Building a Better Future

Dancers from Centrifuge Arts perform a socially-distanced dance at Griffith Observatory last March as part of artat6ft, Level Ground’s series of socially-distanced pop-up art exhibitions. Titled “Letters to the Universe,” this piece combined dance, poetry and film to spellbinding effect. Reneice Charles writes, “In the face of a virus that has forced many of us into isolation, Level Ground has found creative ways to bring artists and audiences together.”

Reneice Charles joined the Level Ground staff team in October 2020. She serves as the organization’s community manager.

Back in March, when I began sheltering in place, I was filled with anxiety and didn’t know what to expect. After several months of innumerable losses of Black life, nationwide protests against police brutality, and 284,000 preventable deaths (and counting), I still don’t know. I’ve learned to shift from expecting to survive to a posture of just making it through. Through the fear, loss, anger, devastation, and heartbreak at seeing my community decimated. Through the reminders of how little this country and its government values or protects lives like mine. There are truly no words for this experience.

However, in the midst of all this, I can say that without a doubt that what has gotten me through each day is art and the artists behind each new work I discover. Actors are performing through the chaos, keeping my streaming queues filled. Poets are hosting virtual open mics, speaking truth to power and weaving the uncertainty of our lives into poetic phrases that wash over the ears of others, fortifying souls and helping us heal, breathe, connect. Musicians are moving our caught tears to flow and opening hearts that have long been closed. Photographers are documenting the history currently being made by the organizers and protesters in the streets, and painters depict the quiet strength and endurance of those whose sacrifices take the form of staying home. With their cameras and paintbrushes, they are freezing moments in time, and in so doing, they remind us that beauty and joy exist. They remind us that there is life worth living, life worth fighting for.

“By uplifting underrepresented and marginalized artists, Level Ground is doing the work of fulfilling dreams and building a better future.”

That’s just how artists are. Singing, painting, dancing, sculpting, creating, and struggling, too—and yet somehow, they still manage to birth the very things that allow us to hold on and keep going, the creations that give us space to feel held simply by witnessing them. Artists are crucial.

It’s no surprise that so many Americans are turning to art as a guiding light right now; that’s truly how it always goes. Throughout human history, artists have played a part in keeping the world turning during times of crisis. So much of history is only known because an artist documented it in a way that future generations could discover and preserve. Artists continue finding new ways to spin straw into gold for us. They do this in spite of the fact that, when the gold runs out, the arts are typically the first sector of our society we abandon, letting artists face the financial chopping block on their own. 

Artists give so much to us, creating work that engages our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds. There’s almost a societal expectation that artists will always be there for us, even though the financial stability and well-being of artists is often not considered a priority by those in leadership. Their work is consumed far more greatly than it is ever supported, yet artists continue creating anyway. That takes pride and strength. It takes empathy and a deeply embodied love for others. That’s what it takes to be an artist.

Directed by Taree Vargas, the short poem-film “Steadfast” used striking colors and beautiful floral imagery to create a visual reflection of poet Karly Kuntz’s piece of the same name. “Steadfast” was just one of several short poem-films created for Level Ground’s online film and poetry festival, Blooming in the Whirlwind, held in September 2020. The festival gave 19 artists the opportunity to collaborate across various mediums to create these films.

All this time stuck at home, turning to the artists in my life to find the strength that I need to make it through each day—it’s given me plenty of time to dream of the world I hope to meet on the other side of all this. One of the key differences between our current world and my dream one? In my dream world, I see a future where artists are elevated. I see a future where artists find stability and support not just on our sunniest days but also (and especially) when it’s dark out, when our days feel like weeks and our weeks just listlessly string themselves together into months. After all, those dark days only make the work of artists that much more crucial, that much more precious—not less. Those dark days make it plain to see that artists offer us a crucial lifeline in their art.

I dream of that day, and I know that Level Ground does, too. By uplifting underrepresented and marginalized artists, Level Ground is doing the work of fulfilling dreams and building a better future. Even in my short time on staff, I’ve seen how this organization’s work is pushing the scales ever closer to equity in the arts. I’ve seen how Level Ground’s work honors the truth, resilience, sacrifice, and love of artists.

I’m honored to work at an organization that believes in funding and preserving the arts. I’m inspired by Level Ground’s commitment to fill the world with immersive, experimental and transformative art, and I’m grateful for their equal commitment to the just treatment of the artists behind these works. In the face of a virus that has forced many of us into isolation, Level Ground has found creative ways to bring artists and audiences together. Through virtual events and collaborative projects like artat6ft, Blooming in the Whirlwind, SKEW, and more, Level Ground has given artists the very thing that artists give to society: a lifeline. Several months into this virus, I still don’t know what to expect. But I’m not as anxious anymore. We may not know exactly what the future holds after all this is over, but I’m certain of this: because of Level Ground, our future is vibrant.

Reneice Charles
Community Manager, Level Ground