Artists & Projects Directory

• Africa Consortium
• Boyzie Cekwana
• Dan Hurlin
• David Roussève/REALITY
• Dean Moss
• Gregory Maqoma
• Los Muñequitos
• Marc Bamuthi Joseph
• Ralph Lemon
• Stories Left to Tell
• The America Project
• Yasuko Yokoshi

Marc Bamuthi Joseph/The Living Word Project

It is a hard and obvious truth that people of color are under-represented in the environmental movement. It is also a hard and obvious truth that violent crime and poor education pose more of an imminent danger to most poor neighborhoods than environmental crisis. I personally am of the belief that the movement for social change and environmental accountability are one and the same, that focusing on steps to sustain the planet ultimately force us to envision a pathway to sustaining humanity.
                                                                                                     -Marc Bamuthi Joseph

red, black and GREEN: a blues (rbGb), a full-length, multimedia theater work written by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, emphasizes that "green living" is not possible without the knowledge that valuing your own life, and the life of your community, is the first step to valuing planet Earth.  Landing at the intersection of green economics and black psychology, rbGb aims to jumpstart a conversation about environmental racism, social ecology, and collective responsibility in the climate change era through a ground-breaking work of contemporary theater. 

Joseph and collaborator Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi (creator of the films for the break/s: a mixtape for stage), are using a community-based research process to generate stories, interviews and poems that will serve as the basis for rbGb's script and stage set.  This research process is embedded in a series of day-long eco-equity community gatherings called LIFE IS LIVING, organized by Joseph's Living Word Project with local groups in urban parks around the U.S.  Each LIFE IS LIVING is a mix of art and activism, with performances of poetry, music and dance; a graffiti battle where artists create environmentally themed tags using the word "LIFE;" and demonstrations and exhibits from local green organizations and activists.  At each LIFE IS LIVING, the artists are collecting stories, interviews, images and film which will feed into the creation of rbGb.

The collaborative team for rbGb includes acclaimed director Michael John Garcés, choreographer Stacey Printz, and designer James Clotfelter (all of whom contributed to the break/s); as well as visual artist/performer Theaster Gates and composer Marcus Shelby.  

red, black and GREEN: a blues will be developed over two years with an anticipated premiere in March 2011. MAPP is currently seeking co-commissioning partners for rbGb.