1000 Cranes is one month old!

I began this blog one month ago today. We are now five weeks from the tragedy that inspired the 1000 Cranes for Alaska project. 

Thursday night, I had dinner with Tina, my videographer friend who was with me during my residency in St. Michael. While she and I were busy catching up, I caught myself saying: "Truth be told, I wish I could quit all of my other jobs and just do this." It's a logistical impossibility to be sure, but this desire to be single minded, singly focused, is one I often wrestle with during my hectic life here in Anchorage. It is, in large part, what sends me running off to remote corners of the universe so frequently, in order that I might recharge and reboot.

Through my training as an Alexander Technique teacher, I have spent years noticing habits of use in my body that are no longer serving me. The study requires that students actively pursue an intense de-cluttering of their innate coordination in order to quiet the noise of our own nervous systems. By "tuning" our bodies so that they more closely resemble our original organization, (through a process my teacher likes to call "upgrading your software to match your hardware"), and by utilizing the hands on bodywork practices of the technique, Alexander teachers are able to "hear" the current "short circuits" of their clients'/students' nervous systems. Teachers then share this information, such that their students may begin to make informed use of it, and slough off habits that are no longer useful, or hindering ease of use in the body, perhaps causing chronic pain, even acute use-related injuries.  It has been a life-altering study, one which has opened the door to further explorations of several holistic methodologies, including Zen Buddhism and Native Science. 

However, in my day to day city life, I am consistently surrounded by large amounts of "static on the line" from any number of distraction-worthy sources: jobs, projects, acquaintances, debts, gossip, politics, overflowing laundry, you name it. I am constantly in motion from one place to the next, one job to the next, one task to the next, zooming past numerous piles of theoretical and physical clutter that pepper a hectic, sometimes harried, life. 

Anyone who knows me well, for instance, also knows that my car is a chronic mess on wheels,  a suburban gypsy cart, further evidence of my thither and yon existence. One single suitcase and a remote rural destination feels like freedom, and I am grateful for these much-needed clean slates. Each trip renews my spirit and helps remind me of who I am when I'm not reacting to a fire hose of chronic stimuli. Hardly three weeks back from St. Michael and the noise and clutter of my life has already begun to overwhelm me. Perhaps I am still readjusting, but either way, in just a few weeks, thankfully, I will be heading out into the painted deserts of Santa Fe, New Mexico, to a place called Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keefe used to live and paint. I know it doesn't make much sense geographically, but I am looking forward to this chance to feel closer to the spirit of the village, and back "home" to what feels like a more authentic version of myself. It seems that only in these quiet spaces can I also become quiet enough to hear what the universe, and all those who have come before me, have to teach me. These lessons arrive in whispers, in the form of inspired thoughts that come into my mind and are reflected in my surroundings, usually in the natural world. Every so often, as in the case of 1000 Cranes for Alaska, I share what I have learned with the people around me, such that they may be able to make use of the information. 

Speaking of which, 1000 Cranes for Alaska is continuing to create new ripples in our community. Yesterday, while rewarding my young theater students with some much-deserved time in the sunshine, I was approached by a representative of the Girl Scouts of Alaska, who will soon be joining our story. 

Last week I met with Kathy McCue from the Alaska Native Medical Center, and had the chance to tour their facility. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the forward thinking, holistic philosophies that were influential in the building's original design. The ANMC functions simultaneously as an incredible gallery space, chock full of some of the best Alaskan Native artwork our state has to offer. There is a tangible sense of community woven into the architecture and emanating from the staff. I am currently hard at work on a poster design for 1000 Cranes that will hang in the ER alongside a station for people to make cranes and join our effort. These cranes will also be on display in the ER, a healing reminder of the care taken on behalf of loved ones, here and beyond.

Our 1000 Cranes for Alaska facebook page has seen some fresh activity thanks to the generous efforts of Viva Voom Brr-lesque, a beloved, local burlesque and variety review. I have worked with this outstanding troupe for a number of years, and in our most recent show, Kamala Derry Stiner, the group's founder and emcee, (stage name: "Lola Pistola"), asked me to speak to the audience about the project. The audience was incredibly receptive, especially considering the fairly serious tone of the announcement in an otherwise raucously entertaining show. I provided crane folding instructions and origami paper for the patrons, and new cranes have begun to pop up once again on our page.

The Boys and Girls Club of Eagle River also joined our story, thanks to Viva Voom hostess, Jennifer Brown.

And just this weekend at the local concert of renowned singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile, my videographer, Tina Scott, had concert patrons folding cranes to pass the time while they waited in line for the start of the show.

This weekend I attended our local Anchorage Saturday Market, and stopped by the booth for The Snowy Owl, a small business owned and operated by UAA theater student, Chloe Akers. Chloe handcrafts fur baby booties and other adorable tiny fur products. She also provides origami paper and a copy of the story of 1000 Cranes at her booth to both educate her largely out of state customer base with regard to the suicide crisis in our state, and offer them a way to get involved during their brief visits.  

Outstanding efforts such as Jennifer's, Tina's, Chloe's, and those of so many others have helped 1000 Cranes for Alaska reach a new recent milestone with over 500 "likes", or followers, to our facebook site. I am so proud to see the creative leadership of my many inspiring and enterprising friends who are making a measurable and continual impact in our growing community. 


In keeping with that theme, and to commemorate the one month anniversary of the weblog, I have included some of my favorite photos from our facebook site. Feel free to check out the rest and add to our campaign at http://on.fb.me/1000cranesforAK

 

Support from the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, UAA

Leslie,

I want to acknowledge the great service to community your 1,000 Cranes for Alaska Project represents.  Thank you for caring.  I’m certain the community of St. Michael benefited greatly from your artistic presence as well as from your compassion, and it is equally certain the entire State is benefiting from your vision and leadership.

Cheers, Kim

Kim M. Peterson, Ph.D.

Interim Dean

College of Arts and Sciences

University of Alaska Anchorage

********************************************************************************************

Kim, 

Thank you so much for your kind words of support. This has truly been a transformative experience for me, and I am continually blown away by the evolving community response to my small gesture. I have made lifelong friends in the village of St. Michael, and learned firsthand how effective the arts can be in mobilizing our collective compassion and putting it to use in our community. Thank you for the opportunity, through my work at the university, to earn a living in my discipline, thereby keeping the arts at the center of my own life. 

All the best,

Leslie Kimiko Ward

UAA Department of Theater and Dance

1000 Cranes in The Northern Light

Hope soars high in St. Michael

By Heather Hamilton | 28 June 2011
Tags: 1000 cranes, death, rural village, st. michael, tradition, tragedy

When tragedy falls, more than families suffer. The officials trying to maintain order suffer, the volunteers trying to save lives suffer, neighbors suffer and even the bystanders suffer sorrow, and need a release for their grief.

Robert Prince, a 23-year-old man visiting his mother in St. Michael, Alaska died in a snowmachining accident on Saturday, June 11 while attempting to skip the machine across a lake back to the village. A good portion of the village turned out to try and save him after his machine stalled and he sank beneath the surface. After nearly an hour of dredging the pond, his body was recovered.

“Everybody started trying to dredge the pond,” said Leslie Ward, a UAA Dance professor, “Then all of a sudden, the whole crowd just erupted in screams, and people were falling on top of each other, and waving their arms in front of their faces. You could tell that they’d found him, and that it was not good.”

Ward was in St. Michael for two weeks as part of an artist residence through the Artists in Schools program, during which she taught dance and drumming to the children at Anthony A. Andrews School. One week in, she bore witness to the village’s efforts to save Prince, along with many others, including children at the school.

“Someone screamed to get the kids away from there, because there were kids gathered all around, including the students that I had by me, so I gathered up the kids that were by me, and called for some others and took them to the playground,” said Ward.

Deeply affected by the event and unsure how to cope, Ward began folding paper cranes that night to keep herself busy in an effort to keep her mind off of it. The folding of paper cranes has a special meaning to Ward; she grew up with the tradition of folding 1000 cranes and gifting them to others. In Japanese lore, if an individual folds 1000 paper cranes, they are granted a wish; it is common practice to fold 1000 cranes and gift them to others in an expression of your wish for them, whether it be to gain health, have a happy marriage or celebrate a birthday.

Megan Stuppy, a special education teacher at Anthony A. Andrews School, expressed concern to Ward of a possible suicide in the wake of the tragedy. According to Stuppy, the village of roughly 400 had already lost three citizens to suicide that year, and two village elders had died as well.

“I started worrying about the people who didn’t have someone to remind them of their value to the world. I conveyed this to Leslie who almost immediately knew she needed to do something,” said Stuppy.

Stuppy’s worry stemmed from the fact that, in the village, almost everyone is related to one another in one form or another. Her own boyfriend is the deceased’s uncle, who took the death of his nephew especially hard.

It was then that Ward decided to turn her small method of coping into something larger for the entire village of St. Michael. She taught her students how told fold cranes, and created a Facebook page dedicated to the project, where anyone could post a picture of themselves holding a paper crane in support. In her blog Ward writes that the project isn’t about creating something “epic,” but that it is about busying oneself while grieving until you realize that, through this thing, you “begin living again.”

“My hope for the “1000 Cranes for Alaska” project is that it offers up one such tiny opportunity, and before you know it, you’re plugged in to an instant and growing network of support and creative inspiration,” said Ward.

Since its start on Sunday, June 12, the Facebook page (called “1000 Cranes for Alaska) has amassed 363 “likes,” and has had its Wall peppered with pictures of handmade paper cranes from around the state and country. It continues to grow daily.

Locally, in St. Michael, Ward and her students performed dance and drumming in front of a large collection of community members on Thursday, June 16, as had been planned before the events that led to the grassroots “suicide prevention” movement. At the end, Ward explained the project she and her students had taken on, and presented the 1000 cranes (which had been completed on Wednesday, June 15) to the audience. Children held strings of cranes proudly in their hands as they walked from the back of the room, and the audience cried.

“They came into the gym where we were holding the show and you could see it on their faces that they were so proud of what they’d done,” Ward said, “They faced the audience, and everybody just cried harder…It think it was something that was very healing for the community just to see the image of the kids and their efforts.”

The mother of the deceased was at her son’s funeral in Kotlik at the time of the presentation, and was unaware of the gesture her son’s death had inspired. The cranes will be on display in the school however, so that students and teachers returning in the fall will have a reminder that they can make a difference.

But the movement didn’t stop when the performance was over; some are still keeping it alive. According to Ward, Chloe Akers, a UAA student who recently started her own business crafting products for children, will be hosting the 1000 Cranes for Alaska project at her booth for upcoming Saturday markets (July 2, 9, 16 and 23). Her business’s name is The Snowy Owl.

Stuppy is also dedicated to keeping the movement going. “At the beginning of the school year, we’ll have an assembly to share with the entire school what we did this summer. We’ll discuss the story of the 1000 cranes, and we will make a plan as a school to continue folding cranes when members of the community need them. It won’t stop here; I won’t let that happen.”