Subject: The Expression of Grief and the Power of Art
Date: Fri, 14 Sep 2001 11:31:38 -0400
Friday, September 14th, 2001
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
In the hours and the days following the tragedies in New York, Washington
and Pennsylvania, we (as artists) have been transported to a new world - an
unfamiliar territory that will take us a long time to learn and travail.
I am writing to you with a heavy heart. Having experienced the tremendous
damage of two earthquakes in California (and the loss of lives associated
with them), and now with these terrorist attacks, I can only say that it
will take a great deal of time, support from our family and friends, and
the comraderie of our communities to be able to one day be able to continue
with our lives.
I have heard from many of you about how it will be impossible to continue
working as an artist in this new world. About how meaningless and
insignificant our lives are. About how our future endeavors ultimately
will mean nothing in the wake of this horror - thousands of lives lost -
the hundreds of thousands of families affected - and the whole world who
sense of security has been shattered.
It would be an even greater tragedy, and a more devastating loss, to see
each you disappear from our world like those at the WTC and the Pentagon.
My livelihood, my inspiration and my worth as artist comes from the work
that you do and from the support you have given me. Please do not hesitate
to reach out for help in this time of grief to anyone - including those of
your greater artistic family.
Perhaps, as Aristotle surmised, that in our work we will be able to express
our grief and sorrows publicly, allow our audiences to share with us our
experiences, and hope that a catharsis will emerge within each of us, and
thus begin the process of healing.
We will struggle to find the words and the means to define this event. But
as the history of art and artists has shown, we have the ability to express
'the unnamable' - in same ways that those that came before us were able to
do.
For me, it began on Wednesday night, when I begin teaching an acting class
to a group of students, many of whom had never taken theatre-related course
in their lives. In the hours before the class began, I was ill at ease and
uninspired. I do not remember having a single idea as to how to begin -
nor the passion within me to do so.
And yet, once I met these new students one-by-one, it all suddenly changed.
They were there to change their lives, to find a new mode of expression
and to redefine their self-worth as individuals. I was there to support
them, to teach and to inspire them in ways I was inspired when I began my
first acting class. And it turned out to be one the best teaching
experiences of my life. I regained a sense of what my role is ....
I have always felt that it is my responsibility as a citizen, and as an
artist, to illuminate our humanity and to share those stories with our
communities and, by extension to the world at large. If anything, the
events of the past week have made me become even more resolute as citizen
and artist: to aid the process of healing, to council those in need, and
persevere in my life and work in the face of despair.
I implore you, each and every one of you, to not give up or give in to the
terrors of the world. Reach out, help in any way you can, and continue the
good work we have set out to do. Yes, it has and will forever be, a
different world. Our systems of beliefs (social, political, religious,
etc.) have been stripped from us. But we still have our lives, our
responsibilities, and our families and friends who will need us more than
ever.
We shall endure. Keep the faith, and may God bless you each and every one
of you, your families and your friends.
Peace and Love,
Tlaloc Rivas
Philadelphia, PA
"You must go on, I can't go on, I'll go on."
-The Unnameable, Samuel Beckett
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