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B-Girl Be News: February 2008
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In this edition:
Leah Nelson Says Goodbye
Staff Updates
K-12 Curriculum
Summer 2008
2006 Documentary Available for $10
Related Events at Intermedia Arts
Community Opportunities
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From Leah Nelson To the B-girl Be Community!
It is with sadness that I leave my roles as Dance Curator, Youth Workshop and DJ Coordinator for B-Girl Be. I have been honored to have co-founded this amazing Project with 5 strong women, Theresa, Melisa, Desdamona, DeAnna and Rachel along with the very necessary and often unsung support of Intermedia Arts Staff. They have taught me a lot about myself : my strengths and my weaknesses. By extension every person involved with this project especially the Twin Cities Dance Community have helped contribute to my education as an organizer and as a cultural advocate. I look forward to serving the B-Girl Be family in the following ways:
--As an advocate in the market place and the various other circles I am blessed to run in.
--As an employee or reference for various events and venues I produce in or have connections with.
--As a volunteer when time permits
--As a lifelong cheerleader! – (if only cheerleaders were b-girls!)
It has been a blessing to have been allowed to create in such a supported environment and to have been in the presence of, and be trusted by, so much talent. I very much look forward to witnessing the next cycle and remain excited for the B-Girl Be community – worldwide! Later!
Peace! Mad Love & Respect!
Leah Nelson/Nubia
B-girl Be Co-founder.
Dance Curator, Youth Workshop & DJ Coordinator (2005 – 2007).
Staff Updates:
--DeAnna Cummings, Visual Arts Curator (2005-present), will be headed off to Harvard University in the fall for a year of intense study towards her masters in public policy at the Kennedy School.
--Melisa Riviere, Aerosol Art curator (2005 - present) and Project Manager (2007) is teaching her "Anthropology of Hip-Hop in a Global Perspective" course at the University of Minnesota and as adjunct faculty at Hamline this semester. The course will take a tour for the next year appearing in colleges from Minnesota to Puerto Rico.
--Desdamona, Performance Curator is planning a tour, developing a new project and hosting the open mic at the Blue Nile Restaurant in Minneapolis.
--Theresa Sweetland is named Executive/Artistic Director at Intermedia Arts and is expecting her first child in July. While she takes on more responsibility, she will still remain deeply involved in B-Girl Be. Full information about the leadership change at Intermedia Arts link here:
CREATE. INSPIRE. CHANGE.B-Girl Be K-12 Curriculum:
Intermedia Arts received a grant through General Mills Communities of Color program to develop K-12 curriculum based on the values and teachings of hip hop women involved with B-Girl Be. We will be developing these lessons throughout 2008 in partnership with Perpich Center for Arts Education to be used in Minnesota schools for years to come. If you want more information about this initiative or want to get involved contact Theresa at
B-Girl Be Summer 2008:
Intermedia Arts will not be producing a B-Girl Be summit in summer 2008 but we are gearing up for a full international summit again in 2009. This decision was made by Intermedia Arts and the B-Girl Be curatorial committee at the completion of last summer's summit to give us a chance to rest, regroup, raise funds and sustain ourselves for the long haul. We WILL be holding a fundraising event this summer and possibly another graffiti wall production in June. Look forward to more news about summer 2008 and 2009 and please feel free to send us other events taking place this summer that we can help promote through BGB E-News and on our website by emailing Theresa at .
2006 Documentary DVD Available:
Our B-Girl Be: A Celebration of Women in Hip-Hop 2006 Documentary DVD is available now for only $10 by visiting our website:
BGB DVD AVAILABLE HERE!
calling 612-871-4444 or emailing info@intermediaarts.org. Support B-Girl Be by purchasing a little bit of herstory today!
Other Related Events at Intermedia Arts:
Project Girl Exhibition : June 5-August 16, 2008; Opening Night: June 6, 2008; 7:00-11:00 PM
"It is hard out there for a girl. Girls are bombarded daily by the media with highly sexual and often destructive or violent messages about what will make them popular and the place of women in our society. From the widely publicized partying antics and self-starvation of young actresses like Lindsey Lohan and Nicole Richie to the promiscuity and exhibitionism of the "Girls Gone Wild" series and rap lyrics deriding women as bitches and hos, it's hard for adolescent girls to understand what their real choices are and how and what they are being manipulated" Lyn Mikel Brown, Project Girl
Project Girl in Wisconsin's first girl-led arts-based initiative created to take action toward becoming better informed critical consumers of mass media advertising and entertainment. In partnership with the Walker Art Center and Perpich Center for Arts Education, Intermedia Arts continues its commitment to providing women and girls a positive and empowering space for change-making. While taking a year off from the B-Girl Be Summit, we invited artists Kelly Park Sneider and Jane Bartell from Madison, WI. to bring their powerful Project Girl exhibit to our gallery. Youth workshops for middle school and teen girls and tours for youth and adults of all ages take place throughout the summer.
If you are interested in being a part of Project Girl, leading workshops, bring a group of girls, giving tours or any other ideas, please email Theresa at
Community Opportunity:
Articulating Our Voices Now is a FREE Class offered to young women [ages 16-22] at Hope Community Center. The class will focus on the artistic and creative expression of women, especially those in our community. We will listen to music, write poetry/spoken word, dance, take photographs, freestyle, tell our stories and learn to channel our visions in a variety of ways. We will also work with guest artists [poets, dancers, spoken word artists, writers, musicians] from the Twin Cities. No artistic experience is necessary! All you need is the energy, ideas, and interest to join this class! ENROLL TODAY!
Details:
What: Articulating Our Voices Now [a class for women 16-22]
Where: Hope Community Center, Franklin and Portland Ave.
When: Thursdays 5:30-7:30 pm, March 13th-May 22nd
Cost: FREE!
Call (612) 435-1683 to enroll. There are only 20 spots available!
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Theresa Sweetland
Executive/Artistic Director
Intermedia Arts
2822 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN. 55408
612.874.2813
theresa@intermediaarts.org
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Intermedia Arts is catalyst that builds understanding among people through art.
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