Healing Circle: Self-Care in Times of Trauma

July 7, 2018, at 11 a.m.

In conjunction with the “Art and Healing” exhibition, Mia is co-hosting a series of workshops and discussions with artists and facilitators to open up opportunities for dialogue and allow visitors to creatively engage around important issues of injustice and healing. Some conversations are intended to offer strategies for self-care and healing; some are geared toward supporting learning, growth, and understanding around racial justice; and some are designed for visitors to come together to explore art as a powerful vehicle for addressing injustice and a tool for community healing.

This circle, “Self-Care in the Wake of Trauma,” will be led by Louis Alemayehu. Recognized as an elder by his community, Elder Alemayehu will center self-care as attendees reflect on what happened to Philando Castile and could happen again in our community.

Free; advance rsvp requested to artandhealing@artsmia.org.

About the Facilitator

Louis Alemayehu is a writer, educator, administrator, poet, father, grandfather, performer, and activist of African and Native American heritage. He has taught classes in poetry and language arts. He also facilitates workshops on racism, culture, and community building. His writing has appeared in The Butterfly Tree: An Anthology of Black Minnesota Writers; The Drum: An International Journal of Writers of Color; and The International Process Work Journal. Alemayehu is a cofounder of the Native Arts Circle, the oldest Native American artists organization in the Upper Midwest. He, along with composer/musicians Carei Thomas and David Wright, founded the poetry/jazz ensemble Ancestor Energy, which connects music with spoken word. Alemayehu has been honored for his pioneering work as a spoken-word artist and creative writer and has been the recipient of Intermedia Arts’ Diverse Visions Award, the Minnesota Spoken Word Association’s Urban Griot award, a Leadership in Neighborhoods grant from Saint Paul Companies, and an award for life-long commitment to social justice from the Headwaters Foundation.