Hello Everyone!
I am writing to update you about our most recent and exciting adventures in the Roots To Resistance Project.
To begin with, the Portrait of Wangari Maathai is nearly complete with just a few last touches being added in the coming week. The Postcard Campaign has been designed and will be an homage to Wangari's work with some exciting new twists which I will save until they hit the streets in mid September. In addition as we near the one year anniversary of Wangari's passing, Roots To Resistance will be teaming up with local supporters to place small herbal planters in public places with placards honoring the creativity, vision and strength of this amazing Activist and her Greenbelt movement. These Public Planters are a way of following Wangari's vision and looking toward a group of organizations that seek to take her work forward, the Guerrilla Gardening and Tree Planting Movement! If you are not familiar with this work> hold on to your hats!! You will be!!
Over the Summer Roots To Resistance has created some Partnerships within Wangari Maathai's Greenbelt Movement, thanks to the generous help of the film maker Lisa Merton. Lisa was one of the co-creators of the documentary film about the work of Wangari Maathai called Taking Root. This is a profoundly important film and I urge everyone to find time to take it in. You will not be disappointed. Thus in September we will be finding ways to Partner with the Greenbelt network in an effort to honor Wangari, understand who she was and to help people understand how they may engage in similar work in their own lives.
Also Super Exciting news is that we began posting for a brand new Roots To Resistance Blog in July and hope that some of you will keep in touch with our work this way: http://roots2re.wordpress.com/
When people subscribe to the Blog I get very, very happy!
As Roots moves past the halfway mark and into the second half of it's endeavor, I was lucky enough to be graced by the presence and efforts of a small group of amazing Women who helped me find the tools to be very clear about the goals of the project once the Art pieces have been completed. Thank you so much to Tuti Scott, Jo Comeford, Ann Hennesey, Sami Keats, Alisa Klein, Fern Spearer and Deb Freidman for your ongoing help, time and attention, which has led me to the creation of the 2014 Roots To Resistance Bus Tour. A National bus tour of this country which will focus on bringing Art and these 12 amazing Women to Working Class Communities all over the Country. More updates on this will be coming very soon.
For now the focus remains on completing the final 5 Portraits and continuing to create and disperse our Posters, Postcards and brand new "Prayer Flags" (Hanging banners with Posters of all 12 of the Activists).
If you would like to receive any of our materials or would like to purchase one of the 6 prints of the Completed Portraits please contact me at: invisible_earth@yahoo.com
If you are awaiting your Wangari Maathai print, it will be arriving very soon!!!
If you have any ideas, suggestions or brainstorms for this project or have an interest in having this Bus tour come to your Community also email me at the above.
Again so much gratitude to you all for truly being my partners and supporters in this wonderful adventure.
Very Best Denise Beaudet/Roots To Resistance
PS: The Wangari Portrait below was taken a few weeks ago with my very poor quality cell phone. My professional photographer will be documenting both the Rebecca Gomperts and the Wangari Maathai Portraits in the coming weeks.
