There is little doubt that the current moment is one of great societal change. How can we actively shape change if we are weighed down by burnout and despair? How do we find agency when we are traumatized by the relentless onslaught of state violence and negligence in everyday American life?

For the next year, we explore how finding ways to heal ourselves—through collective, connective approaches—might in turn help us create new art, forge new alliances, and imagine new worlds.

We believe that artists, especially artists who work with the body, play a crucial role in this momentous task. Contemporary science confirms what healers and bodyworkers have known for a long time— trauma is stored within the body and we cannot talk or think ourselves out of it. We have to move through it to process it.

In a country whose oppressions, inequities, and historical foundations breed intergenerational trauma, and in which those most subjected to trauma often have the least access to health care, healing becomes a political act. We are often made to believe healing is the responsibility of the individual. We invite you to join artists, activists, healers, and bodyworkers for performances, rituals, free workshops, and clinics in the attempt to heal as a community and a collective.