Amanda Shea welcomes everyone to the open mic night
Inviting poets and spoken-word artists to perform in the gallery is just one of the ways in which 13FOREST celebrates the breadth of the Boston arts community. For the first time since the pandemic began, on Friday, February 10, we held a poetry open-mic night, which was organized by our friend Amanda Accardi of Around the Corner Framing. This reinauguration was made particularly special by acclaimed artist, activist and educator Amanda Shea. Serving as the evening’s host, Shea performed her own poems, and then invited guest performers - including some of her students - to perform their own work.
We are grateful to the artists who brought incredible energy to the gallery and to everyone present through their performances. Many thanks go to Shea, whose talent, warmth and generosity created a space that made everyone feel free to share their art. The poets, the youngest of whom was 14, spoke powerfully and beautifully about the devastation of police brutality and racism, the strength of the Black community, the costs of social media, and the power of love. The event was truly galvanizing, and we look forward to sponsoring more events like this at 13FOREST.
To share a portion of the evening with you, below we are posting photos from the event as well as the names and social-media handles of the performers so you can follow or connect with them. We are also highlighting some of the arts organizations with which Amanda Shea works. Please take some time to learn about them and how they work to empower artists, especially young artists. Stay tuned for more events with Amanda Shea in the future!
Josie @josiehannaa
Maya @_theonlymayaa_
Herisa @herisathetraveler
Antonio Miles @captainnappybeard
Ausar @d.kalite_beats
Korde @nlighten_me
Beats Rhymes and Life is a community-based organization that grew in response to a critical need for therapeutic programs designed specifically to serve boys and young men of color who as a group demonstrate some of the greatest health and social disparities.
617Peak seeks to encourage youth in Boston to find their voices by sharing their stories through written and spoken forms. This platform provides members of the community with an outlet to voice their concerns, thoughts and feelings in a safe and comfortable environment. They aim to promote literacy and creativity amongst peers, with a comprehensive goal to create more avenues and resources for people in inner-cities, empowering them to be autonomous in their future successes.
Sofar Sounds is a global music community that connects artists and audiences through live music. They bring people together to create space where music matters in 400 cities around the world.