“An artist can show things that other people are terrified of expressing”
- Louise Bourgeois
Cat Delett and Jeremy Moss of Good Crowd Events have engaged with six amazing artists in our community. Their time and energy has brought together this original collaboration around our theme ‘normal’, for which we are incredibly grateful.
Making art is a powerful form of sharing ideas and integral to our event. Thank you to all our contributing artists for sharing your time, talent and passion to enhance this experience and power the visual conversation.
To produce this kind of work is significant - please take the time to follow our artists and explore their process. It will be time well spent. Click on the Artist to link!
“Creativity takes courage” - Henri Matisse
Music and Visual Art
TEDxMaplewood is excited to announce that Porl Gordon, one half of the Duo behind Katmosphere will be performing live at our event.
Porl has been creating music since his encounter with a Yahama DX-7 at the age of 13. Strongly influenced by Thomas Dolby, The Cure, Tears for Fears, and Peter Gabriel, Gordon started out crafting synth pop tunes about the heartache and angst of those awkward teenage years. During the 90s, he discovered electronic music and worked as a DJ pulsing out trip hop tunes in chill-out rooms in Australia and London. A drummer, pianist, keyboardist, composer and singer Gordon lives and breathes music. He is forever tapping his fingers or bopping his knee to the constant beat in his mind. His work has been featured in a range of media from commercial sizzle reels to dance performances. He is also co-founder of Katmosphere, a duo that has been together for over 10 years performing “ eclectronica" improvised electronic-based music.
Flash Mob
“We wanted to organize a flash mob, but there was one problem – we couldn’t dance!” Enter Emily Regas – not everyone would give up their Sunday afternoon’s to help teach choreography to aspiring dancers but Emily’s flare for movement and extreme sense of fun has helped create a community group who’ve enjoyed moving and learning together. As Vanessa Pollock and I describe it “it’s a Joy bomb!”.
Here’s a little about Emily – give her an extra big smile and a high five next time you see her in SOMA she deserves it! Personally I’ll be greeting her with a Dab or perhaps a body roll! Come and clap along – 2pm Spiotta Park, South Orange Sunday 16th February.
EMILY REGAS was born in sunny San Diego, CA and moved to New York City to pursue a career as a free-lance dancer. While performing in various modern and tap companies in the city and on tours throughout the country, she discovered the fabulous world of non-profit fundraising and now directs the major gifts program at the United Hospital Fund. Emily is also on the board of the Treehouse Shakers Dance Company and continues to dance with Omega Dance Company.
Emily has been married for 12 years to an amazing woman, and they live in South Orange with their two adorable girls. In addition to being a wife, mom, and fundraiser, Emily enjoys volunteering at her church, St. George’s Episcopal Church in Maplewood, taking dance classes, and knitting.
The Art Hub is a forum for us to connect.
A visual reflection of our community will form the backdrop of our event stage and break spaces. We want to create a visual record of our collective individuality, our ideas, thoughts and emotions. Art is a critical form of communication and we invite you to be curious, to create and contribute.
EVENT THEME: normal; what does this mean to you? There are no wrong answers! You are important - place your mark here, take your space, be vulnerable, be bold, be beautiful, be seen!
Three community Art Hub Projects - create, share and start a conversation.
1300 students from our district, representing all grades and schools, will participate in a project facilitated by our amazing Fine and Performing Art Teachers. Collectively they will form an art piece for or event and a community exhibition.
Six phenomenal artists from our SOMA community will contribute their talent, for display on the TEDxMaplewood stage.
Post your ideas to our social media pages - Instagram is best for images