“How can you not do something as an adult that you could do as a two, three, four-year-old?” artist Shantell Martin asks the audience as she circles her round canvas, creating her playful signature art live on the The Nantucket Project stage.
The evening, on May 16, was called “A Carnival of Curiosity” and was one of more than ten similar events The Nantucket Project has produced around the country this year.
Martin, along with the other presenters, took guests on a journey to understanding some of the most critical ideas of our time. While the British artist taught people to see their potential for creativity, Neil Philips, co-founder and CEO of the Visible Men Academy, passionately and bluntly discussed the truth about race in America.
The highlight of the evening was the screening of the award-winning documentary, The Illumination, directed by TNP co-founder and CEO, Tom Scott. Sponsored by BMW, the film has generated considerable buzz and has garnered awards at major international film festivals. It tells the story of Gordon Gund, a prominent businessman, philanthropist, and co-owner of numerous sports teams who became totally blind at the age of thirty.
Gund, along with his wife Lulie and others have spearheaded the search for a cure through Foundation Fighting Blindness, a research organization they helped establish 46-years ago. In a stunning breakthrough, the organization helped an 8-year old Belgian boy regain his sight.
Prior to the show under the big top, guests toured The Brant Foundation’s new art exhibit, Animal Farm, and enjoyed cocktails on the magnificent surrounding grounds of the Greenwich Polo Club.
The Nantucket Project’s main event this year is September 14-17 and yes, it’s on Nantucket. The theme: “Understanding Understanding.” You can find out more about TNP here.
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Photographs by Cheryl Moss
