One year ago today…
I went to the emergency room thinking I had a stomach flu and needed some fluids and antibiotics. I didn’t leave the hospital again for nearly 2 months and I had to relearn how to walk.
My friends and I have called this The Tower, the card in the tarot deck that signifies a complete collapse of everything that once felt stable.
One year out, I feel I am only just starting to rebuild my life, and I know it will take me many years to process what I have endured. Here are a few things I know now:
•My body–its scars and new shaping–tells a visual story of the year.
• I have endured more pain than I could have ever imagined.
• I feel both stronger than I was and more sensitive than ever.
• I am alive today because I am a part of a beloved community. No less and no more.
• I am here, on this earth, to create and engage in art. Nothing is more important to me.
These photos (by @bbkashe ) are part of a work in progress: an experimental essay featuring collective experiences of Black women and non-binary folk who have been hospitalized, the grief of recovery, and these illustrations from a crankie theatre box I made for the @pinkfangnyc symposium on Ping Chong’s archive in December (which I sadly could not attend because I was too sick).
I hope to have the essay finished this spring. It is just a first attempt at processing my experiences. There will be more.
Shout out to my core care team @emma_alabaster@lisathegod Alicia @sarahmarloff@lexfromjersey and the extended community, too many to name, that supported me through the worst of it. And you, who took the time to read this. I love you.
(P.S. this song was one I played for myself in the mornings, doped up on painkillers and seeking solace in the smallest of pleasures)
#blackhealth #blackwomen #blacknonbinary #hospitalization #healing
41. Looking back on this year like “what doesn’t kill you… reminds you of your purpose on this earth.” I am here to make art—sometimes beautiful, sometimes challenging and confronting—and to share the journey in the company of those who are un-afraid to love outloud. Thank you for meeting me here.
1. Claude Monet in Venice at @brooklynmuseum 📷 @lisathegod
2-4. Birthday Artist Salon Volume 3 📷 @esuwalsky
5. Birthday choir 🎥 @iruekpunobi
6. Brimming with love & gratitude 📷 @kadecahe
7. Goth bday princess Mini Mouse (my alter ego)
Meet Kirya Traber, Salt '24! Kirya is a writer, performer, podcaster, and recipient of the 2024 @spotify Studios Union Scholarship!
Kirya talked to us about her time at @the_salt_institute , poetry as a language, and telling black stories. Read the full interview via the link in bio.
#podcasting #mecaart #mecad
Hey you. It’s been a min, huh? I’ve missed you. Maybe you missed me too? Wanna meet me at Echoes of the Future, the 25th Anniversary Celebration for @hiartsnyc on October 9th? We can grab a drink & a bite, watch some incredible performances, maybe even share a dance. It’s gonna be a great night. I can’t wait to see you there.
Tickets at hiartsnyc.org
#WeAreTheCulture #HiARTS25 #EchoesoftheFuture
We sit down with Kirya Traber(@kiryat )—writer, performer, educator, and former Hi-ARTS Curator-in-Residence + CRITICAL BREAKS Artist.
Kirya reflects on her journey with Hi-ARTS and the creative process that continues to shape her artistry. Her story is a powerful reminder of the legacy we’re building together. 💫
Be part of the celebration. Be part of the future.
🎟️ Get your tickets now for Echoes of the Future—a homecoming + 25 years in the making!
Proof of life. I am, by no small feat, alive. And while I won’t yet say thriving, MANY of my days are full of love, joy, and hope. This is a non-linear and random collection of some of my favorite moments since the hospital. Grateful to everyone pictured and many more not pictured. More to come all. More to come. ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
UPDATE: my fundraiser was fully funded and I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Thank you beloved community. 🖤✨
I am finally well enough to post on my own page, so here it goes. On Feb. 12th, I went to the ER with what I thought was a stomach flu and ended up hospitalized off and on for two months. I’ve had five surgeries and had to re-learn how to walk. I’m still fighting this aggressive infection. (if you want to know more, see my FAQ here: http://bit.ly/4lossJN also linked in my bio)
As a freelance artist, I’ve lost nearly half of my annual income while hospitalized. Medical bills are piling up, and there will be more ahead. I need your help.
Please donate and share here (also linked in my bio). Any amount helps.
/f/support-kirya-trabers-medical-recovery.
I am humbled and full of gratitude for all who have donated and shared so far. This experience has been full of pain and frustration, but I have been bolstered by an incredible community of love and care
Hey, it’s Kirya! Last summer, I worked with BAC and Artivism Fellow @ariannaafsar to create a song cycle on community solutions to incarceration—it was powerful, transformative work.
BAC creates spaces where art meets advocacy, and they need your support to keep going.
Your contribution—no matter the amount—helps ensure that this vital work continues. ✨
📣 Donate today and be part of the change. Link in bio to support.
Thank you for believing in this work as much as I do. #ThankYou10
— Kirya, Director, Writer, Performer, and Cultural Organizer
For the last year I have had the joy and honor of being a member of Obsidian, a writing group project of @thefreeblackwomenslibrary . This past Friday, on the eve of the of the Solstice, we celebrated the release of our anthology, Pretty Little Brick: Rituals of Rage, Safety & Pleasure. (Link to buy on Etsy in my bio).
The project, from the genius of Ola Ronke, with the support of the @metmuseum , was inspired by historic womanist writing groups whose work changed the landscape of American literature. While it’s too soon to know the impact of our work, I’m certain that our lives were changed in the making or this book!
I am profoundly proud to be a part of this cohort of brilliant writers (I tagged all I could!), and to have my play, The Letters, in the pages of this beautiful book.
Many thanks to @imanipearlz & @janellemcdrmth for reading with me on Friday, and for generally being talented and fine!
📸: Argenis Apolinario
#blackwomenwriters #blackplaywrights
“Some people think that they know everything there is to know, or everything that they would like to know, they already know about slavery and about the institution of slavery, but that’s not true.” - Daniel Minter
Indigo Arts Alliance’s Co-founder and Artist Director, Daniel Minter was interviewed by Kirya Traber in “Reaching Back - The Work of Daniel Minter” profiling the artistic process for his installation “The Universe of Freedom Making” which will debut as a part of the upcoming exhibition “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World”, opening Friday, December 13 at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Featuring a dynamic mix of history, art, and media, Daniel Minter was one of several artists who were commissioned to make new work as a part of “In Slavery’s Wake”. He also worked closely with the curatorial and design team to conceptualize and create art for the traveling exhibition, the companion publication, and the web-based app.
Daniel’s “The Universe of Freedom Making” is at the heart of the exhibition, as a monumental and immersive installation reflecting a universe of explores a diversity of freedom-making metaphors through a mixed-media assemblage detailing constellations of actions, beliefs, and practices.
Tap on the link in our bio to listen to the full audio short and learn more about “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World. #IndigoArtsAlliance #IndigoPoppin #DanielMinter #KiryaTraber #NMAAHC #InSlaverysWake
I simply would not have made it this far had she not carved a path–her words a machete–for girls like me to take up space in the world.
“There’s just nothing as wonderful as knowing you have done your job.” -Nikki Giovanni
That you did, Ms Nikki. That you did.
Rest in Power
