The Art of Migration: 100 days to the 8,500 mile road-trip
“An artist, a dancer, and an immigration lawyer embark on the journey of a lifetime, driving ~8,500 miles (roughly 3x across the USA) as part of the Mongol Rally from Prague to Ulan-Ude, Russia to raise awareness about migration and explore culture and identity through public art, community conversations, dance, and story-telling.” The Art of Migration
“Because migration is a complex issue,
but curiosity, art and conversation are catalysts”
The 8,500 mile road-trip
On March 25th, 2018 I received a message with private log-on details to view The Art of Migration before it was going to be released. As soon as I saw the project details and who the individuals were, I thought this is an amazing opportunity for me to meet them somewhere in Europe!
Who are the team members? Who is the artist, the immigration lawyer and the dancer? TED Residents, TEDx speakers, curious minds, creative characters and courageous-empathetic-considerate personalities who will be raising awareness about migration and exploring identity & culture. Their method: exploration of public art, community conversations, dance and story-telling. An interactive, multicultural, explorative collaboration tracing people and cultures from Prague to Ulan-Ude, Russia!
The team: Bethany Halbreich, Sheryl Winarick & Quentin Robinson
Bethany Halbreich: With a contagious playful joie de vivre. “She believes solutions to our greatest challenges would move forward like wildfire if more people had the resources & opportunity to embrace their own creativity. She is a TED resident, an innovation consultant for PepsiCo & founder of Paint the World. She loves the mountains, the desert, bringing people of all walks together to change pre-conceived notions & creating art that adds to life’s vibrancy.”
Sheryl Winarick: “An explorer with a deep sense of wonder. Her career as a U.S. immigration lawyer is consistent with her greater life purpose: to build bridges, cultivate community & spark joy. She has a gift for seeing the best in people & inspiring people to see the best in themselves & others. Sheryl is a TED Resident, TEDx speaker, Aspen Institute Scholar& HATCH Advisory Board member. She loves the ocean, butterflies, music & dancing.”
How I know Sheryl
In March 2014 I embarked on one of the most remarkable journeys of my life! I was off to Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia to tour the TED mainstage and attend TEDActive, which was a full week following TED2014: ‘The Next Chapter’. It is best to have a dedicated post about this experience, but I needed to introduce it as part of the why and how the title roadtrip is so important to me. When coordinating how to get to and where to stay in Vancouver and Whistler, the power of social media took a lead role. The TEDActive Facebook page was being swamped with messages for roommates, flat shares, travel partners etc. At the same time a group of curious individuals were being connected and becoming engaged with one of the passions that acted like glue. There it was: a post from an already formed group, looking for an additional two Whistler house mates, preferably from a world location that could bring a cultural difference to the Whistler home. And two Greek guys (myself and Panos K., who by then still only knew each other on social media) sent a message, a hello, and a request to join. Sheryl W., Bernhard R. and Mike L. wrote back, saying they’d love to have us on board! And that’s where I met my roomie Sheryl Winarick. We spent a wonderful week together with all the TED’sters in snowy Whistler, watching TED talks, partying, meeting people from all over the world and having meaningful conversations.
Quentin Robinson: “A U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq & Afghanistan. He discovered his passion for dancing as a kid & now uses the power of dance to transcend borders & bring people together. He choreographs, performs & teaches internationally & has been featured on many platforms, including TEDxBozeman, HATCH, BET, & Telemundo2. He loves witnessing the moment of understanding & realization while teaching.”
Through their interactions and conversations on the trip, the team will be producing a short film that will be used to spark a conversation in the USA as they host screenings and events around the topic in 2019 and 2020. They will be capturing photos, stories and collaborative artwork that will be showcased in a coffee-table book. And best of all, as they meet and work with people in the locations they visit they wish to “co-create joyful communities, where everyone can feel safe and secure, and have the opportunity to thrive.”
I can’t help but think back to April 2017 where at TEDxExeter I had the pleasure to listen to Andrew Solomon speak about ‘How open borders make us safe’. Andrew concludes his talk by saying: “The people most afraid of immigrants have never met one and building walls does not address their problems. It’s a weakness masquerading as a fortification. Engaging is the only way forward….. Believing we cannot be citizens of the world will lose us the world of which we might have been citizens.”
And The Art of Migration is taking this concept to the next level. The team is heading out to Europe with a purpose to connect with cultures and communities and to initiate conversations through the arts on a journey than will span from Prague to Ulan-Ude, Russia. Story telling will be on forefront of their communication with the people they meet. I imagine the Art of Migration team connecting dots and weaving stories of culture, family, pain, happiness, travels, dance, food and more. These ingredients will create memories… and the memories will be set into new stories that will be documented and carried on.
Human migration — defined as the movement of people from one place to another, seeking permanent or semi-permanent residence — has been on the rise. In 2014, the United Nations reported the figure of 59,5million people who were forced to migrate due to violence, conflict and persecution. This was approximately 15% more than the 2013 figure or 55% more than the figure we were noting ten years ago.
As I am writing this my mind drifts off and I can see Sheryl’s smile and hear the warmth of her voice. I almost feel that I am a part of the conversations Sheryl, Bethany and Quentin will be having as they converse with the people they encounter and what migration push factors were being dealt with. Sometimes spending the time to understand the different situations and cultures by active listening, creativity and collective activities can lead to extraordinary results. Though we should be able to call ourselves residents wherever we position ourselves in the world for whatever period of time and reason, I have a feeling that the sociopolitical mindsets still require certain shifts. And this is my interpretation of the Art of Migration. Bethany, Sheryl and Quentin will provide answers through their journey adventures.
