What does it mean to be a first responder artist? 

Toni Morisson said “This is precisely the time that artists go to work” and we heeded her call by joining forces a a First Responder Artist collective.

January 20th, 2025 is Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and the date of the 60th presidential inauguration - beginning You know who’s reign as the 47th president of the United States. 

To counter the presidential inauguration, we took over January 20, 2025 with the ANCESTRAL INAUGURATION - a ceremonial beginning for the people - sharing original works and also honoring the (often-erased) radical legacy of MLK JR.  

ANCESTRAL INAUGURATION is a day of alchemy and a generative ring shout as we call on our ancestral reinforcements to help us transmute terror into joy, pivot away from fear and remember who and where we’ve come from, and fortify ourselves for what’s ahead. 

It’s a medicinal ritual that we hope other artists around the country will engage in with their respective communities. Sort of a national Voltron of light.

We’re kicked it off in New York to offer a blueprint for ancestral activation and a medicinal antidote for the madness barreling towards us.