Photographer

FREE & Open to all We are all children and most of us will serve in a parental role at some point in our lives. How do these experiences shape our ability to love and support strangers? How can we support parent/child relationships to improve community care in general? On Saturday, May 11, we invite you to take part in our eighth For Freedoms Town Hall. Called Love is a Political Act, the community conversation will emphasize the role of compassion and empathy in our democracy. Held on Mother's Day weekend and in relation to our 50th anniversary exhibition Sunrise that honors our founders through works selected by their daughters, this Town Hall looks at the love and struggle between parents and children as key relationships that influence, for better or worse, how we understand, engage with, show compassion for, and love others. A diverse group of speakers will share their stories and work in relation to this topic. Author of She’s My Father (2018), Brooklyn-based, evangelical pastor Jonathan Williams will reflect on his experience with the gender transition of his dad, evangelical pastor Paula Williams. Artist Zun Lee will discuss his project, Father Figure: Exploring Alternate Notions of Black Fatherhood (2011-15), in which the artist built trusted relationships and immersed himself in the lives of several African American fathers to explore how they negotiate their roles as fathers and black men. CEO and founder of Cleveland’s Birthing Beautiful Communities, Christin Farmer will share her experience strengthening family units through education, health access, and pre- and post-natal support and resources. Poet and artist Julie Ezelle Patton will present her work and reflect on its connection and engagement with her mother, the late Cleveland-based painter Virgie Patton. The program will be moderated by M. Carmen Lane, artist, certified doula, and founder of ATNSC: Center for Healing & Creative Leadership. This event is presented in partnership with The City Club of Cleveland and For Freedoms; artist and For Freedoms co-founder Eric Gottesman will participate in the conversation as well. For more information about MOCA Cleveland and the panelists please see the link below https://www.mocacleveland.org/programs/freedoms-town-hall-love-political-act

My work pushes to be a catalyst for discussion around Social, Political, and Environmental themes. I create using ‘theatrical’ visuals that invite the viewer in. Because of the almost Carnival feel of my work, people feel free to explore and respond. Opening minds, creating new questions, or at the very least holding a mirror up for the viewer to feast-on is the end goal. I celebrate us, and our absurdity. We are beautiful, horrid, tragic, and profoundly funny.

Royalty shows what identity is at the root — textured with culture, history and commentary. With its kaleidoscopic cultural lens, the video illuminates the multifaceted nature of Blackness. It’s as African as it is American, and everything in between, bringing to life the soul that lives through and across diasporic distances.

As the creator and pioneer of the genre, Yoruba Tech Soul— a fusion of traditional Nigerian sounds, electronic, jazz, house, and classical music — Eli adds a modern twist with tinges of traditionality in everything he makes. Having released his first project in 2016, in 2017, he went on to make his TED Conference debut under TedxCuny as a speaker and performer, focusing on how music can be used to reconcile and highlight differences in culture and identity. He’s performed at the Art Basel No Commission event in Miami, opening for Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, ASAP Rocky, and Swizz Beatz. Eli’s work and name have graced the pages of publications such as Wonderland Magazine, Fashion Glossary UK, Okayplayer, Okayafrica, and Milk Media, and recently mentioned as an act to watch in The New York Times.

The last time I went to meet the girls. Mummy-ji was staying at one of her sister's because she was going through a series of medical tests. She had been unwell for two months now and the doctors couldn't find anything. I messaged the girls yesterday evening to see how they were doing. I hadn't heard from them in a week, which is unusual. Mummy-ji replied. Then she called. She had been diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. They are collecting all the money they can to go for medical care in Chennai. I will go see Mummy-ji in a few hours. The girls will not be there. They are staying at another aunt's farther away in Topsia. I won't know what to say. And I'm wondering if it's proper to give her a hug or not. She asked me to help her so I will be giving her something to cover the costs. I'm wondering if it's worth the while to set up a fundraiser for her. Mummy-ji's cancer is curable. It is only in Stage 1. But what prevents them are the medical costs. If you've enjoyed the stories of the Laundry Ladies over the years or even if you are just reading about it, please consider helping this family. The Girls will be eternally grateful. You can donate at: https://www.ketto.org/fundraiser/Mummyji Saturday Morning Laundry Ladies, Calcutta One Saturday morning, I happened upon a group of ladies, in the slum, doing their washing. I asked if I could photograph them. They agreed. A few days later, I returned, to give them prints. They were thrilled and invited me into their homes to take more photographs- photographs of their children, visiting siblings, cousins, friends; photographs of them cooking and playing and getting ready for New Years Eve. I took back more prints. They requested more shoots. And so it went on. I visit them almost every week. I call them my Saturday Morning Laundry Ladies.

I have always been a writer and an activist.

In April, 2018, Newnan, Georgia, was in the national news when Neo-Nazis held a rally there against citizens’ wishes. One year later, Newnan makes news again when Mary Beth Meehan hangs her massive yet intimate portraits on the streets of the city’s downtown. In 2016, photographer Meehan was invited to a two-week artist’s residency in the town an hour south of Atlanta. She spent the next two years working to understand Newnan’s history and people through a process of collaborative portraiture, photographing and hearing the stories of numerous residents. Meehan’s photographs include members of the white, black, Latino, Muslim, wealthy, and working-class communities – a mix of everyday people. As the massive portraits were being installed in Spring of 2019 on the outside walls of buildings, conversation and controversy erupted – among neighbors and on social media – about Who Represents Newnan. By exhibiting her intimate portraits on a celebrity scale, Meehan has jolted people to examine their preconceptions. The installation will remain in place for one year, providing a springboard for public engagement and serious dialogue – which has already begun. Newnanites are deciding what matters most to them about such issues as race, religion, ethnicity, inclusiveness and diversity. Meehan has previously won accolades as a civic portraitist. Her blog “ReSeeing” will explore her process in Newnan.

In April, 2018, Newnan, Georgia, was in the national news when Neo-Nazis held a rally there against citizens’ wishes. One year later, Newnan makes news again when Mary Beth Meehan hangs her massive yet intimate portraits on the streets of the city’s downtown. In 2016, photographer Meehan was invited to a two-week artist’s residency in the town an hour south of Atlanta. She spent the next two years working to understand Newnan’s history and people through a process of collaborative portraiture, photographing and hearing the stories of numerous residents. Meehan’s photographs include members of the white, black, Latino, Muslim, wealthy, and working-class communities – a mix of everyday people. As the massive portraits were being installed in Spring of 2019 on the outside walls of buildings, conversation and controversy erupted – among neighbors and on social media – about Who Represents Newnan. By exhibiting her intimate portraits on a celebrity scale, Meehan has jolted people to examine their preconceptions. The installation will remain in place for one year, providing a springboard for public engagement and serious dialogue – which has already begun. Newnanites are deciding what matters most to them about such issues as race, religion, ethnicity, inclusiveness and diversity. Meehan has previously won accolades as a civic portraitist. Her blog “ReSeeing” will explore her process in Newnan. View the complete portfolio of images at: www.marybethmeehan.com/newnan Installation views will be posted as they go up at: www.marybethmeehan.com/newnan-installation ReSeeing, the blog, will be available beginning in May, 2019

Brittni Mosby is an artist from Saint Louis, MO. She aspires to collaborate and create work that enchances inclusivity and free thinking within the community. Currently, she is a 2019 BFA candidate at the University of Missouri-Saint Louis.

Please join us on Tuesday, April 30, [email protected] Fish Bar (120 Orchard Street)7pm - 1am(In the basement)Party For The People Volume 2: Take Back The LightAn Evening Celebrating the Female SpiritFeaturing:Musical Performances:Honeychild Coleman, Chicoutimi, Les Bicyclettes Blanches, Tabitha BoothFIlm Presentation:Yoko SuetsuguComedy:Nicky SunshineSpoken Word:Mariama Nanceand a panel discussion with female creative entrepreneurswho moonlight as social activists.Ginny SussAlice TeepleHeather TomkoTonya Pinkins+ othersIt promises to be a fun night.Please be sure to [email protected] FOLLOW US:Instagram: @partyforthepeoplenyc

Ogemdi Ude is a Nigerian-American dance artist, facilitator, and birth doula currently based in Harlem. Her work intertwines movement, soundscapes, and visual art to build black utopias and instigate lived and inherited trauma processing. Her work has been presented at Center for Performance Research, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Streb Lab for Action Mechanics, and the Lewis Center for the Arts. She has served as Community Coordinator for the Public Works initiative at the Public Theater and is a member of the 2019 No Longer Empty Curatorial Lab. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in English, Dance, and Theater from Princeton University. Her most recent collaborations with For Freedoms include "My Silences Had Not Protected Me" at Fort Gansevoort and "Freedom from Reduction" at the International Center of Photography.