CSF News:
A small team of New Mexico community leaders led by Creative Santa Fe has come together to make a difference in the face of the COVID-19 crisis in New Mexico.
Creative Santa Fe, Noise for Now, Bernlore, Whisper to a Dream, Filmindie and Rook SEO are partnering to host a major multidisciplinary digital arts festival leveraging the creative talent of the region to raise critical funds to provide aid and support to those most in need in the community.
“We all need inspiration — right now more than ever. We are dedicated to bringing people together through collaboration and the power of the arts. Virtual LemonAid is a way for us to connect our communities, bring much needed joy and inspiration to our daily lives, and raise critical funds to aid and support those in need,” said Executive Director Cyndi Conn of Creative Santa Fe.
This event will showcase the extraordinary talent of Northern New Mexico – singers, songwriters, filmmakers, and performers and will include national celebrities passionate about COVID-19 relief and about Northern New Mexico.
The event will be hosted by Hakim Bellamy, Inaugural Poet Laureate of Albuquerque and a national and regional Poetry Slam Champion.
Confirmed performers include:
Meredith Monk, Ali MacGraw, Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear), John Dieterich (Deerhoof), Tiago Arrais (Os Arrais), Buffy Sainte-Marie, Nacha Mendez, and many more local and national artists. Special interviews and messages with celebrity guests including Brian Hardgroove of Public Enemy, Film Director and Producer Chris Eyre, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber and more to be announced.
In the words of Virtual LemonAid partner Brian Hardgroove, former bassist of the band Public Enemy, “I was raised in the northeast (NYC) where resources were easy to access. The high desert is very different and we must all pull together at a time like this. Rugged individualism has its limits here.”
The intention of this event is to raise critical COVID-19 relief funds, to bring the community together, and to share New Mexico’s great depth of artistic talent with other parts of the United States and the world.
Twenty percent of all funds raised will be split evenly between participating artists. The remaining 80 percent will be divided between the All Together New Mexico Fund and the Santa Fe County Connect Fund. Both funds will be used to address immediate needs of New Mexicans in this crisis.
There will be a “pre-party” section of the Virtual LemonAid website that includes restaurants and breweries offering special LemonAid take-out and delivery options, recipes, fashion tips and more. The pre-party section of this website is intended to promote local restaurants, breweries and businesses throughout the state on this very special evening.
This event will be streamed free at 8 p.m. Friday, May 8, on Instagram TV, Facebook Live, Youtube Live, and other channels to be announced on the event website.
Follow Virtual LemonAid on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. www.VirtualLemonAid.com
