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| Photo by Christina Ghubril |
Don't mistake Kamau Ware for a simple event planner. He does so much more than that. Kamau (pronounced "ka-ma-oo")notes that so much in the news and views of the world (and its nuances) stands on a "three legged stool." His career and his work, he says, has always hoverd above three main nodes: events, photography, and education. "These are the three main components to everything I've done, be it freelance or through companies or organizations."
He's produced hundreds of events, beginning in his days in hometown Pittsburgh where he founded an ad hoc group of artists and friends. Calling themselves Bridge Spotters, they would throw events and gatherings around the Iron City. Now laid out as a consultancy called bridgespotters, the group has a mission to "create events that serve as bridges between art, entertainment, and education to develop an intellectual and artistically vibrant urban culture." He also takes photos. Black and whites, which he feels "[hold] our imagination in a safe space to be inquisitive about our world" more so than color images. And, finally, he's a certified teacher, having spent some time in a charter school classroom back in Pittsburgh, and has since created a curriculum, "Behind the Scenes", for emerging, school-aged artists. The program aims to teach high school art students how to produce events in the cultural realm. So that young painters, for instance, could organize their own gallery show or so that young actors could put together a performance. With this program, Kamau aims to provide young artists with a deeper understanding of the breadth of jobs and opportunities in the field.
Events, photography, education.
Of course, things are at their best for Kamau when there's plenty of overlap between the three.
Like they were at a benefit that Kamau helped organize for the Brooklyn Artists Gym (BAG). The happening, called Shades of Green, was thrown at the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE), a BAG neighbor (though, sadly, now defunct) with a LEED-certified building; it set out to raise money for the BAG Fund to help out high school artists. The event's goal was to "connect the green movement with the artist community," and to promote the ideas and ideals of issues like recycling, efficiency, energy, and sustainability through the arts. There were installations and performances, hip hop and dancing along with silent auctions of featured eco-art. All in all, Shades of Green seems to well represent Kamau's approach to throwing events.
It was also where he first connected with the Green Edge Collaborative, meeting founder Carolyn Gilles. He's been a part of the Collaborative community ever since.
Seeing as events are the real backbone of the Green Edge Collaborative, I couldn't resist asking Kamau how he'd throw a GEC event. "There's a real community around the notion of sustainability," he says, more so than a number of different progressive causes out there. Playing off this, he'd like to see a series of simultaneous events at people's homes around the city. "Maybe one in each borough for starters," he added. They'd be coordinated beforehand, with similar agendas and aligned themes, maybe even some simulcast greeting to kick things off. They'd focus on "using the green and efficient tools we have to break through new threshold" of lifestyle choice and design. Then afterwards, ideas, photos, notes and brainstorms could be shared between all the locations involved.
Certainly sounds like something right up our collective Green Edge alley.
Interested in meeting more people like Kamau? Check out other profiles on our website!
About the Author
Ben Jervey
is Community Editor for OnEarth.org and writes a weekly column on energy and climate change for GOOD Magazine.
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