Caravan Arts Nfp

CARAVAN ANNUAL REPORT 20222022 WAS A YEAR OF NEW INITIATIVES, PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC APPROACHES FOR CARAVAN, WHOSE MISSION IS TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE ARTS. -PARTNERSHIP WITH ARTSPIRITCARAVAN HAS MADE A DECISION TO PARTNER PRIMARILY THROUGH ARTSPIRIT, THE ARTS INITIATIVE OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN WYOMING, USA, WHERE OUR FOUNDER, THE RT. REV. PAUL-GORDON CHANDLER, IS NOW THE BISHOP. ARTSPIRIT SEES AND VALUES ARTISTIC CREATIVITY IN ITS MANY FORMS AS A FORCE FOR TRANSFORMATION, BOTH WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THE EARTH. ARTSPIRIT EXPLORES AND NURTURES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY AND THE ARTS, BY DEVELOPING, CURATING, COORDINATING AND HOSTING ARTISTIC INITIATIVES TO STIMULATE DISCUSSION, DIALOGUE AND EDUCATION, AS WELL AS SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION, TOWARD ENHANCING OUR EXPERIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH THE TRANSCENDENT AND OF EACH OTHER - SUCH AS ART EXHIBITIONS, FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, SCREENINGS, READINGS, DANCES, AND NUMEROUS ASSOCIATED ART EVENTS, INCLUDING SYMPOSIUMS, FORUMS AND TALKS.-TOURING ART EXHIBITION THE PRIMARY ARTISTIC FOCUS FOR CARAVAN IN 2022 WAS THE ORGANIZATION AND CURATION OF GROUNDED - RESTORING OUR WORLD THROUGH A SACRED HARMONY WITH THE EARTH AND EACH OTHER." GROUNDED BEGAN IS MULTI-YEAR GLOBAL TOUR IN THE FALL OF 2022 IN LANDER, WYOMING AT THE PIONEER MUSEUM. GROUNDED FEATURES 15 PREMIER AND EMERGING CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS FROM 8 INDIGENOUS AMERICAN TRIBES TRADITIONALLY BASED IN AND AROUND THE GREAT PLAINS REGION OF THE USA. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE EXHIBITION IS TO INSPIRE OUR IMAGINATIONS ABOUT OUR NEED TO BE "GROUNDED" IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL OF CREATION: THE EARTH AND ITS WILDLIFE, EACH OTHER AND OURSELVES. THE CREATIVE WORK OF THIS INSPIRING GROUP OF CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS SERVES AS A VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF THE WORLDVIEW, WISDOM AND LEARNINGS OF THEIR ANCESTORS, WHICH IS URGENTLY NEEDED TODAY AS WE REIMAGINE HOW WE LIVE IN ORDER TO HEAL OUR WORLD. THE EXHIBITION IS CURATED BY NOTED NORTHERN ARAPAHO ARTIST ROBERT MARTINEZ.GROUNDED WILL TOUR WYOMING DURING 2023, BEING SHOWCASED IN THE CITIES OF LANDER, CASPER, CHEYENNE, JACKSON, WORLAND AND ROCK SPRINGS, BEFORE MOVING TO OTHER KEY VENUES IN THE USA (INCLUDING WASHINGTON D.C.), THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND END ITS MULTI-YEAR TOUR IN THE MIDDLE EAST. PARTNERS INCLUDE WYOMING HUMANITIES, WYOMING ARTS COUNCIL AND THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN WYOMING. -ARTIST INTERVIEWSCARAVAN HELD NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS WITH PREMIER ARTISTS THIS LAST YEAR, INCLUDING WITH THE ARTIST BEN PEASE, FROM THE APSALOOKE-CROW TRIBE, ROBERT MARTINEZ (NORTHERN ARAPHAO), TALISSA ABEYTA (EASTERN SHOSHONE) AND R.V. GREEVES FROM THE WIND RIVER RESERVATION. THESE INTERVIEWS ARE PUBLISHED AND DISTRIBUTED GLOBALLY, VIA PRINT, VIDEO OR BOTH. THE GROUNDED EXHIBITION SERVED AS A CATALYST TO DEVELOP VARIOUS EVENTS AND PROGRAMS TAILORED TO THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE HOST VENUES COMMUNITY, TO STIMULATE DISCUSSION, DIALOGUE AND EDUCATION AROUND THE EXHIBITIONS THEME TOWARD PROMOTING FURTHER UNDERSTANDING AND WIDENING THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ARTWORK. THESE PROGRAMS FEATURING INDIGENOUS ARTISTS/CREATIVES WERE WELL-ATTENDED AND INCLUDED POETRY READINGS, FILM SCREENINGS, ARTIST PANELS, MUSIC CONCERTS, AUTHOR BOOK TALKS, AND DANCE PERFORMANCES.-GATES OF TURAN - AN ECOLOGY OF THE SOULFIROUZ FARMANFARMAIAN AT THE VENICE BIENNALECARAVAN PARTNERED WITH PERSIAN-BORN ARTIST FIROUZ FARMANFARMAIAN IN HIS ARTISTIC INSTALLATION AT THE 2022 VENICE BIENNALE AT THE INVITATION OF KYRGYZSTAN. TITLED GATES OF TURAN, THE INSTALLATION, RUNNING FROM APRIL-NOVEMBER 2022, FEATURED TEN HAND-STITCHED, HAND-FELTED SHIRDAKS (NOMADIC TAPESTRIES) DESIGNED BY FIROUZ TO REPRESENT THE TRIBAL BANNERS OF TEN NOMADIC COMMUNITIES OF ANCIENT TURAN. SET AGAINST A BLACK BACKGROUND, THE BANNERS LED TO A MONUMENTAL TNDK, THE CENTRAL CROSS-SHAPED COPULA OF A TRADITIONAL KRYGZY YURT THAT IS SUSPENDED FROM THE CEILING TO FORM THE POINT OF A MEETING PLACE CARPETED WITH WHITE YAK FELT. FIROUZ SPENT EIGHT MONTHS WORKING WITH A WOMENS HANDICRAFT COOPERATIVE IN THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC THAT CONTINUES TO PRESERVE THE KYRGYZ TRADITION OF HANDCRAFTING SHIRDAKS AND ALA-KIIZ, THE HAND-STITCHED COLORFUL FELT FLOOR-COVERINGS USED IN KYRGYZ YURTS. THESE NOMADIC TAPESTRIES ARE ONLY MADE IN THE REMOTE HIGHLAND REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY.GATES OF TURAN WAS FOCUSED ON THE PRESERVATION OF KYRGYZ NOMADIC CULTURE THROUGH THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF CONTEMPORARY PRACTICE. IT WAS LOCATED IN THE GIUDECCA ART DISTRICT ON THE ISLAND OF GIUDECCA, VENICE AND WAS CURATED BY CONTEMPORARY ART SPECIALIST JANET RADY, WHO HAS BEEN A GUEST CURATOR FOR PREVIOUS CARAVAN EXHIBITIONS. GATES OF TURAN WAS CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE BIENNALES BIG SURPRISES BY ART CRITICS, AND OF COURSE IT EMPOWERING OF CRAFTSWOMEN IN KYRGYZSTAN.OVERALL, IT WAS AN ACTIVE YEAR, FOCUSED ON USING THE ARTS FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL PURPOSES, THROUGH THE LENS OF NATIVE AMERICAN AND INDIGENOUS CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS.