Kelly Smiley 'Ascension' Fundraiser

"Dream it into reality."

"I have always been a huge dreamer. About 12 years ago I couldn't stop dreaming of being involved in a circus community, when that dream had manifested an even bigger dream developed and that was to open a studio for the performing circus arts in the Tahoe basin. At the time I had no idea how I was going to accomplish this dream, but what I did have was enthusiasm for the task. With enthusiasm as the driving force, I took the steps to open myself up to the possibility that this dream could become a reality.

I moved past my fear of failure, visualized my goals with a clear picture, gained clarity of my needs, took action, and called on my community. And BOOM 2 years after the planting of this dream Tahoe Flow Arts Studio, now @tahoeflowaf was born and 9 years later still growing and thriving. I am grateful.

Life is crazy awesome when you allow and trust that your dreams are a manifestation of what the future holds.

NOW another dream is manifesting into reality. I have been dreaming of hosting a retreat in Mexico for some time, and it is NOW approaching fast. I have done the work and am excited to be hosting my first RETREAT in Mexico this January! To help guide the success of this retreat I have gathered the best team of instructors @myhigherflow, @intheairwithmere, @mericamontgomery and booked the most tranquil & beautiful space @yandararetreats for us to provide a profound experience to all that attend.

To accomplish this dream, I call on community, old and new, to join us on this journey of igniting our soul's purpose through yoga, meditation, dance, movement medicine, and aerial arts. This dream wouldn't be complete without YOU! LET'S DO THIS, WHO IS IN?" - Kelly Smiley 2022

Hello friends of Kelly Smiley,

I hope this letter finds you all well. I am writing to fill you in on a fundraising effort to help complete Kelly's dream of hosting a wellness retreat in Baja, and also for the creation of an art installation being constructed to honor Kelly to be presented at Burning Man this year, and to ask for your support in the completion of these projects.

As you know, the loss of Kelly last November was devasting for all that knew and loved her. It has taken some time to come to terms and begin to accept this new reality, but life continues to press on. I have struggled to find the right words and actions to properly honor her loss and what it means to myself and her community, and through this process have found great purpose in the realization of these dreams.

I am asking for your support in helping to fund these projects by donating. Your donation will be used to fund the projects directly. All funds raised will be used to accomplish Kelly’s dream of hosting a retreat in Mexico, a dream she worked hard to accomplish and was so very close last winter. Funds raised will be used to offer scholarships for students who want to participate in the retreat. This is truly something very meaningful that would honor Kelly’s legacy and continue with the path she forged, inspiring and connecting her students to their life’s purpose.

The art installation we are creating is entitled “Ascension’ and has been accepted to be installed and burned on September 1 at Burning Man.

The vision for ‘Ascension’ was born out of Kelly’s love of flight and her connection to the red-tailed hawk which she considered her spirit animal. The piece will consist of a metal sculpture of a female form in an aerial pose, suspended off the ground by 16 ft tall wooden hawk wings. The wings will be adorned with small, wooden feathers which we will be offering to all that wish to participate and write something on. The feathers will then be brought out to the playa and placed on the wings, and therefore you can all participate in the creation of the piece. On Friday September 1 at 11:59 we will light the structure on fire and burn it in memory of Kelly, and in acknowledgment of the nature of our impermanence as humans on this earth. It is the most fitting way I can imagine honoring the spirit of Kelly.

The crew is very grateful for the opportunity to not only create, but to be granted permission to burn for this honor is only granted to a handful of projects each year and we are very fortunate to have been selected.

We will be hosting a fundraiser in Tahoe at the Crystal Bay Crown Room on July 30. All who attend will have the chance to get their piece of wood, and participate in an evening full of performance art, music, and friends. We will be celebrating the release of the soundtrack to my folk opera ‘The Mountains are Pretty’, performed by an all-star band of Kelly’s friends and cohorts in the performance art community she helped to create. It will be night of fun and remembrance.

I am so grateful to all who have supported me and Maya already and am humbled by the love we have felt. Please know that your support is not taken for granted and is greatly appreciated by all who will benefit from it. I will include the proposal I submitted to Burning Man which outlines the philosophy of the piece to help you understand what ‘Ascension’ is all about. Thank you all so much for the love, prayers, and support.. Let's do this.. -Kurt Beckering

'Ascension'

Our submission is entitled ‘Ascension.’ It is intended to evoke a dual meaning. First is the concept of a Spiritual Ascension. The other represents an Astrological Ascension.

A Spiritual Ascension is a way of referring to the inner evolution and expansion of the mind, heart, or soul. The concept of our capacity to spiritually ascend is a powerful intention that transcends all humans. To believe that we can become a more powerful, energetic being. That we can reach new heights and transcend old limiting habits, beliefs, mindsets, and ways of being. To shed the old self and experience an inner rebirth.

A Spiritual Ascension evokes a type of hope and purpose that stirs at the core of our philosophical needs as human beings on this planet. To believe that we are capable of such ascension empowers us. To inspire this type of hope and belief is what lies at the core of this installation's purpose.

The second type of ascension that this piece is intended to represent is Astrological Ascension. Astrological Ascension refers to the rising of a celestial object (such as a constellation, a zodiac sign, or a planet) above the eastern horizon toward the zenith.

It would be difficult to imagine a more appropriate arena in which to present this piece than the Black Rock Desert. ‘Ascension’s’ astrological significance falls in perfect alignment with the presentation of the universe on the horizon of the surrounding desert. The playa is the ultimate place to gaze at the stars and planets, and to ponder the questions of the universe, and confront the reality of our existence.

To visually perceive the ascension of a human form, on the playa, intertwined amongst the other ascending celestial objects evokes our relationship to the stars and planets from which we have come.

This concept represents the other core intention of this installation. The concept of combining a visual representation of our own, human existence into the greater picture of the universe, enables one to behold the fragile beauty of the human form. This is why burning the piece unlocks its true purpose, which is to acknowledge that we are not meant to stay in the forms we inhabit here on earth, and we must see them for what they truly are, impermanent, while accepting that we are simultaneously a permanent piece of the puzzle of the universe.

Our ability and desire to ascend sheds light on our purpose here on earth and beyond.

The inspiration for this piece was born out of the unexpected loss of my wife and life partner, Kelly Smiley last November. Her loss is felt greatly by myself and our three-year old daughter, but is also shared with the community of those whose lives she inspired. An accomplished aerialist, and the founder and sole creator of the Tahoe Flow Arts Studio in Tahoe Vista, CA, Kelly created, over the course of many years, a performance art community based out of her studio that has inspired students and collaborators of all ages to pursue their highest calling and connect with their true self. She lived these values and carried that inclusive spirit with her everywhere she went. Though the loss feels insurmountable, this project allows her community an opportunity to honor her with a project worthy of her contributions to the artistic community which she helped to create and foster, and that will continue to grow and evolve over time, as her students become teachers.

Allowing anybody who wishes to participate in adding pieces to the installation represents the inclusivity that defined Kelly’s character. The opportunity to be a part of an installation, in turn, opens the door to allow others to be part of the creative process, and thus the opportunity to be inspired to create on their own. This concept is a wonderful tribute to the spirit of its muse.

Our lives were forever changed the first time that we came to Burning Man so many years ago. We participated in a project to honor a lost friend, and the experience we had surrounding it profoundly affected us both. It was on the playa that Kelly first witnessed what would become her passion and profession as an aerialist. It was there that she began to choose a life of art and creativity, to which she never looked back. As a founding member of Awesomeville camp, and a local contributor in the Reno/Tahoe performance art community, this project allows many of her tribe to both participate and pay tribute to her spirit through this piece. To honor her in this way, would present an incredibly meaningful opportunity for her community to process her loss, and perhaps provide inspiration to the lives of those who bear witness, those who contribute, and those whose lives she inspired.

I ask for your acceptance to install and burn this piece with respect and gratitude.

“My intention for this year is to have the courage to walk in the dark, to discover and release what needs to surface, to envision a new way of being, to nourish, connect and strengthen what I am to become”

“Here is to a year of deconstructing old patterns, approaching the dark with love instead of fear and feeding and becoming a new paradigm.

Let the transformation begin.” -Kelly Smiley January, 2022