(WGGB/WSHM) – Town by town is taking you to Chicopee, Ludlow and Springfield.

The city of Chicopee is offering free rides for residents to go get Thanksgiving dinner.

Residents can catch a ride this Thanksgiving either at the Family Dollar on Exchange Street or Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen on Pendexter Avenue.

The bus will bring guests to the Knights of Columbus for a meal and then back to their original location.

The Ludlow Veterans Services distributed 300 turkeys to veteran families on Thursday.

Each veteran received a turkey, a fresh apple pie, and a bag of thanksgiving food items at no cost.

The distribution took place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Lastly, Chicopee-based indigenous artist, Anthony Melting Tallow, spoke about his art exhibit at Springfield Technical Community College.

The event took place from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the STCC campus.

Melting Tallow’s work addresses land dispossession, misappropriation of native imagery, and violence against indigenous women.

Copyright 2023. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.

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Living in NYC is described as a sponge-like experience according to Saleha Bembury – queue his organically inspired footwear designs. The mind of Bembury is just as absorbent in displaying his latest creation this year at Art Basel Miami Beach 2023. He is unveiling a new vinyl toy design that represents the aesthetic fans have become familiar with – sneakerheads, at the least.

With the help of American Express Platinum, Salehe Bembury has manifested his interpretation of a puffer fish, which he recognizes for its sponge-like ability. This inspiration and organic transformation have been informing the footwear designer for some time as he ascended to the artist he is today. Collaborating with PlayLab, Inc., the gallery will showcase reimagined iconic toys as limited edition collectibles and art pieces from artists, including the puffer fish toy from Salehe Bembury.

“My toy is my brand’s logo is Spunge, spelled S-P-U-N-G-E,” Bembury explains the inspiration for his creation. “The brand mascot, if you will, is a puffer fish, which, in itself, is a sponge. I think the most valuable thing you can be in life is a sponge – constantly absorbing. Ultimately my brand is a representation of those learned experiences. I think [it’s] an important idea to communicate to the audience and for people to adapt to their own lives.”

Born in TriBeCa New York, the downtown kid, meticulously crafted his way into streetwear with shoe designs that have wowed the masses. American Express Platinum is set to host PLAY, an interactive gallery during Art Week in Miami. “I am from New York City. Born specifically in Tribeca, New York. Oh, nice. Born and raised, very proud. Native New Yorker. Moved to Los Angeles seven years ago for what was the dream job of designing sneakers for Kanye West.”

Before that, the footwear savant was at Cole Hann, where he followed his then-design director out West to join the Yeezy production team, ultimately reaching a career-high, at the time. Bembury notes, “It was more than just sneakers. It was inspiration, it was culture. I submitted some work – then after some time, I became the head of men’s shoes for Kanye.” Bembury would then move on to Versace, where he designed Iconic footwear for the brand that featured a notable rap artist, 2 Chainz, in its rollout.

Being the sponge that he is, Bembury hindsight of his New York upbringing offered more than he expected. This amalgamation of culture was subversively fluid in its delivery for the designer. He explains, “Well, it’s interesting because I think that [and] a lot of the things that enhance, inspire, and or influence New Yorkers are things that we don’t notice.”

He points over to his right, “This is my operations manager [he’s from Colorado] and we’ve just been walking around, and he’s just been telling me about the things that he sees and notices about New York that I don’t notice at all because I’m from here.” Subconsciously, Bembury absorbed the eclecticism of the city that helped foster streetwear.

“They’re like those intangible things. I think just being from [New York City], the people, the melting pot of cultures, the different fashion senses, it’s just – is! It, literally, is the difference between being in a place where everyone is the same and being that outlier. And then being in a place where everyone is the outlier and feeling comfortable and feeling free,” Bembury explains of the Big Apple scene.

The exhibited artists and their creations include Salehe Bembury’s Spunge Vinyl Toy, a three-dimensional art piece; Eny Lee Parker’s “Benny,” a bunny-shaped plush toy made from high-end leftover upholstery fabrics; Serban Ionescu’s “City of Canals,” a unique chessboard and hand-sculpted chess piece set; Surin Kim‘s colorful toy car with a Korean inscription, conveying good luck and wealth; and Kumkum Fernando’s “Tomorrow,” a wooden toy robot employing traditional Vietnamese techniques.

Bembury feels adolescent in the art space. As a footwear designer, his pivot into toy creation is novel, following in the footsteps of toy designers like Frank Kozik. “I just ventured into entrepreneurship and [I] got used to seeing my name on things, which is strange. Before that, I worked for a brand, and what was initially somewhat intimidating, turned into a very fruitful situation. Now, I find myself as one would call an independent designer. Given my background in industrial design, I’m extremely versatile in what I can create. Perfect transition.

“This [has] given me the tools to participate with American Express Platinum in this toy project,” Bembury details of his partnership. “For the longest time, I’ve introduced myself as, and been proud to raise my fist as a footwear designer, but I have many other skills, and this project helps me access that.”

He continues, “I think product serves different roles. I am very humbled by the fact that people choose my sneakers to purchase and wear, but often the relationship is a 24-hour one or a 12-hour run. What’s really cool about toys or even products for the home is that they live in the home, and it’s a different relationship with the consumer because they decide to celebrate that.”

Bembury ironically has a passive relationship with his footwear designs in regard to its purpose. “You really can’t celebrate a shoe. You celebrate it for the night, you celebrate it for the day, but a product that you keep in your home, like a high-end toy, or something that one of the other [PLAY exhibit] collaborators have created. That’s a more intimate relationship. I’m just excited to be a part of that because I went from this 12-hour product relationship to a now more intimate.”

The gallery will offer a playful experience for ‘Amex’ Card Members, inviting them to interact with oversized playground installations inspired by the artists’ works. These installations, designed by PlayLab, Inc., include classic playground elements like a see-saw, slide, and ball pit. Additionally, attendees will enjoy contemporary twists on childhood snacks and drinks. PLAY by American Express Platinum seeks to provide a unique blend of art, play, and nostalgia during the Miami Art Week.

The artworks will be available for purchase at the gallery, with select toys offered online from December 10 for a limited time. The event, taking place at The Miami Beach EDITION from December 7-9, 2023, aims to blend art and nostalgia for Platinum Card® and Centurion® Members and their guests, featuring play-ready collectible toys.

OKLAHOMA CITY – On Nov. 6, Native American students from across Oklahoma gathered at the Paycom Center to celebrate the Oklahoma City Thunder’s fourth annual Native American Student Day. 

The event was moderated by motivational speaker, actor and life coach Chance Rush (Hidatsa) and featured a panel discussion with Emcee One (Osage/Potawatomi/Delaware), Ace Greenwood (Chickasaw), Sarah Adams-Cornell (Choctaw) and Justin Yahola (Chickasaw).

“The panel really talked about standing up for your rights, standing up for the goodness of the human race, education, understanding your culture and leaning toward what you want to become or what you want to do,” Rush said. “I’ve had the privilege of knowing this panel from, not just here in Oklahoma but all across the United States. For all of them to be here in Oklahoma on a platform like this to share with our young leadership, it was great. I’m grateful they talked about education, culture and leadership. I know sometimes we can see the Thunder as a game of basketball, but what the Thunder do is they really bring to light the importance of American and Oklahoman history and culture. It’s important to be reminded of how important it is to understand your culture, to respect a culture and to be mindful and lean toward the goodness so that we can contribute to the human race.”

After the panel discussion, students were treated to a performance by the Blazing Bear drum circle, dancers and a stickball presentation provided by First Americans Museum. 

“(The event) is filled with 40 vendors and 1,300 students from across Indian Country here today,” Michelle Matthews, Thunder director of fan development and retail, explained. “We had a stickball presentation on the court from First Americans Museum and several health, education and tribal resource booths located on the concourse for the kids to explore today before the game.”

Students were also invited to attend the game between the Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks, during which the Thunder also celebrated its annual Native American Heritage Night. 

“You’re going to see performances from local natives, including Blazing Bear drum circle, as well as a few fancy dancers,” Matthews said. “We have live Native artists on the concourse tonight and then First Americans Museum will be showcasing ‘Grandma Turtle’ and the new exhibits that are coming to their location.” 

Cherokee Nation citizen and youngest artist to win a Native American music award Ava Rose Johnson also performed the National Anthem before the game.

“The Oklahoma City Thunder really look forward to Native American Student Day every year,” Matthews said. “It’s all about fellowship. We don’t want this to be just about traditions and what’s rooted in the past, but also what’s ahead. They’re the next generation that’s to come and we want them to know that they’re supported by the Oklahoma City Thunder.”

Leslie Barlow is a lover of science fiction, as well as an artist and community educator. While she grew up in a self-professed family of “Black nerds,” she knew that being into science fiction wasn’t always looked at as being “cool.” 

“I went to my first sci-fi convention, and once I found that space, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, there’s so many of us.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, wait, not quite’… there wasn’t a huge, you know, Black and brown representation at that convention.” 

Although she enjoyed sharing her passion for comics, she felt like an outsider as a Black person in a mostly white community. 

This feeling would eventually lead to the creation of ConFluence. 

“This has been a crazy project. Definitely a labor of love,” said Barlow, who produced the event.

“Everybody that’s involved is like, really passionate about seeing this space happen.” 

ConFluence is a pop culture convention. Like other comic conventions, ConFluence will feature guests, vendors, panels and a dance party. The event is special because it’s meant for people of color and Indigenous people.

“It’s BIPOC-centered and BIPOC-led,” Barlow said.

“We really wanted to make sure that Black, Indigenous and people of color were prioritized and centered in this space, which isn’t typically the case in sci-fi conventions.” 

The idea to create the convention began at Barlow’s wedding, which had a cosplay theme. As Barlow saw the sea of brown and Black faces dressed as characters from popular media, she knew a space for nerds of color, by nerds of color could work.  

“Wearing a costume allowed them to be a little bit more social and a little bit more free with connecting with people they didn’t know,” Barlow said. 

After assembling her own team of X-Men, Barlow and her collaborators started the work of creating the space she had been dreaming of. 

“We started meeting in March 2023 … that’s been nine months. A baby, we have birthed a baby.” 

Ashley Koudou helps artists of color expand their brands and audience with her agency, Mango Day. Through serving as the project manager on the convention, Koudou saw the space as an opportunity for people to express themselves in ways they might not have been able to in the past. 

“I can’t wait to do more of like, this kind of stuff. This is exactly why I like got into this business.” 

Koudou sees the convention as part of a larger movement among Minneapolis’s artists of color to create spaces for themselves, rather than waiting for opportunities from others. 

“We’re seeing this activation, where they’re stepping back and essentially, building something for their own.” 

ConFluence prioritizes working with local, community-based partners for organizing their event, focusing on a grassroots funding method.

“Building this foundation, brick by brick by brick allows us to stay in control of the narrative. And that’s something that I think is slightly different than a lot of other places,” said Esther Callahan, one of the event’s organizers. 

As a mixed-race woman, Callahan knows how powerful representation can be. She recalls seeing Uhura on Star Trek pursue an interracial relationship.  

“It really is world-changing, life-changing soul changing generationally,” Callahan said, reflecting how media and art can shift perspectives. 

“One of the best things about art is that if you pay attention to it, it’s already telling us what’s happening in the world.” 

She hopes ConFluence will foster conversations between science fiction, pop culture and their audiences, exploring their mutual influence.

“Artists are creating futures that will just become a thing. We see this happening in movies, in TV shows, in magazines and comic books.”

Youth leadership is a catalyst for innovation and social progress.  This guiding tenet led to our groundbreaking establishment of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Coalition (IYLC).  The IYLC is a State Department funded-initiative, created by the U.S. Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice (SRREJ) to elevate Indigenous youth leaders from around the world and incorporate their invaluable perspectives into global civic and political engagement efforts.  It is dedicated to addressing the unique challenges and opportunities faced by Indigenous youth and their communities more broadly. 

To launch the IYLC, we hosted six inspiring Indigenous youth leaders from the Western Hemisphere.  These young changemakers joined us in Washington, D.C. from November 6-9 to participate in the White House Tribal Youth Forum.  Their participation was instrumental in promoting international Indigenous voices and highlighting challenges to Indigenous communities that know no borders, such as preserving Indigenous knowledge and languages, climate resilience, and health. 

The White House Tribal Youth Forum provided a platform for the IYLC participants to engage with and learn from their Native American peers, gain practical experience, and develop institutional knowledge by collaborating with Native American youth, as well as U.S. government senior officials.  During their stay in Washington, D.C, they also met with representatives from the Department of State and various civil society organizations dedicated to addressing the marginalization of Indigenous peoples. 

The IYLC participants had diverse backgrounds, each bringing their unique perspectives and experiences to the table.  The participants included:

• Maricelma Francelino Fialho Cândido – Brazil: Maricelma is an Indigenous Terena woman from the Pantanal region, the world’s largest wetlands.  She is a biomedical professional specializing in infectious diseases with a focus on neglected rural Indigenous communities and a master’s student at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul.  She is also a treasurer at the Intercultural Terena Education Institute and part of Mission Brazil’s Access E2C program. 

• Daisy Lahache – Canada: Born and raised on Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve in Quebec, Daisy is an artist, model, and the founder of the Healing Arts Project.  Her art, including beadwork, mixed media, and sculpture, champion Mohawk arts and culture.  She actively participates in Kahnawake’s youth governance and was invited to the Iroquois Confederacy Caucus.  She is a passionate advocate for Indigenous representation and inclusion, proudly embracing her Mohawk heritage as a voice for youth and artists. 

• Noamby Lucas-Castillo – Colombia: Noamby is an Indigenous Zenú person from the Cabildo Menor of Tuchín-Urbano in Córdoba, Colombia.  She is the first Zenú Indigenous person to attend and graduate from the University of Los Andes with a degree in law.  She currently serves as a Judicial Assistant at the Tribunal for Peace in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), a legal advisor for the rights of Indigenous women facing gender-based violence, and a volunteer with the Court of Justice of the Zenú People.  

• Edna Marly Figueroa Cuc – Guatemala: Edna is a Q’eqchi’ Indigenous sociolinguist and translator from the Guatemalan department of Cobán and the current Indigenous Queen of Abya Yala (America).  She is the founder of the digital project on Facebook “Let’s Learn Q’eqchi’ with Edna.”  Edna teaches the Q’eqchi’ language at JovenGo, a Central American youth organization working with isolated youth.  She currently creates digital literacy materials in Mayan languages at the New Sun Road Guatemala School and empowers Indigenous women through technology. 
• Silvia Alejandra Miranda Loredo – Honduras: Silvia is a law school student at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and a paralegal.  She is a Study of U.S. Institutes Alumni, Generation Change Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace, and a trainer at the Generation Change Fellows Program in Guatemala.  As a founder of the Women with Power Foundation, Silvia has made significant contributions to women empowerment, education, and peacebuilding in Honduras.  Her dedication to law, love for languages, leadership, and mission to serve others has made her an asset to empower others in her Garifuna ethnic community. 
• Josefina Bautista Peña – Mexico: Josefina is an Indigenous woman from Zacapoaxtla.  She is both a native Náhuatl speaker and speaks and writes in Totonac.  She was a reporter for the communal radio program “Tsinaka” and returned to her former high school to teach Indigenous and Náhuatl philosophy and became a part of the Academic Directive Council.  Through her service, she strengthens educational programs from a Náhuatl community perspective and empowers girls and women
  

Desirée Cormier Smith serves as the Department’s first Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice (SRREJ).  Her office leads our efforts to advance racial equity and justice for members of marginalized racial, ethnic and Indigenous communities around the world.  The inaugural IYLC cohort shares many of our policy goals, which include combating structural racism, promoting human rights, democracy, economic equality, addressing climate change, and strengthening peace and stability.  We are committed to promoting the human rights of Indigenous peoples and integrating a focus on Indigenous issues and racial equity and justice globally.

Together, we can foster a more inclusive global society where Indigenous peoples achieve their aspirations and contribute their expertise to shape a safer, healthier, more inclusive, and more sustainable world for all. 

About the Author: Mikayla Tillery is a Virtual Student Federal Service Intern at the Office of the Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice and attends Stanford University. 

Interior designer Destiny Seymour surrounded by her creations.Photo: Thomas Fricke

Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Anishinaabe interior designer Destiny Seymour debuted her studio and shop, Indigo Arrows, back in 2016. She specializes in developing Indigenous spaces informed by a community’s specific history and future needs. Destiny’s linens, bedding, and made-to-order drum stools feature striking patterns and prints.

Maida Branch is amplifying Indo-Hispanic artisans.

Photo: Jenn Carrillo

In 2017, Pueblo/Ute/Genízara creative Maida Branch established a collective of Indigenous and Indo-Hispanic artists. Dubbed Maida Goods, the platform is “an ever-evolving expression of ancestry, homecoming, diaspora forced and chosen, memory learned and lost, reclamation, and preservation,” as she puts it. Maida and her partner, Johnny Ortiz-Concha—who together raise criollo cattle and churro sheep on their New Mexico farm—share the stories of the creators behind the incredible art, pottery, and textiles on offer.

Ohio Wesleyan Alumna Sarah Hahn Returns as University’s 2023-2024 Artist-in-Residence

By Cole Hatcher

When spring blooms at Ohio Wesleyan University next year, Sarah Hahn plans to scatter three 10-foot-tall dandelion seeds throughout the campus landscape.

As OWU’s 2023-2024 artist-in-residence, Hahn will add a pair of 4-foot-tall fingertips holding the empty head of a dandelion flower and then complete her public art installation, tentatively titled “Where the Wind Carries You,” by adding a rippling metal wall with a sustainability message and a native plant pollinator garden.

Planting Positivity

“There are a lot of different meanings behind the piece,” said Hahn, a 2008 Ohio Wesleyan graduate. “I like the imagery of the dandelion as it has many beneficial properties and yet is considered a weed. It is not native to Ohio but has been part of, and beneficial to, our ecosystem, unlike many other non-native species.

“The seeds propel themselves far and wide, and are prolific, helping other plants and the soil where they grow,” said Hahn, who majored in Fine Arts at OWU. “I like this as a representation for the graduating students – to disperse after their time at Ohio Wesleyan and benefit the communities in which they live.

“The fingertips holding the head of the dandelion represent the human interaction and involvement with shaping the environment around us,” Hahn continued. “The wall is an extension of my series ‘Ripples Into the Universe.’ This series represents all the small actions, events, and ideas that take place, that coalesce, to create a larger whole that propels society and the universe.”

Recycled Media

Hahn, who is teaching sculpture classes during her Ohio Wesleyan residency, is creating the fluffy-looking dandelion seeds using bronze and stainless steel, and the fingertips by creating a metal frame and using insulating foam, epoxy clay, and bronze paint to complete them. She is using as many recycled and sustainable materials as possible, including reclaimed clay, recycled wax, and insulating foam recovered by “dumpster diving” at a construction site.

In addition to the text, perhaps part of a poem, incorporated into the rippling wall, Hahn will inscribe messages on the three scattered seeds as well.

“One seed pod will have the ideas of sustainability from Girl Scouts (including Delaware Troup 5080) carved into it, another the ideas from my college students, and the third from some OWU faculty,” Hahn said.

A Growing Reminder

In addition, she hopes the native garden helps propagate the green message while simultaneously educating the community about the beauty and importance of pollinator plants.

“One of the benefits of dandelions is that they are an early source of pollen, but there are many plants that provide pollen and other benefits throughout the growing season,” Hahn said. “These plants also require less water and care once they are established as they have evolved to grow in Ohio weather.”

‘Dare to be Great’

As an OWU student, Hahn concentrated her Bachelor of Fine Arts studies in ceramics and figure drawing. She also served on the department’s student-faculty board and helped run the Werner Gallery and the Annual Spring Juried Exhibit.

She still is motivated by her first ceramics professor, Phyllis Kloda, who “had a saying ‘dare to be great’ that I still hear in my mind sometimes,” Hahn said. “Marty Kalb pushed me a lot, too. I only had Kristina Bogdanov my last year, but she has been an encouraging force throughout my career. There were so many wonderful and influential faculty members even outside of my area of study, which I was really fortunate to have.”

An Alumna’s Advice

For current students, the alumna-turned-instructor offers this advice: “Don’t be afraid to travel and do residencies. That is something I wish I had done but was worried about the financial aspect.”

And for Fine Arts students, Hahn adds: “Find artists who want help on projects, and work with or under as many artists as you can. You will learn more about their working practice by working on one of their projects with them. Keep making. It is easy to stop. Life will pull you in different directions and whether you are applying for exhibits or commissions, you will need work to show. I have heard often that a one-to-10 success rate of what you apply for is really good. Hearing no doesn’t get easier, at least for me, but it keeps me moving on to the next opportunity.”

Bloom and Benefit

Hahn, who earned her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky in 2012, hopes to finish and install her Ohio Wesleyan sculpture in time for the May commencement ceremony. She expects to collaborate with OWU and Delaware Hayes High School students, local Girl Scouts, sustainability groups, and others to plant the garden as well as create plant markers and seed bombs to inspire others – especially OWU’s Class of 2024 – to bloom and benefit their communities.

In addition to serving as Ohio Wesleyan’s second artist-in-residence, Hahn teaches at the Cultural Art Center in downtown Columbus.

Her Ohio Wesleyan residency is being funded by The Ebb and Teena Haycock Public Art Endowment. Ebb Haycock created OWU’s first foundry and was a member of the Fine Arts faculty until his retirement in 1985. Haycock Hall, where Hahn is creating her sculpture, was named for him. The public art endowment was created in 2020 by Haycock’s daughter, Lorry Luikart ’73, in memory of both her father and mother.

Andrew Wilson ’13 was OWU’s inaugural artist-in-residence and served during the 2020-2021 academic year. His outdoor sculpture, titled “Back Porch,” is a 14-foot high, 8-foot wide, and 8-foot deep metal artwork that honors generations of OWU Black lives and legacies.

Learn more about Ohio Wesleyan’s Fine Arts courses, faculty, and opportunities at owu.edu/FineArts.