Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
TIme: 7:00 pm
Location: The Pink Pony, 178 Ludlow (between Houston and Stanton)

This will be a brainstorming meeting with a focus on designing guidelines and plotting out the timeline for AI Firefly's new commission for the creation of a new public art, film, public performance, or new media project that addresses issues related to one of the four AIUSA current campaigns. We'll also be discussing Fuel for the Fire, a training weekend in May for high school students who work at the intersection of art and activism.

Everyone is welcome!

If you haven't been involved before, now is a great time to start. Please feel free to give me a call at (917) 513-7514 if you have questions about the group or would like to chat before coming to a meeting.

About Amnesty International Firefly Project: AI Firefly is a NYC-based collective that produces public events, including workshops, gallery exhibitions, screenings, dialogues and discussions, conferences and festivals, and concerts. Firefly works to raise awareness of human rights issues and support the exchange of ideas, strategies, motives, and methods for creating art that is politically and socially engaged. Amnesty International Firefly Project is affiliated with Amnesty International USA as local group #704 and as a pilot project for the Northeast Region.

An estimated 20,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year (as many as 700,000 are trafficked internationally) — many through and into New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Date: Monday, January 23, 2006
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Fix Cafe, 110 Bedford Avenue (corner of north 11th) Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Subway: L to Bedford Avenue.

We'll be discussing two new upcoming projects, (1) a commission for the creation of a new public art, film, public performance, or new media project that addresses issues related to one of the four AIUSA current campaigns, and (2) an intensive two-day training weekend for high school students around grassroots arts/activist organizing strategies, planned for early May.

Everyone is welcome! Feel free to e-mail me at steffani@whatfelt.org if you haven't been to a meeting before or have any questions.

A screening of Ashley Hunt’s innovative documentary investigation into the privatization of U.S. prisons.

Free; followed by wine reception and discussion.

PEN Prison Writing Program presents a reading of prize-winning writing by former winners of its annual contest, including Eric Waters, introduced by former PWP chair Bell Chevigny.

Free; followed by wine reception and discussion with the poets.

Paul von Zielbauer of the New York Times and former Rikers medical director Dr. Robert L. Cohen discuss prison health care and the role of journalism in bringing human rights issues to light.

Free; followed by wine reception and discussion.

Amnesty International Firefly Project, the Columbia Human Rights Law Review and ABC No Rio present an exhibition of drawings by prisoners from around the country and a series of Thursday-night events on prisoners rights.

Firefly Project invites you to an open conversation about where we go from here.

You met at the conference - now's the time to reaffirm the connections you made. You didn't make it to the conference - here's your chance to meet the people who did. Bring your project ideas: you want to build an activist community website? set up a once-and-for-all master listserve for the artist/activist community? organize a series of workshops on puppet-making? create a public art project on Wall Street? Now's the time to share and recruit!