THE 24 HOUR COMMUNITY SPACEWALK June 13-14, 2009
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24 HOURS OF ART IN THE STREETS AND HEALING FOR MOTOWN - |
Download Detroit Spacewalk Press Release ** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ** Contact: Warrior Girl Over 24 Hours Of Creative Performance Brought Together to Share with the Homeless and Unify Detroit June 15, 2009 DETROIT - At noon on June 13th, a moving microcosm of Detroit began a 24 hour odyssey throughout the city. The mobile, guerrilla performance festival was in a quiet wooded area next to the baseball diamonds on Belle Isle, the Detroit Community Spacewalk began. Thirty five people witnessed the beautiful opening offering ceremony by Chinonye, a Nigerian performance artist, using traditional dance and cultural motifs in her work. As 2pm hit 'Spacewalkers' moved to Scott Fountain with a bellydance performance and Superhero Soap Opera skits which had the Red Bull Air Racers overhead offering wing-winks. The journey continued up through the Dequindre Cut to Eastern Market where Scott Farnel and friends provided 24 hours of yoga demonstrations and instruction to all passers-by in the market gazebo that also served as the Spacewalk information kiosk. Spacewalk provided a forum for many different organizations. The days activities included an Art Car caravan in from Toledo that ended at Artist Village, in Old Redford, where Chazz Miller painted an interactive mural, and a scene from the Superhero Soap Opera, "Warrior Girl's Baffling, Bubbling: Bailout." Motor City Javahouse had its first open house, serving donated coffee, bagels and pastries. The procession moved to downtown Detroit near Randolph and Farmer with night performances and community gathering. At 3am Spacewalkers tip-toed up Woodward to Martin Luther King Blvd. Hopping on board the Fishbones bus, they headed to visit communities in the Cass corridor. An early morning greeting with Clarissa Hardwick's community had 2 buses and 6 cars empty colorful, costumed musicians, artists, aerialists, videographers, and photographers. The caravan would change over time as representatives from new groups joined such as Stand Up For Kids arriving at 4am. At 8:30am, Spacewalkers prepared a vacant lot at Martin Luther King and 3rd streets for a feast. They removed all the trash, with the homeless volunteering to assist. Comments were made like, "for all the years people come and help us, they never noticed how dirty this space is." When all was said and done, 300 servings of "Stone Soup," (created by D.C. Moons, using vegetables from the participants, cooking on the back of a pickup truck throughout the 24 Hours.), vegan Potato Salad, corn on the cob (created by Ricardo from Innate Healing Center), hot dogs and beans (brought by The Players - amateur theatre club). People in need participated not only in eating and finding clothing from the donations... they danced, sang, and spoke in ways new to that vacant lot common to the homeless. It was a celebration without a guest list determined by dollars or hidden agenda. It was community sharing in being themselves, spreading word amongst themselves to come and be known. The event was created by a core group of three: Warrior Girl, performance artist and community activist, D.C. Moons, Technical Director for The Players, and Stephen "Fuzzytek" Boyle, a well-networked photographer and community activist. Participants came from all communities around Detroit, many meeting for the first time during Spacewalk. The microcosm that started the event had grown to hundreds of people dedicated and interested in continuing the building of community. So far, Spacewalk has raised $2,350.00 of the $5,000 goal for this event, and future events will need funding. The goal has been raised to $50,000 for the goal of having Spacewalks in Detroit, Kansas City, San Francisco and New Orleans in the next two years. Spacewalk is aligned with Emergence Theatre, a 501c3 non-profit, until gaining non-profit status itself. Please contact us for more information - Warrior Girl, D.C. Moons, and Fuzzytek. If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please call Warrior Girl directly at 248.885.4530 or e-mail her at info@spacewalk.org. General information is also available online at www.Spacewalk.org
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