[Jennifer] Hey there, welcome to "Monograph."

I'm your host, Jennifer Wallace Fields.

On this episode, we visit with two remarkable organizations that are re-imagining art's role in social transformation.

The first creates healing spaces where artistic practice becomes medicine for individuals touched by hardship, drawing from the belief that creativity can mend wounded spirits.

The second acts as a cultural connector, weaving networks between local artists and global creative communities like an intricate web of shared inspiration.

Though their approaches differ, InToto focuses inward on empowerment, as Sweet Wreath reaches outward to build bridges, both are rooted in the understanding that creativity is a universal birthright.

Join me and the crew as we experience a movement class with InToto at the Firehouse Shelter.

-Hi, how are y'all?

-What's happening?

[Speaker] Good, how are you?

I'm doing good.

Nice to see you here.

Good to see you too.

So, do y'all wanna tell us a little bit about where we are and maybe what we're gonna do today?

Yeah, so, we're at Firehouse Ministries, and we're in the chapel, and this is where our creative movement classes happen.

So I think we're gonna take you through what one of those classes is like.

Awesome, y'all wanna get into it?

-[Speaker] Yeah, let's do it.

-Let's do it.

Okay, what color do you want?

(both chuckling) Ooh, now you're asking the hard questions.

(all chuckling) I'm gonna...

I'm gonna go for this yellow here.

[Speaker] I was thinking that would be good.

This one's mine.

(chuckles) Red is good.

Okay.

Does anyone wanna join us?

[Speaker] Sure.

Can we get some more folks to come in?

Come on, crew.

(all laughing) Matt, what color scarf do you want?

(chuckles) Uh, I guess I'll go with orange.

Oh, I'm going red.

Yes!

Gorge.

Beautiful.

So, we're gonna start, we have our scarves.

And each person is gonna share a movement and a sound based on how you're feeling right now in this moment.

And then we're all gonna mirror it back to you.

[Jennifer] Okay.

So, who wants to start?

-I will.

-All right.

-Ready?

-Yeah, ready.

Woo!

-Woo!

-Woo!

We gotta all do it.

There you go!

Woo!

(all laughing) Beautiful.

Mine is gonna be... Whoa!

[All] Whoa!

(people chuckling) Okay, so we're gonna combine them.

So, we'll start with you.

[All] Woo!

Whoa!

I'm gonna be... Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee.

(people chuckling) [All] Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee.

(people chuckling) -All together.

-[Jennifer] Okay.

[All] Woo!

Whoa.

Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee.

(people chuckling) Ohh-tah!

[All] Ohh-tah!

(people chuckling) All together.

[All] Woo!

Whoa.

Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee.

Ohh-tah!

(people chuckling) Okay, mine's gonna be... Ah.

(laughs) Love that.

Ah.

Oh.

(all laughing) [All] Woo!

Whoa.

Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee.

Ohh-ah!

Ah.

(all laughing) Okay.

Mine is gonna be... (person whooshes) (people laughing) (all whooshing) [All] Woo!

Whoa.

Ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee.

Ohh-ah!

Ah.

(all whooshing) (all laughing) I think we wanted to do one other activity, but let's throw these scarves right there.

Release what you need to release as you do so.

(all laughing) We're gonna do something that involves something called "mirroring".

Which, can I demonstrate it with you?

[Jennifer] Of course.

Okay.

So, two people.

One person's gonna be the leader, one person will be the follower.

Can you lead?

-Sure.

-I'll follow.

Okay.

And I'm just gonna be your mirror.

-Okay.

-Okay.

We doing it now?

Yeah, right now.

(drowned out ambient music) (people chuckling) (Jennifer laughs) Perfect.

-Yay!

-Perfect.

Okay, so mirroring is really cool, and it triggers these mirror neurons we have in our brain.

We feel seen, and not just isolated, as part of something larger.

[Jennifer] Yeah.

So, Dani's gonna lead us in.

What we're gonna do is blob up.

We're gonna become a blob.

And we're all gonna be facing the same direction, but whoever in front is the leader.

So for example, if I were to turn this way, then we would all be facing that way, right?

And so Matt would become the leader.

If you're in front, you know that because you can't see anyone in front of you.

(people laughing) And you're the leader.

You become the leader.

Okay?

So, we'll go together.

(soft calming music) Whoa!

(soft calming music continues) (soft calming music continues) (feet stomping) (people chuckling) (people chuckling) I don't know what I'm doing.

(people chuckling) Yes, you do!

The cool thing is, you can't screw it up.

(people chuckling) Oh!

Oh.

Oh, now I'm the leader again?

(people chuckling) (people chuckling) (all snapping) (soft calming music) (all crunching) (all spitting) (people laughing) Uh oh.

(all grunting) Matt.

[Matt] Oh.

(people laughing) Ooh, okay.

Backin' it up.

Oh, is it me?

Oh, yeah.

(people chuckling) (all laughing) Well, thank y'all so much for your time today.

This was great.

I really enjoyed being here and learning more about the facility.

Thank you for coming.

You guys just jumped right in.

That was really awesome.

(people laughing) And I hear that Kyle is on the way.

Oh, yes.

And I think I'm gonna talk to him next.

[Speaker] Yeah, all right.

[Jennifer] Before we meet with Kyle, let's take a deeper dive into the creative movement program here at InToto.

You're gonna say your name, and we're gonna do a movement with it, to kind of like symbolize that word, and then we'll add them all together.

Sam, you're welcome to sit.

Or anyone who needs to sit is welcome.

Who wants to start?

(chuckles) I'll start.

Okay.

Dani's gonna start.

Dancin' Dani.

-(people laughing) -(mellow music) So, creative movement is an artistic expression that uses your body as your medium for communication.

It's not your typical dance class.

We're not asking anybody to do choreography or come up with any prescriptive movements.

We really are interested in asking people to tap into their imagination and their emotions, and kind of express that with physical movement.

(people laughing) [Speaker] Sam, what you got?

Sam, Sam, Sam.

[All] Sam, Sam, Sam.

I love it.

[All] Dancin' Dani.

Joyful Jeremy.

Glenny Glenn.

Sam, Sam, Sam.

Boom!

Dynamite Dan.

[All] Boom!

Dynamite Dan.

I love it.

(people laughing) I love it.

[All] Dancin' Dani.

Joyful Jeremy.

Glenny Glenn.

Sam, Sam, Sam.

Boom!

Dynamite Dan.

InToto Creative Arts is a fairly new arts organization here in Birmingham.

It was founded by Kyle Tyree in 2020.

Our programming is for folks who are experiencing housing insecurity.

Many of them are living in shelters, and they've experienced a great deal of trauma, and they're going through a really hard time in life.

I think self-worth is a really important part of this.

I want people to understand how important they are.

Because I think when you are unhoused, you know, you're living in a system that tells you you don't matter.

So, just having an hour a week I think is so impactful to just offer who you are, and be celebrated by other people.

Cal is volunteering at Firehouse Shelter for Men.

And he had read the book "The Body Keeps the Score", which talks about just how we hold trauma in our bodies, and how we process trauma.

And they had asked him if he was interested in doing some classes at Firehouse for the guests there.

He just had this idea of how important artistic expression and creativity were to healing and processing trauma, and just any life experience.

So, we have classes that focus more on poetry and theater and visual arts.

And then we also have the movement classes.

(mellow music) When we tried this as an experiment, we knew how important movement was in our own lives, and it's just such a healing and important part of wellbeing and physical and emotional health.

And so we just thought about combining like creativity with the physical activity of it, with the connection and community.

And it was kind of magic what happened.

If we're in a space where we don't feel safe or we're afraid or we feel threatened, it's just really hard to be expressive.

And so, I think that is very foundational.

It's just creating an environment where people feel supported and people feel seen, and people feel like they are valued as equal humans.

Okay, I just wanna take a second to check in.

(people chuckling) And I would love for people to share, learn from each other.

What do we see in other people during that?

These classes are really impactful for the folks that we're serving, because they're just a break from the madness for a little bit.

A break from just the grind of being in survival mode, and just having an outlet where you can go, and you can feel heard, you can share your experiences.

It's so important to hold space for people to express what they're going through.

There's an energy that this class holds.

And I love it.

I love it, because I was off, really, when I was in here.

Because some people brought me some stuff that I didn't want to deal with.

I think for me, it's being free for the hour that I'm in here.

Just being free, not caring who thinks what, or doing away with the whole thought.

[Speaker] Yeah, yeah.

Pure.

We'll find people say, "I talked about things I've never talked about before today."

Or, "I haven't laughed like this in so long."

They'll come in saying, "Oh, everything hurts.

And I just feel tight."

So, a lot of times they say they feel more relaxed or looser.

Their faces just totally changed.

They have a light in their eyes that wasn't there when we started.

And even if it isn't super long-lived, I think it's just introducing that possibility.

You know, like, it's possible to feel different, you know?

And there are people that care about you, and connection is possible.

(lighthearted keyboard music) Hey, Kyle.

-Hey.

-How are you?

-Good, how are you?

-I'm great.

I just finished a movement class, and I feel phenomenal.

Good.

But I wanted to take a minute and talk to you about your role here, and how you got started.

Yeah, so, I'm the executive director and co-founder of InToto.

And the story of how it started was that I was volunteering at the Firehouse Shelter.

Not this location, the original location.

And when they were constructing this location, a caseworker, Dina Dickerson, asked me to come up with a program for the guys to participate in, because they would have classroom space.

And so my initial thought was, because I'm in construction, my background is construction, do workforce development.

And I pivoted from that after a friend recommended I read "The Body Keeps the Score."

Which is about trauma and processing trauma.

And the author used theater therapy with vets showing signs of PTSD.

And I thought, "What an interesting concept potentially for this community."

Initially contacted Ann Rigel, who's the executive director, was the executive director at the Firehouse.

And then I found Tam DeBolt, a terrific new theater executive director.

And the three of us partnered up and came up with a six week initial kind of pilot program for eight guys to participate in, here at the shelter.

And so that was the initial start of the organization.

It's been about four years ago.

Wow, that's incredible.

[Kyle] Yeah.

And so, what other programs do you have going on here besides the movement class?

[Kyle] Yeah, so we have a multidisciplinary program, which is a creative writing and visual arts program.

We have music, we have theater.

We do a lot of improv with a theater class.

Yeah, that's it.

And then, is there like a timeline for people to be a part of the program?

Is there a entrance and exit date, or is it just as needed?

It's really just as needed.

People can come and go as they please, and you know, classes are always open.

I think one of our most well-attended classes, from the visual arts side especially, is our open studio session here at the Firehouse.

And so we have, I think, probably average 15 participants every week, which is Friday afternoon.

And so, that's a really well attended class.

And the guys have lots of fun.

And I think a few months ago you guys actually had a art show.

Is that something that you do regularly?

Yeah, we do that once a year, where we showcase.

Called "Our Voices", once a year.

It has been at Avenue D, which we're grateful for them to open their space to us.

It's really an opportunity for the public to come in and interact with the people that we're working with.

And we sell the art that's been created, which is great.

And 80% of the proceeds go back to the artists.

It's a really fun time.

We also have performances.

People will read their poetry, or whatever writings they've written, and we have music performances and improv and movement.

So, it's a lot of fun.

So, are there other organizations around town that you partner with?

There are.

Other than the Firehouse, we work with 1920 Club, which is a member run organization with folks dealing with mental health issues.

We work with Pathways Women and Children's Shelter.

We work with Fate Chapel.

We work with the VA, which is a new program.

It's a pilot that we started this year, working specifically with their blind rehab program, which is going great.

And so with all of these partnerships and programs, do you have like a specific mission statement that keeps you aligned with your goals?

Yeah, we do.

So, we provide opportunities for connection, healing, and expression for people affected by social and economic hardships.

That's really powerful.

Yeah.

Like the name of the once a year program, "Our Voices", you know, this is a program that hopes to really give this community a voice, and to shine a spotlight on this community.

You know, just showing that we're all just people, you know, doing our best.

And we have so much great art that comes out of this in various ways.

And it's also an opportunity to show how healing art can be.

I mean, not only for this community, but for everyone.

But specifically this community that's so marginalized and stigmatized.

And it's an opportunity to have our participants kind of take a break from the challenges of life, and to be able to express various emotions in a really safe space.

And that's a big part of what we do, is creating a space that can allow for vulnerability.

Yeah.

So, you know, it's very important, for sure.

Yeah.

Well, I think what you're doing here is very powerful, and I appreciate you spending some time with us today.

Yeah, thanks so much.

-[Jennifer] Thank you.

-Yeah.

[Jennifer] I'm in awe of the work InToto is doing to uplift their community.

We'll close this episode out with another group that uses creativity to inspire and connect.

Sweet Wreath, from Irondale, Alabama.

My favorite thing is to see bands that have this unpredictability to them, where people show up, and they don't know what's gonna happen.

That's the most exciting thing.

I'm Jasper Lee, and I play music and make art.

I start off as a drummer, and then just taught myself other instruments.

Just, you know, having fun and playing music seemed like the connecting thread amongst me and my friends.

I really like collaborating with different people, as a way of finding what I can do in these different scenarios.

So, that's sort of what I did with Plus Noise, being there to fill in on whatever I can.

And it was this free form experimental project that was different every single time.

Since it was different, every time we played, I feel like there's more of a reason to document it, because it's never gonna be the same.

We would just record our practices every week, and any shows that we did.

And we made two albums kind of back to back, and that was the beginning of Sweet Wreath.

We decided to make a name, like a label.

Sweet Wreath is an ongoing experimental project that takes on a lot of different forms.

It has this heavy musical component of being a kind of a channel for experimental music, but it also has this other art and writing component.

It's just really kind of a network of experimental artists in Birmingham, like Davey Williams, LaDonna Smith, Jimmy Griffin.

People that were doing music that's hard to classify.

And it kind of was a natural thing for me to... To invite someone to come to like a practice space, and just play and make some recordings.

And if we liked it, we would make it into an album of some kind.

It's interesting to me to blur that line of putting out music releases, but then there'll be a book, and some other format.

I don't see a lot of labels doing that.

And to me, it just seems natural to, you know, not just focus on one medium.

So, this is a project we did just recently that was a group art project of places related to Sun Ra's history in Birmingham that were important to his musical development, and kind of his philosophical development too.

I'm really captivated by that idea of artists soaking in their media environment, and then that somehow coming through what they make.

So, we wanted to provide something like this map.

We just made a ton of copies of these, and took them to the record stores, and down to the Birmingham Public Library.

Sweet Wreath Speaks was a way of trying something completely different, down in the middle of the city, in Railroad Park.

We wanted to have this open-ended experimental radio broadcast, where we built this bamboo radio tower to kind of mock the radio towers on Red Mountain, or just sort of like refer to them in this way, that was like, this is our version of what we think, you know, radio should be.

Something that is completely open to people to participate in.

So, we invited a bunch of musicians to perform at the park, but also people to send in recordings for us to play.

And we played those over a short range radio signal that we set up through the tower.

So, some of the speakers were talking about urban farming.

That to us was a really cool parallel, thinking about them finding these open spaces to reutilize, and then also thinking about open spaces on the airwaves to use.

So, tying the idea of transmission with ecology was part of what the Speaks Project was about.

Birmingham is... And maybe Alabama in general, is a little bit culturally isolated.

And so something about that just, I think it kind of generates maybe a more particular kind of music and art.

And there's even something that I was talking about with Jimmy Griffin.

The only reason any of us are here specifically is because of mining.

The birth of Birmingham and Irondale as well, comes from the mines at Ruffner Mountain and Red Mountain.

the geographical properties of this area and the magnetism in the soil from all the iron, and even seeing it like wash down the mountain when it rains, and it's just these pools of red water.

What if there's a special kind of plant that grows near here in the shape of a wreath maybe, and there's these red berries on it that soak up the iron from the soil.

All the bats from the mines come out and they eat the berries, and it sensitizes them to certain frequencies and sounds.

We just like thinking about these bats eating the berries from a sweet wreath, and then flying into town towards these sounds of music happening, or the rhythms of people playing, and thinking about the sonic mineral framework of living here specifically.

So that's a whole other layer of what Sweet Wreath is to us as like a mythological connection to the landscape itself.

(discordant music)