Afrofuturism

SeaCHANGE CONFERENCE 2024
2024-09-13 08:00 - 2024-09-15 16:30 (America/New_York)
Welcome to year 3 of SeaCHANGE! People are still talking about the experiences at the previous conferences, using words like “magic” and “transformational”.This is a conference like no other. We gather creators of different identities, races, and ages and explore how the arts can contribute to healing and social change through a series of daily questions:

We give you space for conversations on big questions… workshops with amazing artists… an open mic night and dancing… and relaxed time to connect and cross-pollinate ideas in a beautiful setting.The ripple effects of the community we experience for three days go far beyond the conference: new friendships, inspiration and ideas, and collaborations among participants.

Join Theater for the People, Green Acre, and Kinship on September 13, 14 & 15 as we delve deep into our collective wisdom and explore together the answers to these questions through conversation and creativity.

To make the most of this extraordinary experience we encourage attendance for the entire event:

Option 1 | Full Conference | Including overnight | $399

Includes: 3-Day Conference admission | Overnight accommodations (Friday & Saturday) | Meals — Friday lunch through Sunday lunch

Option 2 | 3-Day Commuter Pass | $225

Includes: 3-Day Conference admission | Meals — Friday lunch through Sunday lunch

Also, we do have 1-Day ($80) & 2-Day ($130) passes available which can be selected at check out.

While we do have costs to cover, we truly want everyone who is excited about the conference to be able to join. We are happy to work out a plan with you to overcome any obstacles. Please reach out the SeaCHANGE team at seachange@greenacre.org to start the conversation.

Last Year’s Highlights

Hi, this is Najee Brown and I’m just so excited about this weekend we had three Incredible days at Green Acre Bahá’í Center of Learning doing the SeaCHANGE conference.

I just can’t begin to say how excited and how proud and like over the moon I am of what I experienced this weekend—people just opening up and being vulnerable and showing their humanity like never before, simply because they felt like they were in a safe space.

Testimonials

“Honestly I came here just wanting to create art, just being open-minded, not really knowing what to expect, and I came out with so much more than I could have ever hoped for. So that was something that was really beautiful about this experience and I just hope to do this again someday.”

“If I could describe this weekend in one word it would be ‘replenished,’ ‘potential,’ ‘invigorating,’ ’transformational’.”

“There were so many elements of how we were able to weave the creativity and the gifts of the artists, and the musicians, and the dancers here, and then seeing how the young and the old and people from so many identities and backgrounds came together. It’s so rare to be in that space, so it really exceeded my expectations.”

“One of the greatest parts of this gift, the little bit that I’ve been able to be here, was the diversity of the people, of different ages and different backgrounds, but the warmth—the warmth that was felt here the minute and I walked in the door, and the motivation behind the themes to help one another.”

“The only thing I can do is just sing, but art is more than that—you know, just singing—it’s everything.”

“I saw the dance instructors that were going to be leading workshops and I was really looking forward to, as a disabled person, some of the benefits and knowledge those people would bring to me through SeaCHANGE conference and I got that.”

“What feeds me is the heart and the spirit and even the body, and this weekend was this gorgeous collaboration between all of those elements: not just the mind, but the heart, and the spirit, and the body—and that is medicine.”

“I learned that I don’t have to be out here alone anymore, and I don’t have to hide who I am anymore.”

“Seeing folks interact with some of the artwork that was on the wall, particularly a piece called ‘Unbound’ by Arya Badiyan, which was about hair, and it was about hair filling the space of this picture—and it’s a beautiful, beautiful painting—but I got to see four different women respond to that in such a deep and visceral way. It obviously meant so much more than just the hair—it was about freedom.”

SeaCHANGE Presented by

Our Earthship
2025-04-12 15:00 - 2025-04-13 15:00
This immersive dance performance created and directed by Jeff Jean-Philippe, Founder and Artistic Director of OneLove and The Expressive Movement dance company introduces the exploration and wonder of the relationship between Earth (in its many forms) and human interaction. It delves into what it is like to build a relationship with the ground we walk on, the things we pass by, and the resources we rely on, all through a human-centric lens. This experience goes beyond mere observation; it encourages you to engage, interact, and connect with the Earth. Together, we cultivate this relationship, creating “Our Earth-ship.”

Performance Dates & Tickets

3pm | Saturday 4/12 | Tickets

7pm | Saturday 4/12 | Tickets

3pm | Sunday 4/13 | Tickets

Generously sponsored by Artists Building Capacity as World Citizens.

Learn More About Jeff Jean-Phillippe

My purpose is to guide people to excel in their life because I know they can. I am passionate about playing the role that helps people rediscover a meaningful life full of passion and purpose, all while I can live a life that I am proud of. I am a man of many trades but mentoring humans through their personal lives, artistic journeys, and holistic health, to achieve a magnificent break-through is where I thrive.Being the Artistic Director and Founder of The Expressive Movement dance company, Dance Advisor for Positive Street Art, Hip Hop educator at various studios and institutions in New England, and nomad of the earth, I have had the honor of deeply connecting, exchanging wisdom, and providing guidance to people all over the world. With these inspiring experiences, I created my personal brand, J-Brand, an organization where I express my purpose through mentorship, holistic practices, dance/art, and comedy.My largest successes are the moments where I achieve pure presence, as presence is our strongest state of authenticity and love. In a society where our natural order is constantly overstimulated, I put in work everyday to master this mind and body so I can serve others and bring them closer to their personal truths and purpose in this lifetime.

SeaCHANGE CONFERENCE 2025
2025-09-12 08:00 - 2025-09-14 16:30
Welcome to year 4 of SeaCHANGE! A conference like no other.

We gather creators of different identities, races, and ages. We recognize there are far more stories, ideas, and experience in the audience than we could possibly put on a stage. At SeaCHANGE, we invite the “the audience” to participate.

There’s space for conversations on big questions… workshops with amazing artists… an open mic night and dancing… and relaxed time to make genuine human connections and cross-pollinate ideas in a beautiful setting. This year, we’ll discover answers to this question:

How can the arts become a haven for healing, peace, dignity, and community resilience?

Day 1 looks at arts as a haven for our personal path.

Day 2 explores how making or experiencing art creates powerful experience of community—opening hearts, building collective care, and restoring dignity.

Day 3 invites ideas on how to bring this experience back home to seed havens of creative community and new futures.

The ripple effects of the community we experience for three days go far beyond the conference: new friendships, inspiration and ideas, and collaborations among participants.

Join Theater for the People, Green Acre, and Kinship on September 12, 13 & 14 at Green Acre in Eliot, Maine.

Highlights from Previous Years

Hi, this is Najee Brown and I’m just so excited about this weekend we had three Incredible days at Green Acre Bahá’í Center of Learning doing the SeaCHANGE conference.

I just can’t begin to say how excited and how proud and like over the moon I am of what I experienced this weekend—people just opening up and being vulnerable and showing their humanity like never before, simply because they felt like they were in a safe space.

Testimonials

“I grew up in a creative environment of a black church where the arts are the center… When I moved to the Seacoast, I saw there was a lot of creativity going on but it felt there was no central place for me to do that as an artist of color. The spirit of SeaCHANGE was making a home and a place like that for people of color, and providing a space for me where I can be myself and create with people or engage with other artists.” —Najee Brown, Theater for the People

“One of the greatest parts of this gift, the little bit that I’ve been able to be here, was the diversity of the people, of different ages and different backgrounds, but the warmth—the warmth that was felt here the minute and I walked in the door, and the motivation behind the themes to help one another.”

“There were so many elements of how we were able to weave the creativity and the gifts of the artists, and the musicians, and the dancers here, and then seeing how the young and the old and people from so many identities and backgrounds came together. It’s so rare to be in that space, so it really exceeded my expectations.”

“At many conferences, we are going through the motions. People’s incredible gifts, truths, aliveness, and creative gifts stay dormant because people sit and listen 95% of the time. With SeaCHANGE, we create a dynamic space where everyone is participating and connecting, engaged in creative arts and encouraging each other’s expression. I love watching people relax into the space and come alive creatively.” —Beth Tener, Kinship

“It was beautiful to sit, feel the summer breeze, look out on the river and have these in-depth conversations and process what we had had learned. Those questions, guided, and opened those conversations. I also felt such kinship and connectivity.”

“I saw the dance instructors that were going to be leading workshops and I was really looking forward to, as a disabled person, some of the benefits and knowledge those people would bring to me through SeaCHANGE conference and I got that.”

“I’m a firm believer that the arts can be used for healing and social change. It’s how I survived. It’s how I’ve learned to heal, and it’s been my life’s mission to help create that space for other people, especially in places where that space hasn’t been made for them.” —Diannelly Antigua, Poet Laureate, Portsmouth, NH

“SeaCHANGE is a space of gathering of different minds, different communities, different walks of life. I think that that was a magic that I kept hearing from people who attended. They said “I walked into the space and felt that I belonged and was equal amongst everybody there.” —Victoria Carrington Chavez, Lilac & Aspen

“SeaCHANGE is rooted in what Green Acre is all about, which is to be a gathering place where people of all backgrounds, families, friends, and people who want to just work together for peace and justice and the oneness of humanity and the nobility of every human person. It’s an attempt to create a community and ultimately create a society that’s both diverse and united.” —Robert Sapiro, Green Acre Administrator

SeaCHANGE Presented by
