Artists in Partnership sadly announces the Toro Nagashi event scheduled for August 22, 2021 has been postponed. After numerous discussions and concerns from our supporters regarding the rise in Covid-19/Delta cases on Long Island and our desire to ensure the health and safety of all program participants, the Toro Nagashi Planning committee has made the difficult decision to postpone the program and to reschedule it to late spring/early summer of 2022.
Thank you for your consideration and understanding. In the spirit of our Toro Nagashi ceremony, we send love and light to all those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19. We apologize for any inconvenience, and hope that you will consider joining us next year once a date has been secured. Artists in Partnership will continue to provide updates for our future programming. Stay safe and enjoy the rest of the summer.
Respectfully,
AIP Board of Directors
Artists in Partnership (AIP), in alliance with Yellow Heart Memorial-Nassau County, LI/NY, will present a multi-cultural Evening of Remembrance, Reflection, Honor Loved Ones, and to find peace and comfort in the company of others.
The program will feature music, dance, poetry, visual art and time honored rituals for loss, including the Toro Nagashi – giving families and friends an opportunity to honor loved ones, and to find peace and comfort in the company of others.
This event was made possible with the support of Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, Legislator Denise Ford, Legislator Tom McKevitt and Nassau County Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Museums, Eileen Krieb.
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Event Schedule
6:00 to 8:00pm
View art installations on display and participate in lakeside activities designed to inspire and draw you towards the natural world and its elements. Art,Tradition, Meditation, Prayer and Music will be the focus. Collect a yellow heart and write a message to a loved one on it – That message, along with your loved one’s name and day of passing, will be placed by the fence.
7:00 to 9:00:pm
Introductions and welcome statements from Nassau County officials, program organizers and faith leaders. Remembrances, poetry, meditation and reflection will be offered as we gather and honor the loved ones we lost to Covid-19.
A blend of multi-cultural and multi-faith musical performances will be presented by solo and group artists. Scheduled to appear: Studio Noir Street Band; Kim Kuperschmid;Diana Schimkus; Randy Jackson; Roger Street Friedman; Ali Dineen; Cantor Judy Merrick;Kellenberg Gregorian Consortium; Willow Interfaith Choir; Nehemiah Movement Gospel Group; American Indian Artists, Inc. (Amerinda), and others TBA.
Program will begin streaming live from the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre and be broadcast on Facebook at (Here) for those who are unable to attend in person.
9:00 to 9:30pm
Master Drummer, Hiro Kurashima, will lead his Taiko Masala Thunder Drumming Troupe in a traditional and contemporary taiko performance
9:30 to 9:45pm
Performance will be followed by the Launching of the Lanterns into the lake.
The evening will conclude.
Please note, the above schedule is subject to change. A complete list of performers and presenters will be distributed on the day of the event.
Toro Nagashi installation
If you would like to have your loved one commemorated on one of the 300 lanterns that we will be launching at the event, please send a photo with the name, date of passing and a message for your loved one. Our volunteers will prepare a lantern to include in the installation. Please email information to: toronagashi21@gmail.com (with LANTERN in the Subject). Deadline for submissions is Sunday August 8, 2021.
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According to Japanese lore, on the first day of Obon (one of the oldest and most important Japanese festivals), souls of ancestors come home to reunite with family members. To help guide them, fires or paper lanterns are lit in front of homes, or lanterns are placed inside Butsudans (Buddhist altars).
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On the last day of the celebration, souls are guided back to their spirit world by following the floating paper lanterns on the water. The translation of toro is “lantern” and nagashi is “to cruise or flow". The photograph on the right is an example of this practice. It was taken on Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, Tokyo.
Walking through a japanese Chinowa is a purification ritual that takes place in the mid summer, and again at the end of the year. The ritual is rooted in Japanese legend - Susanoo-no-Mikoto, kami (god) of sea and storms, wanted to thank a mortal man for his hospitality so he taught the man how to rid his village of a terrible epidemic. The man was instructed to tie a ring of woven grass around his waist. It worked, and today, people walk through a chinowa (circle made of grass or vegetation) for purposes of purification and to clear away lingering bad luck.
Shinto altars traditionally have two shelves that hold offerings such as rice, vegetables, fruit, sake, etc. A paper ornament called a shide can also be an offering. It symbolizes thunder and can be placed when praying for rain to purify the environment.
LORI HOROWITZ SCULPTURE INSTALLATION
We honor those we have lost. We are all one species, equally vulnerable and must stand together to find place, belonging and comfort in these uncertain times. By penetrating façades we look deeply into these ephemeral forms, seeing the effects of quarantine, loneliness, and loss of family and community.
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My work unveils facades and penetrates issues, revealing the true nature of humanity. Capturing body language, gesture and expression and how they relate to emotion and character, are reflected in these works. We see the human form, both isolated and vulnerable, exposing the frailty of the human condition.
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Sculptures of wire mesh, spun copper and gauze reveal ethereal figures whose existence is precarious. The gauze works two fold, as a thin penetrable skin and as a shrouding historically used for mourning and burial. Shadows are projected that are as important as the physical beings.
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For more information: https://www.lorihorowitz.com/
Yellow Heart Memorial - Nassau County - LI/NY
www.yellowheartmemorial.com :Private Group (1.9K Members)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/862267707921451
Digital Yellow Heart Portraits by"Hannah Ernst"
To learn more about the artist and the Faces of Covid Victims project visit:
https://www.facebook.com/facesofcovidvictims
The Yellow Heart Memorial installation will be produced with the help of event attendees. They will have the opportunity to write messages and attach photos of loved ones to yellow paper hearts that will be collectively displayed at the event. Additionally, banners featuring images of 20 individuals lost to Covid will be displayed. These individuals will serve to represent the 3000+ people lost from our Nassau County community.
Kim is hosting a Yellow Heart Memorial in Long Island.
“I have been a musician and singer for over 40 years. I am grateful to have a loving husband, two amazing children,a caring brother, family and friends. Unfortunately, my dad, Robert A. O'Connell was taken by Covid-19 on 5/4/2020. He was one of my best friends and an unconditional source of guidance and direction. This loss made me aware of my own mortality and, in that discovery, I found my true purpose - spreading love and compassion. I am grateful to offer the same sense of validation, connection, healing and light that I received after my father’s passing. I want to spread the message that humanity is connected.
To contact Kim K please email: kpliny@gmail.com and write YELLOW HEART MEMORIAL in the subject line.
In The Nihon Shoki, the second oldest book of classical Japanese history, there is a mythological tale that relates the origin of taiko. The myth tells how Amaterasu, goddess of the sun, sealed herself inside a cave during a fit of anger. She was beckoned out by the elder goddess, Ame-no-Uzume, after others failed to lure her out. Ame-no-Uzume accomplished this feat by emptying a barrel of sake and dancing furiously and noisily on top of it. Historians regard this performance as the mythological creation of taiko music
Taiko Music is believed to carry your heart to the rhythm of life.
Guided Meditation / Guided Yoga and Pranayama
Healing the child within, living every present moment, knowing every object comes around. That's the simple way to get over all defilements.
Meditation is said to enhance mindfulness. It involves accepting your thoughts and emotions as they are, without judgment or excessive dwelling. Meditation can reduce stress and anxiety levels.
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Pranayama is a Sanskrit word that describes yoga breathing exercises – Pranayama is said to increase energy, relieve stress, improve mental clarity and enhance one’s overall physical well-being.
We practice in the Plum Village Tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. To learn more visit: http://www.greenislandsangha.org/
A Buddhist temporary altar is used during funerals and religious ceremonies. It is traditionally kept until the Buddhist memorial service has concluded, 49 days after a person's death; and during the Bon Festival (Festival of the Dead,in the summer when there is a full moon).
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Symbolic offerings will be placed giving rise to contemplative gratitude and inspiration. Typical material offerings include objects such as lit candles, oil lamps, incense, flowers, fruit and water. Within the traditional Buddhist framework of karma and rebirth, offerings often act as preparation for meditation, and can lead to the accumulation of merit. Merit can bring: A better rebirth in the cycle of birth and death (Pali: vattagamini-kusala) and Progress towards release from suffering (Pali: vivattagamini-kusala).
Prayer flags are used to promote peace, strength, compassion, and wisdom. The wind is said to carry these messages from the flags to all people. The flags are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. For centuries, Tibetan Buddhists planted such flags outside of their homes and places of spiritual practice. It was their hope that the wind would carry the beneficent vibrations across the countryside.
Artists in Partnership, Inc. (AIP), a 501-C-3 not for profit cultural arts organization serving the community since 2000, is the principal curator and producer for the Toro Nagashi Evening of Remembrance and Reflection.
If you would like to support Artists in Partnership, Inc., and their ongoing commitment to bringing unique cultural events to the community, please consider Donating Today!
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