Entwined Voices -Penington Project Space Open House
Join artists living at the Penington Friends House for an evening of listening, making, and sharing of our voices as we engage on issues of importance to all our lives; racism, preserving democracy, abolitionism, and other intersecting social justice issues. Your voice will entwine and shape the art being made by fiber artist Desmond Beach, musicians Jeff Angel and Jennie Thomas, and printmaker Todd Drake.
We will first gather in the worship hall of the 15th Street Quaker Meeting House to set our intentions and learn about the specific projects by these artists. We will then go to the adjoining Penington Project Spaces to see and hear the new art being made by each of these artists.
You will be invited to participate in making art with them including writing onto fabric that will be made into a tapestry, helping rebuild the Temple of Free Discussion with your voice and those of others, and creating new songs and melodies addressing social justice on the spot.
Space is limited to 25 people and you must show proof of full vaccination.
This is a free event sponsored by Penington Friends House and made possible with support from New York Quarterly Meeting and 15th Street Meeting.
Presenting Artists:
Desmond Beach is an interdisciplinary artist, the middle son of three boys born in Baltimore, MD. He is a project artist, meaning that his work takes its point of departure from specific problems or tragedies. Beach finds inspiration for his work from growing up in Baltimore during the 1980s and 90s and his lived experience as a Black man. He creates sacred spaces for the spirits of his immediate ancestors and those of the African Diaspora to rest. Beach is also interested in sharing the reflective moments of everyday life. He connects with the viewer through various mediums, including sculpture, costume, fiber arts, installations, performances, and mixed media. He believes that his work as an artist is a calling. Beach is the 2021-2022 Bayard Rustin Resident at the Penington Friends House.
Jeff Angell is currently a full-time Music Therapist and Creative Arts Therapy supervisor in forensic psychiatry at Rikers Island, having led songwriting, Hip Hop, sing-a-long, drumming, listening, and recording sessions since 2018. He recently established partnerships with MOTI (Music On The Inside) and The Jeptha Group in furthering the mission of bringing the therapeutic power of music to the justice-involved. In addition to Music Therapy, Jeff is active as a musician and producer under his independent label, Rockin Chair Productions, where he works with international and local artists.
Jennie Thomas is an NYC-based actress, singer, songwriter who has performed in multiple musicals and concerts in the NYC-Metro area, including with the African jazz band Angwa. Songwriting to her is about telling stories from the heart. She released her single “I Can’t Breathe” in October 2020, a lament song in response to the murder of George Floyd. Her deep conviction that storytelling is a powerful tool we can use to give voice to the voiceless led her to teaching playwriting at Rikers Island. She hopes to use her art to disassemble structures and systems that separate as well as care for those wounded by those systems. Jennie is currently recording her debut EP set to be released in fall 2022.
Todd Drake is a street artist, printmaker, and Quaker originally from North Carolina. Drake’s work focuses on human rights issues that have shaped his life and community including immigration, xenophobia and Racism, and Global Warming. He is currently working on an installation titled Rebuild The Temple of Free Discussion that refocuses our attention on a forgotten moment of unity around equality; the burning of Pennsylvania Hall in 1838. Drake believes the Quaker ancestors, other white, and Black ancestors who came together then to give a voice to all, in the face of a growing White Supremacy movement, can inspire and help direct our current efforts to preserve and build equality, freedom, and peace. Participants are invited to help rebuild the Temple of Free Discussion with their own voices and through making visible the voices of those who spoke at the original hall.