This post was originally meant to highlight our upcoming concerts featuring Rachmaninov's "All Night Vigil" (Trenton and NYC), and our continued partnership with Tamara Torres.
And then, rest and hope gave way to the thunder of bombshells, shrapnel, and fear.
There aren't words.
But...
We will stand, we will show up, and we will keep vigil. Darkness is having its say, and we will respond with light.
Our upcoming concerts are now devoted to keeping our candles lit with the people of Russia and Ukraine who are doing all they can to preserve peace.
[A reflection from The LOTUS Project's inaugural Artist-In-Residence, Tamara Torres]
These last couple of years we as a community had to lean on each other for love, patience, and light. The painting “Keeping Vigil” is a reminder that in the course of our struggles there is a beautiful light at the end. Together we create change, we forgive, we become one.
I’ve met some incredible people who have had an interest in my artwork. People who I’ve might not ever come across mainly because we travel in different circles. It has been a pleasure feeling incorporated through out the projects The Lotus Project has done; meeting new people and sharing my artwork to a different audience.
As an artist, when you collaborate with organizations, there is always a slight worry your artwork or message will get lost. However, working with The Lotus Project has allowed me freedom in the creative process and introduced me to a whole new genre that I never imagined my work to be a part of. During the pandemic and stresses of 2020, the inspired artwork emphasized that there is always light even in the dark moments.
When I met The Lotus Project their mission, their music, their love for arts fit together with mine perfectly. I'm incredibly honored to be a part of their artist residency program. - Tamara Torres