a gathering for asian american women
AsIAm
Courtney Goto and
Coke Tani
Oakland, CA
One time event Saturday, June 14 • 10 am-1 pm
InterPlay and The Hearing Place present a gathering for Asian American Women to restore the “Embodied ImaginAsian!”
As Asian American Women, we’ve walked rich and textured paths, yet we are often barraged by other people’s postures, stories and needs. It is vital that we find practices that return us to our respective rivers of internal authority, rivers of wisdom that lead us to discharge, reconfigure and re-imagine our experiences on our own terms, have fun doing so, and share our discoveries! Thanks goodness our bodies are honest, magnificent, exquisitely tuned, intuitive guides if we are willing to enter spaces where they are welcomed and valued.
Schedule
10:00-11:30 am Body-Based Listening, Movement & Play
11:45 am-1:00 pm Presentation by Courtney Goto, Ph.D. candidate at Emory University, Atlanta
About Courtney and her presentation:
Artistic Play in a Japanese American Church and Family
Learn how one woman (Naomi Goto, Courtney’s mother) uses play, Japanese artifacts, and Japanese aesthetics to help members of her local church to hold lightly the tensions between Christian faith, Japanese ancestry, and American culture. Located in Sacramento, this church has been historically Japanese American, but in recent years it has become more multicultural, making it unclear how to embrace the future while honoring the past. Through liturgical art and other forms, Naomi has invited people to play with issues of faith and culture through the visual arts, which evoke the imagination and the senses. With no formal training in art, theology, or education, Naomi’s artistic play stems from her experience as a mother, artist, and teacher.
Through images and artifacts, Courtney will share this research, which is part of her dissertation on artistic play. Participants will be invited to become part of her research by discussing whether something like Naomi’s art could benefit other Asian American communities.
Courtney Goto is Ph.D. candidate in religious education and practical theology at Emory University. Her dissertation is entitled Artistic Play: Seeking the God of the Unexpected.
As Asian American Women, we’ve walked rich and textured paths, yet we are often barraged by other people’s postures, stories and needs. It is vital that we find practices that return us to our respective rivers of internal authority, rivers of wisdom that lead us to discharge, reconfigure and re-imagine our experiences on our own terms, have fun doing so, and share our discoveries! Thanks goodness our bodies are honest, magnificent, exquisitely tuned, intuitive guides if we are willing to enter spaces where they are welcomed and valued.
Schedule
10:00-11:30 am Body-Based Listening, Movement & Play
11:45 am-1:00 pm Presentation by Courtney Goto, Ph.D. candidate at Emory University, Atlanta
About Courtney and her presentation:
Artistic Play in a Japanese American Church and Family
Learn how one woman (Naomi Goto, Courtney’s mother) uses play, Japanese artifacts, and Japanese aesthetics to help members of her local church to hold lightly the tensions between Christian faith, Japanese ancestry, and American culture. Located in Sacramento, this church has been historically Japanese American, but in recent years it has become more multicultural, making it unclear how to embrace the future while honoring the past. Through liturgical art and other forms, Naomi has invited people to play with issues of faith and culture through the visual arts, which evoke the imagination and the senses. With no formal training in art, theology, or education, Naomi’s artistic play stems from her experience as a mother, artist, and teacher.
Through images and artifacts, Courtney will share this research, which is part of her dissertation on artistic play. Participants will be invited to become part of her research by discussing whether something like Naomi’s art could benefit other Asian American communities.
Courtney Goto is Ph.D. candidate in religious education and practical theology at Emory University. Her dissertation is entitled Artistic Play: Seeking the God of the Unexpected.
Cost: $10-$20 sliding scale (No one turned away for lack of funds)
Registration/Information: Colleen “Coke” Tani Nakamoto at 510/828-7168
Venue
InterPlayce
2273 Telegraph Avenue (at 23rd St.)
Oakland, CA 94612
InterPlayce is the center of the InterPlay universe. The offices for Body Wisdom, Inc. are also located here. The building is at the corner of 23rd and Telegraph, one block north of West Grand. It is just a few blocks from the 19th Street Downtown Oakland BART station, and on several convenient bus lines. On-street parking is always available at night and metered during the day. It is also easily accessible by several of the major freeways.
Click here for a map.
Leaders
Courtney Goto
I'm researching InterPlay as a major part of my dissertation for the Person Community and Religious Life Program at Emory University. I teach InterPlay periodically at the Candler School of Theology and am supporting the growth of InterPlay in Atlanta.
Coke Tani
Coke is a body memoirist, dancer, soul care provider, and teacher/facilitator. Coke has co-led InterPlay's Life Practice and Leader Training Programs, and served as InterPlay's Liaison to Leaders of Color. Currently, she leads InterPlay in a variety of in-person and online settings, and mentors leaders-in-training. She also offers private 1:1 focus sessions (aka embodied spiritual direction), valuing all the ways this practice decolonizes the ways we know and live. She serves InterPlay's Racial Equity & Transformation efforts through its Culture & Curriculum Pod and its Advisory Council. In former years, Coke was a community-based therapist, solo performer, and Wing It! ensemble member.