Celebrating Closing Of Jasmine Murrell’s Exhibition At Alice Austen House: The Serpent, The Medicine, and The Invisible Devil

Readers can view a performance at the Alice Austen House for this exhibit in the video below.  You can also see some of the activities that were available during the exhibit, including on the Community Day, discussed below, such as plant-based dye making workshops, a corn husk weaving, and more. Another video will be released in the coming weeks featuring interviews with local and non-local healers, including herbal medicine and plant-based evidence-based nutrition therapies and lifestyle changes for betterment of health. 

Love Machine: A Community Day Celebrating the Closing of Jasmine Murrell’s Exhibition

 

Closing Celebration

nelisenasheida.com

Nelise Charles Bey is a textile artist, printmaker, natural dyer, and woodworker living and creating in Brooklyn, NY. Born in Saint George’s, Grenada, raised in Brooklyn, New York her aesthetic is colorful and pattern-filled, a play on her Caribbean roots. Nelise works mostly with natural canvas and silks in which she naturally dyes and silkscreens. She really enjoys being outdoors on a hike, foraging (mushrooms, wild edibles, flowers) and identifying local medicinal herbs that are available throughout Brooklyn and New York State.

Nelise is the one who did the indigo workshop

Brooklyn, NY

DANCE AND MUSIC PERFORMANCE PICS IN THE ABOVE VIDEO

Dancers Davalois Fearon As the Founder and Artistic Director of Davalois Fearon Dance (DFD), Davalois Fearo,Jalisa Wallerson, Storm Stokes, and Raven Blue. Director

Davalois Fearon is a trailblazing choreographer, dancer, and educator whose work has garnered acclaim for being “unapologetic” and “electrifying” in nature. Hailing from Jamaica and raised in the Bronx, New York, Fearon’s artistic journey has been marked by accolades and recognition. Notably, she received a Bessie Award for her outstanding performance in “the skeleton architecture, or the future of our worlds,” in 2017. She was highlighted as one of “7 Up-and-Coming Black Dance Artists Who Should Be On Your Radar” by Dance Magazine in 2018. Holding a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College, Fearon’s educational background underscores her commitment to rigor and innovation in the field. At the heart of Fearon’s choreography lies a mission to provoke contemplation and address challenging societal issues. Her visually striking and meticulously crafted movements have been praised for their blend of fluidity, assertiveness, and thoughtfulness, captivating audiences and delivering bold engagement. Fearon’s collaborative spirit has led her to partner with artists from diverse disciplines, visual artist Jasmine Murrell, and others, enriching her creative process and expanding the boundaries of her work.

 

 

All music done by Jude Arielle

Jude Arielle (they/them) is a portal being + budding ethnobotanist co-creating sounds + frequencies that birth new conditions and realities with all of life. Initiated in the pathway of Spiritual Herbalism under the guidance of Master Herbalist Empress Karen M Rose, along with the bush medicine and red clay medicine practices ancestrally directed through their lineage, Jude centers being in deep relationship with the Earth as an answer to this current moment. Jude co-creates in the ancestrally stewarded Lenape lands / Brooklyn, NY, where they weave sonic art + plant medicine centered in collective Earth liberation. This pathway of authentically inhabiting their truest parts has led them to perform in spaces such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Rhizome DC, community gardens, and upcoming co-creating at the Alice Austin.

 

PANEL

Moderator: Suhaly Bautista-Carolina

Suhaly Bautista-Carolina [she/they/we/us] is an AfroDominican spiritual herbalist, convener, + museum enthusiast. Her practice lives intentionally at the intersection of plant power and people power and centers the collective wisdom of her community and the ancestral legacy of her people, while creating spaces of agency for folks to enter into their own healing. She is Chief of Programs at the American LGBTQ+ Museum + founder of Moon Mother Apothecary.

Yemi Amu

Yemi Amu is the Founder and Director of Oko Urban Farms, Inc. In 2013 she established NYC’s first and only publicly accessible outdoor aquaponics farm – The Oko Farms Aquaponics Farm and Education Center. She directs all of Oko Farms’ programs including education, design/build projects and community related activities. Yemi is one of NYC’s leading aquaponics experts and is a committed educator. Over the past decade, she has facilitated the creation and maintenance of over 20 edible spaces throughout NYC; created and implemented various culinary, nutrition and gardening programs for both youth and adults; and promotes aquaponics as a tool for environmental awareness and stewardship. Yemi has a M.A. in Health and Nutrition Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2021, Yemi became part of the inaugural cohort of the Dorchester Industries Experimental Design Lab created by Theaster Gates and Prada.

 

Journei Bimwala

Journei Bimwala is a Clinical Herbalist, Foraging Practitioner, and educator dedicated to reconnecting communities with nature and ancestral plant knowledge. As a founding member of NYC’s only public Foodway, she advocates for equitable access to green spaces and traditional healing practices. Through foraging tours, herbal wellness classes, and storytelling, Journei teaches people how to identify, use, and honor the plants around them. Her work has been featured in The Guardian and The New York Times. She is also the founder of One Heartbeat, a nonprofit supporting water access and community well-being in the Congo.

International

Maria Telone and the performance group Las Curanderas incorporate plants and Mayan rituals into their theater performances. Their plays address domestic violence within Guatemalan communities and are staged in public spaces like markets and town fairs. These performances become acts of resistance and communication—initiating dialogue between the performers, community members, and local authorities on topics often silenced, including generations of state-sanctioned violence against Indigenous women.

A new segment of the upcoming documentary highlights two Guatemalan theater troupes—Las Curanderas and Ajchowen, featuring Marta Guadalupe Tuyuc Cucus and Mercedes García. These women have been performing in unconventional venues for decades, using theater as a tool for truth-telling, healing, and spiritual remembrance.