{"id":105023,"date":"2023-08-14T22:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T03:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=105023"},"modified":"2023-11-16T17:48:34","modified_gmt":"2023-11-16T22:48:34","slug":"building-a-global-art-community","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/magazine\/articles\/2023\/building-a-global-art-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Building a Global Art Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin magazine-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"2221\" height=\"2560\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-scaled.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-scaled.jpg 2221w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-552x636.jpg 552w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-888x1024.jpg 888w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-768x885.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-1332x1536.jpg 1332w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-1777x2048.jpg 1777w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/Yura-Sapi-Paula-OG-005-867x1000.jpg 867w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2221px) 100vw, 2221px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\"><em>Photos by Paula OG<\/em><\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">CFA Alumni<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBuilding a Global Art Community\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Yura Sapi cofounded the nonprofit LiberArte to support artists worldwide in efforts to end racial, social, and climate injustices<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar magazine-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">August 14, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/bu-author\/ting-yu\/\">Ting Yu<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph magazine-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-dimensional has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-quaternary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Yura Sapi was 24 when they received a new name.&nbsp;<br>Born Viviana Vargas Salvatierra to an Ecuadorian mother and a Colombian father, Sapi spent their childhood in Queens, N.Y., and the suburbs of Long Island. A creative child who fell in love with acting during public school and summer theater programs in New York, Sapi recognized from a young age that \u201cthe arts really were my home.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>However, after studying theater at BU and earning an MFA in performing arts management from CUNY Brooklyn College, Sapi (\u201916) was confronted with the limited opportunities available to actors of color and those with a fluid gender identity. \u201cI started seeing the American dream in a different way\u2014almost as a lie, a story being told,\u201d Sapi says. \u201cThe roles I loved the most were the ones I was a part of creating, writing, and producing. I wanted to be part of dismantling oppressive structures and making a change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They made a bold decision. In 2018, Sapi left New York for Ecuador. Three years later, they moved to Nuqu\u00ed in Choc\u00f3, Colombia, to immerse themselves in a way of life that was both new and ancient\u2014\u201crediscovering ancestral practices, a river you can swim in, and a more sustainable type of living,\u201d they say. They visited Indigenous and Black communities and came to understand antiracism beyond a US perspective. Sapi also began learning Kichwa, their Indigenous language of Ecuador. During a ritual exercise with an elder, they received a new name: Yura Sapi.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn Kichwa, <em>yura<\/em> means tree or plant, and <em>sapi<\/em> means roots,\u201d they explain. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an important part of who I am. I\u2019m here on this earth to reconnect with and grow my roots and help others do the same.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-photoessay magazine-block-editorial-photoessay alignfull wp-block-photoessay js-block-editorial-photoessay\"><div class=\"photo-row-fourths-2-2\">\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-105025\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-018-web-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"photo-2\"><div class=\"wp-block-photoessay-media\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-105026\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-636x424.jpg 636w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-023-web-600x400.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-background has-normal-font-size has-quaternary-background-color\">Left: Sapi and Yowar Mosquera started Protectores de la Tierra, which cultivates more than 100 acres of Black-owned land to feed the residents of Nuqu\u00ed, in Colombia; Right: a July 2023 rehearsal for members of LiberArte\u2019s music ensemble artist-in-residence Tambacum, including Juli\u00e1n \u201cTatico\u201d Mosquera (center).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To that end, Sapi cofounded a nonprofit that seeks to empower artists and \u201ccreative activists\u201d around the world to help end racial, social, and climate injustice. The organization, <a href=\"https:\/\/liberarteinc.org\/\">LiberArte<\/a>, supports primarily BIPOC, migrant, and LGBTQIA+ artists in the US and abroad through grants and an eclectic range of educational programming and arts initiatives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve always felt that art was activism,\u201d says Sapi. \u201cArtists are able to envision worlds that don\u2019t exist. We see things and manifest them into existence. Whether it\u2019s a play presenting another reality or a mural with a specific message, artists can change minds and change worlds. That\u2019s what LiberArte is all about: liberation through the arts.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The Power of the Arts<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With book bans and censorship on the rise in the US, Sapi believes LiberArte\u2019s work is more meaningful than ever. \u201cPeople have always known the power of the arts, so there will always be resistance and fear of it,\u201d they say. \u201cWe have to remember that they\u2019re fearful of what we\u2019re bringing to light\u2014of showing a mirror\u2014because it means that we\u2019re doing something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-105027\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-424x636.jpg 424w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-667x1000.jpg 667w, https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/files\/2023\/10\/23-1341-CFASAPI-002-web-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption>Sapi hosts <em>Building Our Own Tables<\/em>, a podcast that amplifies the voices of theater leaders of color.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>From a sound studio in Nuqu\u00ed, they host <em><a href=\"https:\/\/howlround.com\/series\/building-our-own-tables\">Building Our Own Tables<\/a><\/em>, a podcast that amplifies the experiences and voices of global theater leaders of color. LiberArte\u2019s Strategic Planning Institute offers in-person and virtual courses on equity, inclusion, and justice and is preparing to launch a yearlong fellowship to help artist-activists bring their community-driven endeavors to fruition. \u201cIt could be a theater collective, an art installation, a performance, or a community garden,\u201d Sapi says. \u201cWe want to help them visualize and realize an idea that gives back to the community.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LiberArte\u2019s community-driven, nature-inspired approach to nurturing artistic expression stems from Sapi\u2019s personal journey. They\u2019ve made a home in Nuqu\u00ed, a remote municipality in the Choc\u00f3 region of Colombia, nestled among pristine rivers, thermal springs, and waterfalls. \u201cI love being able to connect with nature in such a deep way, where humanity isn\u2019t dominating everything,\u201d says Sapi, now a multimedia artist working in theater, film, photography, painting, and digital media. \u201cChoc\u00f3 is also predominantly Black and Indigenous, so I feel a common understanding with the people here in terms of my racial justice work and its intersection with social and climate justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LiberArte launched <a href=\"https:\/\/liberarteinc.org\/services\/resource-allocation\/protectores-de-la-tierra-nuqui-choco-150359498\">Protectores de la Tierra<\/a> [Earth Protectors], a food sovereignty project that engages local farmers and volunteers in cultivating more than 100 acres of Black-owned land to feed the residents of Nuqu\u00ed and surrounding communities and to reduce reliance on imported processed foods. \u201cWe\u2019re bringing back ancestral farming practices from a generation ago, when Nuqu\u00ed exported things like rice, plantains, pineapple, and corn,\u201d Sapi says. \u201cIt\u2019s one of the rainiest places on Earth, so it\u2019s incredible what can be grown here. In a place you can only reach by plane or boat, having our own food is so important.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote magazine-block-bu-pullquote is-style-modern has-image-focus-center-middle has-quaternary-theme\"><div class=\"wp-block-bu-pullquote-inner\"><blockquote><div class=\"container-lockup\"><div class=\"container-icon-outer\"><div class=\"container-icon-inner\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"container-text\"><hr\/><div class=\"quote-sizing\">Artists can change minds and change worlds. That\u2019s what LiberArte is all about: liberation through the arts.<\/div><footer class=\"caption\"><br\/>Yura Sapi<\/footer><hr\/><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The project links organically with LiberArte\u2019s Nuqu\u00ed Artist Residency, which invites artist-activists abroad to work on the land while finding creative inspiration in the region\u2019s striking natural beauty and community culture. The first artist-in-residence was Marcos Lopez Castro, a beats music producer from Queens, N.Y. LiberArte\u2019s current artist-in-residence is Nuqu\u00ed-based <a href=\"https:\/\/liberarteinc.org\/team\/tambacum\">Tambacum<\/a>, a traditional music ensemble featuring singers, drummers, and percussionists who came together in 2020 during the pandemic. Tambacum released their first record in 2021, and LiberArte is working on bringing the group to the US for an East Coast tour in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTheir music is ancestral and intergenerational,\u201d Sapi says. \u201cThey\u2019re teaching the young kids and learning from local elders. In this way, we are decolonizing how art is taught. It\u2019s not only in academic institutions. There is so much wisdom and expertise that comes from these <em>sabedoras y sabedores <\/em>[wise bards] who learned through their ancestors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LiberArte and Tambacum have joined with community arts groups and businesses to revive the annual <a href=\"https:\/\/liberarteinc.org\/services\/community-building\/festival-del-tamborito-150320682\">Festival del Tamborito<\/a>, which is held in Nuqu\u00ed, and celebrates Choc\u00f3\u2019s vibrant cultural heritage through music, dance, storytelling, and artisan crafts. Sapi says international interest in the festival and other cultural events has boosted support and funding for education, food access, and local environmental issues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">Sapi envisions LiberArte\u2019s work activating artists in other countries across the Andean region, Central America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. \u201cIt\u2019s so important for us to have this global community,\u201d they say. \u201cThat\u2019s where our power is. We\u2019re able to see ourselves in each other, multiply everything we\u2019re doing, and get inspired and empowered by our collective hope. Ultimately, we\u2019re all together. Our water is all connected. We\u2019re all artists, really, creating our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>However, after studying theater at BU and earning an MFA in performing arts management from CUNY Brooklyn College, Sapi (\u201916) was confronted with the limited opportunities available to actors of color and those with a fluid gender identity. \u201cI started seeing the American dream in a different way\u2014almost as a lie, a story being told,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6310,"featured_media":105029,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[],"bu-publication":[191],"magazine-article-category":[372,378],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[],"news-topic":[],"bu_edition":[397],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/105023"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105023"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/105023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105754,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/105023\/revisions\/105754"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=105023"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-andrea.cms-devl.bu.edu\/cfa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=105023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}