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@neighborhoodmagic
It was three years ago today that I embarked on the Neighborhood Magic project interviewing eight people over the age of seventy, writing poetry and building sculptures inspired by each person’s life story. Here I am with one of the participants I interviewed, Judie Anderson who was Head of Design at Chicago Tribune. Over the last three years, I’ve performed her work in Detroit, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Ireland, Liverpool, and Switzerland.
My dear friend, Lendon Sadler passed away on November 24, 2017 and we celebrated his life on Sunday. The garden was packed full with the local neighborhood and friends from out of town including an original member of the Cockettes who was the “mistress of ceremony”. Rashelle had made a glitter picture of this image we took on one of our cultural jaunts. Every few months we would arrange a cultural expedition that started out with a visit to our favorite cafe in Hyde Park called Currency Exchange. From there we would plan our route. Thinking back on it now I think our most memorable trip was visiting the Kerry James Marshall show at the MCA. We loved the older paintings that had a spontaneity to them, a naivity. And Lendon fell in love with the Hairdresser painting as his mother ran one on Auburn Ave in Atlanta which is now known as the Civil Rights Historic District. In remembering Lendon, it’s not the clothes or the flamboyance I remember it’s his voice stuck in my brain like a gentle jewel of wisdom. Keeping me calm in the storm and no matter where I am in the world I can tap into his gentle voice. Lendon volunteered to participate in Neighborhood Magic and my first connection with him was receiving a long email outlining his incredible life. When I received that email I was ecstatic as this is why I do my work. Growing up in a queer family I had initially had the idea of interviewing queer people over the age of seventy as this demographic have lived through censorship to liberation. When I received the email from Lendon outlining his participation in the Gay Liberation Theater in San Francisco and the Cockettes and how he grew up in Atlanta I knew I was working on the right project. He filled my body with joy in an instant and it was total magic. I sat and listened to Lendon’s story for hours over several days and we become close friends instantaneously. I miss him dearly but carry him with me and truly believe the dead are with us. To hear Lendon speak in his own beautiful words reminiscing about arriving in San Francisco 6:48 and then at 26:13 he introduces his poem and then talks about living as an alien in the world. I do hope and know that he no longer felt like an alien towards the end of his life surrounded by the beautiful community of friends in Beverly: https://vimeo.com/242292059
Handprinted Neighborhood Magic Book, 2016
Exhibited at Ridge Historical Society, April 8 to May 8, 2016
Neighborhood Magic Book
Neighborhood Magic Exhibition at Ridge Historical Society, 2016
In 2016 Ridge Historical Society invited me back after creating Neighborhood Magic for Beverly art walk in 2015. I made this handmade printed book for the exhibition that contains all the poetry that I wrote in 2015 hand written in calligraphy. I taught myself how to write in italic when I was a child growing up on Dartmoor. I remember visiting one of my favorite towns in Devon as a child called Totness. I bought myself an ink pen with the nibs and various ink wells. I would spend hours writing experimenting with the forms of letters and drawing. One never knows when one will be able to utilize the skills one has learnt as a child. In printing the book and writing doing the calligraphy I then decided to send the participants their poetry on prints as gifts.
Poems hot off the Press...
Week 2 of Neighborhood Magic and three poems hot off the press two more to finish. The great thing about writing these pieces is I get to research lots of amazing things like fertility gods and read the first manuscripts written by Shakespeare for A Midsummer Night’s Dream incorporating my knowledge British Romantics who I’ve been reading about recently.
Neighborhood Magic Sculptures, 2015
Each sculpture was inspired by the poem I wrote for each person I interviewed in Beverly last year about their life story. There are seven sculptures in the garden and one in the exhibition in the house at Ridge which is for Judie Anderson. Each sculpture has a story and poem about each person so the public can read the inspiration for the piece. For this project Neighborhood Magic 2016 the public are invited to post an important life moment into the postbox and I will compose that moment into poetry and special delivery it to their homes.
From left to right and top to bottom:
Photo 1: Sculpture for Phil Carlin, Sculpture for Stephen Thomas, Sculpture for Sue Delves, Sculpture for The Ratzels and Sculpture for Lendon Sadler.
Photo 2: Sculpture for Connie and Bob Ratzel
Photo 3: Sculpture for Sue Delves
A Blog Post
On Saturday April 16, 2016 we drove to Beverly stopping off for a tour of the Stoney Island Bank that is Theaster Gates latest building for Dorchester Projects. On arriving at Ridge it was a lovely surprise to see Sue Delves who had participated in the original project last year. After wondering around the garden filled with the Neighborhood Magic Sculptures we went up to the house where my friends and Sue could continue to view the work on display. The exhibition really tells the story of how the sculptures artistically came into being. I always say I have two parts to my practice, there is the conceptual practice and a making practice and I love to combine the two. The costumes developed the “Painting Backwards Series” that are exhibited in the main room at Ridge. The negative shapes that I was about to discard after building the costumes looked really interesting so I decided to experiment and have now been utilizing them to create this pattern that was first developed in my sketchbook. After looking at the exhibition I performed Sue’s poem for her that I wrote last year and a new piece that I have written for this latest part of the project. After listening to the recitation of her poem Sue exclaimed “ You are truly unique, you have such a unique talent.” This project is all encompassing as I love making art in all possible forms and the precious part of the whole project is gifting these poems that are sacred to them.
A Poem for Elaine Miller Paradise in a Moments by Carron Little
Lace and pearls lined the walls The frills and spills marked the occasion Stamps licked and addresses marked Embossed gold envelopes delivered on time Dance steps rehearsed Sheet music selected The guest list confirmed The table settings arranged The biggest party of our lives It was over.
Sailing into the sound Stillness embraced us Peace enveloped us Silver pinks sparkled like stars Twinkling on the horizon As the sun went down The water undulated like a silver trout Reflecting the beauty of the universe Arms held out for new beginnings Paradise in a Moment.
The sudden jolt of reaching shore The grate of sand combing the bottom of the canoe We were going nowhere We were here Pitching our tents We listened to owls The crickets keeping tune Hypnotizing us to sleep In the bed of tranquility United in this world together
The morning light adjusted our eyes In the fresh morning air Biting our skin with joy Birds singing in celebration of life Hiking to a sandy cove Breakfast on the beach A red ruby shared A morning swim Drying on the sand Taking a layer wherever one goes
The daily tasks began Collecting firewood Then the sudden call “Evacuate Now!” We ripped down the tent Packing everything in speed or anxiety I can’t remember Stashing knap sacs into the canoe Wrapping our dog to our belly tight We couldn’t risk losing our gatekeeper
The treacherous trip began Five minutes into the sound The storm crept in behind us Throwing up waves That bellowed under the rain First it was jewels Tempting us with their beauty But quickly and quiety the sheets fell like fog Waves reached like curtains Throwing us sideways
A ten minute paddle Turned into an hour long dance with death Defying the odds we reached the mainland Exhausted and barely breathing Hurricane Sandy reached inland Like a fat bellied god barging through a supermarket Grabbing and tossing each desire in sight Lost to hope The wind joined in Building a flurry of entertainment News Headlines crashed Under the weight of the storm
We jumped in the car The only place left to go We just kept driving Occasionally stopping when we couldn’t see the road Sheets crashing down on our windscreen Is this it? Flashbacks to tornedo videos Clouded my vision Dragging back memories Of paradise lost for a moment
A Poem for Carol Flynn The Leap Year by Carron Little
A gift arrived Wrapped in a time machine Wide-eyed, open to the world Collecting curiosity Like an explorer Time multiplied by centuries An anomaly embedded in binary A system of the sun Dating back to Ptolemy II Defined by Caesar Skipping between clocks and random markings Attempting to reflect the sun A gravitational pull A fudge factor of ten remains In deep contemplation As we open this gift A new life welcomed to the century
A Poem for Nicole Burns In One Breath by Carron Little
The first breath The first gaze In one breath Mother to daughter Suckling on breast In each breath A bond sealed A new life born In exchange of one breath
This being Welcomed to the world In new sight In new discovery Impossible act Joining of two eggs A curious beginning A life created In one breath
Genes joined Separated at birth The being holds New Dreams New desires Opening doors To the unknown Embracing an everlasting Bond sealed in blood
I can climb a mountain I can create a life In one breath In sight of you We can reach my dreams We can create beauty In one life, In our life In one breath.
Poems hot off the press and on their way to people’s homes. I’ll be posting more but this was the first poem I wrote for the project:
Poem for Dave Barsotti An Intimate Weave by Carron Little
Snip snip, snap snap, click click, brushhh, Hold. Snip snip, drop.
The day had come to leave the wigs behind, In the backroom Mannequin heads stacked in a macabre dance Propped up on tables starring in one direction Straight into your eyes The prep room of learning closed it’s door Ready to begin an intimate weave.
Snip snip, snap snap, click click, brushhh, Hold. Snip snip, drop.
In slow motion A women in her thirties, a brunette Swiveled into the chair. The conversation began in hesitant mutters Highlighting points of desire Re-imagining form like a sculptor shaping clay I took the first cut
Snip snip, snap snap, click click, brushhh, Hold. Snip snip, drop.
With each cut the tension released Like oil releasing squeels I knew it was time The home opened the door to new possibility I found my rhythm, The smell cloud became an hypnotic aura In the intimate exchange of
Snip snip, snap snap, click click, brushhh, Hold. Snip snip, drop.
The creative act, each swivel of the chair Scissors in one hand, comb in the other The blanket of human DNA Grew like a carpet Weaving a complex story In the living room of life The mannequins looked in new directions.
Snip snip, snap snap, click click, brushhh, Hold. Snip snip, drop.
Lendon Sadler with Sculptures at Ridge Historical Society. Photo by Corinne Rose.
We are screening Neighborhood Magic documentary tonite at 7pm at Ridge Historical Society. Come, be warm, listen to song and poetry and talk about it. And if you feel inspired after post your own important life moment into the sculptures and you will get a poem too.
Carron Little, who performs as The Queen of Luxuria, will bring her work back to Beverly on April 8.
Big thanks to Howard Ludwig for this article about my upcoming public engagement project in Beverly opening April 8, 2016 at Ridge Historical Society.
Sweet Auburn Avenue for Lendon Sadler by Carron Little
This is about Lendon’s early life growing up on Auburn Avenue opposite Daddy King’s Church which later became Martin Luther King’s Church Ebenezer. Auburn Avenue is where Martin and Coretta King lived all their married life. It is now a historic district for the Civil Right’s movement as it was the center of black capital in Atlanta, Georgia. I interviewed Lendon to write this piece but I also did a lot of historical research too, looking at old photographs from the time period to capture the mood. When we composed it with the choir it came out like magic in a jam - I went home and gave people lines and parts and Jeremy came up with the harmonies. In this video you’ll see two clips one from the Neighborhood Magic performance on October 3 for Beverly Art Walk and the last part is taken from the pre-performance we did for all the participants at Beverly Art Center prior to the work going public on September 26, 2015. The entry credits is a poem for Norma Flynn who was also involved in the Civil Rights Movement and the exit credits are a snippet of the poem I wrote for Judie Anderson called Six Bells. Enjoy and let’s keep walking for peace!
Screening of Documentary
One of the participants, Norma Flynn kindly donated her home for a dinner party/ screening of the documentary of Neighborhood Magic for the participants on December 16, 2015 and Beverly Arts Alliance generously provided the catering. I edited a 50min version of the six hour public performance. After the screening we had a conversation about what needed to be improved and whether they agreed to the content going public. The majority of people involved in the project didn’t know each other prior and in one case it has rekindled an affinity with an acquaintance. The conversation we had around the dinner table about race and the history of gay culture was precious. For me, this is the moment of art happening when people are talking openly and sharing stories. People spoke with openness and it was such a delight to create a space where people felt comfortable to openly share their experiences and ideas. For me this has been the magic of this project, bringing these phenomenal people together to talk about their lives.
On Wednesday October 7 I had lunch with Judie Anderson and Lendon Sadler at Ellie’s Cafe and then went to Smith Village to meet with Sue Delves and Phil Carlin.
I think the success of this project was embedding myself in the community. Creating opportunities throughout the project for people to meet, connect and for the participants to be part of this project throughout the process. We had a pre-meeting in August to discuss the development and get feedback from the participants and choose the locations. In September we had a pre-performance with the Choir singing the choral works for each participant just in case there were any edits that needed to happen prior to the work going public.
On October 7, I had follow-up meetings with four of the participants to reflect on the day and arranged to have a private screening of the performance. Integral to the work I also had evaluation meetings with The Alliance who supported the project in early November.
This has been a really important project on lots of different levels. It has brought the people who I interviewed together and they have discovered connections that they hadn’t realized. I have made new friends in these wonderful people and the poetry I wrote and the compositions I created with the choir are seminal pieces of work. Throughout the public conversations of this project we’ve raised histories that in the words of Lendon “Don’t get talked about.” The project has highlighted these personal stories and in telling these stories we have discussed the civil rights movement, what it takes to change city policy around de-segregation, gay liberation, and creating space for trans-generational conversations. If you get a chance to watch the documentary I think you’ll see ways in which this can alter perceptions.
Here is the all the performers and production crew for Neighborhood Magic in the Green Room of the Ridge Historical Society who kindly let us take over for the whole day and were so generous with their time and staff - feeding us hot cups of teach and coffee on the cold day.
From left to Right: Kevin Sparrow, Jenna Perlstein, Emilio Rojas, Clee McCracken, Jamie Gannon, Sojourner Zenobia, Richard Blakeney, Laura Moore, CV Peterson, Michael Lee Bridges, Jeremy Lee Harris, Jessica Kearney, Cameron Clayborn, Amy Sayre Roberts, Farida Weller, Lauren Steinberg, Allen Conkle and Duff Norris. The fabulous Yuri Lane also performed and I took the photo.