Five artists create performances around the idea of sanctuary using a variety of media, space, time, spoken word, and music.

Joyce Barbour
Amy Davis
Magnolia Hensley
Sara Noori
Taylor Sanders

Curated by Keith Waits

In order to encourage an interdisciplinary exploration of performance, a group of artists was invited to collaborate, some from a background in visual arts and some from the world of theatre. Together they developed individual pieces that interpret the concept of sanctuary in 2023. Safety, security, escape. . . we all have our own needs in seeking sanctuary.  

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On February 23, 2023, Joyce Barbour & Magnolia Hensley from LVA's The Sanctuary Project were interviewed on Artists Talk with LVA by curator Keith Waits for WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com.

Read a review of the The Sanctuary Project in Arts-Louisville.com by Martin French.

Magnolia Hensley

Sometimes, when life is especially tumultuous, it can be easy to lose sight of how truly important we are. How much we contribute to our communities, relationships, and the world around us just by existing. I took this project as an opportunity to create sanctuary through affirmation—outward affirmation, affirmation of self, and the power and love that comes from spreading affirmations to others. The hope is to gently remind us of the positive impact we can make every single day through our thoughts, words, and by being our most authentic selves. It is an exercise in vulnerability to look at yourself in the mirror and think kind thoughts, have kind things said about you, and even be presented with questions that put those affirmations into practice. Mental health matters. You matter. And if you take one thing with you, please remember: the world is such a better place because you’re in it. - Magnolia Hensley

Taylor Sanders

Taylor Sanders, an artist raised in West Louisville, uses the Sanctuary Project as a time to acknowledge the violence and drug use in this city from a different perspective. By using African American culture and style in a mourning environment, her goal is to remind the viewers that death in low-income neighborhoods is not just a statistic. These are real people and real families that attend these funerals.

Joyce Barbour

Depending on your background, sanctuary can take a variety of forms. It can be a physical space, a community of supportive individuals, or a moment created for yourself. When I explored the theme of sanctuary, I imagined a space where you can be yourself fully, unhindered, and unfiltered— a haven free from the harmful external stimulus that invites you to rest.

I chose meditation as the foundation of this work as I view it to be a helpful and accessible tool to improve mental wellness. As a transgender person, maintaining good emotional health is vital for my well-being. This is especially pertinent considering the current socio-political climate that seeks to erase trans people through legislation, harassment, and violence. Being in such a targeted group, coupled with the complexity of the trans experience, adds excess stress that threatens my, and many other trans people’s, mental health.

My wish is that this piece will provide a temporary space to allow you to step away from everything, just for a moment, and rest. - Joyce Barbour

Sara Noori

Performance with mix media: Wall panels, white cloth, spotlights, mylar disco ball balloons, silver latex balloon, vinyl glove, spikes, finger shield and dagger, mesh glove with faux pearls, white bodysuit, white headscarf, mirror face shield, artist audio mix. 

I discover that it often feels like I am in a tug of war between the idea of sanctuary and the current state of mind I bring to my own sanctuary spaces. In this way, my inner world and outer world feel more like mirrors, reflecting both the beauty and brutality of the reality I see and experience in 2023.

Sanctuary can be something we seek, an exalted state of safety, security, solace, and bliss. As we search internally and externally, our perception of ourselves and our surroundings influences our idea of sanctuary. At times, sanctuary is a place outside of myself, a place just out of reach, that I must travel towards. At other times, sanctuary is more like a flowered hill upon which I run, and I love it there.

This sanctuary I've created recalls dance floors and queer-inclusive safe spaces to which I pay homage—spaces that have been increasingly under attack, both physically and politically. My choreography evokes the way my aunt danced, wrists and shoulders tilting and twisting in the privacy of our living room, dancing in her headscarf. It is a recollection of my bloodline, and the women who fight for their life and freedom. The sanctions that are placed upon our bodies often try to find homes in our minds. But this sanctuary is an invitation to dream, to hold space for our peace, to celebrate, accept, and welcome the humanity in us, to dance in a place that is sanctified, and for you, all of you. - Sara Noori

Amy Davis

BLANKET FORT (or Pride Flags for the Very Frightened) 

They can't get me when I’m under the covers. 

When creating BLANKET FORT, I initially started out trying to experiment with quilt making using fabric I've hoarded since childhood and interesting scraps picked up in my 10+ years as a costume maker. Quilting is an ancient and vibrant art form that requires and rewards careful planning, however I took the stance of the absolute beginner. I

prioritized spontaneity and speed to fit pieces together, preventing as much waste as possible and seeing how fast I could create something big.

As I made the quilts, letting them take the size and shape each wanted to become, I began to write and draw, sometimes silly jokes I didn't want to forget, other times angry things I couldn't say without screaming. I worked in this project on and off for about year and what started off as a silly scrap busting activity became a sacred place to store my fear, anger and disappoint. What is the point of making soft art in a world were powerful people are killing you slowly and legally? Why keep sewing scraps together instead of chucking it to the dump? I really can’t say, but the Big Queer Mystery “what if I?” pushed my ancestors to power and it keeps whispering in my ear too. Old fears and joys came out to play, and my hope is that the blanket fort can temporarily house these spirits on their journey.  - Amy Davis