A year ago I dreamt about our LABA theme, WAR. This is not how it typically works. We don’t choose a theme just from a dream, but through our thoughtful and inclusive process at the 14th Street Y we “walk the talk” and have dialogue with our stake holders about choosing a theme at the core of our existence — this was a very serious discussion and we did not take it lightly.
To open it up a bit more we decided to define it as WAR & PEACE. The & being crucial because we wonder can one exist without the other? This theme seemed to be the perfect combination of times and themes aligning. Too “perfect” is what we all fear.
LABA is celebrating its 10th year. After ten years of study, we are mature enough in our process to handle these questions with depth and gravitas. We know that we can push boundaries because of the trust and support within our community.
I am honored to share this journey with 10 inspiring and opinionated artist; the 2017-2018 Fellows Tal Beery, Tal Gur, Amy Handelsman, Jess Honovich, Ishai Shapira Kalter, Zohar Tirosh-Polk, Jacob Siegel, Yael Sloma, Jon Adam Ross, and Brandon Woolf.