It indeed took a village to create such a magnificent gift for our community from the Sakha people of Yakutia. A self-funded delegation of six dedicated artists and craftsmen and a shaman arrived in Gualala at the end of May 2014. They worked tirelessly for weeks with the assistance of our local artists, volunteers, parks agencies, businesses for literally hundreds of hours to carve and place the sergé’s by the opening of the Global Harmony Series Days of Sakha Culture Festival on June 18. Their delegation grew to over 50 Sakha by the time the Festival was in full swing, all sharing their culture through visual arts, theater, music, lectures, master classes, textiles, jewelry, food, drink, conversations, love and friendship. The grand finale to the Festival was the sergé dedication and formal closing ceremonies at Sonoma County’s Gualala Point Regional Park on June 22.
I refer to the images shown here by Craig as the “sergé volunteer ballet” as they show how it took a village to accomplish and install such a wonderful work of art on the historic morning of Wednesday, June 18, 2014. It is truly an example of how when people work together with passion for sharing of cultures, respect, experience, hard-work, creative vision, and love everything is possible.
Gualala Arts’ mission to promote public interest and participation in the arts. The Global Harmony Series program sponsored the Days of Sakha Culture Festival and this truly international week of events fulfilled the series’ goal of encouraging global harmony by sharing cultures through the arts. Gualala Arts could not be more thrilled with the offerings from our friends from Sakha and we hope and our entire coastal community feels the same.
We look forward to continue to share the Sakha culture!
David Sus Susalla, Executive Director, Gualala Arts