July 26, 2021

Hi BOSLadies,

Thank you so much Alexandra for last week's note and for all of the information on the subjects of Ninth Street Women. She is hosting tomorrow's July meeting at 6pm EST, and it happens to be our THREE YEAR BOSLady anniversary!!!

Topic: BOSLady Time: Jul 27, 2021 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89043891843?pwd=Ris1K0JhRTdaVmYxVS9sQnR1dzNWQT09 Meeting ID: 890 4389 1843 Passcode: hTX5jP

The Weekly Three

1. Something about Edmonia Lewis: Last week I attended Laguna Beach's Pageant of the Masters and was struck by the story of American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, whose life is described as "profoundly uncommon" in this Smithsonian article.

The theme of the pageant this year was American masters and happened to mention the federal funding of artists during the Depression that appears in one of the early chapters of Ninth Street Women.

2. Something about Ballroom: We all know Madonna's song "Vogue", but do we know where that originated? Ballroom culture. Pose (2018) and HBO's Legendary shine a bright light on Ballroom and give it the recognition that the mainstream has so long denied it, even while appropriating so many of its trends. This Rolling Stone review of Pose begins by describing ballroom as "a way for queer blacks and Latinos to live their best lives – that is, to figure out how to respond to a society that devalued their lives and attempted to erase their presence".

Also pulled from the review is a quote from Dorian Corey in Paris is Burning:

3. Something about blue marbles: Looking for more ways to improve my mental health, I recently read Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols. The book tells us why humans are drawn to water, be it the ocean, showers, rivers, or even a cup of water, and why it's so good for us. At the end of the book, Nichols shares the blue marble project and I wanted to share it with you all here.

Thank you always for your time and see you tomorrow!

Amber