Colonization and racial inequity are embedded in the history of the United States, and yet it is a part of our story that is too often side-stepped, avoided, or altogether denied.

The Weaver initiative asks audiences to wonder: “Do I do that?” “Would I do that?” “What bothers me so much about it?” “What could I do differently?” and “Would I?

Intent & Process

From the beginning of creating Insight art, we have been interested in the polarizing habits of mind that divide people and communities, and there is no issue more polarizing than race.

Colonization and racial inequity are embedded in the history of the United States, and yet it is a part of our story that is too often side-stepped, avoided, or altogether denied. Right now, this dark underbelly of biases, prejudices, and violence is being exposed on a much larger scale to a much wider audience. And yet, the personal stories of how the dynamics of race affect individuals are still often overlooked. What do interactions that are knowingly, or unknowingly, steeped in a culture of racism do to an individual?

The Weaver is TÉA Artistry’s three-part performance initiative that dramatically explores the personal, social, and institutional experience of race in the United States. In this project we aim to acknowledge, unpack, challenge, and transform our relationship with racism in America.

In 2018, we began a process of inquiry about how the construct of race impacts our lives, individually and collectively, on multiple levels - personal, social, cultural and structural. We examined and wondered about the myriad manifestations of racism and colonization which permeate the stories we tell, the truths we hold on to, and the patterns of interactions we participate in. We had ongoing Insight conversations with each other and with more than fifty individuals willing to share with us.

The characters and themes in the three iterations of The Weaver are inspired by discoveries made in Insight conversations with individuals and through artistic exploration during our Insight design labs. In all three distinct performance pieces of The Weaver, the interactions of our characters weave a journey through trauma, colonization, internalized racism, and rage as well as joy, pride, love, self-transcendence and triumph. The design and development of the pieces focuses on the inner conscious experience of the characters, and spontaneously leads audience members to wonder about their own inner conscious experience – to shift back and forth between the drama on stage and the drama within themselves: “Do I do that?”  “Would I do that?” “What bothers me so much about it?” “What could I do differently?” and “Would I?”