An Artist's Day of Healing

We are living in unprecedented times. We have collectively experienced an incredible amount of change, loss and grief. We are all seeking ways to cope and heal through these moments.Therefore, we have created a community-wide, virtual, DAY OF HEALING ...led by artists and creative professionals from the Charlotte area. Throughout the day, art facilitators will host workshops and classes all day that fuse art and healing. These will be all virtual, free of charge, and open to anyone who wants to attend and participate. Participants can attend as many or as few workshops that would like.That evening, we will host a live, virtual evening of memorial and healing through performance art that includes spoken word, storytelling, music, and moments of remembrance.

 9:00 AM Healing Through the Art of Caribbean Dance 

Free

Led by Keisha Bridgeman with Socafit USA, participants can expect to experience the freedom of movement, through the dance culture of the Caribbean. In this high energy & fun class, we will be grooving to the sounds of Soca. Participants will need Comfy workout clothes/sneakers/water/hand towel/and energy!

 10:15 AM: DIY Healing Practices with Helms Jarrell 

Free 

This participatory workshop explores multisensory techniques you can do at home that engage the mind, body, spirit, and heart in resilience, healing, expression, and self care.  Participants will use the following art forms: Journalling, sketching, ritual, breath work, music, visual art.   Participants will need: paper, pen, a small container of water (cup, glass, bowl, etc)

 11:30 AM: Healing Circle with Cathy Hasty 

Free 

Healthcare Administrator, Counselor supervisor, and Artist--Cathy Hasty will lead participants through a process of expanding, highlighting, and embedding their inner healing resources of body and memory in reference to a mildly upsetting aspect of their recent experience.  This will culminate with a therapeutic tapping exercise.   Participants will need an open heart, caring spirit, and a vulnerable curious mind. Bring a pencil and paper as well.

 1:00 PM: Sensory Beyond Sight, Healing Beyond Self 

Free 

Led by dancer and facilitator Davian Robinson, In this unique workshop experience, participants will center their minds bodies, and spirits through engaging in movement progressions around guided movements while under the blindfold. In addition, participants will also spend time reflecting cycling through, and pushing away past hurts traumas, and experiences in order to embrace the current self. Participants will only need sleep shades or some type of a covering that blacks out light totally and a comfortable space wide enough to move in. Tape or yoga mat for marking is also welcome. This workshop is open to all.

 2:30: Visual Arts for Mediation & Mindfulness 

Free 

Led by Visual Artist Makayla Binter,  in this workshop We will be using visual art to connect with ourselves and learn about how they can be used for meditation and mindfulness practices.  Participants will need the following: A piece of paper(s), notebook or sketchbook, writing utensil.  *Open to all. You don't need to have visual art experience to attend.*

 3:30 PM: Healing Through Communal Context w/Bree 

Free 

Facilitated by award-winning artist and facilitator Bree Stallings, this experience invites participants to use language arts and data visualization to understand contextual healing. Participants will need pen and paper.  We will walk through stream-of-consciousness-free-writing, alphabet dumps and word mapping to understand a communal context of healing. We will begin to understand how to feel less alone and more connected and how to bring light to our darkest moments of healing.

 5:00 PM: Healing through Collective Movement/Dance 

Free 

Led by Dance/Movement instructor Camerin Watson, this workshop is for everyone. No dance experience at all is required. This workshop is part dance class, part healing experience, and part improvisation jam session.  We recognize that grief lives in the body, together we will acknowledge that grief through movement and join together in dance to bring about collective healing.

 7:00 PM: VIRTUAL VIGIL: Healing by Holding Space 

Free 

We will hold space together for the grief, loss, change, and all the experiences that Covid-19 has given us over the past year. There will be live performances from spoken word artists, musicians, actors/storytellers, and more. This event is about holding space together, finding ways to let art connect and heal us, and giving pause, love, and light to all that we've experienced.