Social Justice – Heritage UU Church

InVasive: Cincinnati Art Museum and UC DAAP Temple Building Project

InVasive is a design/build project that will culminate in a temple structure situated on the west side of the Cincinnati Art Museum. The project has an environmental and sustainability tie-in and Heritage congregant Anne Lyon is one of its volunteers.

This temple will be completed to coincide with the opening of the museum exhibition No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man in May 2019. The structure will echo the meaning and function of the temple built for Burning Man in the Nevada desert each year – it will be a place of refuge, reflection, remembrance – but it will be designed to reflect the context of its Cincinnati location.

InVasive is highly interactive, public, and free. The temple will be available to all who wish to come and meditate while the Burning Man Exhibit is showing. It is a collaborative endeavor that brings together different groups of people with varying skill sets in the creation of a carefully conceived and constructed structure that will build community even as it is community-built.

The temple is being constructed using invasive Amur Honeysuckle harvested from the Cincinnati Art Museum grounds. This undesirable species populates much of the landscape in Ohio, and grounds crews are currently working to clear the honeysuckle on the northern hillside of the art museum. Honeysuckle branches and stems will be the primary material for the temple, and these will be joined using various construction techniques (stacking, weaving, thatching), and biodegradable fastening systems. Lighting will be woven into the structure for illumination at night.

When it is completed, the Cincinnati Art Museum will activate the temple with ceremonies and activities that are tied to the educational program of the museum and to the ten principles of Burning Man.

InVasive is a project grounded in sustainability, not only because it will be built from an unwanted invasive plant that is routinely discarded, but also because the lifespan of the temple will be part of its design. In late summer 2019 the temple will be relocated to an urban site where it will be further developed and then burned on the same evening the Burning Man temple is burned in Nevada.

A number of different groups are involved in the development and production of the temple. The temple design was initiated by students at the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) at the University of Cincinnati where these students are part of an interdisciplinary group studying landscape architecture, horticulture, sculpture and architecture.

They are looking for additional volunteers to help complete the project and will be adding new dates to the Cincinnati Art Center Website to come help build it. It is a good activity for people of all ages and embraces many of our UU principals. To find out the additional dates, please visit the Cincinnati Art Museum on website at: https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/getinvolved, their Facebook page and their Twitter account for future dates.

To hear what the experience of volunteering is like, talk with Heritage congregant Anne Lyon.

If you have questions or are interested in participating, please email either of the following people at the addresses below:

Samantha Krukowski:

Emily Holtrop:

May, 2019.

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“So You Want to Talk About Race” – Workshop and Discussion

Friday, May 24, 2019, 7:00 p.m.

Please join us for a workshop and discussion reflecting the principles of Ijeoma Oluo’s book, So You Want to Talk about Race.

So You Want to Talk about Race offers people of all races accessible, matter-of-fact insight into privilege and the conversations that surround it. Reading the book beforehand is encouraged.

This workshop and discussion is being offered by Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Cincinnati. If you have questions, please contact Rae Jane Araujo at:

Some Reviews:

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a writer have such an instant, visceral, electric impact on readers. Ijeoma Oluo’s intellectual clarity and moral sure-footedness make her the kind of unstoppable force that obliterates the very concept of immovable objects.”
—Lindy West, New York Times-bestselling author of Shrill

“So You Want to Talk About Race strikes the perfect balance of direct and brutally honest without being preachy or, worse, condescending. Regardless of your comfort level, educational background, or experience when it comes to talking about race, Ijeoma has created a wonderful tool to help broach these conversations and help us work toward a better world for people of color from all walks of life.”
—Franchesca Ramsey, host and executive producer of MTV’s Decoded and author of Well, That Escalated Quickly

“You are not going to find a more user-friendly examination of race in America than Ijeoma Oluo’s fantastic new book. The writing is elegantly simple, which is a real feat when tackling such a thorny issue. Think of it as Race for the Willing-to-Listen.”
—Andy Richter, writer and actor

“Ijeoma Oluo is armed with words. Her words are daggers that pierce through injustice, while also disarming you with humor and love.”
—Hari Kondabolu, comedian, writer, and co-host of Politically Re-Active

“When you need a super team to help you make sense of today’s complex conversation on identity and representation, Ijeoma needs to be your number one pick. No one cuts through the chatter with more humor, insight and clarity. No matter the issue, Ijeoma’s thinking is always essential reading.”
—Jenny Yang, comedian, writer, and co-founder and co-producer of Dis/orient/ed Comedy

“Oluo has created a brilliant and thought-provoking work. Seamlessly connecting deeply moving personal stories with practical solutions, readers will leave with inspiration and tools to help create personal and societal transformations. A necessary read for any white person seriously committed to better understanding race in the United States.”
—Matt McGorry, actor

“Straight talk to blacks and whites about the realities of racism. . . A clear and candid contribution to an essential conversation.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Read it, then recommend it to everyone you know.”
—Harper’s Bazaar, “One of 10 Books to Read in 2018”

“Ijeoma Oluo has built a career on speaking truth to power… [here] she offers a guidebook for those who want to confront racism and white supremacy in their everyday lives, but are unsure where to start.”
—Bitch

“Impassioned and unflinching”
—Vogue.com

“With this book, Ijeoma Oluo gives us — both white people and people of color — that language to engage in clear, constructive, and confident dialogue with each other about how to deal with racial prejudices and biases.”
—National Book Review

“One of the few guiding lights to emerge in our post-election landscape…the goal isn’t to call out the ‘bad’ white people and console the ‘good’ ones, but to raise the bar for all of us committed to equality and justice.”
—The Stranger

“White readers will find answers to many of the questions we might be afraid to ask. Readers who are people of color will find their experiences seen, heard, and believed. All readers will find themselves enraptured.”
—The Denver VOICE

“Oluo’s approach to the complex topic of race in America is direct, helpful, and compassionate.”
—800-CEO-Reads Staff Picks

Reviews are from Water Street Bookstore.

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