August 13-17, 2021

The Whitney Center for the Arts, Pittsfield, MA

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Rites of Passage: 20/20 Vision was a "living museum" honoring the lives & visionary futures of Black, Indigenous & Immigrant Women of Color in America (BIWOC), set inside a historic former Women's Club in Western Massachusetts. Throughout its  25 "Rooms of Cure", 20/20 Vision reclaimed BIWOCs' experiences of initiation using ritual theatre & multimedia art shared over 10 live performances from August 13-17, 2021.

20/20 Vision was created in collaboration with over 65 Women of Color artists ages 3 to 75, and was witnessed by 1000 audience members. Together we created a temporary living village of belonging, and embodied a more fertile, resilient & just future for all.

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This was the second "Rites of Passage" production; the first took place in 2013 in the same historic mansion - each room representing an archetypal stage or theme of initiation in women's lives generally - from birth to death, and created by another community of women artists.

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The Rites of Passage Project is itself an evolving movement to reclaim + celebrate women's initiations through ritual, performance and multimedia art. Watch the 60-min walk through video, see photos & earn more on the Rites of Passage website here.

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Conceived & Directed by Pooja Prema

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Photos by Jeanny Tsai 

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