This year is the 25th anniversary for the Shaking Ray Levi Society, a little known non-profit behind many artistic events and endeavors around the community. Current president of the board of directors, Ernest Paik, says that the Shaking Ray Levi Society stands apart from other arts organizations in the concepts that the organization was built on.
“The idea is for people to always challenge themselves, to keep coming up with new ideas and really push themselves to make something new and interesting and stimulating. There’s traditional art that we like and appreciate, but we focus on nontraditional art because we think that’s where some of the most fascinating art is happening,” Paik says. Paik says they pride themselves on avoiding the more obvious or more commercial types of art, and they want the events they plan to bring something interesting and unusual that people may not give attention to otherwise.
“The mission of the Shaking Ray Levi Society is to nurture and support music, film, and performance art that is challenging, non-traditional, and falls outside the mainstream, in order to help nourish the cultural growth of Chattanooga. This is done by sponsoring shows by artists recognized on a national and international level, supporting original work by area musicians and filmmakers, and engaging the community through workshops and educational programs,” Paik says.
The Shaking Ray Levi Society is volunteer-run and is dedicated to challenging audiences with extraordinary music, film, and performance art. Their activities are propelled by the idea that art is always changing and growing, and that some of the most fascinating and vital art today may be found outside of the mainstream and traditional approaches, Paik says. “Its purpose is not to stand apart from the community as outsiders but instead to engage the community, provoke interest, and invite the curious to experience something new, stimulating, and rewarding,” he says.
There are three key mission areas of the society. The first is the performance series that the society sponsors, with unique shows by nationally and internationally recognized artists who otherwise might not have the occasion to perform in Chattanooga. The second is supporting local artists where homegrown talent is sought and encouraged by and under the society’s umbrella, and innovative film and music projects are provided the opportunity to come to fruition, Paik says. The third mission area is the educational workshops. The society strives to nurture creativity throughout the area with unique workshops, and a partnership with The Rhythmic Arts Project allows the society to reach out to those with developmental and physical disabilities, including recovering stroke and accident patients and autistic children.
Another large part of the society is their outreach efforts. Currently, the society is continuing its work at Orange Grove for people with developmental disabilities, Erlanger Children’s Hospital, and Signal Centers for children and adults with disabilities. Upcoming outreach events including the ZooAbility day camp for teens and adults with disabilities and a Very Special Arts workshop for children with autism in Sweetwater, Tenn.
The Shaking Ray Levi Society has also received national interest in a New York Times article called “Musicians Without Borders” by Ben Ratliff in which the Shaking Ray Levi duo, the performing arm of the society, was mentioned along their involvement in the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville in March 2010. The award-winning documentary about topiary artist Pearl Fryar, “A Man Named Pearl,” was co-produced by the Society and was featured on “The Martha Stewart Show” in May 2010. The society helped to make possible a visit from “Schoolhouse Rock” creator Bob Dorough for Kid’s Day at Coolidge Park last year as well as curating the music for the Who-Fest Folk Arts Festival and co-presenting a concert by percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani with the Folk School of Chattanooga.
Two of the co-founders of the Shaking Ray Levi Society are Bob Stagner and Dennis Palmer who make up the Shaking Rave Levi Duo. Paik says they are still very much involved in the society and in performing at many of the society’s events, but the nonprofit can stand apart from the performing duo as well. The duo have performed extensively from New York to London and have received critical acclaim from The Village Voice, National Public Radio and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They use storytelling, electronics and percussion in addition to handmade instruments of their own design to achieve their distinctive sound.
The Shaking Ray Levi Society will host a drum workshop at Finster Fest at Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens in Summerville, Ga., on May 15. Locally, they are bringing Gyan Riley and Shane Perlowin to Barking Legs Theater on May 28, and Trevor Watts, a free improv saxophonist, and Veryan Weston on June 24. The society this year also plans to bring NPR commentator David Greenberger to perform with the Shaking Ray Levis on May 28 and 29 at Who-Fest at Renaissance Park.
For more information on the Shaking Ray Levi Society, visit www.shakingray.com.