Wandering Wednesdays is a traveling potluck dinner party designed to connect neighbors! This gathering is an 8 year old tradition, birthed in Rosendale, centered on a traveling potluck dinner party. WW promotes the boundless potential of sharing meals with neighbors and friends and all the good things that brings, as well as the values of inclusivity, kindness, and mutual respect.
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Calling all changemakers in the Mid-Hudson Valley!
The Hudson Valley Co-op Mixer is a regional gathering of neighbors who are passionate about local, self determined and community-led development. The HV Co-op Mixer is hosted by a team of local cooperative developers who want to build a sustainable, regional ecosystem where our economies work for all!
This gathering is recurring and encourages ongoing connection and resource-sharing. We will move through a round of introductions and community announcements, followed by open space and time to connect and enjoy the music and potluck. Remember to bring something savory or sweet to share. Thanks for COVID testing before you arrive, and masks will be available. Whether you’re just co-op curious, work in a co-op, or are passionate about economic justice in our region, join us!
This event is sponsored by Good Work Institute, Co-op Hudson Valley, Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms Cooperative, Democracy at Work Institute and LIFT Economy.
This is a free event. Registration is required.
HOMECOMING is an exploration of early African American music and sound meditation as binding and healing mediums. This sound journey will take participants through the not-so-distant past to the present juncture of time.
America has written the complete African American narrative out of history and continues to try with cries of Critical Race Theory. These songs contain a portion of the record. Several tracks are church, field and prison work, or a capella songs. They tell the stories of a people, motivate change, and help ease the struggle of surviving extreme injustice.
They record resilience, the pursuit of meaning, and the joy of living. In encountering these recordings, we honor the ancestors’ voices and reclaim the power of the first instrument, the human voice, to heal.
This offering reflects deep meditation, an encounter with early prison work songs, and contemplations on what we are learning about history. As we dive deeper into the music, we can hear the elders speaking through time, not to be discarded or ignored. This project is not the experience of all Black people in America but rather a snapshot or dream of forgotten voices made present.
“Trees make symphonies without their trunks ever moving, almost as it the stillness of their centers amplifies their sound. The tree may appear still, but if you look closer, you’ll see that each leaf flails with breath. The tree may seem alone, but plow deep and you’ll unearth its secret gnarled roots- the grotesque and the beautiful creeping in the soil, reaching toward the ancestors.” – Cole Arthur Riley
One of the paths to finding healing is to be seen and heard. The experience of HOMECOMING allows us to explore the boundaries between sound and healing. We hope to expand on the voices and experiences unacknowledged, unheard and unseen.
Space is limited. We ask that you register in advance and arrive by 12:45 pm, as we will begin to open the space to others at 1:00 pm.
This is a workshop/music performance exploring the transformative power of music centered around grief and loss led by violinist, Death Doula Concetta Abbate. For more information, click the link below.
For our final session of this series, we’ll be talking about how whales and dolphins fit into their/our ecosystems. How do they keep change moving along so that the system is healthy? How about humans in ecology, and humans in social systems? How do you affect your social and environmental systems? Like Whales and Dolphins, humans are very communicative creatures. One way we promote change is by writing, and by letting others read our writing! Today, we are going to write letters to seaquariums, aquariums, and government officials — and encourage them to get on board with ending captivity practices, and with freeing these remarkably wise and powerful creatures to appropriate sanctuaries.
Today, we’ll discuss terms “freedom” “captivity” and “intuition”. What are some examples of when you feel these words?
We’ll also discuss how cetaceans use biomagnetism (an inner, magnetic compass!) as an important and strong sense of navigation. We will make a simple compass as a class example. We’ll try imagining what it might be like to use this special sense – we will try to feel what it might feel like, and allow ourselves to be guided by that feeling. We will conclude by making up two dances – one as if we are cetaceans in captivity, and one, in our wild natural, ocean habitat , using echolocation, guided by our inner compass, and living with the ones we love.
Cetaceans are known to have close knit families. Many whales and dolphins travel in ‘pods’ of family members – singing together, hunting together, playing together, and even hugging in their whalish ways.
Today, we will be exploring how different cetaceans organize their families, spend time with extended family, and teach their children important survival skills, as well as how to carry on traditions. Then, using clay, cardboard, and materials that could otherwise end up in landfills, we will make models of a cetacean family pod, swimming freely in their natural habitat.
Today we will learn about the senses of cetaceans (dolphins, whales, porpoises) and how these highly sensitive and intelligent creatures use sound and echolocation as their main* source of communication and navigation. We will listen to different examples of whale and dolphin sounds and get curious about what they may be singing about. Then, we will explore how humans use sound to communicate. We will write and sing a song dedicated to freedom for cetaceans, and their lives in the sea.
Cetaceans have personal identities, and so do humans. As they work together to take care of each other and live life, they clearly have unique styles and personalities.
Today, we’ll be making t-shirts that express your personal style and your activism to end captivity practices! Materials will be provided, but if you have a t shirt you’ve been wanting to decorate, bring it along!
This 5-part series is full of whale and dolphin science, artistic expression, and everyday activism in support of cetacean sanctuaries! A portion of proceeds will go to the whalesanctuaryproject.org. This program is geared towards children 7-11 years old. For more information, click the link below.
Moms Demand Action works toward gun violence prevention and uplifts survivors. Please join as our NY chapter plans for 2025.
Come join us at the Good Work Institute Greenhouse Kingston for an afternoon of music, food, and community vibes! This is more than just an event; it’s a community experience where art, music and culture interset. Whether you’re here for soulful tunes, the inspiring art, or the sense of community, the Greenhouse is where you want to be. Connect with fellow art lovers, support local talent and be a part of something special.
The Climate Smart Kingston Commission and New Yorkers for Clean Power present: Solar Car Discovery Day! This family fun event is happening Saturday, November 9th from 10am-1:30pm. Kids ages 7-14 along with their parents can build a solar car that they can take home and learn about solar energy (the sun’s power and how we use sunlight to power our lives). We will also have a Solar Bead Bracelet craft (the beads are translucent and change color in the sun) and solar coloring books. A Cyanotypes (solar photo paper) craft will be available weather-dependent. Parents can join their children for the project or they can enjoy coffee and conversation with local green energy experts and advisors. Click the link below for more information and to register.
