urban gardening. About In Our Mothers' Gardens In Our Mothers’ Gardens, directed by Shantrelle P. Lewis, celebrates the strength and resiliency of Black women and Black families through the complex, and oftentimes humorous, relationship between mothers and daughters. The film pays homage to Black maternal ancestors while examining the immediate and critical importance of self-care, and the healing tools necessary for Black communities to thrive. Featured interviews include: #MeToo founder Tarana Burke; The Roots and Chris Rock tour manager Tina Farris; cultural critic Dr. Brittney Cooper of Rutgers University; Rev. Dr. Theresa S. Thames of Princeton University; holistic lifestyle maven Latham Thomas; photographer Adama Delphine Fawundu and NPR’s Senior Director for Programming Yolanda Sangweni. About Raw Fruit Raw Fruit by Kesha McKey and KM Dance Project is a multidisciplinary dance work that reveals the essence of ancestral values woven into the cultural fabric of Black lives, and examines legacy, identity, socialization, unity, and friction inside the southern Black family dynamic. Using dance as the foundational medium to elevate the voices of African American women, Raw Fruit is steeped in the movement, sound and spirit of Black folks in New Orleans and layered with visceral expressions of lineage, retention and ancestral memory. From crawfish boils to second lines, living room altars to junior daughters, and bread pudding to pecan pralines, these experiences, rituals and ancestral contributions have created a web of lineage connecting our present experiences with customs rooted in the past. We recognize and value what we have acquired, what we release, what we hold and what we will share with those who come after us. Raw Fruit is a celebration of New Orleans culture juxtaposed to the complexities of the African American experience in the south. About No Dream DeferredNo Dream Deferred is a community anchored theatre production company that prioritizes culturally relevant theatre and the work of historically marginalized playwrights for a New Orleans audience. No Dream Deferred’s One Womxn, One Show: In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens is a collection of stories shared in honor of Black Womxn and all of the ways in which we birth, nurture, and grow culture, movements, art, and generations. About Recirculating FarmsThe Recirculating Farms Coalition is a collaborative group of individuals and organizations – farmers, educators, chefs and many others – committed to building healthy communities through training, outreach and advocacy on innovative farming and food justice. We develop ecologically and socially responsible programs that grow local, affordable food, and create stable jobs in green businesses, in diverse communities, to foster physical, mental and financial wellness nationwide.