Washington Monument

Catharsis on the Mall: A Vigil for Healing – November 11-13, 2016

/ admin

For the second year, DCMJ will be assisting in the production of Catharsis on the Mall. Scheduled to take place on Veteran’s Day weekend, November 11 to 13, on the National Mall in Washington, DC, Catharsis will feature speakers, workshops, interactive artwork, music, and feature the ceremonial burning of the Temple of Rebirth on the evening of Saturday, November 12.

Last year’s theme, “Healing from the Drug War,” was an amazing guide for the artwork. The theme creates connections and conversations when our diverse interests, knowledge, and backgrounds intersect. It is with great excitement we present the art theme for this year:

“The Journey Home”

Catharsis on the Mall’s 2016 art theme is dedicated to those who have experienced traumatic stress and their journey home.

We experience traumatic events that displace our mind, fracture our lives, and violate our perceptions. One moment can cause such upheaval, that it might seem impossible to return to that safe place we once knew. When our lives are ripped asunder, and we are left to pick up the pieces and stitch them back together, the struggle to recenter and find yourself feels insurmountable.

Traumatic stress was written in 760 BCE by a Greek poet, Homer, in the Iliad and the Odyssey, and studied by the historian Herodotus in 490 BCE. It has been present in every war ever fought. It has been present in every community that experiences rape, brutality, oppression, and systematic violence. Violence and disaster can have lasting impacts on body and mind.

Despite its timeless reach, it has widely been swept away and disregarded as a personal weakness, not a disease. The survivors of hellish trauma left to fend for themselves and often told they are “weak” or to “toughen up.” We have come along way.

Breaking through the cycles of anger, depression, and victimization with time, understanding, and forgiveness can lead us home to safe and comfortable place once more; a task infinitely easier to write than to perform. Communal experience and expression can lead to lasting transformation and peace. It can bring those who are ready home.

Home is where you feel at ease and safe. It is not pinned down to a physical location with a door and windows; it has no borders. It is a place where we take refuge and our base of operations. It is accepting and loving. We gather in this space.

We gather to celebrate wellness and reintegration. We gather for art and community. We gather to shake free from the stigmas of surviving. We gather to honor and support those who travel this road alongside us. We gather to end the silent suffering of millions. We are on the journey home together.

Participate

Catharsis on the Mall is built by the community, for the community. There will be lots of opportunities to participate at the vigil. We want your art to display, we want to hear your stories, and, most importantly, we need your help with building and running the event.

Click here to RSVP on Facebook!

Come to the Fundraiser on Thursday, November 3 at the Adams Morgan Mellow Mushroom!

Click here to RSVP on Facebook | Click here to buy advance tickets!

More details soon! Make sure you sign up for our e-mail list to find out the latest!

‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ SCULPTURE SET TO BURN ON NATIONAL MALL TO HONOR VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS

/ admin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 12, 2015

 MEDIA CONTACT:
Kenny Reff
KR@LimelightDC.com
Office: 703-242-4596
Mobile: 703-626-3167

‘TRANSFORMATIVE’ SCULPTURE SET TO BURN ON NATIONAL MALL TO HONOR VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS

Washington, DC – In an act of collective healing, an interactive art installation dedicated to victims of the war on drugs will be burned in the shadow of the Washington Monument on Saturday, November 21, 2015. “Temple of Essence” is the centerpiece of a 48-hour vigil beginning November 20. Catharsis on the Mall: A Vigil for Healing the Drug War is open to the public and will feature nationally-known speakers, exhibits, art, music, and dance.

Among the speakers: Billy Murphy, Jr., the nationally-recognized civil rights attorney; Ifetayo Harvey, who lost her father at age four to prison and deportation for a first-time drug offense; and Anthony Papa, sentenced to fifteen years to life imprisonment for a first-time drug offense. The public will also be invited to share their stories during open mic sessions.

“Through art and peaceful expression, we are demonstrating the transition to a more compassionate society,” said event organizer and civil rights attorney, Robert Haferd. “This vigil is the first of its kind on the National Mall, and we are delighted that the National Park Service, Park Police, and the D.C. Fire Department have partnered with us to make it possible.”

The highlight of the vigil will be the burning of Temple of Essence at 11:00pm on November 21. The temple is peace-building structure that offers a space for healing personal and collective trauma, engaging community, and allowing the release of negative energy. Prior to the burn, participants are invited to share their thoughts and stories by writing within the temple’s walls and leaving small mementos.

“People will see they are not alone in this struggle,” said Michael Verdon, temple artist and U.S. Air Force veteran. Verdon’s most recent work was installed at George Mason University this past May where more than one thousand people participated in its burn. “As the temple burns, we will turn our individual experiences into a collective memory and heal as a community,” Verdon explained. “Afterwards, our vigil will continue with cathartic dancing until sunrise.”

Catharsis on the Mall is organized by Washington DC-area artists, social justice advocates, and Burning Man participants. Speakers and installations will be provided by national and local drug policy organizations, including Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). The vigil coincides with the International Drug Policy Reform Conference, which will bring more than one thousand researchers, academics and advocates to our nation’s capital to work toward ending the war on drugs.

“From the recently-leaked United Nations document calling for drug decriminalization, to growing bipartisan support for ending mass incarceration and encouraging cannabis research, we are transitioning from the traumatic war on drugs to policies grounded in public health and human rights,” said Natalie Lyla Ginsberg, event organizer and Policy and Advocacy Manager for MAPS. “It’s time to come together to celebrate and heal.”


###

Click here to download a PDF of this press release

Catharsis – A Vigil for Healing the Drug War

/ admin

Catharsis on the Mall - Nov.20-22

You are invited to participate in Catharsis, a 3-day vigil near the Washington Monument on November 20-22. The focus of the vigil will be the burning of a ceremonial a wooden temple dedicated to our healing from the War on Drugs on the night of Saturday, November 21.

This vigil is needed because often our society doesn’t mark a transition from a destructive and harmful policy to a more compassionate one. As more voices call for an end to the War on Drugs, it’s crucial like-minded artists, activists, and the community play a public role in healing and transforming to compassionate harm reduction policies.

CATHARSIS (noun) – The purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

WHO: Victims of the Drug War
WHAT: Catharsis: A Vigil for Healing the Drug War
WHEN: Friday, November 20 to Sunday November 22, 2015. The ceremonial vigil will start at 10:30pm on Saturday, November 21
WHERE: Northwest of the Washington Monument on the National Mall

Please Click Here to RSVP on Facebook
Interested in volunteering at Catharsis? Please fill out this Google Form!

Watch NBC4 footage of a similar ceremonial vigil that took place at GMU last May: