when i meet someone/i must know / i place you round me like a court of holy seers / if this stranger is to have a space in my life they must pull yr spirits to her own
*〰️* Ntozake Shange "For All My Dead & Loved Ones'
when i meet someone/i must know / i place you round me like a court of holy seers / if this stranger is to have a space in my life they must pull yr spirits to her own *〰️* Ntozake Shange "For All My Dead & Loved Ones'
About Revival of the Seers
Often, the role of the artist is overlooked on the path to liberation and in the practice of freedom.
We remember queer ancestor James Baldwin who said, “the purpose of art is to lay bare the questions that have been hidden by the answers.” Creatives have often been the bridge between the personal and political. The truthtellers, the visionaries, the worldbuilders are all essential roles that deserve to be recognized and celebrated. Just as essential yet overlooked, rest is seen as an ‘if-you-can’ not a ‘we must’ thanks to the culture that capitalism has formed in our nation and everywhere imperialism has touched.
Revival of The Seers is a respite for Black queer cultural organizers and artists who believe and understand the radical transformative power that art can play in shaping change in our communities and society. Respite in the Round would like to support Black queer cultural organizers and creatives based in the South in honor of Black August by practicing wellness, building community, and the divine right to rest. This retreat is hosted at the Respite and curated by Visionary Architects, Mariah M. of SaltWater Sojourn, and Gia Anansi-Shakur.
“It was powerful to walk into a home and be met with such calm and familiar energy from people I’ve never met. I dunno how decisions were made but this was the right group at the right time. ”
As we are currently shopping around for a summer 2024 retreat location, we are seeking funding from a myriad of sources. If you know of any orgs or reserves that we should tap and would be interested in, please send them our way at saltwatersojourn@gmail.com. If you would to and are able to support Revival of the Seers, please follow the link below!
“I think the entire program was something really necessary and transformative for me. It was right on time to have the space to just breathe and allow myself to focus on rest and creation. I appreciated the flow of everything and how easily things came together.
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Revival of the Seers c/o 2022
photo set credit: Love Önwa Photography
Revival of the Seers was the exact elixir we needed to heal, reground, and grow.
Over the past two Black Augusts, we hosted 11 NC-based Black queer cultural organizers and artists for a half-week and full week, respectively, of rest, joy, and recalibration. We ate güdt, we played, we twerked, we slept, we loved, we loved, we loved.
“I felt stewarded toward resting without being told what to do... At revival [of the seers], I became more comfortable with quiet.
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Thank you to everyone that donated to make this space possible.
To the programmers that supported our ROS 2022,
Thank you to our chefs, Eli + Aaron for the food medicine
Thank you to Durham Community Apothecary for the herbal medicine
Thank you to the ROSA Land for its medicine, space and warmth.
To our Programmers that supported, ROS 2023,
Thank you to Holden Cession for offering remote energy work for attendees as well as for SaltWater members.
Thank you to both Brianna Daniels, Dancer of SaltWater Sojourn, and kiki nicole, Weaver of SaltWater Sojourn (Gen 1&2) for holding space.
Thank you to our Visionary Architects, Gia Anansi-Shakur and Mariah M. for their structural design for the container that held Revival of the Seers.
Thank you to all of the Seers in attendance for trusting us with your light.
And deep gratitude to our photographer-in-residence, Madylin Nixon-Taplet of Love Önwa Photography for seeing us for the magic that we are and capturing our light on film and supporting our archiving of this purposework.