FESTIVE EVOLUTION: Art & Activism in the 21st Century
The main hub of Sara's work, Festive Evolution celebrates and nurtures the artist's ability to tell the stories that most need to be told, give voice to the voiceless, and inspire audiences, large or small, to participate actively in bringing about necessary social and political change. All of Sara's initiatives, past and present, fall under the Fest Ev umbrella, including ARTemis: Women, Art and Change-making, FAIRVIEW: An American Conversation, STILL/WILD: Contemplative Practice for Change-making Women and, most recently, THE LETTERS PROJECT: Letters from Across the (political) Divide.
Below: Several years ago, Festive Evolution published a series of artist interviews. In light of the heartbreaking events in the Middle East, we have pulled from our archives interviews with internationally renowned Israeli singer-songwriter David Broza, Arab-Israeli singer-songwriter and actress Mira Awad, singer-songwriter Steve Earle, and Fest Ev founder Sara Sharpe LaMance. May the artists continue to shed Light in dark corners.
01
David Broza
"The preparations for the recording and thus filming of the album "East Jerusalem West Jerusalem" had a complex psychological aspect to it. On one hand, the Israeli musicians were reluctant to come to East Jerusalem, saying they feel unsafe. [Bur] the end result was that everyone attended and took part and we managed to enjoy 8 days of a utopian heavenly reality, disconnected from the harsh outside world and reality."
02
Mira Awad
"Artists should always be true to themselves. If they believe something should be done or said, they should go for it, they might risk some popularity for a while, but they will attract the right audience for themselves, and if they are consistent enough they will also realize that even audiences that do not agree with them respect them deeply for who they are and their persistence."
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03
Steve Earle
FE: What are you wearing?
SE: Phoenix feathers
04
Sara Sharpe LaMance
"Storytelling is in our DNA. Stories teach us, persuade us, define us, move us to action. They link us to our past and to our future and, most of all, they link us to each other; because stories are personal but they’re also, always, universal."
