SEISMIC SISTERS GIFT SHOPPING GUIDE: Products Made and Curated by Women

 
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Here at Seismic Sisters, we love to support women-owned businesses. This is our first annual Seismic Sisters Gift Guide, showcasing products made and curated by women. Do your holiday shopping and invest in women’s economic growth! Support these talented women with your wallet!

Curated by Tumay Aslay and Polina Smith

 
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Alex Steele Studio

A Creative soup of paintings, murals and wearable art. ALEX STEELE STUDIO is the artist’s evolving endeavor in visual expression.

OAKLAND, CA

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BLK Girls Green House

Blk Girls Green House is the brainchild of two Oakland women Kalkidan Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne—committed to collaborating with fellow Black-owned businesses and inspire conscious, local shopping and gathering.

OAKLAND, CA

SHOP
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Mc Mullen

Founded 2007 by Sherri McMullen in Oakland, this female and black owned business is an all inclusive concept shop for luxury womenswear featuring emerging and established designers from around the world. McMullen has a commitment to supporting African and African-American apparel and home décor designers.

OAKLAND, CA

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Candelario

Candelario is a fresh, alternative jewelry line that arose from an ideal balance of passion, creativity and sustainability. The brand is eco-friendly incorporating recycled materials from post industry use in Colombia into the designs. Launched in 2017, Candelario embodies the modern, self-empowered woman who celebrates femininity, good energies and sustainable fashion.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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cloutierceramics

Cloutier Ceramics

Her handmade ceramic work focuses on handheld sculptures, functional wares and everyday objects.

NORTHERN CA

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Faye Kendall

Fiber work and wearable sculpture inspired by natural phenomena great and small - from lunar cycles to tiny ocean creatures.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Take Shape Studio

Using playful shapes and impactful lines, jeweler Sophie Silverstein of Take Shape Studio designs jewelry inspired by visual observations, symbols, tactile experiments, and nature.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Prism Jewels

Raw crystals and sacred geometry for the modern femme.

BERKELEY, CA

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Miranda Evans

Working primarily with watercolor paint, she is interested in exposing inner conflicts, resolutions and evolution through self portraiture and symbolism. Her shop includes paintings and prints of her work.

LOS ANGELES, CA

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Kalm Korner

Kalm Korner is a Black & Woman-Owned conscious lifestyle brand and luxury gift line. We offer a variety of clean & food-grade self-care products as well as business opportunities that enhance & expand the lives of women of African descent & their families around the globe.

OAKLAND, CA

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SHARON Z JEWELRY

Badass fine jewelry for the modern human. I use recycled and Fairmined gold & silver, traceable & ethical gemstones in my jewelry. I make the most out of these precious resources. My jewelry is meant to be worn and enhanced by each wearer's personal expression.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Polina Smith

Posters and stickers inspired by amazing women leaders. All profits go to EMERGE, whose mission is to increase the number of Democratic women in public office through recruitment, training and providing a powerful network.

MARIN COUNTY, CA

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Tiny Forest Photography San Francisco Bay Area Maternity Photos

Tiny Forest Photos

Tumay Aslay is an award-winning fine art portrait photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her portrait work is deeply intimate and vibrates with feminine energy. Her subjects ranges from powerful women leaders, human rights protests to astonishing family portraits.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Baby Cats of California

Baby Cats of California is cute clothing for adults, kids and babies. The owner Kat Karnaky puts forth designs that stay true to her own aesthetic. Designed in Oakland and made with love.

OAKLAND, CA

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Anna Monet

Contemporary Fine Jewelry

Created with ethically gathered horsehair and natural dyes, designed with intention and integrity.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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VIRTUE VISION

Sharon Virtue is an agent of transformation. Her mission as an artist: to inspire, encourage and provide access to everyone in the creation of art. Her work has two strands, one as a dancer and artist, creating paintings and ceramics, and the other as a creative community activator, teaching expressive arts workshops and facilitating community development projects.

OAKLAND, CA

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Candle Therapy

CandleTherapy, the clean candle for aromatherapy.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Born to Roam

Born to Roam Vintage is a curated collection of men and women's vintage clothing made between the 1960s and 1990s. All pieces are inspired by a deep love of California subcultures.

OAKLAND, CA

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Charmaine Olivia

Spirituality, mysticism and mythology are strong influences in her work and in her life. Charmaine is aware that there is more to this physical world than we can see with our eyes, so she uses painting as a means to explore the other dimensions of mind and thought.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Coyote Brush Studios

California inspired stickers, prints, greeting cards, zipper pouches, temporary tattoos, and more! Handmade with love in the golden state.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Tactile Matter

The artist Kenesha Sneed is the fierce black woman behind Tactile Matter. Her shop offers a collection of handmade ceramics, illustrations full of female empowerment and colorful home goods! Sneed’s work has many creative layers and we can’t wait for you to check them out!

LOS ANGELES, CA

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Non

Disposable Life

Molly de Vries, the creative force behind Ambatalia, aims to facilitate a considered way of living that eliminates the unnecessary waste of single-use products. Crafted from lovely, natural, and sustainable materials, all textiles are proudly made in the San Francisco Bay Area.

MARIN COUNTY, CA

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noirenourishment

Noire

Nourish

ment

Noire Nourishment is a black owned business with black womxn in mind. The owner Amber Julian creates products with the intention of bringing peace into your self-care routine. All her products are homemade with local ethically harvested herbs and plants. We hope that you enjoy these natural body and hair products made with love!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Goldie Blox

GoldieBlox

GoldieBlox is a media and entertainment company using storytelling to make STEM fun. We educate and empower young girls by creating engaging content, fun toys and interesting resources that will help build their confidence and their dreams.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

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Clay Momi

The SF based artist Erin M M Sweeney is the woman behind Clay Momi. Her shop offers handmade clay creations full of bright joyful colors and floral designs. Her work ranges from planters to coffee mugs and much more.

Pearls of imperfect beauty and joy.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

SHOP

Seismic Sisters does not endorse any of the Seismic Sisters Gift Guide products or services nor does it guarantee the quality, merchantability, appropriateness or availability of the products or services listed in the Seismic Sisters Gift Guide (or any other products or services sold on the linked websites).

The links are only provided as a courtesy to allow access to the referenced sites. It is your choice whether or not to purchase such gifts or services. Seismic Sisters will not make any money from the sales of the products and services and does not have any financial relationship with the linked sites.

An Interview with Amber Julian and George “WuKong” Cheng from the Bay Area’s Legendary Embodiment Project

By Polina Smith

Embodiment Project is a San Francisco-based street dance theater company that “intersects hip hop, documentary theater, live song and choreo-poetry to illuminate narratives silenced by inequities and inspire critical conversations and healing.” But what happens when a thriving performing arts season suddenly comes to a halt? How do you pivot to using video conferencing and social media to communicate what is at your dance company’s very core? It has been challenging, make no mistake, but like with their art, Embodiment Project is handling it with resilience, creativity and grit. I caught up with dance company members Amber Julian and George “WuKong” Cheng to get their thoughts on the current situation for artists and what role art can play during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Embodiment Project company members Dre Devis, Amber Julian, Nicole Klaymoon, Keisha Turner, Sammay Dizon, courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Embodiment Project company members Dre Devis, Amber Julian, Nicole Klaymoon, Keisha Turner, Sammay Dizon, courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Polina: What was Embodiment Project (EP) up to before the virus hit?

George: I think it was literally the night before the Bay Area called shelter-in-place, Amber, myself and Nicole were all together and EP was supposed to go to Akron, Ohio, for a one-week residency. We were in the lab working on our Yerba Buena Center for the Arts premiere of X RATED PLANET. We were pretty busy gearing up for that and in a really heavy rehearsal flow.

Amber, myself, and Poko teach at ODC in San Francisco. We work with the youth hip hop company, and we were also gearing up for their end of the year performances. So, we definitely had a good amount of things going on. Then overnight everything just changed.

Polina: I am curious what’s happening with the new show. Do you have a date rescheduled, are you waiting to see when it all ends or how it plays out?

Amber: It’s been postponed, which is good that it’s not completely cancelled. I think it’s just a matter of scheduling and seeing if everyone else is available and really how long this shelter is going to be happening. It’s supposed to be happening hopefully at some point either late summer or fall probably.

Polina: How else are you adjusting and adapting to this time?

Amber: It is very jarring for artists who’s crafts are so built on and around community. We are dancing at home and stay physically active however and whenever possible.

Embodiment Project company members Amber Julian and Keisha Turner. Photo by Alexa Treviño, courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Embodiment Project company members Amber Julian and Keisha Turner. Photo by Alexa Treviño, courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Polina: Are you rehearsing for the new show? What does an EP rehearsal over Zoom look like?

George: We are meeting once a week, and we see it really as a time to figure out what we can continue doing, what we can continue creating, and how we can apply our creativity to what’s going on right now and adapt in those ways. It could be rehearsing lines or just coming up with what our youth program will look like moving forward.

It’s a lot of behind-the-scenes type of work compared to what we normally do - being on the stage and things like that. Some folks in the company are still teaching once a week via online classes.

Polina: Is developing the youth portion of EP something you are putting more attention into now because you have this extra time, or was that always in the works at this level?

Amber: We are trying to see what’s possible with it now that it’s online, but outside of that there have been talks about how we can expand that program. I do anticipate that once things lift, it will probably be expanded in some ways.

Polina: I am curious if you could talk about the biggest challenges - as individual artists and as a company - that you are facing at this time?

Amber: The community aspect is very challenging. I think in some ways I have gotten closer to some community folks, conversing more, reaching out more, and connecting in that way. As far as going to events or battle and taking classes, it’s come to a screeching halt. 

Having that structure of meeting 3 days a week and rehearsing 3 days a week. To not have that structure - there are pluses and minuses to that. It allows our bodies to rest a little bit more. It allows us to be creative and find our own ways of navigating structure and being consistent with movement as that is our passion. 

George: I think some of the more obvious challenges are the income. Amber has already taught an online class with our youth company. Some other folks in the company have also done work online. Dance is a communally driven spirit - when you are with people face-to-face it really is a whole other type of experience.

Polina: What is the fundraising campaign you are doing?

Amber: We were getting paid for rehearsals, so that is a big financial hit. The youth program got cut significantly, so a lot of the things we anticipated financially, energetically, and emotionally have all slowed down or stopped. 

Our campaign is to help us financially in those ways. We also work with collaborators who are going to be in the show. We had our Ohio Tech residency that got cancelled, which would have been a significant financial help.

Polina: What do you think the role of art and the artist is in this time?

George: It’s interesting to see how art is really a reflection of the times, and really to remind people what’s going on. It’s helping us to connect, to be human and feel our emotions - especially at a time like this when there can be so many mixed emotions.

It can really help us to find our equilibrium within ourselves - that grounded place. It helps us really be able to acknowledge what might be going on outside or what is alive inside of us, and to be able to keep moving forward.

The really important thing is to help us maintain our humanity at this time when there is so much going on. At the same time I also think that art can really serve as our meaning to be that stand of resilience and celebration. 

We need to be able to tap into that creative spirit and let that energize ourselves and be filled with joy at times - even though society as a whole is really going through it right now. And just remembering to share that joy as well through art.

Amber: I think about my mom, because she always told me it’s so important to have a passion. I really feel that is so essential right now - to have something to look forward to that gives you life and sparks that fire in you. It helps to have art as an outlet and to look forward to doing something that makes you feel good. To have that outlet is like medicine.

Embodiment Project Company Member George "WuKong" Cheng, photo by Alexa Treviño. Courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Embodiment Project Company Member George "WuKong" Cheng, photo by Alexa Treviño. Courtesy of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Polina: During this time your role is to make a way out of no way. Art has such potential. What do you think, is the virus here to teach us something? What can we learn from it? Do you hold a spiritual perspective on this time?

George: It’s definitely the physical, the spiritual, the mental, and the emotional. Those are all connected. For those of us that have time and space to even be able to think about these things, because there are a lot of people who don’t have that space and that opportunity right now, this is really a good time to think about what is important and what’s not working in our system.

Thinking about things like that and the planet and nature. We are seeing all these animals come back, pollution is clearing, and you can see stars in the sky. I think that is a very total and obvious result of everything being put on pause. I definitely think that it is a really good opportunity for us to reflect on what's working and what’s not. How do we want to move forward coming out of all of this? 

Amber: Just having this extra spaciousness in time has really allowed more space to go introspective a little bit more. It’s like all the things are coming up because there is so much time, and my mind has so much more space that I can actually dive deeper into things. That’s definitely a thing.

Also I’m really counting my blessings. We’re just very blessed to have a roof over our heads, food, and music in our lives and to have able bodies to still dance. I’m holding a lot of compassion for those who may not have that access at this moment.

I actually have a lot of relatives and friends that are working in the medical industry, and they are on different lines. I am holding a lot of love and tenderness for them and wanting to take back responsibility personally to really do the sheltering and stay home. I want to be responsible in those ways, and to really hold those that are a little more at risk in our hearts and minds.

Polina:  What gives you hope during this time? 

George: Acknowledging that it’s such a difficult situation for a lot of people right now, and at the same time this type of situation can really bring out the best and the worst of people, so to speak. In terms of the acts of kindness and the way people are supporting one another, I think it is a touching thing to see. 

Mentioning looking to those elders and spiritual figures and communities all around, and just listening to what they have to say. And art - art gives me hope. My community. One thing is definitely seeing social media and the type of discussions happening and the amount of people that are acknowledging that some things are really not working anymore. It just feels like there is so much potential and momentum around people wanting something different. I think that’s one of the big things for me personally.

Amber: I do feel closer to a lot of folks at the same time. I am reconnecting with friends I haven’t spoken to so often and just making it a point to reach out to people more and check in with people. That in itself is a reminder that we are all in it together and that we are all around the globe in this together.

Also, nature. Seeing all these birds that I haven’t seen before. It’s so beautiful. The flowers are blooming. Those things make me feel really hopeful. Life is happening and these beautiful things are going to bloom from this.

Polina:  As a last question, I am wondering what message you would give to artists, especially to young artists, right now.

Amber: My message is just to remind them that we are all in this together, we are all learning. I don’t want to say, “Keep creating, keep dancing.” Some people might not be in that space, but I will say that art is so very healing. I know that it has saved my life many times. If there is any tiny bit of hope towards that, I’d say to really take that seed, to nurture it, and to see it grow. 

Whatever art can do for you - if you are feeling that spark, follow that spark. It doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s ways of doing it, but to know that it is always there, it’s always accessible in any way.

George: Even if you are having challenges, really try and push through and keep creating from that really raw place within yourself. Whether you want to express that joy and celebration for what you are grateful for, or whether you want to express that grief and that sadness and that anger and despair. Either way, as long as you are creating from that authentic place inside and to be able to share that and be felt. I think that’s the healing process for the individual and for the collective. I think that’s what we really need right now to get us through this time. 

Polina:  Thank you both so much. May beautiful seeds be planted during this time, even if we don’t know what their fruits are.

Help the Embodiment Project Artists thrive during this time, support their relief fund at http://tinyurl.com/epartistrelief

Embodiment Project is a San Francisco-based street dance theater company that intersects hip hop, documentary theater, live song and choreo-poetry to illuminate narratives silenced by inequities and inspire critical conversations and healing.

Help support Embodiment Project artists during this time: http://tinyurl.com/epartistrelief 

Polina Smith is the Executive Director of Crescent Moon Theater Productions creating original, thought provoking new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music and circus. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Inquiry from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Smith is an art event producer for Bioneers and Seismic Sisters.



Art Making in the Time of the Virus: An Interview with Stella Adelman, Dance Mission Theater Managing Director

By Polina Smith

Navigating these times can be difficult, especially for professions that concentrate on the arts. With shelter-in-place restrictions and cancellation of live performances, it can be extremely difficult for businesses that rely on hosting classes and public events. One such organization, Dance Brigade​ is going through exactly that. We recently caught up with Stella Adelman, Managing Director, to see how Dance Mission Theater is making adjustments during this time of Coronavirus.

What was Dance Mission Theater working on before the shelter-in-place went into effect?

Stella Adelman: ​Dance Brigade​ runs the venue Dance Mission Theater in San Francisco. We had shows booked every weekend, and we’ve had to cancel everything through the end of April. Now things are starting to seep into May and June 2020.

Things are changing so fast that it’s hard to know how to predict and how to plan. Everything pertaining to the theater has been closed through the end of April, and now people are cancelling for May and June little by little.

We had several projects coming up that we were doing off-site. We had a show May 8t​h​ at Mission Cultural Center. We’re trying to figure out when we can do it. We want to do it again, but we don’t know - we don’t have a date yet. We have had so many programs either cancelled or postponed to a later date.

Another big unknown that we have is our ​Grrrl Brigade​ show, which is our youth leadership program. We have a huge show in the beginning of May every year. We were trying not to cancel it. That’s going to look very, very different than how we originally planned it, and we’re trying to do some online classes with the girls.

We had this festival, which we did two years ago. It’s an every other year event that was looking at inequity with health disparities and trauma, specifically HIV and AIDS. That was going to be in correlation with the International AIDS Conference, which has its 30t​h​ anniversary this year, in Oakland in early July.

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Robbie Sweeny

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Robbie Sweeny

And so, there are huge questions as to when - or if - that will be held. Everyone is in triage mode. No one can focus on working on our project now, even though maybe this is the time when it is really needed. Our partners have so many different priorities than what they originally had.

And what about your classes?

We’ve also had to cancel all of our adult classes and all of our youth classes at the studio, and then also classes that take place outside of our location. We offer free adult classes with a partner organization, and we have youth classes that we offer in a school.

Have these changes impacted your budget?

We’re having to re-figure the budget because we can’t predict anything. It felt very unwieldy to continue as normal. We are constantly readjusting the budget for all these new factors.

Are you moving anything online?

A lot of our teachers are offering adult classes online. Of course, you still need Internet access, and some people just don’t have a lot of space to move around because they live with a lot of people. But we’re all trying to set up adult classes online and maybe also some youth classes. As of now, we’re not planning on doing any performances online.

So, I imagine what would be most supportive for you right now is financial support?

Cash is first, right. We’re collecting donations online for our teachers and our independent contractors, so that we can give them support. This is a situation where artists are worried that this might be it for people - thinking that maybe they should just call it quits.

Are there other ways that people can be supportive of you as an organization?

There are other ways to support us, such as writing senators and representatives to make sure that the art community is included and also that freelancers and gig workers are included in the relief package in terms of unemployment. When you think about it, a lot of folks can’t call out of work, even if they are sick. Think of the safety net everyone would have if we had a universal healthcare system.

What do you think we can learn from this time?

One thing I am really thankful for is seeing how it is when things are shut down and everyone is willing to change their lifestyle. People are not going outside. Everyone - the whole world - has changed, right? The levels of carbon dioxide have plummeted, and think about how clear the skies have been.

So, the earth can clean itself, and there are ways that we can interact with the environment that can be helpful. There are ways that we can disrupt the systems enough to heal the planet. Hopefully, we can figure out a way to do it so that it will not be at the expense of all these lives - and livelihoods.

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Brooke Anderson

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Brooke Anderson

What do you see as the role of artists during this time?

I love that Toni Morrison quote: "This is precisely the time when artists go to work. . . We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal." This is the time for artists to roll up their sleeves and not to despair. It is the role of the artist to imagine a new world - it’s a mirror oftentimes and draws the artist to inspire. Another quote I love is: “The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible.” I think this is a time that artists can do a lot of good and have a chance to rest a second.

So many times the hustle is so real. Artists are fighting to make it work and produce and meet a need and uplift your community. And uplift yourself. And to do all these things and agree they’re good. And so, you do have to put on your oxygen mask first, so that you can then put it on others.

At the same time we want to give the artist the permission to just rest a second, and see how their work can inspire themselves and others so that we don’t all collapse. Many people tried to move so quickly and figure out how to be even more creative. They figured out their medium and then had to decide whether to switch online or just how to respond.

For example, if you are being super creative and thinking about how to go mobile. A musician could go mobile and do music concerts. Such as driving from place to place and giving mini concerts. Amazing artists are creatives like no other, and they need creative thinking to think outside the box. I encourage that.

And also, if you need to rest, rest. I do want to acknowledge that a lot of people can’t do that because they have to figure out how to continue to make a living, how to pay rent, how to pay these bills. It’s a delicate balance. How can you take care of yourself when the reality of life hits? It could be really hard.

Stella, what would your message be to artists - especially young artists - right now who are thinking about how to get creative and resourceful during this time?

One thing that I really enjoy seeing is how people are showing up for one another. People are still trying to be connected. The minute I switched from emailing people to Zoom, it was life-changing because I need that connection with other people. You see their face and hear their voice and feel that there is an energy versus email.

I’m also still trying to reach out to folks. There are a lot of people who are trying to collaborate and share ideas. One thing that’s been really helpful in terms of art organizations is that everyone’s coming together and asking - how are you doing this? What do you suggest? We are all sharing our best practices.

It also helps to have somebody hear you out when you’re freaking out and to have somebody in the same boat. I think that is a really great way to prevent utter despair. It’s hard.

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Robbie Sweeny

Dance Brigade performing Butterfly Effect at Dance Mission Theater, photo by Robbie Sweeny

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Sometimes I think about the 1918 influenza that wiped out so many people. I wonder what happened then. More people were killed by that flu than were killed in World War I. I also think about my great grandfather.

He was set to fight in the war. He was drafted, and then he got the flu so he couldn’t go. Then he got well. He was sent out again and that’s right when the war ended. So, for him, the flu saved his life. It makes me think - okay, how can we flip the script a little bit?

Also, we had this group visit us at Dance Mission from New Zealand. It was this amazing company that did a whole show about the 1918 flu in 2018, when it was the centennial anniversary. And so, I was looking back at that footage, because they were very inspiring. That wiped out 22% to 25% of Samoa’s population. It’s also just recognizing the devastation of everything.

People talk about a new world, and I encourage you to just keep dreaming into that possibility. That’s kind of anxiety-provoking but it’s much better than if it was only guaranteed f*ing doomsday. Also, I want to go surfing . . . I’ll still stay six feet away from people.

Thank you so much to Stella for chatting with us. We know times are hard, and we want to give a huge thank you to the creatives who have shifted gears so quickly. They keep us inspired, connected, and moving forward with their artistic offerings.

For more information about Dance Mission Theater head to their​ website.​ If you are an artist and need resources during this time, ​check here​. If you are interested in taking online classes with Dance Mission Theater during COVID-19, see their ​offerings here​.

This interview was lightly edited for clarity.

Polina Smith is the Executive Director of​ Crecent Moon Theater Productions​ creating original, thought provoking new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music and circus. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Inquiry from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Smith is an art event producer for Bioneers and​ ​Seismic Sisters.​ ​

An Interview with Rhodessa Jones on the Role of Art and the Artist during the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Polina Smith

Rhodessa Jones is a legendary artist and activist based in the San Francisco Bay Area with a focus on theater and social justice work. Jones serves as co-artistic director of Cultural Odyssey and director of The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women, an award-winning theater company committed to women’s personal and social transformation. As a United States Artists Fellowship recipient, she expanded her work into jails and institutions around the nation and internationally. Jones has engaged with academic institutions through teaching residencies at Brown University, Scripps College Humanities Institute, and Dartmouth College. Rhodessa Jones is a vibrant and influential force for social progress through art. 

Rhodessa Jones at the African American Art & Culture Complex in San Francisco. Photo by Tumay Aslay

Rhodessa Jones at the African American Art & Culture Complex in San Francisco. Photo by Tumay Aslay

In the following interview, Polina Smith, who worked closely with The Medea Project for nine years, speaks with Rhodessa Jones to get her thoughts and insight on the role of art and the artist during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Polina Smith:  What was The Medea Project doing before the ‘shelter-in-place’ order went into effect?

Rhodessa Jones:  Well, we had just come back from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We had been invited by the Classical Literature Department to do a performance. It was very powerful! More and more we’ve been invited by classics departments to present at universities as they grapple with the questions: how do we make the classics relevant, how do they matter in the modern day?

The Medea Project has always worked with the classics, starting with the name. I knew the myth of Medea when I started working in the jails and I met a woman who had killed her baby. She had a big fight with her husband who wanted out. She was just getting addicted to crack, she smothered the baby in revenge. She had been a graduate of UC Berkeley. When I met her in jail, she was just ‘on the moon’ and I was trying to figure out who is this woman? She sat in the back in a cage all by herself. It just brought me back to my Medea.

As The Medea Project grew and became prominent, performers in the group started bringing in other stories. Demeter and Persephone was the other story I brought in. It is about a daughter being abducted and the mother having the power to stop the seasons. And so it began that the classics were showing up in the ‘matrilineage’ segment which we do at the end of each show. “I am Rhodessa, call me Persephone.”

I love the idea of the universal story, especially with incarcerated women. How do we bring in a story where everybody feels it? Then as director, my job is to instruct everybody to put yourself at the center of the story; what kind of Medea are you?

‘The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women’ performing at Blessed Unrest festival in San Francisco. Photo by Thatcher Hayward

‘The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women’ performing at Blessed Unrest festival in San Francisco. Photo by Thatcher Hayward

How has The Medea Project been adjusting since the ‘shelter-in-place’ went into effect?

We had a wonderful Zoom meeting the other night. We're going to be meeting now on Zoom every Tuesday at six o'clock. It's been really lovely. Everybody was so happy to see everybody. We started to talk about life and dreams. Everybody had a lot of ideas, and we got to laugh and just be together. Everybody checked in and then there were just some crazy conversations that happened!

What do you think is the role of artists during this time?

I think one, we have to be a symbol of hope and light and laughter. We also have to be, as Mister Rogers’ mother always taught him, to be a helper. To go where the people are helping and do something. I think we must keep busy. The artist’s role? I think it's hope, I think it's light, I think it's assurance. And I think that it's making a way out of no way. I think that is what the artist does.

What is your spiritual perspective on this time?

Well, you know, Sekou Sundiata has this wonderful line in one of his poems. He’s talking about racism and the culture, but he says, "In this long reign of the upside-down," and I feel like we're in the upside-down. We're free falling. I was talking to Medea yesterday and it just came out of my heart when I said to them, "You know, I lament the freefall, but I do know where my heart lies," because everybody was writing and everybody was just so supportive of each other, and we all swore to be sisters forever and ever.

On one level, I think it's a good time to be still. I'm really enjoying those other places in my mind and in my heart. You know, lying in bed at night, when I finally turn off the television because in lockdown we are so (do we say blessed?) in this culture that we have stuff to distract us – and here we are on ‘Zoom’ talking - that I think we're gonna work through it, you know? But I don't know. I can't see through the darkness yet.

I call on my mother a lot. I call on my mother to tell me, to help me be still, to help me make sense of it, to help me be a better mother, lover, leader.

What gives you hope during this time?

I'm in lockdown, I'm at my house, it's just me, myself, and I. My nature is to enjoy the life, the light. My nature is not to be a somber dark person, but I try to prepare myself for the fact that we may be colliding. Somewhere somebody might be looking at Earth as this planet that's spiraling towards some great bang. That happens, but then I think, ‘Wow, it's too bad I can't feel the speed of it,’ versus like, ‘Oh God.’

So, I think what gives me hope is the fact that if I die tonight, I've had a good life, I think I've touched people. I still go out and talk to people because I think we must still honor the circle of life. These are traits and habits that I have, that my job, my directive from the goddess is to ‘Go do that.’ That's what happened with me with The Medea Project. She was like, ‘You go, and you do this.’ And I'm like, ‘Do what?’ She said, ‘You go, you're gonna see. You're gonna find out what you have to do.’

Rhodessa Jones opening Blessed Unrest at CounterPulse Theater. Photo by Thatcher Hayward

Rhodessa Jones opening Blessed Unrest at CounterPulse Theater. Photo by Thatcher Hayward

What would your message be to young artists during this time?

Work! Don't think about the work, just work. Just work and everything will be done in time. The alchemy of artistry, of art-making, has to do with keeping your heart open, keeping your eyes and your ears open. Right now, in the 21st Century, all these artists I know are doing stuff for each other online. Engage. Engage with each other.

Be ready to stand up for people you feel might be getting a bad deal. There's the Poor People's Campaign, you know, with Reverend William Barber. It popped up on my computer yesterday. This huge Poor People’s Campaign is underway because poor people are getting the short end of the stick.

They’re talking about this big deal in Congress, an emergency financial aid package, but if you do service work, if you have no identity in America. . . There’s people who are working their asses off, like my darling Roberto who worked three jobs. He took care of the restaurant, he served the food, but these people will be. . . The same ones that do the toilets, people who sweep up the bus station, where are they? How are they even going to be found?

We need to be stern and ready to take care of each other and to take care of those people who are less fortunate than us. My famous saying is “Politics don't work. Religion is a bit too eclectic, but art can be that parachute that catches us all.” I believe that. I really do.

Thank you so much Rhodessa Jones for chatting with us, we are deeply moved by the inspiration, leadership and vision you bring to so many during these challenging times.

For more information about Rhodessa Jones and The Medea Project: Theater for Incarcerated Women head to their websites. Also see our previous profile of Rhodessa Jones at Seismic Sisters.

Polina Smith is the Executive Director of Crescent Moon Theater Productions creating original, thought provoking new work that spans across the disciplines of theater, dance, music and circus. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Inquiry from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Smith is an art event producer for Bioneers and Seismic Sisters.