In 2023, nine local artists created original work for Oddkin Unite, a series of dinner gatherings of unlikely people (oddkin*) who assembled to encounter original art, enjoy food, and engage in guided discussion around a series of soulful themes. This Gala is a one-time event that will have spots for up to 100 people and will reunite all the 2023 Oddkin Unite artists to showcase the artwork that was created for each of the original gatherings. The evening will present the themes that we explored and lead attendees through an "Oddkin Unite Experience." The evening will involve sharing a delicious meal, encountering original art including poetry, photography, music, movement, visual art, and spoken word, and guided interaction about movements that need to happen to help us cross barriers and connect across points of difference.

At Kinship Plot, we believe in the power of art and food to facilitate joyful encounters and resonance across differences, and we believe in the power of the table, a place of mutuality which beckons us to receive others' stories and presence. We hope that attendees of the Oddkin Unite Gala will be provoked to imagine and improvise generative and just ways to connect across differences in their own neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities. We believe we need more practices and spaces that allow for new ways of being together across barriers that lean toward mutual care, belonging, solidarity, and joy.

Program

5:30-6:00 PM Self-serve buffet

6:00 PM Program begins

8:30 PM Program ends

A Note on Dress Code

There is none! We know that calling this a "Gala" makes people think about fancy dresses and black tie, but please come in whatever is most comfortable for you. We are using the word "Gala" to express the festive, celebratory nature of this.

*Oddkin is a term coined by Professor Donna Haraway who writes: "Staying with the trouble requires making oddkin; that is, we require each other in unexpected collaborations and combinations."

About the Themes and Featured Creatives

Coach Jah Smalls (Poet) From Alienation to Resonance // Jah Smalls is a NYC native. For the past 10 years he has been teaching creative writing and serving as the poetry slam coach of Respect Da Mic slam. This voiceover artist is also a cofounder of GrannaesBoyz and the owner/founder of UmiSaysPublishing. He has also published 5 poetry books and more than a handful of writing journals as well. This award winning poet dreams of teaching creative writing across the world with aspirations of traveling every two years to teach in a different country.

Jeremy Goodwyne (Singer/Songwriter) From Independence to Interdependence // Jeremy is a musician and a liturgist who writes about faith and doubt, loss and life. He and his wife Julie have lived in Charlotte on the Westside since 2009. They have a 7 year old son Abel (Abe,) a one-year-old girl Aurelia (Rilly) and a 14 year old dog, Chloe. Jeremy leads worship at Uptown Church and also performs around town as the front man for local rock band Brother Watts and as a solo act doing more intimate folk and indie music. You can find some of his work at goodwyrds.com and brotherwattsclt.com.

Dawn Anthony (Jazz vocalist, Poet, Visual Artist) From Chained to Rooted // Dawn is a North Carolina-based multimedia artist that spans music, writing, and visual art and placemaking. She enjoys collaborations that build bridges across cultures, languages, and generations. Dawn made her Carnegie Hall soloist debut on June 25th, 2022, premiering Kevin Gray and Rick Bean’s Jazz Mass. Her musical, The Gift Way Up in the Closet, premiered in 2019, earning acclaim at Atlanta’s Black Theater festival in 2020. Dawn's tribute to Anita Baker and Oleta Adams drew a sold-out crowd in January 2023. She served as the vocal coach for Epoch Tribe’s productions of I Am Queen Charlotte and The Men Inside. Engaging in diverse art forms, including upcycled art and creating respite spaces, Dawn's work transcends boundaries. Her visual art featured alongside Helms Jarrell’s in the show Us Women and she continues to captivate audiences wherever she goes.

Helms Jarrell (Interdisciplinary Artist) From Chained to Rooted // Helms Jarrell is an interdisciplinary artist who weaves stories together using mixed media, ceramics, needlework, and jewelry making techniques. Her work intentionally integrates art, faith, and culture into organizing strategies to build people power and social change. Using the language of culture, art, story, and ritual, she aims to cultivate folks’ sense of belonging, connection, and interdependence. When she is not deeply working on justice issues, she's creating whimsy, beauty, and a sense of hope wherever she goes. Helms is currently the Co-Director of QC Family Tree and the organizing pastor of a church plant in Charlotte, Beloved Community Charlotte.

Sara Kay Mooney (Poet) From Scarcity To Abundance // Sara Kay Mooney is a proud resident of east Charlotte where she lives with her husband and three children. A Virginia native and alumna of Davidson College, Sara Kay is a trained librarian who currently manages communications for an education non-profit. Her writing has been featured in Christianity Today, Bustle, Fathom, Misadventures Magazine, and The Charlotte Observer, among other publications. Follow her on Instagram for her latest poetry recommendations.

Michael Maxwell (Photographer) From Disconnection To Belonging // Michael Maxwell is a self-taught, freelance photographer with a passion for portraiture, street, and documentary photography. Michael's journey behind the lens began as a way to explore a fascination with capturing the human spirit and the surrounding world. With over two decades of social work experience, Michael has honed an ability to connect with people on a profound level, and his camera has become a powerful tool for forging those connections. With every portrait session, Michael creates stunning visual representations and also aims to leave his subjects feeling uplifted and valued. Inspired by the legendary Gordon Parks and the impactful storytelling of National Geographic, his photography is rooted in the art of narrating stories through the lens. Through his images, he strives to shed light on the intricacies of life, capturing moments that reflect the diverse tapestry of human emotions and experiences.

Sarah Council (Dancer, Choreographer) From Static to Active // Sarah Council is the artistic director of Sarah Council Dance Projects (SCDP) a contemporary dance company that focuses on investigation, creation and performance and works to share these experiences with others through presentations, workshops and residencies. Sarah’s choreography ranges from intimate observations of daily life and relationships to wider focused explorations of pressing social justice issues. Her dances emerge from a collection of personal experiences, research and observations. Her choreography is grounded in a visceral theatricality, producing dances that are thought provoking and emotionally transporting. Sarah believes that the creative process is empowering and transformative for individuals and communities. Sharing this process is her passion and priority.

Tracy Watts (Documentary Photographer) // Tracy Watts is an emerging documentary photographer living and rooted in the American South. Coming to this work later in life, she prefers to collaborate, listen and build trust. Using environmental portraiture and visual storytelling, she works to evoke curiosity about our shared humanity while exploring race, religion and identity.

Ranika Chaney (Facilitator) // Louisiana-born and bred, Ranika Chaney graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a degree in Communications-Broadcast Journalism and Sociology. Her own journey has deepened her passion for sharing topics of domestic abuse and faith which have broadened her fascination with trauma’s effects on the brain. Ranika is a single mother of 5 children and a certified Mental Health Coach and speaker for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Speakers Bureau. Ranika is also the Founder of Mental Health Moms, a service that provides coaching in 3 core areas: Healing (specifically from narcissistic abuse), Parenting and Public Speaking. Ranika also works in the arts with Engage Art, helping artists globally connect through art and faith. All of her loves find purpose and joy as she rears her 5 beautiful children.

Contact the host of Oddkin Unite Gala