BONUS FLYY CHAT!! 

A Conversation on Afrofuturism and Culturally Situated Arts Based Learning  

w/ Dr. Nettrice Gaskins

Monday, November 9th @ 8pm on Twitter!!

 

Ok, so I know that I originally said that Flyychats would happen once a month, but when you get the opportunity to be in conversation with Dr. Nettrice Gaskins, you bend the rules!
 

Dr. Nettrice Gaskins, STEAM education lab director at Boston Arts Academy, is the teacher I wish I had in high school.  The science teachers I encountered seemed to take pride in making the sciences as foreign and unrelated to me as possible. The message I received from them was that the sciences were for the exceptionally gifted students.  I should just stay awake and pray for a "C".

I was introduced to Dr. Gaskins' work a couple of years ago when she presented her work via Skype at DreamYard Art Center's professional development series, the Social Justice Pedagogy Team.  During her presentation, I learned that my interest in and love for the history, music, art, dance and scholarship of the African diaspora centered me in an interest and love in STEAM (Science, Technology, Art and Math)!  I learned how Grandmaster Flash was an inventor, having created the first crossfader using parts from a junkyard in the Bronx.  Talk about education for liberation!  We DO this!! 

So please join us on Monday November 9th, where will explore Afrofuturism and how "culturally situated art based learning" is practiced in creative communities of color.

 

Bio Detailing All the Flyyness 

 

NETTRICE GASKINS, Ph.D. was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She majored in Visual Art at duPont Manual High School in Louisville, KY. She earned a BFA in Computer Graphics with Honors from Pratt Institute in 1992 and a MFA in Art and Technology from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1994. She worked for several years in K-12 and post-secondary education, community media and technology before enrolling at Georgia Tech where she received a doctorate in Digital Media in 2014. Her model for ‘techno-vernacular creativity’ is an area of practice that investigates the characteristics of this production and its application in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). When she is not advancing interdisciplinary education, Ms. Gaskins blogs for Art21, the producer of the Peabody award-winning PBS series, Art in the Twenty-First Century and publishes articles and essays about topics such as Afrofuturism and Ghost Nature. Her essay was included in Meet Me at the Fair: A World's Fair Reader published by ETC Press.

Learn more about Dr. Gaskins work!  Check out these links!

http://www.bareconductive.com/news/the-touch-board-at-baa

http://baa-steam.tumblr.com

https://netarthud.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/the-black-fantastic-a-fall-opening-at-the-schomburg

The Choice Is Yours!

As children we know the rules of the playground very well: If you want to play kickball/tether ball/football, etc.--you wait to be chosen.  The closer you were to the first person picked, the better.  If you were the last person picked,  you were whack.  Period.  No one wanted you.

Fast forward into the future, past adolescence and into adulthood, we are picked by our partners; picked by colleges, internships; fellowships and job after job. 

You got rejected for that job?  You weren't picked?  THEY didn't think you weren't good enough?  Ok, no problem. Dust yourself off and go "back to the lab" and get "good enough" so you can get picked next time.  And sometimes you do!  And sometimes you don't.  I know VERY talented actors who have applied for graduate school multiple times and didn't get picked until the 4th or 5th time.  What does that teach us?  If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.  A very valuable lesson. Very important lesson indeed.

We have been taught to wait to be chosen.

But, what if we have placed too much importance on "being picked"?

What if we have given too much power to people and circumstances outside of ourselves?  What if we, by virtue of waiting to be "picked", have relied too much on receiving validation from others?  Have we been trained to wait for someone else to lead?  Or to wait for someone to to say to us, "You are good enough now... you can lead".  

This is what I respect about Jennifer Lopez.  This is not meant to come off as shade, but she is not the best singer.  I think she is an AWESOME dancer and very good actor, but singer? Not so much. HOWEVER, do you think she cares what I think about her singing voice?  HECKS NO!  Jlo gon' sing until she can't crawl AND be a judge for a SINGING competition.  WHY? Because, damn it, she wants to!  It gives her joy!  She don't care if YOU or I don't like it.  That chick does exactly what she want to and she ain't thinking 'bout YOU!!! And that's why she is an icon.  She ain't waiting to be picked based off of what other people think.  And to that I say, "YES, GIRL!  GO, BE FLYY!!"

Not too long ago, I faced a situation in my professional life where there was something that I wanted to do-- I KNEW I would be good at--but, it wasn't in my "bucket"--you know that thing called a job description that tells you what you can and cannot do.   I was bummed. I felt boxed in. Stifled.

Then I realized,  I can do whatever the heck I want to do.  It is MY job to create that space for myself.  I'm the fool if I allow others to dictate when and where and how my creativity gets shared. So, I chose myself and created Unapologetically Flyy.  I call the shots.  I create the content.  I can do or not do whatever I want. 

I chose myself. 

What if we really need to just "pick" ourselves?  

When was the last time you chose YOURSELF?

 

 I'm Flyy/You Flyy,

Robyne

Missed the #Flyychat?? Check It Out on Storify!!

Missed the launch of the Unapologetically Flyy Twitter chat?  No need to fret!  I curated all the highlights on Storify!  Check it out here.  Thanks again to Shontina Vernon and Lisa Strum!  They were BRILLIANT!!!

Hope to see you all next month!  More details coming soon!!!

 
 

CreativeMornings Pics!

Free Things Are Fun!

 

CreativeMornings is doing a whole lotta things right.  I had the pleasure of attending one of their event last month and I left feeling inspired and renewed.  PLUS, I loved the atmosphere they created!  I, mean, who doesn't want FREE professional pics??? WHO?? WHOOOOO???

I won't go into too much detail as this post is really just an excuse for me to share my pics! :)  Shout out to the photographer Tory Williams and to CreativeMornings for having such a fun, creative idea!

Enjoy the pics and see if you can guess which one Tarik says looks like someone is scaring me! 

I'M Flyy/You Flyy,

Robyne

Prepping for our #flyychat on October 12th @ 8pm EST?

   
Be sure to read Langston Hughes' essay, "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain"--http://www.thenation.com/…/negro-artist-and-racial-mountain/! 

Check out this pic of Jessie Fauset, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston in front of the Booker T. Washington statue at Tuskegee University! Talk about FLYYNESS!!! Looking forward!

New Date/Time Unapologetically Flyy Twitter Chat!!!

New Date/Time Unapologetically Flyy Twitter Chat!!!

My new Twitter chat series will launch NEXT MONDAY, OCTOBER 12th @ 8pm EST!!!! We just couldn't WAIT 2 weeks!!! We want to start as soon as possible!!  So, we hope you will join us NEXT MONDAY, OCT. 12th @ 8pm for "Unapologetically Flyy: Conversations on Love, Culture and Movement Building". ‪#‎flyychat‬

 

 

 

Growing up my mother taught me the importance of humility. It was drilled into me. Looking back now I understand why. I was a rather sassy, self-confident child and I inherently believed that I was exceptional. I loved to sing and I noticed that other people thought I had a nice voice too. I grew up hearing the words "gifted" and "gift" frequently. There is a certain way you carry yourself when you hear those words alot. However, being so young I didn't realize that I wasn't the only "gifted" child in the world. I would become upset when I would see other cute little girls on television, singing and dancing. Why her? Why not me, Mommy! I'm BETTER! Of course that attitude from my 7 year old self did not go over well with my mother. "God don't like ugly"; "You have to be humble", "Pretty is as pretty does", "No one likes a conceited person". 

Me and my Best Friend, my sister , Cindy.  Like 1979 or something

That is the one that got me. I wanted to be "liked"--desperately. I remember walking down the hall in school and hearing, "She think she cute!" I didn't want people to think that, so I worked hard to prove that I didn't. I deflected compliments.  I tried hard to prove to people that I didn't think "I was all that".  I worked hard to make people feel comfortable around me. 

I started this blog, twitter chat series and whatever comes, because I realize that not affirming myself hasn't served me.  In my professional life, I would feel bad when people, usually my supervisors would say, "Well, you don't want it to be all about you do you", or "It can't be the Robyne Show".  Taking credit for an idea was viewed as not being a "team player"...you know, there is no "I" in team ish.  So, I took steps back, alot, and watched as people quoted me without giving credit in speech after speech.  Don't you love when people repeat your own theories back to you?  Yeah, me neither.  

So this blog is about me claiming my passion.  Not asking permission and sharing the brilliance of the Unapologetically Flyy folks in my circle.  AND it doesn't have to be perfect---that is going to be a BIG one for me.  AND, I am opening myself up to criticism. AND if folks don't like it...Imma do it anyway until I don't like it!  Oh, that felt good to type!

Thanks for checking me out!  

I'm Flyy/You Flyy,

Robyne

Join Me for My New Twitter Chat Series!

Unapologetically Flyy:  Conversations on Love, Culture and Movement Building 

Guests: Artists Lisa Strum and Shontina Vernon

Monday, October 19th @ 8pm EST #flyychat

SO excited to announce my new twitter chat series: Unapologetically Flyy: Conversations on Love, Culture and Movement Building.  These monthly chats will feature beautiful human beings who claim their power; take their space and bask in their shine while lighting the way for others. There will be a new topic each month!

For this month's chat, I am so excited to have two phenomenal women who I have known for years to kick off this series: the incomparable Lisa Strum and Shontina Vernon.  

So, what are we talking about? You are probably wondering! Using Langston Hughes' essay, The Artist and the Racial Mountain as a jumping off point, we will explore the role of the Black female artist in the 21st century.

Both of these sistahs are coming off of successful projects and you will no doubt continue to hear more about their incredible work!  Please read their bios and follow their links below and PLEASE join us on Monday October 19th at 8pm EST for our chat!  Follow us using #flyychat!  Stay Flyy! :)

Lisa Strum is an actor/singer/director/ educator/blogger/ producer that has performed at Lincoln Center Theatre, Summer Stage, Signature Theatre, New Federal Theatre, Intiman Theatre, the Obie winning Fire This Time Festival and 48 hours...in Harlem Festival, ACT Seattle, Hansberry Project, and the Fifth Avenue Theatre. She has had a recurring role on LAW & ORDER: SVU and was seen on the television pilot CITIZEN BAINES with James Cromwell. She most recently premiered her one woman show, SHE GON' LEARN, to a sold out house, off-Broadway for the United Solo Festival on 42nd Street. As an educational consultant, she has worked with numerous public schools in New York City, conducted theatre workshops for Teachers College at Columbia University, and has acted as the Theatre Specialist for Abrons Arts Center Summer Arts Camp at HenryStreet Settlement for the last nine seasons. Lisa is an MFA graduate of the University of Washington's Professional Actor Training Program.

Check out Lisa's blog, The Inner Child Escapes, here and keep up to date with her work on her fan page: www.facebook.com/shegonlearn.

 

SHONTINA VERNON, writer/musician/performer, has written several plays exploring themes that are universal to women. The LA Times called her play, PSYCHOLOGY OF CHROMOSOME X, “surprising, radical, and audacious for its candid exploration of black women and their sexuality.” Vernon is a recipient of this year’s 4 Culture Artists’ Grant, a past recipient of the Louise McKinney Playwriting Fellowship, and was the selected inaugural playwright of the Gurfein-Ntozake Shange Reading Series at New Federal Theater. Her work has been produced by Seattle’s ACT Theatre, the Hansberry Project, SoloNova Festival, the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, and featured at the World Wide Words International Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Her play, A LOVELY MALFUNCTION is currently running at La Mama Theatre in NYC in a collaboration with the esteemed Negro Ensemble Company. Other plays include, ETTA PHIFER’S TESTIMONIAL SHOE KISMET, IN BETWEEN THE ZEBRA’S STRIPES, WOMEN OF THE WILD ROOT, and a solo show titled WANTED – a coming of age tale about forgery, fear, and belonging. She is a National Performance Network touring artist, and a nominated playwright on the 2014 Kilroy’s List.  

Check out Shontina's website here.  And don't forget to visit and "like' her Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/shontinavernon