Hopewell Theater is proud to continue our “Art of Living Well” series, which features inspiring films, speakers, and interactive discussions that explore ways of cultivating serenity, meaning and a deeper connection to one’s self and the world. We’re particularly excited about our upcoming slate of Art of Living Well summer events, all on Tuesdays at 7:00pm – when HT’s patrons can delve deeper into the path of life’s discovery.
Tuesday, June 11th
Samsara is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life” and is the point of departure for the filmmakers as they search for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives. Filmed over a period of almost five years and in twenty-five countries, Samsara transports us to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, Samsara subverts our expectations of a traditional documentary, instead encouraging our own inner interpretations inspired by images and music that infuses the ancient with the modern.
Iyengar: The Man, Yoga, and the Student’s Journey
Tuesday, June 25th
For many a yoga devotee, the name B.K.S. Iyengar is synonymous with mastery of the art. Born in southern India in 1918, Iyengar dedicated his life to yogic practice and is often credited with popularizing yoga in the world at large. In Jake Clennell’s illuminating documentary, centered on the Guruji’s legacy and teachings, we meet the legend himself, along with his family members and a host of his reverent disciples. What shines through between rigorous asanas and interviews with students and teachers alike is the mental discipline and spiritual focus that lie at the core of the Iyengar approach.
Tuesday, July 9th
Provocatively titled, this film is a masterly immersion into life at a Japanese Zen monastery over three seasons. Swiss novice Sabine arrives at Antaiji and, after a brief welcome, she begins to learn the monastery rules: how to bow, sit in the meditation hall, carry out movements with chopsticks, etc. There’s more to life there than meditation, farming, and maintenance, however—there are picnics, music, and Wi-Fi.
Tuesday, July 23rd
The leader of New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band seeks to fulfill his late father’s dream of retracing their musical roots to the shores of Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. A Tuba to Cuba celebrates the triumph of the human spirit expressed through the universal language of music and challenges us to resolve to build bridges, not walls.
Tuesday, August 13th
Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin tells the remarkable life story of writer Ursula K. Le Guin, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 88. Le Guin, mostly known for her science fiction and fantasy novels such as A Wizard of Earthsea and The Left Hand of Darkness, defiantly held her ground on the margin of American letters until the sheer excellence of her work, at long last, forced the mainstream to embrace fantastic literature.
Tuesday, August 27th
Now the top-selling female artist in the world, Yayoi Kusama overcame countless odds to bring her radical artistic vision to the world stage. For decades, her work pushed boundaries that often alienated her from her peers and those in power in the art world. Kusama was an underdog with everything stacked against her – the trauma of growing up in Japan during World War II, life in a dysfunctional family that discouraged her creative ambitions, sexism and racism in the art establishment, mental illness in a culture where that was a particular shame, and eventually growing old and continuing to pursue and be devoted to her art full time. In spite of it all, Kusama has endured and has created a legacy of artwork that spans the disciplines of painting, sculpture, installation art, performance art, poetry, and novels. After working as an artist for over six decades, people around the globe are experiencing her Infinity Mirrored Rooms in record numbers, as Kusama continues to create new work every day.
