Freedom Festival

Freedomistas - Building together
2025-02-08 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together/
Are you excited, curious or interested in the Freedom Festival? In the Freedomistas zoom call, we playfully discover what each of us can do to create explorations of freedom and independence with neighbors and loved ones.
Join us in a fun session. Meet people around the country and the world. Discover what others are doing and see how you want to participate in the festival. Click the RSVP button to register and receive zoom details.

Freedomistas - Building Together February
2025-02-22 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-february/
Are you excited, curious or interested in the Freedom Festival? In the Freedomistas zoom call, we playfully discover what each of us can do to create explorations of freedom and independence with neighbors and loved ones.
Join us in a fun online session. Meet people around the country and the world. Discover what others are doing with the Festival and see how you want to participate. Click here or the Register link below and receive zoom details.

Freedomistas - Building Together March
2025-03-08 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-march/
Are you excited, curious or interested in the Freedom Festival? In the Freedomistas zoom call, we playfully discover what each of us can do to create explorations of freedom and independence with neighbors and loved ones.
Join us in a fun session. Meet people around the country and the world. Discover what others are doing and see how you want to participate in the festival. Click here or the RSVP link below to register and receive zoom details.

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-03-22 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly/2025-03-22/
Are you excited, curious or interested in the Freedom Festival? In the Freedomistas zoom call, we playfully discover what each of us can do to create explorations of freedom and independence with neighbors and loved ones.
Join us in a fun session. Meet people around the country and the world. Discover what others are doing and see how you want to participate in the festival. Click here or the registration link below to register and receive zoom details.

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-04-12 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly/2025-04-12/

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-04-26 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly-2/2025-04-26/

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-05-10 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly-2/2025-05-10/

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-05-24 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly-2/2025-05-24/

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-05-24 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly-2-2/2025-05-24/

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-05-31 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly-2/2025-05-31/

Freedomistas - Building Together Monthly meeting
2025-06-07 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freedomistas-building-together-monthly-2-2/2025-06-07/

Freedom-Makers: Maroons and the Underground Railroad
2025-06-07 15:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | online
This hybrid offering will be an in-person/virtual visit to the “Underground Railroad Tree” in the Guilford Woods of North Carolina. The 300-year-old Tulip Poplar tree is a living monument and witness to the freedom-seekers who were part of this eastern seaboard launching point of the Underground Railroad during the early 19th century. The great tree is located in a 350-acre forest in Greensboro, N.C. We will walk through the woods, share the history of the area, read excerpts from primary source accounts (journals and runaway ads), look at material culture and discuss the oral history of runaway enslaved people (maroons), and explore the ways in which we–people and our living world–create community and connectivity underground, overground, everywhere.
Led by historian Omar H. Ali from UNC Greensboro, the offering is part of the “Let’s Learn!: The World as Classroom” initiative of Lloyd International Honors College at UNC Greensboro and the East Side Institute in New York, in partnership with improvscience, the African American & African Diaspora Studies Program at UNC Greensboro, and the all-disciplinary honors society Phi Kappa Phi.

Art with your Cuppa in Festival '25
2025-06-19 06:00 - 2025-07-04 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Johnny’s Java Coffee Shop, Cotati CA, 8492 Gravenstein Hwy, Cotati, CA, United States
In 2023, Raquell Holmes selected paintings, photos and drawings from the art collection of Dr. LeVell Holmes, her father. The selection focused on Jubilee and black cultures. This year, we’re showcasing two Sonoma County artists associated with the Freedom Festival. Select pieces of Joanna Wheeldin and Amaya Yoshikawa will be on display at Johnny’s Java, Cotati CA, throughout the festival.
Grab a cup of coffee. Take your picture celebrating freedom and independence with these artists’ work. Let their pieces inspire a poem and bring it to our in-person Poetry by the Bay June 25 or online Freedom Dreams Open Mic July 4.
LeVell would have loved this festival! He was a cultural historian who felt that the ideal history professor is one who can talk about music, science and art as well as political events. This year’s Freedom Festival events give expression to these cultural forms and the art of coming together.
See you at Johnny’s, Roadhouse or online!
Conversation with Featured Artists: Joanna Wheeldin and Amaya Yoshikawa will be at Johnny’s Java on Saturday June 28th 10:30 am-12 pm to talk about their work and their experience of being Freedom Festival Freedomistas.

Freedom Festival: Opening Conversation
2025-06-19 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | online
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
What does it look like to collectively reflect on our journeys to freedom and independence, Juneteenth to Independence Day?
The improvscience Freedom Festival invites people in the US and internationally to come together, to create and explore organizing for freedom and independence.
What are we celebrating with Juneteenth and Independence Day? What is freedom and independence? How have we come to celebrate Juneteenth? We celebrate Juneteenth as a federal holiday because formerly enslaved people and their descendants advocated, organized and marched for decades to have this day recognized and celebrated.
In this Freedom Festival Conversation, you will meet fellow festival attendees and presenters from around the country; and learn who and how people are sharing their stories and dreams in the Freedom Festival.
Join this open, playful and philosophical conversation led by improvscience founder Raquell Holmes and East Side Institute faculty, Jessie Fields.

Juneteenth Staged Play Reading written & directed by Enid Pickett
2025-06-19 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | New Vintage Church, 3300 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA, United States
A staged play reading about love. Love of Family, Faith, and Freedom. Three acts: 1865-1963-2025. A black family’s journey of struggle and survival living in the USA. Performed by the Enid Pickett Players. Experience this event in person or watch it streaming live. A second reading will occur on June 20th.
Enid Pickett Players, names only: Natalia Humphrys, Bruce Rhodes, Ryan Porter, Nancy Pritchard, Sabryyah Abdullah, ReEllis Dotson-Newman, Maya James, Zeneta Arthur-Asgill, N’Game Gray, Nadia HillWoodRowe Farguheson Jr., Christopher Bowers, Erinn Anova, Sela Kerr, Shaun Greenhaigh, Keenan Webster, Enid Pickett
Click the image or link below to watch the play!

Video of Juneteenth

Juneteenth Staged Play Reading, written & directed by Enid Pickett
2025-06-20 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | New Vintage Church, 3300 Sonoma Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA, United States
What is Juneteenth? Juneteenth is a staged reading of a new play by Enid Pickett–a play about love. Love of family, faith, and freedom. Three acts: 1865-1963-2025. A black family’s journey of struggle and survival living in the USA. Performed by the Enid Pickett Players. Click Read More to watch it streaming live. Or buy tickets at the door to attend in person at New Vintage Church, Santa Rosa, CA. $20 General admission, $10Students & Seniors
Click link to watch this amazing performance on Youtube.
Enid Pickett Players, names only: Natalia Humphrys, Bruce Rhodes, Ryan Porter, Nancy Pritchard, Sabryyah Abdullah, ReEllis Dotson-Newman, Maya James, Zeneta Arthur-Asgill, N’Game Gray, Nadia HillWoodRowe Farguheson Jr., Christopher Bowers, Erinn Anova, Sela Kerr, Shaun Greenhaigh, Keenan Webster, Enid Pickett.

Marsha Pool Party
2025-06-21 12:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | R3 Hotel, 16390 4th Street, Guerneville, Californa, 95446
Dive into a celebration of joy, resistance, and unapologetic queer freedom at MARSHA, a pool party named after the legendary Marsha P. Johnson. Inspired by her activism, resilience, and radiant spirit, this event is more than just a party—it’s a statement of pride, community, and queer liberation.
Buy your tickets to attend the pool party.
💖 What to Expect:
🏊 Poolside Pride: A space to gather, celebrate, and uplift queer voices
🎶 Live DJ: DJ Die Wies spinning all day
💃Drag Performances: Hosted by Bionka Simone
🌺 Flowers for Marsha: Wear or bring flowers to honor her iconic style
🍹 Signature Cocktails & Mocktails: Sips as bold as she was
🌈 Unapologetic Joy: Because celebrating ourselves is an act of resistance
Wear your flowers, bring your light, and let’s honor Marsha the best way we know how—TOGETHER. 💦🌸✨
From the producers of The Oz Ball, Escape to Wonderland, White Lotus and Barbie Party, THTR Productions is proud to be partnering with the r3 Hotel to produce world-class entertainment and epic pool parties all summer long.
Poolside seating is limited and is first-come-first-served.
Tickets available on Eventbrite here. $20 General admission

The Freedom We Make : Queer Artists on Sound, Struggle, and Sanctuary Spaces
2025-06-22 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | online
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
How do queer artists create spaces of freedom-not just for survival, but for creative process?
Amid the federal administration’s threats to sanctuary jurisdictions, MovingGround initiated Sanctuary Spaces, an art-action network to share narratives and shed light on people’s lives directly impacted through conversation, performance, and co-creating live and experiential Sanctuary Spaces together. From Window, the Black lesbian vocalist and author of Black Lesbian Bedtime Stories, to Mister Lady Zen, an internationally acclaimed composer, cabaret artist, poet, and queer elder. Together these artists use sound, word, and community to build sanctuaries. Meanwhile, Najee Rene aka “Casino,” the Berlin-based musician and podcaster behind BABE: Black American Berlin Expat, amplifies diasporic voices across borders.
Together with Freedom Festival and the Freedomistas, Lisa Aurora Calderon, co-founder of Naming Gallery and ToMaRo Gallery invited MovingGround Artistic Director Krista DeNio to co-moderate this panel where we ask the panelists to share: How do we create Sanctuary, Safety, and Protection? How does art become a tool for peace in the face of chaos? How do we preserve sanity while fighting for liberation? And what does it mean to teach, create, and thrive when governments change abruptly?
Join us for a conversation on music, memory, and the radical act of making room for ourselves.
Incredible Panelists and Organizers!
CO-ORGANIZERS / MODERATORS:

Lisa Aurora – ToMaRoGallery.com
Krista DeNio – MovingGround

PANELISTS/ ARTISTS

Window – Vocalist, Singer Songwriter, Artist, and Author of Back Lesbian Bedtime Stories.
Najee Rene aka “Casino” – The Emperor’s Tarot and BABE Black American Berlin Expat
Mister Lady Zen- Internationally acclaimed composer, cabaret artist, poet, and queer elder. Learn more about her work here.

Registration and Fee:
$5-50 sliding scale. Get tickets below. Additional donations can be made to Venmo | MovingGround; write one word in the payment note that gives or creates in you a sense of sanctuary.
**Please note that these contributions go directly to paying the artist fees for all panel experts!

International Conversation Café: Building Community With Differences
2025-06-23 12:15 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/international-conversation-cafe-building-community-with-differences/
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
9:15am PT | 11:15am CT | 12:15pm ET.
Hosted by students and faculty from Pace University’s International Conversation Group Program
Join us this summer for a reflective and uplifting virtual gathering where curiosity, connection, and community take center stage. Born from the success of Pace University’s International Conversation Group & Facilitator Training Program—a vibrant program uniting students from diverse fields, nationalities, and cultures—this special Conversation Café invites you to explore the power of building community with differences.
Together, we’ll explore how tools of improvisation can help us build stronger relationships, more inclusive learning environments, and resilient communities—locally and globally. Whether you feel called to speak, listen, or simply be present, this space invites you to:

Connect across cultures
Explore the art of listening and being present with each other’s voices and ideas
Create new possibilities with people from around the world

We’re honored to offer this session as part of the Freedom Festival, and we can’t wait to welcome you to the circle. No preparation needed—just bring your open heart and curious mind.
The presenters are part of Pace University’s International Conversation Group Program: Gwen Lowenheim, Rasika Choudhari, and Madhura Motale.
June 23, 2025: 9:15am PT | 11:15am CT | 12:15pm ET

Madhura Motale

Rasika Choudhari

Gwen Lowenheim

Discord and Harmony : The Struggle for Freedom in the USA Through Blues, Jazz, Soul, and Hip-Hop
2025-06-24 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/discord-and-harmony-the-struggle-for-freedom-in-the-usa-through-blues-jazz-soul-and-hip-hop-2/
2:00 – 4:00 pm PDT/ 4:00 – 6:00pm CDT/ 5:00pm – 7:00pm EDT. This will be a look at-and a listen to-the role African American music has played in embodying and inspiring the ongoing struggle for freedom and full equality in the U.S.A. The session will be a mix of music video clips (Billie Holiday, Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder, among others) and informal conversation led by progressive musician and composer Dan Belmont, and life-long grassroots organizer and leader Allen Cox.

Poetry by the Bay
2025-06-25 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Roadhouse, 1580 Eastshore Rd, Bodega Bay, CA, 94923-9758, United States
Let’s get together and talk about freedom and what it means to each of us, using the oft forgotten power of poetry. Bring something original or something that resonates with you and share it at our first mic-less open mic poetry reading.
In this after-hours event, light snacks are provided.

Freely Exploring Quantum
2025-06-26 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/freely-exploring-quantum/
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
12:00pm PT / 2:00pm CT / 3:00pm ET. What can freedom look like related to the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology? Join two or three physicists to play with and wonder about quantum models of the microscopic world in this interactive workshop. No prior background or familiarity with quantum physics needed, just curiosity!

June 26, 2025: 12:00pm PT / 2:00pm CT / 3:00pm ET

Led by Dr. Carolyn Sealfon, a scientist with a background in Bayesian cosmology. She seeks to collaboratively apply beautiful and challenging mathematics to practical problems. Education integrates her longtime passions of problem-solving through science and connecting people through performing arts.

Co-Presenter, Dr. Nicholas Gross: With a Ph.D. in physics, for over 2 decades Nick has been working on science education project at all levels, including those projects for an audience new to science.

Co-Presenter, Dr. Simone Hyater-Adams: Dr. Simone Hyater-Adams is a physicist, artist, educator, and researcher with a drive for supporting Black and Brown STEM students and finding creative ways to combine her passions for both science and art. Her PER research focuses on understanding the ways physicists of color and LGBTQIA+ physicists identify with the physics community. Additionally, she runs a STEM and Arts Education consulting firm that works with universities and non-profits on research projects and educational programming at the intersection of STEM and Art.

Solar Punk and Rural Education: A conversation
2025-06-27 12:00 - 13:20 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/solar-punk/
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
12:00pm PT / 2:00pm CT / 3:00pm ET
Join us. The literary, artistic, and social movement “Solar Punk” often portrays a futuristic, post-capitalist, and even decolonial, world. What does “Solar Punk” have to do with Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Computing (STEM+C) Learning? Is there a relationship between this literary genre and creating equitable access to educational materials? How does freedom play into the ideas of the solar punk movement, and how are those similar or different from creating access to technology in a warming world?
EdEon projects seek to partner with under-resourced, rural communities to bring technological assets that enable community members to engage critically in computational thinking and explore the roles that technology can or does play in their worlds. Laura Peticolas and Hannah Hellman discuss how they see their hands-on education work at EdEon STEM Learning and Sonoma State University reaching rural communities as part of this literary genre. Laura Peticolas is Co-Director of EdEon, a PhD physicist, and STEM+C educator. Hannah Hellman is EdEon’s Communications Specialist, a Masters in English, and writer.
June 27, 2025, 12:00pm PT / 2:00pm CT / 3:00pm ET

Open Forum with Community for Law Enforcement Accountability Now - CLEAN (Sonoma)
2025-06-27 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/open-forum-with-clean-sonoma-county/
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
3:00 – 4:00 pm PDT/ 5:00 – 6:00 pm CDT/ 6:00 – 7:00 pm EDT
The Community for Law Enforcement Accountability Now (CLEAN) of Sonoma (CA) County invites you to join them for a conversation about the history of law enforcement in America.
The members of CLEAN, each with very different backgrounds, will discuss how CLEAN was created, and how we came together to fight for transparency and accountability from law enforcement at the county level. We will address what inspired us to take action, and how we are fighting to ensure that everyone is able to live free and without oppression.
CLEAN members who will be speaking are:
Barbara Grasseschi, President and founding member. With a diverse background in finance, sales, and marketing for the high-tech industry, Barbara has been a strong advocate of positive political action to strengthen the community locally, statewide, and nationally.
Barbara serves on the Steering Committee for the Electing Women Alliance, the National Advisory Board for the Union of Concerned Scientists, and is the founder of the Wine Country Chapter of Electing Women Bay Area.
Carl Tennenbaum, Secretary. A 32 year veteran with the San Francisco Police Department, Carl specialized in community policing and public outreach, with an emphasis on restorative justice and alternatives to police responses to mental health, homelessness, and substance use issues.

Carl is an outspoken critic of modern police tactics, using his platform as a speaker with the international police reform organization Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and as a member of CLEAN.
Alcina Horstman, Treasurer. Alcina is one of the founding members of CLEAN and the Measure P ballot initiative that created civilian oversight of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Alcina has a long history of social activism and community outreach, specializing in restorative justice practices. Alcina’s commitment to law enforcement and accountability is perfectly balanced by her empathetic and inclusive nature.
Other members of CLEAN, include:
Kirstyne Lange Highly recognized and acknowledged for her tireless activism, Kirstyne has dedicated her life to the model of diversity, equity, and inclusion for everyone. A long term resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Kirstyne prides herself on her work creating and continuing important dialogues and policies of inclusion in education, government, and law enforcement.
Kirstyne is the President of the NAACP – Santa Rosa | Sonoma County, Unit #1074B, along with her membership and activism with a number of other local and national organizations.
Nancy Pemberton Nancy is an attorney and investigator who has spent her career representing people charged with capital crimes who are facing possible state sponsored execution. This places Nancy at the absolute heart of what freedom means, and her work helps people realize that ultimate freedom: life.
Nancy is the co-founder of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI), an organization that trains professionals in the investigation of human atrocities. She currently serves as the Secretary/Treasurer of the IICI.
Nancy is also currently the Vice Chair of Sonoma County Community Advisory Council to the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review and Oversight (IOLERO), the civilian body that oversees the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

AIN xWatch Party + GPB Playtelligence
2025-06-28 05:00 - 06:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/ain-xwatch-party-gpb-playtelligence/
AINxWatch Party is back!!
June 28, 2025 8am CDT/9amEDT/9pm PST/10pm JST
The first AINxWatch party for 2025 will be a collaboration event between Applied Improv Network, Global Play Brigade, and the Improvscience’s Freedom Festival.
Join us to watch We will watch a recording of “Embracing The Unknown: it’s what we’ve got,” a recording from the which was part of the Global Play Brigade Playshops on Playtelligence – March 2025. In this workshop, we explored how in a world of constant change, relying on old knowledge isn’t enough. What we need is improvisation, curiosity, and a willingness to explore unknownability. Educators, students, and change-makers came together to play, perform and rethink learning, and grow together.
To broaden our concept of unknowability, here is a quote from Lois Holzmans’ American Psychological Association blog post, Embrace the Unknowable, No Matter How Grim. She shared, “Holding fast to the belief that the happenings of our lives are knowable can get us into deep trouble…Ironically, the belief that knowing what will happen prepares us for it actually leaves us less prepared for it…Accepting—better yet, embracing—unknowability helps us be more, not less, prepared. More prepared to participate in what’s transpiring and give some direction to it. More prepared to create with others what will emerge from the process. More prepared to improvise. More prepared to grow. Embracing unknowability is a way to live a ‘yes, and…’ life. ”
Everyone is welcome to join in! Join us! Let’s step boldly into the unknown—because that’s where possibility lives!
June 28th Saturday 5am PDT/7am CDT/8am EDT/8pm CST / 9pm JST

Conversation with Freedomista Artists
2025-06-28 10:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Johnny’s Java Coffee Shop, Cotati CA, 8492 Gravenstein Hwy, Cotati, CA, United States
The Freedom Festival is organized by volunteers–presenters, artists, sponsors, scientists, educators, herbalists, enthusiasts and attendees. The artists who are Freedomistas offer a visual gift of flyers, accessibility and inspiration. Come see what they explore in their mediums.
Joanna Wheeldin and Amaya Yoshikawa will be onsite at Johnny’s Java to talk about their work and their experience of celebrating freedom and independence in the festival.
Joanna Wheeldin is a multi-media artist from Sonoma County. Her intersectionality as a mixed race queer woman informs her artistic expression. Joanna is constantly inspired by art across centuries and cultures, combining influences to honor the collective human nature of art. Her work aims to play, to ask questions, and to bring our imagination to life.

Amaya Yoshikawa is a mixed Black and Asian artist based in Sonoma County, California. Her work explores identity, community, and social justice. She creates to uplift marginalized voices and inspire reflection, healing, and connection.

June 28, 2025: 10:30am – 12pm PT

North Bay Freedomistas, Fans and Friends of the Festival
2025-06-28 13:30 - 16:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
1:30 pm – 4:30 pm PT Join us this Saturday in Cotati for a potluck reception celebrating the work of the festival and the birthday of Freedomista Jacqueline Hayward.
We’ll eat, talk, laugh, and share stories of the festival and enjoy what we’re building together.
Who: Presenters, collaborators, donors, fans and friends of the festival
Where: Holmes Haven, Cotati

RSVPs requested.
Freedomistas have fun while creating festival events, fliers and aspirations

Free Will and Determinism in Anime: A discussion of compatibilism in the context of working towards more freedom for all people
2025-06-28 19:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | https://freedomfestivalusa.org/event/free-will-and-determinism-in-anime/
4:30pm PT / 6:30pm CT / 7:30pm ET
Join us. Are we bound to fulfill our destinies, or does our free will determine our path? Jennifer Teig von Hoffman will explore the questions and statements about free will raised by several Japanese animation series, including Mawaru Penguindrum, Princess Tutu, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. This will be followed by an open discussion space on how compatibilism informs our continued work towards more freedom for all people.
Jennifer Teig von Hoffman is a frequent panelist at pop culture conventions, such as Anime Boston and ConnectiCon. She is in her crone era, having been a pop culture obsessive since growing up on Speed Racer and Star Trek in the 1970s. Like many folks of younger generations, her fascination with Japanese animation was triggered by stumbling across an episode of Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim in 2001. Jennifer’s gender is a rounding error, and any pronouns are fine. Her academic background is in Philosophy (BA) and Administrative Studies (MS); her critical thinking is informed by Marxism, surrealist though, and queer theory.
June 28, 2025: 4:30pm PT / 6:30pm CT / 7:30pm ET

The Freedom We Make : Queer Artists on Sound, Struggle, and Sanctuary Spaces
2025-06-29 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | online
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
12-2pm PDT / 2-4 pm CDT/ 3-4 pm EDT. How do queer artists create spaces of freedom-not just for survival, but for creative process?
Amid the federal administration’s threats to sanctuary jurisdictions, MovingGround initiated Sanctuary Spaces, an art-action network to share narratives and shed light on people’s lives directly impacted through conversation, performance, and co-creating live and experiential Sanctuary Spaces together. From Window, the Black lesbian vocalist and author of Black Lesbian Bedtime Stories, to Mister Lady Zen, an internationally acclaimed composer, cabaret artist, poet, and queer elder. Together these artists use sound, word, and community to build sanctuaries. Meanwhile, Najee Rene aka “Casino,” the Berlin-based musician and podcaster behind BABE: Black American Berlin Expat, amplifies diasporic voices across borders.
Together with Freedom Festival and the Freedomista, Lisa Aurora Calderon, co-founder of Naming Gallery and ToMaRo Gallery invited MovingGround Artistic Director Krista DeNio to co-moderate this panel where we ask the panelists to share: How do we create Sanctuary, Safety, and Protection? How does art become a tool for peace in the face of chaos? How do we preserve sanity while fighting for liberation? And what does it mean to teach, create, and thrive when governments change abruptly? Join us for a conversation on music, memory, and the radical act of making room for ourselves.
Incredible Panelists and Organizers! ::
CO-ORGANIZERS / MODERATORS:

Lisa Aurora – ToMaRoGallery.com
Krista DeNio – MovingGround

PANELISTS/ ARTISTS

Window – Vocalist, Singer Songwriter, Artist, and Author of Black Lesbian Bedtime Stories.
Najee Rene aka “Casino” – The Emperor’s Tarot and BABE Black American Berlin Expat
Mister Lady Zen- Internationally acclaimed composer, cabaret artist, poet, and queer elder. Learn more about her work here.

Registration and Fee:
$5-50 sliding scale. Get tickets below. Additional donations can be made to Venmo | MovingGround; write one word in the payment note that gives or creates in you a sense of sanctuary
**Please note that your contribution goes directly to paying the artist fees for all panel experts!
12-2pm PDT / 2-4 pm CDT/ 3-4 pm EDT.

Freedom From the Machine: The Uses and Abuses of AI
2025-07-01 15:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | online
You haven’t missed it. Watch on YouTube.
12 pm PDT/ 2 pm CDT/ 3pm EDT
The increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of “Large Language Models” such as Chat-GPT, or generative image models such as Dali opens up the possibility of increased productivity as well as individual expression. Much like other tools, AI also has the potential to be used either carelessly or with malicious intent. To understand both the benefits and the pitfalls, it is important to understand how AI is implemented, what tasks it can do well, what it can’t do well, and how we can guard against malicious use.
Join us for this session that will introduce some of the fundamentals of AI, provide some hands-on experience with using these tools, and open to a discussion about how they may shape our lives in the future. Open to all. No AI experience necessary.
Discussion Leads: Loretta Cheeks and Nick Gross
