I AM NOT OK

ARTIST & COLLABORATOR STATEMENT

In June 2020, following the death of George Floyd, I came across a Facebook Live post by my friend and colleague, Tiffiney Davis. Ms. Davis is the Executive Director of the Red Hook Art Project/RHAP, a free art and mentoring program for low-income youth based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, where I had been mentoring and volunteering for several years.

From her kitchen, in the thick of the Covid pandemic, Ms. Davis spoke about her outrage at the unending killings of Black Americans, the protests and her fears for her son. It was an impassioned plea and call to her community and to the world at large to protect the lives of Black children.

My heart was pierced by her words and her pain.

This is what spurred me on to create, I AM NOT OK.

I immediately asked Ms. Davis if I could use her words in my film. She said absolutely.

I then reached out to Pat Hall, a long-time collaborator. We had worked together on a dance/ theater piece about the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2004 and she also portrayed Tina Turner in River Deep, an original musical about the iconic singer.

She too was on board to work on the project.

Along with Dahsir Hausif, we spent many months in the dance studio working on the movement and discussing the issues. We also met with Tiffiney to share our progress, to experiment with her text and to share our feelings surrounding the work.

I AM NOT OK is the film I created in collaboration with Tiffiney, Pat, Dahsir and our composer, Philip Hamilton.

TIFFINEY DAVIS, Writer & Narrator: Statement

I met Gabrielle a few years ago. She came to my nonprofit to volunteer for the mentor circle with our young artists. Immediately Gabrielle caught my attention and I knew our young artists were in the best of care. Gabrielle is very passionate and sensitive about working with young people. I knew I wanted to build a long-lasting relationship with her and wanted to work closely with her on learning from each other’s walk of life and the struggle and the resistance that we hold as community members and leaders. The moment she mentioned this project I knew it was urgent, necessary, and important. For a white woman to hear me roar in pain and frustration and want to do something about it and to bring awareness to the situation is a powerful and uplifting experience for me. I became dedicated to the project and wanted more from it. Thank you Gabrielle for raising the voice of a black woman!

PAT HALL, Dancer, Choreographer: Statement

Art reflects the world around us…the world we live in and has always been a powerful tool to use to address social issues that matter to us. When Gabrielle approached me about the project, I was immediately interested. After yet another senseless death of a black person, driven by hate and ignorance, I felt broken inside and wanted to lash out! I thought about my family, my daughter, my young grands who are growing up in a world that is not making space or a place for them to live their lives productively in peace.

Because of COVID, I didn’t want to take to the streets in protest and I’m not a social media person but I wanted to use my voice and to speak through my art. When Gabrielle sent me Tiffiney’s recording I felt that this was an opportunity to respond in a way that was so potent and so present. This piece weaves the words, photos, archives, body-movement-voice expression in a way that is visceral and at once, educating. As an African-American woman and artist, I am proud to lend my voice to this piece that brings awareness and touches us in ways that only art can.

I have known Gabrielle for over 20 years and have worked with her on two other projects. Her work has always been thought-provoking, sensitive and powerful, and I AM NOT OK is another example of who Gabrielle is and her commitment to fighting injustices through her art.