On April 8th, to honor the first new moon of spring + the solar eclipse, O, Miami hosted a curated experience by transdisciplinary artist & community organizer Agua Dulce and invited AIRIE & the National Park Service to partner. Participants traveled to Long Pine Key campsite for a guided poetry workshop facilitated by Agua, a sound bath by Sayje, and somatic healing practices. The gathering began with grounding participants in the space via a land acknowledgment by Reverend Houston Cypress, founder of Love the Everglades Movement. That was followed up by an amazing education on storytelling NPS introduction by Daniel Blankenship. Our residency coordinator, Arsimmer McCoy, shares words of gratitude and information about the AIRIE fellowship programs and upcoming open call.
This day was specifically beneficial for cathartic healing work due to its time in nature: rising anew after the stillness of winter. Everyone was encouraged to reflect on what they wanted to release, transform, and call into their lives.
A little bit about the practice of Somatic Healing:
Somatic healing is a body-centric approach to processing and releasing stress, tension, and trauma from the body. By asking specific questions and prompts, participants will be invited to envision and engage with their internal worlds more tangibly. The intention is to give participants a new, embodied modality for processing healing and growth that can be incorporated into their daily self-care practices.
Integrating this session with a sound bath will allow participants to relax, soften, and flow in alignment with the desired change. This will help restore and regenerate the internal strength necessary to engage with what is often scary and challenging for us: evolution.
Artist bio: Agua Dulce is a queer, neurodivergent, and transdisciplinary artist, community organizer, and energy worker born and based in Miami, FL. Their work is shaped by their time participating in local non-profit organizations (Fempower, Miami Workers Center, WeCount!, etc), mentorship by Guadalupe Maravilla (sound healing) and Sterling Rook (metalwork), and the indescribable need to reveal truths hidden by colonization and oppression as a means to process, grieve, and heal. They are a 2023 Ellie’s Creator Award recipient for metalwork and were the 2022-2023 Narrative Teaching Artist for the ICA Miami.
Org bio: At O, Miami, we believe Miami is the most poetic place in the world. Through projects, events, and publishing, we create a platform for amplifying Miami's people, investing in a new shared narrative of our city and a more equitable picture of its future. We believe that art and self-expression should be equally available to every Miami. Learn more at omiami.org.