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Valdez Scholarship Fund

Ryan “Ryo” Evans, named as the 2019 Roberto Valdez Scholar

Please help us support our Daniel Morrison Fellows by making a $10.00 contribution today!

Two of our most impactful programs at Medicine Wheel are; the Daniel Morrison Fellows Program, and the Roberto Valdez Scholarship Fund.The Daniel Morrison Fellows Program provides meaningful full-time employment to young people over the age of 18 who have “aged-out” of the youth services program. Endowed by Linda Zug in memory of her brother it offers a year of employment often necessary for a young person to navigate an educational or career path. read more

In 2011 Roberto Valdez, Poet, Youth Advocate, and Board Member of Medicine Wheel Founded the Roberto Valdez Scholarship Fund. The Fund Allows one of our fellows to accompany us on our annual artistic retreat to Italy. To fund this program we ask 300 donors to make a simple donation of just $10.00.

Please consider making a $10.00 or more donation, to the Valdez Scholarship Fund. Checks can be made payable to Medicine Wheel Productions, 100 K Street, South Boston, MA 02127. Or donate online at

Yours

Michael Dowling

Artistic Director

We All Have Dreams 

Creating together at Medicine Wheel.

The young 18 year old black man in the photo above  and the 88 year old woman below both shared stories with me this week. Both told stories of bearing witness to the unspeakable and of having the courage to create a shared future history. The young man witnessed his cousin being killed in street violence last week. The older woman called this morning to make a donation so we could hire him full time and shared the story of her mother’s two sisters fleeing the Nazis and one of them seeing the other killed as she ran.

They work together on Wednesday mornings at Medicine Wheel. We have received a $20,000 challenge gift that we are trying to match. We would like to offer the young man a full time job as he ages out of youth services. We need and appreciate your help, Please donate at the link below

CALLING ALL ARTISTS

In 1987 a small group gathered in a San Francisco storefront to document the lives they feared history would forget.  This action served as the beginning of the Names Project, also known as the AIDS Memorial Quilt.  On December 1, 1989 A Day Without Art began as a National Day of Mourning in response to the AIDS Crisis. In 1989 Boston Artists created thousands of 12” x 4” paper prayers in response to a call by Yezerski Gallery. Well-known artists, students, youth, and children did these. In 1992 Medicine Wheel was built in the Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts.  The Medicine Wheel Vigil has become an enduring testimony to HIV/AIDS in our lives. In those early years we were being asked the unimaginable question,

Where would we be without art?  Last year over 1000 visual artists and 250 performing artists took part in Day Without Art.  This year I invite the public and  the artistic community of Boston, New England and beyond to give testimony and invite reflection on the power of art to help us navigate and facilitate who we are for ourselves and who we can be for one another. 

For visual artists: create a 1 foot by 1 foot  charcoal drawing of someone you love write something about love

1 Charcoal and paper are available for pick up at Medicine Wheel 110 K Street, South Boston, MA 02127.

2 We can arrange to deliver supplies  to you or your groups

3 You can join us at Medicine Wheel beginning Monday October 8th and work on your drawing  here:

• Mondays, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
• Tuesdays, 1:00 pm -7:30 pm
• Wednesday, 10:00 am -5:00 pm
• Thursday, 3:00 pm- 7:00 pm
• Fridays , 9:00 am- 5:00 pm

v  Drawings  need to be returned to Medicine Wheel by November 24^th or to the BCA by noon on November 26^th, or call us at 617-268-6700  for pick up

For performing artists: Help us sanctify Medicine Wheel by making an artistic offering of  poetry, song, dance, music or performance.  Each year we invite artists to offer a breathtaking experience to mark each hour of the 24-hour vigil.

For the spiritual community:
Mark one of the 24 hours with a blessing, prayer, ritual or meditation

For the public:  Please complete a page with a story or definition of love or the

 Click to read more about this project

Vigil begins at 11:30 pm, Friday  11/30/18 and goes for the full 24 hours of Saturday  12/01/18

Gather at 11:30 on Friday November 30 for a processional walk into the

Boston Center for the Arts, Cyclorama

539 Tremont Street

Boston, MA 02116

For more info call 617-268-6700 or 617-872-6065

Join us for “Homecoming”

Sunday August 26, 2018 6-9 pm

An evening of Food, Music, Art and Community

Moving beyond diversity to inclusion, building community from the inside out, using art as the threshold.

We are excited to unveil a new work by artists John Provenzano and Keely Edwards, entitled Homecoming.  The work is deeply rooted in the concept of home, truth, testimony, reconciliation and personal stories of who we are for ourselves and for one another.  It invites us to join in the creation of a shared future history where each of us claims, one’s rightful place in the communities where we live, work, go to school, or visit.

King and Queen of the Hill

There are People in our lives who have dedicated their lives to building a better world for all of us.  This year we are honored to crown long time community activists Dan Manning and Milagros “Milly” Peña as King and Queen of the Hill

Dan Manning is a 4^th generation South Bostonian.  He has a long history of giving back to the community through countless causes and endeavors. He is a South Boston Pop Warner Coach and Board member. He treats the team players as if they were his own children.He has also coached South Boston Little League and he is a part of the Monsignor McDonnell and Frank Kelley Holiday Dinners Committee. He has served on a number of boards and committees in the community. He is a true asset to the South Boston Community. His wife, Ashley Manning and two children Ronan and Keira support him in everything he does.

Dan’s dedication to his community is something that he is passionate about. Watching his community grow and seeing the children thrive is his pride and joy.

Milagros “Milly” Peña is a strong, beautiful, and caring, Dominican immigrant from Southie and mother of four. Milagros is the Site Coordinator at the Joseph M. Tierney learning Center where she is responsible for taking care of the building’s maintenance issues. Milly decorates the place so beautifully during the holiday season, she organizes many events, and is in charge of all the grounds around the Center (look around at our mountainous sunflowers!).  Milly is the person who picks up our donations each and every week, and translates conversations with such grace!