Together we stand
April 16, 2020.
Host: Maggie Burton. Guests: Janelle Duval, Natasha Blackwood, Kellie Walsh
Two powerful women’s musical groups in Newfoundland and Labrador came together to change the narrative about violence against women. On March 8, International Women’s Day, they released the video Warrior.
On April 16, Maggie Burton invited Janelle Duval and Natasha Blackwood of the Indigenous-led Women’s Drum Group Eastern Owl and Kellie Walsh of the Lady Cove Women’s Choir to share the story of how the video came about.
Watch the video here.
Following are excerpts from the conversation, starting with Kellie Walsh talking about how the collaboration began. Maggie Burton then asked the guests to talk about the impact of the project on their lives and music.
We learned that the collaboration behind the video was at least as important as the product.
Janelle said it took years to get to the point of being able to create this video. Over that time the sisterhood she experienced within Eastern Owl extended to members of Lady Cove. She said that letting go of one’s art, which is a deeply personal, and trusting other people to amplify its voice, made it possible for the music’s “purpose to be fulfilled…. Now instead of 8 women carrying the story, 98 women are carrying it.”
Natasha was a bridge between the collaborative musical culture of the Indigenous-led Eastern Owl and the more classically trained Lady Cove choir. She said, “It was a cathartic, beautiful experience to see my two different musical lives coming together. Eastern Owl learned about choral singing and Lady Cove learned so much about collaborative music-making… It went even better than I had hoped.”
The result is a more powerful message, solidarity across cultures, and relationships that will give rise future projects.
Listen to more of their reflections in this clip.
At the end of our time together, everyone on the call was invited to share something that had been illuminated for them. A few of these…
We need the arts now more than ever.
Every relationship requires time and respect for trust and creative courage to emerge organically.
As an Indigenous woman, I felt most inspired by the lived example of relationship building, reciprocity, and reconciliation.
Seeing your art/creations/work as a living being that is not yours alone. It has a purpose to be fulfilled.
Allow time for things to feel safe and for the organic life of the project to emerge.
Collaborations can be smoother when there is a “bridge.”
Narrative shift needed for how we value and understand experiences.
Ancestral memory of women gathering on the land in places where the elements are strong.
Power of connectedness, joy of music, fabulous energy of all the women involved.
The power of art to unlock our emotions and collective power and potential.
The magic, mystery and connection that can happen when we collaborate with partners outside our usual circle.
See the full capture here.