REGISTER: A Whole Different Ecosystem
Subscribe to the calendar for updates!
Schedule
Ijams Nature Center
8-9:00am Registration
9-9:15am – Introduction/Welcome
9:15-9:45am – Workshop: “Breaking Soil” with “Mr. G” (Greg Krucial Carney)
9:50-10:20am – Panel: “Beats, Bytes, and Better Food Systems: A mixtape for traditional and contemporary knowledge"
Moderator: Kalil White, The Bottom
Speakers: Femika Elliot, Rooted East | Chris Battle, Battlefield Farms & Gardens | Shelby Ward, Cultural Practitioner & Beck Cultural Exchange Center volunteer
10:20-10:45am – Break
10:45-11:15am – Workshop: “Hip-Hop as Environmental Storytelling” with JBu$h (Jarius Bush) of Good Guy Collective
11:20am-11:50pm – Panel 2: “The Remix: Digital modes of environmental solutions"
Moderator: Kyra Ownesby, Black Girl Environmentalist Knoxville HUB
Speakers: Kimberly Pettigrew, United Way of Knoxville | Richard Juang, Ceres | Chris Herron, Technology SME & Consultant
11:50-1:20 - Lunch break & Networking hosted by Black Girl Environmentalist Knoxville HUB
1:20-1:50pm - Workshop: “Just Like Water: A Vinyl Odyssey with DJ Soularia” (Ty Murray)
1:50-3:00p - Artist Solutions Q&A w/ Waymakers Collective & Tri-Star Arts and LARP Ending
—-
Spacecraft
7pm Community Kickback & Reception
Performers: Brandi Augustus | JBu$h | Love is the Answer | Drums Up, Guns Down | Jonathan Clark
~
What is 'A Whole Different Ecosystem'
‘A Whole Different Ecosystem’ is a one-day art & environmental justice conference weaved within a participatory performance art piece, where everyone—from panelists to attendees—has a role to play.
AfroFuturists of Knox Collective is pioneering a new method of organizing environmental conferences by drawing inspiration from the 5 elements of hip hop — Knowledge, DJing, rapping, breaking, and graffiti — and their connection to the elements of nature. This conference is an ode to hip hop’s rich cultural legacy, using art as a tool to reinvigorate new frames of thought around environmental justice and the pressing issues that dramatically impact the colorful communities of Appalachia and beyond. The goal of this creative conference is to reignite these communities’ interest in the natural world through the lens of a Black art form that speaks to many walks of life.
What makes this environmental justice and art conference truly unique will be the interactive components that intersect artists, sustainability experts, and conference goers. Tapping into the socially connective benefits of LARPing (Live-Action-Role-Play), this gathering will deconstruct complex climate and environmental topics using play, storytelling, and imagination to forge a non-traditional and innovative pathway towards eco-conscious discussions in a language and setting that favors learning over division.
Who is hosting this event?
The AfroFuturists of Knox Collective is an emerging maker group of Black artists who are actively crafting world building opportunities that is grounded in uplifting the cultural expertise found in Black environmental heritage and customs in Knox Appalachia. Uniquely situated in East Tennessee, the rotating members of AfroFuturists of Knox Collective embrace their Southern roots and aim to create works of art and gatherings that acknowledge the past, make room for the present, and chart pathways forward into the rich and complex unknown. This year’s futurescoping members are: Knox Community Street Dance, The Bottom, and Good Guy Collective.
Who are our partners?
This conference is in partnership with the the following organizations:
Ijams Nature Center
Ijams Nature Center is a nonprofit environmental education center that relies on member and donor support. Funding helps maintain the more than 318 acres of protected land managed by the nature center as well as allows Ijams to offer low-cost education programs so that more people can take part in them. The mission of Ijams Nature Center is to encourage stewardship of the natural world by providing an urban greenspace for people to learn about and enjoy the outdoors through engaging experiences.
Black Girl Environmentalist
Black Girl Environmentalist is a national organization dedicated to addressing the pathway and retention issue in the climate movement for Black girls, women, and gender-expansive people. The HUB Program brings together BGEs across the country to uplift, nurture, and create a network of support amongst one another. The HUB program it is BGE’s place-based initiative that connects our digital community to our physical one. By intentionally building ecosystems of care, our HUBs are indirectly building sustainable pathways to retain and attract Black talent within the environmental movement.
University of Tennessee GATOP Arboretum & Education Center
UT GATOP (God’s Answer To Our Prayers) is a 23-acre estate of significant historical and botanical interest, located just three miles from downtown Knoxville on a hillside overlooking the Tennessee River and the Great Smoky Mountains. Originally part of land settled by Knoxville's founders, the property features marble outcroppings and remnants of historic quarrying by the Vermont Marble Company, linking it to the marble used in Washington, D.C. public buildings. The estate includes three unique homes: “Little Patches,” a 120-year-old cottage once home to a local midwife and a caretaker of fire-horses; the 1932 “Stone House” built with native marble; and the main Arts & Crafts-style residence built in 1998 by architect L. Duane Grieve, designed to blend with the landscape. Developed and nurtured since 1971 by Dr. Alan Solomon, GATOP showcases extensive landscaping with more than 400 tons of limestone used for structures, waterfalls, ponds, and plantings of native wildflowers, ferns, and over 350 conifer varieties, alongside rare plant specimens and native trees. Artistic elements, including ironwork by blacksmith John Medwedeff and sculptures in bronze, stone, and steel, enrich the grounds. Once the vision of Lloyd and Virginia Pease, who named it for its tranquil view of water and mountains, GATOP was recognized in 2007 by the Smithsonian Institute’s Archives of American Gardens. Today, it stands as a sanctuary for nature, reflection, and education, and will continue its legacy as the University of Tennessee GATOP Arboretum & Education Center, part of the State of Tennessee Botanical Gardens.
SpaceCraft
SpaceCraft is an arts studio co-op that houses grassroots art organizations and clubs and is home to the first creative reuse center in Knoxville, Tennessee called SpaceJunk. SpaceCraft brings a constellation of Artists, Misfits, and Creatives spreading joy through joy activism, community care, and playful practice. As a co-op, SpaceCraft alleviates the pressures and constraints of running an arts org by offering an affordable studio for all to grow. SpaceCraft's goal is to give ownership back to the Artists who steward, create, and spread culture within their community.
Interested in sponsoring or have any questions? Send us a message at www.contactawde.com.