April 7th-10th
Event: Community Built Association Conference
Type: In-Person
Location: Omaha, NE
Tonantzin Society Founder/Director, Christina Valdivia-Alcala was a guest speaker at the 4-day Community Built Association (CBA) Conference in Omaha, Nebraska held on April 7-10. Valdivia-Alcala’s presentation, “Re-Membering Who We Are: Calling Ourselves Back Through Community, Art & Nature” – shared with attendees the journey of the Society, the role of community, environment, spiritual healing through nature and engaged in valuable dialogue with the audience.
The CBA was formed in 1989 and in part “may be defined as an interactive process that involves the local community in the design, organization, and creation of community projects. At its heart is a firm belief in volunteerism, empowerment, and the value of community. Through this process, CBA members work with local volunteers to create a physical product like a (park, playground, mural, or sculpture). In addition to an attractive and useful final product that becomes an asset for the community, there are many other, less tangible benefits.”
The conference title for 2022 was “Meeting in the Middle.” For more information on the CBA click https://communitybuilt.org/
May
Event: Making Music
Type: In-Person
Location: Boys & Girls Club, Topeka
After school workshops with Scott Dual Language Magnet 3rd graders. Creating portable 5 panel Cinco de Mayo mural
Evening art workshop on the Queztal bird with Whitson Elementary School students
The Society continues as a co-sponsor of the Oakland Community Garden. An indigenous grasses, plants, flowers and fruits are to be planted in October and November with the help of Native Lands, LLC. Additionally 10 orchard trees are being added in October. Canning and cooking classes, free of charge, will be offered to the neighborhood in 2023.
2022 Events
The Tonantzin Society was thrilled to be a co-sponsor of the Rebel Song Academy. We were approached by ArtsConnect in early 2022 to come on board and we jumped at the chance. The highly successful band, Making Music, brought their Rebel Song Academy to Topeka. For several weeks their lead singer, Enrique Chi, and other band members, gave help, guidance and encouragement to youth at the Boys and Girls Club to create their own music! This was built into the Club’s afterschool program and the kid’s performed with the support of Making Music, at the event location, Chicken N Pickle in Kansas City. The Rebel Song Academy “consists of a research-based, trauma-informed curriculum focused on self discovery through songwriting.”
April
The Tonantzin Society was proud to be a co-sponsor of this history making mural. As an outgrowth of the call for justice with the murder of George Floyd, planning for the mural came about in 2021. Habitat for Humanity donated the wallspace, and Glenda Washington, with the Greater Topeka Partnership was project coordinator. We assisted in helping bring together Latino artis, Jamie Colon and Native American artist Mona Cliff to the project. Black artist George Mayfield completed the vision of bringing the three cultures together to give the historical voice of these often marginalized communities.
May
Event: Mural Making
Type: In-Person
Location: Habitat for Humanity, Topeka