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Location
Chicago, IL
Project Title
Artist Residency with Nia O. Witherspoon + Jillian Walker (Titled: The Quantum Exchange)
Fiscal Year Awarded
2022
Grant or Program
National Theater Project Presenter Travel Grant
Grant Amount
$1,505
Links Hall requests a travel grant for Nia to visit Chicago (as opposed to Links traveling to see Priestess of Twerk) so that she can immerse herself in the Chicago community. Travel to Chicago for a residency is a prelude to the premiere of Priestess of Twerk in Chicago in 2024. As the NEFA team knows, this new work is inspired by the “bad bitches” of hiphop, the reproductive justice movement, and sacred sex workers that graced ancient Egyptian temples. Considering systemic violence against Black women, femmes, and trans folk, Nia asks, “What does it mean to decolonize wellness by putting Black women and femmes first–IN Chicago? What are the rites of passage that support evolved, decolonized systems of care? How do we support Black femme bodies, including single mothers, elders, sex workers, incarcerated folks?”
The project models reciprocal co-creation with local Black/Queer/Trans artists, healers, and activists which necessitates Nia’s presence in Chicago prior to the 2024 Tour.