Main fundraiser photo

Help Us Present "Searching for Eastman" 2020-2021

Who are we?

The wind in the leaves collective was formed in 2010, a dynamic and diverse group of accomplished and passionate artists who came together with its primary purpose to present performances involving poetry, based on the writings, music and dance of artistic director charles c. smith.

We work in a collaborative process, whereby artists contribute their ideas and creativity so that we can work together to bring performances to the stage. Performances that take artistic risks, push genre boundaries and engage artists and audiences from diverse backgrounds and artistic practices.

We come from different racial backgrounds, religious backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds or sexual orientation. We work together to bring the issues that come out of our bodies and our experiences to the stage.

https://www.windintheleavescollective.com
https://www.facebook.com/windintheleavescollective 

 
What we do?

We create work that touches upon relationships between bodies that have come as slaves to this continent, their connection with indigenous bodies,‘queer bodies’ and white bodies, and their connections to others.

We have brought to the stage the work of Julius Eastman, the queer, black polemicist, minimalist composer in the 1960s 70s and 80s.

Our work is stimulating in that it allows for all of our artists to be creative contributors to what we do stage, and to explore in depth how we can work together in a collaborative creative process.


 Why we need your help?

We as most other organizations, are raising funds to continue our work. We have been meeting weekly via the internet throughout the pandemic not only to stay connected as artists but to engage in rigorous conversations of the world around us and the events as they unfold.

We seek your support so that we can continue our work on Eastman and continue to push boundaries through our unique and vast perspectives.

The information below will give you some guidance on how you might make that contribution. And we look forward to seeing you once we can gather in public spaces together.

Thank you for your time and contribution.
 

Bio:



[Photo credit: Bia Rohde]

charles c. smith is a poet, playwright and performer. He studied poetry and drama at New York City University and Herbert Berghof Studios, and drama at the Frank Silvera’s Writers’ Workshop in Harlem. His play Last Days for the Desperate won an award from Black Theatre Canada. He has received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s Writers Reserve Grants Program and the Toronto Arts Council Writers Grants Program, has published four books of poetry (the latest one being released on 10 May 2018!), has edited several collections of poetry (including the works of Dionne Brand, Marlene Nourbese Phillips, Claire Harris, Cyril Dabydeen, Lillian Allen, George Elliott Clarke, Clifton Joseph), and his writings have appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Poetry Canada Review, the Quill and Quire, Descant, Dandelion, Fiddlehead, Anti-Racism in Education: Missing in Action (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives), the Amethyst Review, Bywords, Canadian Ethnic Studies and others. charles was also the founder of the Black Perspectives Cultural Program in Regent Park and has over the years continued to develop and convene community arts workshops in high-needs areas throughout the GTA, funded provided by the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.


The wind in the leaves collective acknowledges the support for this project from: 

Organizer

Charles Smith
Organizer
Toronto, ON

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.