In December, 2018 I came upon this archival film posted by the Oregon Historical Society in 2017.  Portland's own Elaine Velazquez made this short film commissioned by the National Organization for Women in the mid-1970's. It captures a moment in 'Portland time' when my friends and I were finding and defining our paths as artists and activists.  Elaine and her partner Barbara Bernstein have gone on to create many powerful works of socially relevant art, and each of the women featured in this film has continued, in her own way, to contribute as artist/activist through the years. It's important to encourage each other, and those subtle to brilliant shades of storytelling that reveal our humanness and remind us that stories are interwoven in the DNA of our beings. Stories can be false, misleading, destructive and separate us by fearful, angry means, and stories can intrigue, delight, unite, inform and inspire us to act for the common good. The latter are the kind of stories I want learn to from, create, and share. How about you?

You're invited to a Community Conversation about our changing city and Portland's future. I hope you can join us...it promises to be a lively and informative event.  Before or after the show you can drop into the Gallery and see the current exhibit: paintings of historic Portland by Betty Chilstrom.

We had great fun during Spring EarthSongs Workshops at Cerimon House. And we gathered some lovely chant-songs - origins for more expansive songs-to-come. Learn more and listen to one of these songs here.

Co-sponsored by Cerimon House and Earth Arts NW, this is a new
Seasonal Series.  EarthSong workshops will offer us a place to share
thoughts and feelings about our planet home - playfully and creatively,
then shape individual and collaborative improvisations into chant-songs 
​for the Earth, songs that we can share with our community circles.
Selected songs will be scored and shared via digital publication.

I've been experimenting with a digital drawing program, Procreate. Here are a couple of process-captured drawings - a delicate profile and a bold cosmic tree. Digital programs aren't new to me, but I'm more familiar with traditional media...so, fiddling around with brush options, backgrounds and color variables is a way for me to learn, play and flow.

Though a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) I was able to spend a full week singing Circle Songs at Omega Institute this summer with the amazing Bobby McFerrin and his wondrous peer group of teaching musicians, notably: Rhiannon, David Worm, Joey Blake, Judy Vinar, Christiane Karam, Zuza Goncalves, Karen Goldfeder and Tiago Grade.

It was revelatory, enriching, soul-deep song work and I am mightily grateful to have had an opportunity to be immersed in this music-of-the-moment in the company of an international group of musicians.  For me it was regenerating, inspiring and affirming. A time to reconnect with my tribe, and a timely pause to breathe in the light before returning to what has been a challenging time in my family's life.

I'll be sharing more over the coming months about community music events I'm planning that will flow in and out of the circle song format. In the meantime, below is an outtake from one of the sessions (we were asked not to audiotape, but I did just this once) and a few pictures, some mine, some borrowed.

May we all, in this time of constant change and challenge, find centering moments of peace, joy and regeneration within our tribes. Joyous Thanks to RACC and its many sponsors. 

I'm inviting community folk to join in a voice project that will culminate in a book to accompany the Voiceweaving Cards I've shared over the years, and have now reformatted into a 30-card deck. Whew! I would LOVE to have you join in this next phase of the Voiceweaving Elements project.  To find out more, click the image below or just click here.