Beatrice Thomas’s presentation on what the end of the world looks like, and what we are going to do about it, illuminates the anxiety and suffering that our society feels in the face of violence, political unrest, and sensory deprivation.

Thomas describes herself as “an arts & equity consultant, creative producer, multi-disciplinary artist and social justice drag queen” dedicated to bringing a sense of humor and purpose to the spaces she engages in. Hailing from the Bay Area, Thomas emphasized her particular dedication to the LGBT community in arts and elevating the voices of those who have less privilege and visibility. Given with uproarious humor and the confidence of a born performer, Thomas opened her presentation with a look into her life as a social justice drag queen. This ability to confidently wear one’s own skin and also make themselves digestible by diverse audiences was, to me, unique to Thomas’s presentation and stage presence. The humor in her voice, body language, and content all made the room feel relaxed and open to the ideas she was presenting.

These ideas mixed Thomas’s personal lived experiences with commentary on societal developments, particularly after the 2016 election. Thomas introduced the ideal of social practice, an “art medium that involves everything,” which Thomas was drawn to because of her extensive background in a variety of art mediums including sculpture and theater. For her, it was a natural complement to her desire to turn her creative work into paid work, a reality that many of us will have to come to terms with. As a former municipal arts administrator, Thomas felt that the change she wanted to see and the work she wanted to do wasn’t possible within a bureaucracy, and left to pursue her life goals elsewhere.

At this point in the presentation, Thomas began to bring in the reality of our political landscape as she was one of the many people who acutely felt the consequences of the change in White House administration. A sense of safety and security that anyone is capable of being lulled by, disappeared for her and for many others. It is this reality that Thomas and artists and activists like her are meant to guide us through and nourish us. To Thomas, the apocalypse had many visible tenets from the tide pod phenomena to the violent clashes between polarized groups of people. Thomas pointed out that our society is one that suffers from desensitization and the desire for immediate gratification which, cannot be sustainable. Instead, Thomas proposes that we need investment and dedication to our communities.

By starting with ourselves and identifying our values, priorities, and the work that we are able to do, Thomas gave tangible points for us to focus on in a world that can be confusing and overwhelming. The best advice I took from Thomas’s presentation was to identify what you have to easily give (what you can authentically provide) and can give in abundance. The most valuable thing I took from Thomas’s presentation was that there is something to do about the world we live in. There is no place too small to start or action that will go unnoticed. We must reclaim our integrity, embrace each other, and find beauty where we can if we are to survive the apocalypse. Follow Beatrice Thomas on Twitter to keep up with the world of artist-activists.

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Tonight I got the privilege of watching Aparna Nancherla on stage after seeing her on talk shows, Amy Schumer’s Inside Amy Schumer and TV shows like Master of None.

And she’s shyer than I ever knew. She came out on stage with a blue cardigan atop a dress decked in birds. She walks with her hands by her sides, and she looks down to the left speaker near her feet during her entire show.

When she does look up, you know its a moment you’re going to burst. She conditioned me so that when she lifted her eyes to the balcony during the show, I knew she was about to declare a killer line that would leave the Englert loud.

Nancherla makes shy jokes, too, like her FOMO: Fear Of Missing In. “I wonder what my apartment is doing while I’m gone” and her need to keep her coat on during parties so that she can make a quick escape, and keep warm since, you know, she runs a little cold. “I love to wear enough layers where people go, ‘does she have a figure at all?’”

When she finally did make a political joke, she apologised for it which only made the crowd laugh harder knowing how rare it was for her to come outright and say it. 

Nancherla ends her set with a hilarious powerpoint including excerpts of emoji issues, her parents texts to her, and online dating screenshots.

But perhaps the most laughter in the crowd came from her simply reading off absurd Yelp reviews in her own tone.

You cant help but have a good and wholesome time at Nancherla’s show. Most of her jokes were clean, and honest, two things that can be more rare than ever in today’s comedic scene.

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Both emerging artists are known for their fashion design. Carlson created Written Apparel and Wright owns Born Leaders United.

The brands are known for their attempt at empowering the wearers, and both owners are passionate in their craft.

The odd pair decided to collaborate on a brand called New Perspective created to debut during New York Fashion Week.

Little Village got wind of the pair’s brand and decided to send a videographer of their own to document the week. Iowa was clearly the anchor that propelled their collaboration. 

Wright’s side of the video was talkative while on Carlson’s side there was more action. During the New York Fashion Week it seemed through the video made by Jason Smith that Carlson had planned thoroughly what moves she was going to make, and when.

She had the professionally and efficiency that New York begs of young artists.

Wright however seemed to have a different vision.

He spoke about professional connecting as an unimportant side note while feeling out situations as much more beneficial on knowing if you want to collaborate with someone. While he waited for his clothes to arrive in New York, Carlson was busy in meetings.

The documentary itself lacked technical skills like proper audio and coverage of events that seemed integral to the story, but it did have the charm viewers were hoping to grab from the time they spent in Merge.

The potential was clear, and with a larger team of videographers the result could have reached it. However, the audience was fully immersed in the film for the most part of thirty minutes, only checking phones when side characters tangents seemed unimportant.

The film ends with Wright and Carlson talking about their creative differences and “tension” that ended their artistic collaboration. “We got a lot of similarities…cool people get together” Wright said.

Make sure to check the Witching Hour Festival website to stay up to date on when next year’s festival will take place!

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I went into the Witching Hour workshop having the intent of having a relaxing, laid-back time. The description entailed laying on the ground with pillows and a blanket. What did I have to lose?

What I wasn’t expecting was the soul-cleansing, self-transcendent work I would be doing on myself. This workshop had me so deep in my feels, I thought I was never going to come out of them.

For the first fifteen minutes or so, the workshop instructor philosophized on how us humans go through our life journeys all fighting an internal war for peace.

We can’t seem to let go of hard experiences of the past, letting them linger in our present mind and taint our perspective. No matter how much pain it brings, we find ourselves clinging onto repressed memories and emotions instead of simply letting go.

The way he broke down the human condition and the suffering it entails definitely had me deep in reflection. He discussed the spectrum of emotion that life entails. The negative side of this spectrum consists of fear. He stressed how any negative emotion, thought process, or

perception we hold is all rooted in fear.

Since I will be graduating this semester and have been filled with a deep dread and anxiety of what the future holds, this struck a chord deep within me.

The claustrophobic and anxious emotions I’ve been experiencing, the stressful thoughts of finding a job, it all boils down to fear. Fear of the future, fear of the unknown, fear of screwing up, its the causation of all the suffering I find myself under.

It is through its opposing force of love, however, that this fear can be washed away. He stressed the importance of seeing everything as divine. Even though a person, experience, or emotion currently facing you may have a negative feeling connected to it, we must look for the silver lining in it all.

In addition to seeking guidance and insight through love and positivity, some individuals may turn to psychic readings as a way to gain clarity and perspective on their fears and anxieties. While some may be hesitant to try psychic readings due to skepticism or uncertainty, Get a Free Online Psychic Reading and it can be a great way to explore this practice without committing to a full session. By connecting with a trusted and experienced psychic, individuals can receive personalized insights and guidance on how to move forward with confidence and courage. Whether facing a difficult decision, a major life transition or simply seeking a deeper understanding of oneself and the world around us, psychic readings can offer a unique and valuable perspective on our fears and uncertainties.

At the end of the day, we are all still standing strong after all of the hardships we have faced in our past.

Through this workshop, he aimed to tune our collective mind to the all healing love frequency, and to come to peace with ourselves and the outside world. For the past 400 or so years, these giant bronze bells have been the door to the love dimension, getting used by spiritual healers and shamans across the globe.

Regardless of your spiritual views or religious affiliation, you can’t help but feel the power of these gongs. For 45 minutes, I laid back on the Englert Theatre stage, and let these sounds reverberate through my body and mind. If we’re being real here, I completely lost track of time and where I was because I was so washed away by these resonant sounds.

It seemed like a 15 minute experience at tops, and I was literally soaring through my mind and imagination like a madman. It may have been because I was tired and a bit hungover, but that is of course besides the point.

I couldn’t help but feel spiritually cleansed walking out of the Englert theater after this workshop, feeling much lighter on my feet and with a fresh, healthier perspective.

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RADinc. harnesses their creative energy well.

Their attire is nothing to celebrate. The drummer, Kevin Shea, wears a red baseball cap that casts a shadow over half his face and a black oversized shirt. The keyboardist, Matt Mottel, wears a blue bucket hat that covers his long brown hair and a loose button down.

They feed off their energy, glance at each other for cues, manage a few quick laughs, and immerse themselves in their own Antarctica.

Their multi-textured music is hidden underneath a clattering ensemble of sound. It seems at times to have no intention. Their two-part set features eight instrumental songs that make us feel something before they can make any sense of their own.

From Talking Heads’ synthesizers that waver and distort, to Sonic Youth’s percussion that sustains and frustrates, Talibam! is able to, “confront the establishment of culture.”

This streamline performance immerses the audience into Antarctica. The disoriented- pixilated- and saturated pictures on screen crackle like an old newsreel. Their meaning is very much up for interpretation. It leads us along in some hazy form of retrospect.

From tranquil mountain peaks- dancing Oompa Loompas- and waddling penguins- to fist-bumping soldiers- floating baby dolls- and drunken hippies- Talibam! creates an out-of-body experience.

The disoriented, pixilated, and saturated pictures on screen crackle like an old newsreel. Their meaning is very much up for interpretation. It leads us along in some hazy form of retrospect. From tranquil mountain peaks, dancing Oompa Loompas, and waddling penguins; to fist-bumping soldiers, floating baby dolls, and drunken hippies, Talibam! creates an out-of-body experience.

Mottel calls their performance, “An alternative political vision, which was matched by our cultural determination to provide an alternative to the landscape of music and performance we were surrounded by.”

Formed six months after the start of the second war in Iraq, Mottel and Shea have developed a unique sound that dares us to ask the age-old questions, search for a resolve, and work towards political change, without mouthing a word. Mottel and Shea are interconnected with the audience. The show ends with Mottel throwing a baby doll into the crowd.

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The leader of the workshop, Tabitha Wiggins played Chance the Rapper and danced around the stage with a contagious smile, inviting attendees to join her up there. She looked at some of the workshop participants and asked “you don’t wanna dance?” as “No Problem” played in the background.

Although the workshop had an intense name, she seemed so carefree and happy. Maybe this surprised me because I felt nervous; I’ve had tons of negative experiences at workshops and settings like these where white liberals hijack the conversation for self-congratulatory purposes. She seemed like she was pretty confident, though. #goals.

She began the workshop by asking us to call her “Tab” since her mother calls her Tabitha when she’s in trouble. She clarified her pronouns and explained her position at the University of Iowa. At this school, she serves as the assistant director of equity and inclusion, and the project director of Being Black at Iowa.

Tab introduced the content of the workshop by explaining the importance of working together to dismantle oppressive institutions and narratives because “I can’t be free until you are free. Our liberation is interconnected.” Then she explained the main subject we’d discuss today: the ally-industrial complex.

After she discussed the commodification of social justice movements, Tab explained the important difference between an ally and an accomplice. An ally has become someone who only superficially oppose certain issues of injustice, and seek to become the heroes of the oppressed.

For allies, struggle becomes a commodity on which they can profit somehow where “allyship is a currency.” Tab brilliantly articulated, “an ally is disembodied from any real mutual understanding of support.” However, an accomplice works together with people at their sides without seeking additional “cookies.” Accomplices become complicit in the struggle without dehumanizing the people who suffer.

Before she proceeded, Tab explained that she found most of the content and framing for her workshop based on an article by an indigenous woman who did not disclose her name.

The rest of the workshop reminded me of a really substantive, illuminating and radical Buzzfeed article (which is arguably the opposite of everything Buzzfeed). Tab began to categorize the kinds of allies.

Salvation/Missionary Ally

This kind of ally has romanticized notions of oppression, and treats oppressed people like victims and tokens instead of humans. They engage in things like exoticization, whitesplaining/mansplaining/etc., and other microaggressive (sometimes macroaggressive) commentary.

Exploitive/Co-opting Ally

These kinds of people seek to impose their own agenda through acts of condescension. They attend rallies and attempt to change the focus from the group’s work to their own personal projects and their own sadness about systemic racism or something. This ally truly engages in another form of liberalism.

Self-proclaiming/Confessional Ally

This ally is mostly concerned about getting “ally points” or as Tab calls them, cookies. They have no intention of actually abolishing entitlement. Tab says that “anti-oppression values are like drapes in their home.”

Parachuter Ally

These people/organizations rush to the front lines of sexy movements to stay trendy and relevant. They essentially serve as missionaries with more funding, and often overlap with the savior ally. They engage in structural patronization.

Academic and Intellectual Ally

These kinds of people remind me a lot of myself a while ago (and sometimes still today). These allies use a lot of academic jargon and big words to talk about issues. They use knowledge and skills to patronize people who may not use complex language to talk about oppression. Academics are “fixated on unlearning oppression” instead of dismantling it. An academic ACCOMPLICE would use their resources and betray the institutions they previously belonged to.

Gatekeeper Ally

Gatekeepers seek to have power over others instead of with other people. They want powerful positions within organizations and make the work about their own resume-building and ego. They are known for withholding information and they have a tendency to create a dependency on themselves, such that a movement or organization lives and dies with them.

Navigator/Floater Ally

These allies familiarize themselves with the jargon and language surrounding anti-oppression, but have no meaningful dialogue about lived experiences and people who suffer from these systems. Other peoples’ oppression becomes their own personal projects. They fail to take responsibility for their own actions and are quick to be authoritarian figures about other peoples’ privilege. They dismiss confrontation and fail to see flaws in their own work.

After explaining a type of ally, Tab gave the participants some time to speak to their neighbors about experiences with these kinds of people and ways to intervene. She took a few minutes to ask people to share with the large group. The format of the workshop allowed the audience time to think for themselves and also connect with people around them.

Out of about 30 participants, only about a third were non-white passing people of color. I always feel a little disappointed when I find myself surrounded by mostly white people in a setting like that, but I have to remind myself of two things: I live in Iowa City, and white people will probably benefit from work like that.

Tab ended the workshop with ways to become an anti-colonial accomplice, but also reminded us that “no matter how free you are, we occupy indigenous land and we are still colonizers.”

Finally, Tab asked us to repeat after her as she chanted the famous Assata Shakur quote:

For more information on the ally-industrial complex, read the article from which Tab found her inspiration.

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