Solidarity Sessions
A Journey of Music, Community, and Change
In 2023, I was honored to be selected by an anonymous panel of artists and cultural workers to be one of 80 project leaders to receive grant funding from the California Arts Council, a state agency, through the Upstate California Creative Corps program, administered by Nevada County Arts Council. This support enabled me to create Solidarity Sessions as a way to build cultural solidarity through music, foster critical dialogue, and drive social change. Through dialogues and informal showings of new works, we created space that explored critical social issues, followed by open discussions with BIPOC community members and anti-racists.
Through these sessions, I collaborated with fellow artists, offering opportunities for them to share their perspectives and artistic responses in a respectful, inclusive environment. Together, we sparked conversations about how we support the causes we care about, particularly in Nevada County.
The inspiration for this project came from many places. My involvement in Western States Center’s Inclusive Democracy Cohort - a program which engages mid-career musicians to explore ways to support a thriving democracy - deeply influenced my approach. The program values artists' time and voices, and it encouraged me to design a platform that would provide financial support to local artists while amplifying their advocacy efforts. During the pandemic, I hosted weekly Michelle Amador Live weekly zoom shows, where I interviewed cultural workers nationwide, shared new works, and created nearly 50 new pieces of my own. Additionally, Color Me Human’s call to gather Nevada County's BIPOC community as we emerged from the pandemic highlighted the deep need for community-building spaces, further inspiring me to launch the Solidarity Sessions.
While there are no current plans to continue the project, Solidarity Sessions was a labor of love that I hope will inspire future opportunities for myself and the artists involved. This experience gave me the confidence to apply for the CA Established Artist Fellowship, and I was subsequently selected as ibe if 35 artists out of 1,000 applicants to receive the fellowship. It reinforced my belief that artists should be well-compensated for their time, contributions, and advocacy.
Solidarity Sessions reminds us of the power of collaboration across diverse cultural backgrounds. It demonstrates how music and storytelling unite us in ways that mainstream media often overlooks. The artists and audience members who participated in these experiences, were part of amplifying local voices, connecting with new perspectives, and strengthening our community.
As part of the grant, I was required to survey participants relative to civic engagement and social justice. I am proud to note that relative to those areas, both showed a notable increase after participating, indicating the effectiveness of these events in promoting community-building engagement and social justice awareness. Statistically, survey respondents expressed a 50% increase in social justice awareness post-experience and likelihood to be involved in civic engagement rose by 40%.
For me, these sessions were a reflection of my passion for fostering genuine connections through art. I am deeply grateful to all of the artists who participated:
Justin Ancheta
Love Andreyev
Diana Arbex
Artemis Arthur
Gri Batov
Lindsay Bee
Yasmin Badshamiah
Tim Bulkley
Valentine Camp
Margaret Campbell
Rachel Andes
Joe Cello
Joanne Corso
Kathleen Dessert
Daniel Elkin
Helen Fitanides
Meegan Forchette-Sheppard
Nicole Franco
Shea Freedom
Dominic Gill
Daryl Grigsby
Matt Gottschalk
GR8
Kerry Greene
David Harper
Donn Harris
Laura Hirca
Becky Johnson
Rhapsody Khammar
Michaelyn Logue
Bia Navarro
jori
Coryon Redd
Jane Risker
Maracatu
Marta Rocamora
Mark Salinas
Annette Taborn
Kellie Taylor
Pancho Tomaselli
Makila Wind
