Co-MISSION work-in-progress performances offer split bill showings by artists awarded Fall 2021 Residencies by Links Hall’s Programing committee.

The December 17th showing features Resident Artists: Keisha Janae/Eternal Resolve, Mario LaMothe, Helen Lee, and Cat Mahari

Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/co-mission-fall-2021-work-in-progress-tickets-201768163007

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Keisha Janae (Co-MISSION Resident Artist) – Graduate of Columbia College Chicago, Keisha Janae resides in Southshore Chicago. She has experience in performance, teaching artistry, and dance making. She co-founded with Trellz Mind, “Eternal Resolve” a teaching platform that uses movement to heal and find self realization. This workshop was presented at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago’s 2020 Fall season. Versatile in a diversity movement styles, Keisha also teaches House dance at Crown Community Acd and Red clay Dance Company. She has performed with Onye Ozuzu’s “Project Tool,” Jane Jerardi’s “delicate hold,” and Damon Lock’s, “Black Monument Ensemble.” Currently, she dances with Red Clay Dance Company, the Instigation Festival, “Freedom from Freedom too” events, and BraveSoul Movement. Her desire for her career is to choreograph and create more opportunities through her instructional practice for marginalized groups to exercise their spiritual, physical, and mental power while healing and reawakening.

Mario LaMothe (Co-MISSION Resident Artist) is a performance artist, curator and scholar. His curated events at the Haitian-American Museum of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Duke University, among others, focused on Haitian artists’ labor to destabilize forms of anti-Haitianism, and queer artistry and social equity in Haiti and the Caribbean. His essays have appeared in numerous academic and public humanities publications. He holds a BA in Theater Arts and French from Boston College, a Certificate of Dance from the Ailey School, an MFA in Arts Management from Brooklyn College, and Ph.D. in Performance Studies from Northwestern University. Mario is also an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

Helen Lee (she/they) (Co-MISSION Resident Artist) was born and raised in Chicago to immigrant parents from South Korea. They create works that weave performance, storytelling, film/video, installation and/or social practice to examine facets of trauma, racism, xenophobia, grief, shame, healing and meanings of home. She hopes to raise awareness, strengthen voices and build solidarity amongst the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Cat Mahari (Co-MISSION Resident Artist)’s practice is built from a richly layered body history, stemming from an archive of research, and physical training with the intent of manifesting an intellectual, material and informal grammar of liberation via documentation, video and live performance. She is a street dancer raised in the cultural shade of Hip Hop; a sound artist sourcing Blkness in jazz, punk, and more. She is a daughter that’s more like her mother, and whose granny makes the best cornbread.

ABOUT Co-MISSION:

Co-MISSION Residencies and Fellowships incorporate a flexible range of resources designed to meet the needs of artistic experimentation at different points in an artist’s career and different points in a project’s development. Links provides selected artists with 3-5 months studio time ($2000-$5000 value per artist), financial awards ($1,200 for residents; $3,000 for fellows), formal coaching, production support throughout the residency period, opportunities to share works-in-progress, and paid performances at the annual Festival of New Works. In addition to 8-16 hours per week of studio time, artists also participate in the “Art of Rehearsal” mentorship program, led by esteemed artist-educators and Co-MISSION coaches Kim Davis, Kristina Isabelle, and Bryan Saner.

Co-MISSION artists are selected by a jury panel composed of Co-MISSION alumni, Links staff and board, curators, artists, and other community leaders. The 2021-2023 jury members included: Mike Anestor (Co-MISSION alum artist, Links Hall Board Member), Aaliyah Christina (Co-MISSION alum artist, Links Hall Artist Programs Manager & Associate Curator), Elliot Reza Emadian (Co-MISSION alum artist), J’Sun Howard (Co-MISSION alum artist), Sam Lewis (Links Hall artist, Hyde Park Jazz Festival Co-Executive & Artistic Director), Stephanie Pacheco (Links Hall Executive Director), Mitsu Salmon (Co-MISSION alum artist) and Christy Uchida (former Links Hall Board Member, The Brinson Foundation President).

Special funding for Co-MISSION residencies in 2021-2022 is provided by J’Sun Howard and the Links Hall Commissioning Collective.

COVID-19 POLICY:

As of September 10, 2021, proof of vaccination for individuals ages 12 and up OR a negative COVID-19 PCR test (taken within 72 hours of the event) is required for entrance to Links Hall. Please see our website for additional details about these policies, and ongoing health and safety measures.

Visitors, staff, and artists are still expected to wear masks at all times in public spaces, or when two or more people are gathered

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Tags: Cat Mahari, Chicago, Eternal Resolve, Helen Lee, Keisha Janae, Keisha Janae/Eternal Resolve, Links Hall, Links Hall Community Clean Up Week 2018, Mario LaMothe, West Town