SUMMER 2021
In our inaugural season, Looking Glass Arts designed programming in direct response to the circumstances of the ongoing pandemic. We knew, though venues were shuttered, gigs postponed, and tours were cancelled, that musicians continued to collaborate and create in isolation, often doing so without financial compensation for their time and effort.
It became clear to us that we could respond to our new reality by creating residencies that would invite artists to record their music, at no cost to them, in an environment we know firsthand to be a literal breath of fresh air.
Thanks to the generous support of individual donors, Looking Glass Arts was able to host five of these retreats.
WEEK ONE
Code Switch (JD Allen, Nasheet Waits, Eric Revis)
Photo by Marika Hughes
WEEK TWO
UCLA'S The Center for the Art of Performance and Looking Glass Arts Present Julius Eastman's
"The Holy Presence of Joan d'Arc"
Photo by Paul Wilson
WEEK FOUR
Photo by Marika Hughes
WEEK SIX
Mr. Saturday (Charlie Burnham, Jean Rohe, Skye Steele, Rashaan Carter)
Photo by Marika Hughes
"The Holy Presence of Joan D’arc"
By Julius Eastman
A work for vocalist and 10 cellos
Produced by Looking Glass Arts; Filmed at Looking Glass Arts On July 27 & 28, 2021
In our inaugural season, LGA has partnered with the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA to film Julius Eastman’s “The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc” (1980) for 10 cellos (under the Musical Direction of Seth Parker Woods) and the Prelude for Solo Baritone (performed by Davóne Tines) in the hundred-year-old dairy barn adapted for use as a rustic recording space. The physicality of the composition and its driving call to “speak boldly” is palpable in the film—resonating through the floorboards and out onto the rolling green fields just beyond the barn doors.
Protominimalist, pianist, singer and organizer Julius Eastman made a name for himself in the 1970s representing a new kind of artistic intellectual- one determined to redefine the role of modern creatives, committed to intersectionality and self-liberation. In a 1976 interview he professed, “What I am trying to achieve… is to be what I am to the fullest. Black to the fullest, a musician to the fullest, a homosexual to the fullest.” The unapologetic nonconformity and authenticity of Eastman’s compositions have undoubtedly contributed to the posthumous reemergence, recognition, and subsequent renaissance that his body of work has received in recent years.
The Tune In Festival: Day Four
Sun, Nov 7, 2021 at 5PM
Prerecorded Worldwide
The return of The Tune In Festival features more than 30 artists and ensembles over four days, coming together to pay respect to the time-honored tradition of music and poetry as sources of resilience, protest and inspiration. Curated by performance poet J. Ivy and pianist Lisa Kaplan in close collaboration with CAP UCLA Creative Advisor Kristy Edmunds. Day Four of the festival features the work of jessica Care moore, Thalea String Quartet performing piece by Jessie Montgomery and Anthony R. Green (who is also performing), Errollyn Wallen, J. Ivy, Ayanna Woods and Julius Eastman.
Commissioned by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance
for the 2021 Tune In Festival
A Looking Glass Arts Production
Produced by
Marika Hughes
Associate Producer
Willa Ellafair Folmar
Director
Marika Hughes
Audio Engineer
Rashaan Carter
Video Direction
Laura Sofía Pérez
Cinematography
Nicolás Santa and Ricardo Mueses
Additional Photography
Willa Ellafair Folmar
Editor
Christina Kelly
Color Correction
Marika Litz
Looking Glass Arts Production Team
Willa Ellafair Folmar, Marika Hughes & Michelle Yard
Catering
Stefanie L. Kelly, Ritual Catering & Craft Services
Additional Media
Marbeth, Courtesy of Tania León
Jim Tuttle, Courtesy of the Digital Collections, University of Buffalo Libraries
Special thanks to:
Rebecca Brown, Kristy Edmunds, Fred Frumberg, Larry Gribben, Larry Hamm, Deb Hecht, Khari Joyner, Lisa Kaplan, Tania León, Boris McGiver, Cornelia McGiver,Lucas Moran, Missy Moran, Panther Creek Arts, Jessica Troy, Scrumpy Ewe Cider and Paul Wilson
Thank you to the Town of West Fulton, NY
Behind The Scenes
