Soul Deep:  A New Artist for a Renewed Society

Urban Bush Women's Summer Leadership Institute is a place where artists, activists and community organizers from across the country, and even the world, gather to participate in daily UBW dance technique classes, community dancing traditions (e.g. Second Line, capoeira, dances of the Orishas, hip hop), teach-ins around specific political and social justice issues, undoing racism training and guided creative time.  The purpose of the Institute is two-fold:  1) to engage the participants artistically with a joyous and unifying language that is a catalyst for new and progressive ways of thinking through challenges, and 2) to offer participants leadership development and tools for using their own artistic talents to contribute to their home communities on stage and off.

The learning at the Institute is experiential, collaborative and fully participatory.  Sessions are marked by an authenticity of exchange - between professional and non-professional artists, between teenagers and adults, between seasoned activists and those at the cusp of their journeys.  The culminating public performances use music, dance and spoken word to address community concerns.

Urban Bush Women's 2009 Summer Leadership Institute will be held in New Orleans where UBW seeks to contribute to the city's re-building effort in partnership with local artists and activists including the 7th Ward Neighborhood Center, ArtSpot Productions, Junebug Productions, The People's Institute for Survival & Beyond, and representatives of the Tulane, Xavier, Dillard and UNO communities (Team NOLA).

The title for the Institute, Soul Deep: A New Artist for a Renewed Society, references two important American writers:  Langston Hughes ("my soul has grown deep like the rivers") and W.E.B. DuBois (A New Negro for a New Society). With a focus on issues of community health, our primary purpose will be to serve as a catalyst for the renewal, sustenance and growth of the artistic and cultural organizing communities of New Orleans. 

Tuition for the 10-day intensive is $800.00 with limited scholarship assistance available.  Housing is not provided, but low-cost options on the Tulane University campus can be arranged for through the Urban Bush Women office. 

Scholarships and Fund Raising

Because of the generosity of our funders, Urban Bush Women has always been able to offer scholarship assistance to participants. As part of the organization's strategic planning, we have made a commitment to present the 2009 and 2010 Summer Institutes in New Orleans and are therefore giving priority – though not exclusivity – to scholarship applicants from New Orleans. However, as resources are always limited and personal creativity is not, we thought that we would invite one of our past participants, Cathy Draine, to create a fund raising guide for individuals that could be utilized for the Summer Institute and beyond. We are proud to share this resource with you and thank Cathy for her willingness to take on the responsibility of being the Summer Institute's first Development Fellow. We know this guide will help perpetuate the co-learning of the UBW Summer Institute - with or without a major funder - while ensuring the organization's ability to recruit a diverse group of participants.

 Click here to download fund raising guide.

The Summer Leadership Institute is generously supported by The Nathan Cummings Foundation.