NON:op's immersive platform for virtual performance and participation
volume 3:3
Please Join Us
as we investigate alternative futures
through music, art, poetry, performance, and observation
SHARE. INTERACT. COLLABORATE.
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Welcome to the June 2022 issue of NON:onLINE!
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Memoria de Memoria Keith Cooper
Nancy Goede
Parish Pastor, Augustana Lutheran Church in Hyde Park
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Iserve
a church in Hyde Park, and one of the most exciting things that we've
ever done was to provide the backdrop for NON:op's 2019 "Blood Lines."
The built machine towered over the altar for four months. Lines ran
above the center aisle all the way to the back, where another part of
the machine produced eerie sounds. A giant map on the floor marked
places where people were killed in the public violence of the 1919
Chicago race riot. The machine spoke of each death, and the score for
performance called for ten people to speak the names of all those who
were killed.
The
project did what good public art should do. It got people to connect
and collaborate to respond to an important moment in our shared history.
NON:op's current project "SAY THEIR NAMES"
came out of connections made in 2019. The opportunity to participate in
"Blood Lines" by performing and speaking those names was important to
my friend Keith Cooper. He was a Black man who understood racism and
violence, and to be part of this project had a big impact on him. It
carried such a powerful message about the big sweep of American racial
history collapsed into a few days in Chicago.
Keith
was a Black man who grew up in Hyde Park during the years of urban
renewal. His life was unremarkable as he grew up amid the casual,
all-pervasive racism that assumed failure for Black boys and men. As a
child he was a regular at our church, Augustana Lutheran, attending
Sunday School and acolyting in worship. After high school he joined the
Marines and served in Vietnam. When he came home he married and had two
girls. He liked to bowl and he liked jazz.
Keith actively and continually faced racism.
 Keith
was such a good guy, but he was very aware that his life had been
shaped and formed for the worse by racism. The way he dealt with that
was to embrace the hope of transformation. Keith actively and
continually faced racism and used that confrontation to strengthen his
inner life. He felt empowered by continually learning about slavery and
Jim Crow and the civil rights movement. He liked learning about African
culture and he was proud of his African heritage. Because he
had successfully navigated his way through barriers, he helped
others do the same. He was a mentor to several young men, trying to help
them turn their lives around. As one of his friends said, Keith
made lemonade out of lemons. He actively practiced transformation in the
face in a world that was built to ensure his failure. Performing in
"Blood Lines" was a natural fit for him.In
July of last year, Keith was shopping and running errands over the noon
hour in a Hyde Park strip mall. He was approached by two teenagers who
threatened him and demanded the keys to his car. Keith tried to reason
with them, but they punched him until he fell to the ground. He had a
heart attack and died on the spot.
Since the killing, several of Keith's Augustana friends have come together to found the Keith Cooper Fund.
The project will give grants to people ages 16 to 26 who want to
pursue some kind of credential at a community college, so that they can
work as a nursing assistant or a building inspector. Or they might be
preparing to train with a union to become a carpenter, or making plans
for a dog grooming business. or they might be struggling to support
themselves as painters or jazz musicians. They are grants for young
people who do not want to pursue a four-year college degree, but who
need to find meaningful ways to support themselves, raise a
family and build a good life.
The Keith Cooper Fund will launch this Saturday, June 11, at Augustana from 7-10pm
There's
a direct line between extreme, systemic poverty in so many
neighborhoods and public violence that telegraphs frustration and
despair. This is the line that the Keith Cooper Fund seeks to address.
It's a project to reach out to individual young neighbors who face
significant barriers in launching themselves in a satisfying life. It
connects poor communities with the considerable resources of Hyde Park
and wealthier Chicagoans.
Our fundraising launch is this Saturday, June 11, at Augustana from 7pm to 10pm. Jazz saxophonist Fred Jackson, Jr., will provide the music, thanks to the support of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival. CHAOS Brew Club will pour the beer. You can find information about tickets and sponsorships HERE.
In
July, Augustana will host the premiere of a new composition by
Christophe Preissing, "memoria de memoria." This commissioned piece,
scored for 12 voices, is created from troubadour melodies, the title and
the names of Chicago’s 793 homicide victims in 2021. Christophe is
working with The Adrian Dunn Singers
to produce this work, which is supported by a grant from the Illinois
Arts Council. It will be performed on the evening of July 23 at
Augustana, on the weekend when Keith would have celebrated his birthday.
The date is just a few days after the first anniversary of his murder.
The
performance of this piece seems a fitting way to remember Keith, to
honor his life and practice transformation through connection,
collaboration and participation. Keith would have loved it.
Nancy Goede
Parish Pastor, Augustana
• • •
• • •
To make a donation to support this work
please visit the SUPPORT page on our website.
If you believe in the work we are doing and would like to donate your time or expertise,
or if you would like to discuss joining our Board, please contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org.
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OPPORTUNITIES WITH NON:op
NON:op is growing, and like many organizations coming out of the
pandemic, we are growing with projects, installations, and performances.
It's quite an exciting time for us! Are you savvy about one or more
aspects of running a non-prof? Join our board of directors. Do you have a
passion for planning engaging events and projects? Join our programming
committee. In addition to volunteering and collaborating with us
(contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org for more
information), the following openings are available:
Marketing and Administrative Assistant Positions
Working with the Artistic Director and Project Leaders, the Marketing
and Administrative Assistants will be responsible for marketing,
communication, and administrative tasks in support of programming,
engagement, and development initiatives within the larger artistic and
geographic community. The ideal candidates support NON:op's vision, are
passionate about the arts and social justice, and have excellent
organizational and communication skills.
To find out more about NON:op Open Opera Works and our initiatives visit our WEBSITE. The full job description is available HERE.
To apply send your resume/cv, a cover letter summarizing your
experience and how your interests intersect with NON:op's vision, and
names and contact information for two references to non [at] nonopera
[dot] org. • • •
Governing and Programming Board Positions
Do you believe in the work
we are doing? If so, please contact non [at] nonopera [dot] org to find
out how you can support NON:op as a Board member. NON:op is seeking
creative, passionate, and inspired individuals to join our board of
directors in one of the following roles:
Programming Committee
The programming committee meets monthly with the artistic director and
is responsible for supporting current programming and devising and
producing future programming and events.
Governing Committee
The governing committee is responsible for finances, governance, and
legal matters in support of the organization and its programming. The
governing committee meets once per quarter and is joined by members of
the programming committee.
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[ SAVE THE DATE ] Viral Silence: Six Words
Edward Breitweiser with pt.fwd and the McLean County Museum of History
Six Words – June 24, 2022, 7pm
Edward Breitweiser
McLean County Museum of History, 200 N Main Street, Bloomington
Live Stream: Experimental Sound Studio
Archival Research, Community Dialogue, and Collaborative Music-Making
Using archival research, community dialogue, and collaborative music-making, Six Words engages directly with Central Illinois residents to reflect on our collective experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Six Words
takes the McLean County Museum of History’s “COVID-19: The McLean
County Experience” as a starting point to ask local residents about
their pandemic experiences, and to preserve them for future generations.
Breitweiser is collaborating with local non-profits and youth
organizations—including the McLean County Museum of History and pt.fwd—to
create a communal space for telling and hearing the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the Bloomington-Normal area. These diverse
experiences will be shared in a concert-length public performance at the
Museum of History, featuring music and words by area residents who
contributed to the project.
For more information visit the Six Words page on our website.
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[ EXPERIENCES ] Viral Silence
Viral Silence: Community Portraits in Response to Covid-19
is a statewide collaborative community commissioning and
virtual touring program that captures local experiences
and responses to Covid-19. This second year of programming partners
three new artists and Illinois communities: JoVia Armstrong in
collaboration with Stephan Moore, composers and sound artists, with
Chicago's Austin Neighborhood and Saint Martin's Episcopal Church; Edward Breitweiser with pt.fwd and the McLean County Museum of History;
and X, indigenous futurist, multidisciplinary artist and architect
specializing in land, architectural, and new media installation, to
create a geolocated augmented reality soundscape app.Creative artists and the cultural sector have been especially adversely affected economically by the pandemic. Viral Silence
strives to address the needs of these accomplished individual artists
and offers hope and support to a wide and diverse audience of viewers
who mourn the closure cultural and performance institutions. The
project's participatory processes and resulting portraits help to heal
and bind communities around memory, loss, and rediscovery.
Viral Silence 2022 Commissioned Artists (left to right): Edward Breitweiser, X, JoVia Armstrong
Free Public Programming Calendar
Trap and Release – May 22, 2022, 1pm
JoVia Armstrong and Stephan Moore
Saint Martin's Episcopal Church, 5710 W Midway Park, Chicago
Live Stream: Experimental Sound Studio
Six Words – June 24, 2022, 7pm
Edward Breitweiser
McLean County Museum of History, 200 N Main Street, Bloomington
Live Stream: Experimental Sound Studio
Geolocated Augmented Reality Soundscape App - Summer 2022 Release
X
For more information visit our Viral Silence webpage on our website.
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Viral Silence is
partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency
and a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural
Affairs and Special Events.
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[ SAVE THE DATE ] Memoria de Memoria Keith Cooper
Meditative Memorial Performance for Keith CooperMemoria de Memoria by Christophe Preissing
featuring The Adrian Dunn Singers
Saturday, July 23, 7pm
Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park
5500 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago 60608
www.augustanahydepark.org
Memoria de Memoria,
or Memory of the Heart, is an hour-long meditative composition for
twelve voices that remembers Keith Cooper and the other nearly 800
persons killed in Chicago in 2021. The performance features The Adrian Dunn Singers,
who sing the text “memoria de memoria” and speak the names of all 794
homicide victims. As a meditation, audience members are encouraged to
come and go during the performance, to light memorial candles, or to
call out the name of a family member or friend who they wish to
remember.
• • •
This performance of Memoria de Memoria is partially supported
by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
To make a donation to support this work
please visit the SUPPORT page on our website.
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[ SAVE THE DATE ] The Sound of Memory
Douglass Park Soundwalk with Marvin Tate and Christophe Preissing
Friday, August 5, 2022 from 6–8pm
Anna and Frederick Douglass Park
1401 S Sacramento Dr, Chicago, IL 60623
Click for more information.
Did
you grow up around Douglass Park? Are you new to the neighborhood? What
do you hear? What do you remember? What is the sound of memory? Does
memory conjure sound or sound evoke memory?
Join
childhood resident Marvin Tate (musician, artist, poet) and Christophe
Preissing (sound composer and NON:op's artistic director) for a
soundwalk reflecting on the history of Douglass Park. How has the sound
of the park—and the neighborhood—changed, and how has it remaed the
same? Listen and share your memories of Douglass Park with other
soundwalkers.
The Sound of Memory
is one of a series of Soundwalks produced by the Midwest Society of
Acoustic Ecology for the Chicago Park District's annual Night Out in the
Parks program. For more information visit the MSAE website.
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Thank You to Our Funders
Robert H. and Terri L. Cohn Family Foundation
For the third year in a row, NON:op Open Opera Works has received significant support from the Robert H. and Terri L. Cohn Family Foundation.
We thank them for their generous donation during these difficult times.
Because of funders like the Cohn Family Foundation, NON:op can continue
to produce engaging, participatory, online experiences that expand the
meaning of arts and humanities and provide opportunities for all persons
to participate in the arts.
Illinois Arts Council Agency
Thank you to the Illinois Arts Council Agency for their second year of Artstour support of our Viral Silence: Community Portraits in Response to Covid-19
project. Arts Tour funding pays three artists/teams to create and
present work in partnership with local communities in
Bloomington-Normal, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site/Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville, and Chicago's Austin neighborhood. The in
person and virtual tour will take place in June.
NON:op received an Action Grant from Illinois Humanities to support our SAY THEIR NAMES Project. This funding allows us to continue this important research and support the development of a new database and map.
A big thank you to the Hyde Park and Kenwood Interfaith Council for their support of our SAY THEIR NAMES Project. Our partnership with HPKIC will support community outreach.
• • •
 Board, Volunteer, Intern, and Other OpportunitiesNON:op is
seeking board members, volunteers, interns, participants, assistants,
artists, and all who have creative ideas and who would like to work with
NON:op to implement a shared vision. Please contact Christophe at non [at] nonopera [dot] org if you would like to find out more and join us as we create an alternative future.
• • •
SUPPORT NON:op by purchasing HPSCHD@50 merch!
Also available are Musicircus T-Shirts, John Cage CDs,
HPSCHD@50 buttons, and souvenir programs.
Click here to order and support NON:op and its artists. |
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Thank you for taking care of each other by staying indoors and practicing social distancing.
We hope you and yours are well and staying safe as we work to create an alternative future.
SHARE. INTERACT. COLLABORATE.
Christophe, Bill, Yolanda, Theo, Saba, and all of NON:op's creatives, staff, volunteers, and interns
NON:op is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Please consider supporting NON:op's program initiatives, creatives, and mission with a donation today.
All donations are tax deductible according to federal guidelines. Thank you.
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