One week from the time of this writing, the Live Performance will have already taken place, and we’ll be taking the last steps of a critical walk on the last day of BLINK. It is hard to believe how far we have come from where we started. Last year was a huge hustle to find ways to fund this project. Several external and internal grants were written, and while few were funded, enough were to make this happen. I am ever so thankful for the devotion and support of the Ka’Imi Institute for finding their own funding to get all the dancers from Hawai’i to Ohio. That was a big lift, a huge relief, and a true catalyst for the advancement of this project.
With financial support from three UC Centers, the Taft Research Center; the Center for Public Engagement with Science; and the Niefhoff Center for Film and Media Studies, two schools in A&S, the School of Communication, Film; and Media Studies and the School of Environment and Sustainability, and the in-kind support of three divisions in CCM, Composition, Musicology, and Theory; Media Production; and Theatre Arts, Production and Arts Administration, this collaborative effort has reached across disciplines, buildings, and colleges.
Then add the incredible community partners including The Nature Conservancy for their financial support, and the partners who have opened their spaces and hearts to welcome our Hawaiian delegation including the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens, the Mill Creek Alliance, and the Cincinnati Museum Center. I look forward to sharing our city with our Hawaiian partners and am eager to see how we can learn from each other throughout the week.
Finally, I’m delighted to see the growth of a new non-profit organization, Reflection.icu, and our work together. By challenging themselves with new projects and undertakings, they have grounded themselves in their strengths as they have stretched their art in new ways. They have also pushed me to try new things and step outside the traditional academic box. I can only imagine the places we will go as we continue to build bridges and encourage ourselves and others to reconnect to nature.
So let this week begin with hope and good wishes as we engage art, science, and community with nature and with each other.
– Nancy
Home are some of the quotes that have been keeping me going this year:
