At the end of 2024, The LFL ensemble shared their two-year exploration of the stories collected - BECAUSE YOU WERE, I AM! This culminating event, at the Main Library of the Louisville Public Libraries, took guests on an interactive journey that allowed them to immerse themselves in the life stories and lessons of the many ancestors whose journeys have informed the participants' lives and communities. Live music, drawings, performance art, theatre and ritual came together in a celebration of heritage.
THE ANCESTORS PROJECT was a series of workshops that LFL started during early 2023, where we used the past to create in the present. In this evolving community arts initiative, we collaborated with multiple different Community Partners throughout the Commonwealth to host workshops in which LFL artists led participants in activities exploring stories of their personal ancestors who have inspired and guided them, and transforming these stories into pieces of visual and performance art that were then shared with fellow participants.
THE ANCESTORS PROJECT workshops continue to be available for seasons to come, in a variety of forms and with a variety of communities. This workshop model is notably being applied to the creation of their original piece inspired by the mythical figure of Lilith herself, which is being created to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2026.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS who hosted workshops have included:
Berea College Theatre Department
The Fund for the Arts’ Senior Cultural Pass
The Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College