OPENING CELEBRATION of
“Kinship of Rivers: We Are One Family”
a 4Ground Midwest Land Art Biennial art installation
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 SUMMER SOLSTICE
Time: Noon
COST: FREE and open to the public (Donations are greatly appreciated! Also, if you plan to enjoy the Kinstone grounds for all or part of the day before or after this event, please pay admission. Thank you!)
Place: Kinstone – in the Great Stone Circle and in the Education Center Building (air conditioned!)
What: Art Opening Celebration! We will celebrate the opening of “Growing Family” an installation of the “Kinship of Rivers: We Are One Family” project at Kinstone by artists Wang Ping and Joe Lerro, part of the 4Ground Midwest Land Art Biennial festival going on all season.
Artists Wang Ping and Joe Lerro will be onsite to discuss the installation.
Al “Good Heart” Baker, Big Drum Chief and Keeper of Sacred Song of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, will drum and sing in honor of the rivers of the world and the global community we all belong to.
We will be treated to a stunning display of prayer flags from all around the world that will encircle the Great Stone Circle and line the entire length of the Summer Solstice Corridor. A perfect way to usher in the sun on Summer Solstice!
Join this collaborative, interactive performance and be an active participant in this project. We will highlight community and the inclusion of everyone who attends and all those who have participated by creating flags from 2012 until now.
We will have at least one art workstation set up with all supplies needed to make art and poetry on flags. You can make plant prints, drawings, writings, or whatever your heart desires with paints, rollers, sprays, markers, and more. These flags will be added to the “Growing Family” where they will fly all summer long… until Autumn Equinox when the project closes. At that point, these flags will join the thousands of others that travel from river to river all around the globe.
All who attend are invited to make prayer flags (also referred to as “river flags” in a nod to the connecting influence of the rivers and waters of the world) to add to the art installation. Poetry, art, and creative self expression are the highest form of empowerment. When we share from our hearts we reforge and renew the connection we all share as beings on this beautiful planet. That sharing of self is the core of this art installation. We hope you will come be part of it.
Read more about this project, 4Ground, and the artists at this link:
4Ground Land Art at Kinstone 6/1 – 9/22
ABOUT Alvin Baker (Good Heart):
Good Heart is a member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. He has devoted his life to the re-building and development of the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation community. He is a lifelong practitioner of the ancient healing arts of the Great Lakes Peoples. He is an accomplished woodsman with a superb knowledge of “Mother Earth”, his environment, and how to live with the land. Mr. Baker is recognized as an Eagle Staff Carrier for the Old Bald Eagle Warrior Society, the Big Drum Chief and Keeper of Sacred Song. He is a Purification Lodge Leader, Spiritual Leader and Ceremonial Chief of the Anishinabeg Great Lakes Ogichiidaa. Good Heart is recognized Internationally as a Doctor of indigenous healing fine arts and has worked professionally as a consultant on indigenous traditions, culture and history his entire life. Good Heart has worked for the Lac Courte Oreilles’ Honor The Earth Education Foundation and has served as both Public Relations Officer and Chairman. Mr. Baker is also an accomplished graphic artist with over forty years experience as a professional sign painter.
A note about Summer Solstice:
This day was selected for the opening celebration for the art installation “Growing Family” by artists Joe Lerro and Wang Ping because it embodies the spirit of this project. Summer Solstice is the day when we enjoy the longest period of light. It is the pivot point from Spring to Summer; from initiation to a time of focused growth. It is a time when all the intentions and seeds that we planted in Spring are hungry for the fuel to help them grow. The long, luxurious days of Summer bring the nourishing light of the Sun making our plantings thrive, and in this light we thrive, too!
Summer reminds us that there is hope in the world. The strong light illuminates, inspires, and shows us how our own light can spread all around the globe and be nourishment for all. Through our own light and our own heart-centered actions we offer nourishment to others, just like the sun. Summer becomes a time to work on ourselves and our ability to be the light and find meaning in our journey, even when it seems uncertain. This is the rhythm of nature; new beginnings transition into a period of uncertainty. Summer is the time to develop faith in our life, squash the darkness with light, and trust that just like the Sun, we will rise each day no matter what life brings us.
THANK YOU for supporting us and joining us in honoring our waters, our world, and our community!
The 4 Ground Midwest Land Art Biennial 2022 event is sponsored by Franconia Sculpture Park in Schafer, Minnesota in partnership with Arts Midwest and International Sculpture Center.
