The Ultimate Link Up
The McGuire Consulting Group Links Up with The Climate Museum
Hello loves,
My fiddle leaf fig tree is unfurling a new leaf and I am reminded of the slow process of growing into being. I am still in the nascent stages of becoming the final form I envision — a version of myself that is quite content, despite fluctuating externalities.
Personally, my co-parenting schedule has changed quite a bit recently. I am, for the time being, solo parenting. This shift is less of a distraction or a disruption and more of a realignment. T’is the season apparently (astrologically).
I’m often asked how do I do it all? And the answer is that I just do it. I do not focus on the reception of the work I produce. I focus on how it feels to produce it. I do not force myself to adhere to notions of productivity that stem from racial capitalism — a systemic framework indicating that the development and expansion of capitalism are inherently intertwined with racial hierarchies and exploitation. I focus on slow mornings, taking care of my body — a privilege I have recently started to enjoy after years of financial strain and health insurance nightmares — essentially, putting on my oxygen mask before anyone else’s. My kid’s age has a lot to do with how much more settled I am mentally than I’ve been in year’s past. Divorce, leaving work environments that depleted me, being discerning about with whom, how and when I collaborate, understanding that I’ve built a storehouse of faith that sustains me through turbulent and otherwise terrifying circumstances. It is not hyperbole to say that many could not continue to float along the proverbial surface with one leg and constant currents. And that’s ok. I’ve stopped looking for understanding in others. Instead, I am inviting and cultivating divine connections built on shared purpose and deep love for people and planet. Afterall, healing can only be practiced in relationship.
Which brings me to some exciting news about a budding relationship for my little firm. This Friday, July 10th, The McGuire Consulting Group is co-producing A Black Feminist Climate Arts Salon with the Climate Museum in collaboration with my favorite Black owned book store in Bedstuy, Gladys Books and Wine.
For the climate-curious, the climate-knowledgeable, and everyone in between, this program centers creativity and Black feminist approaches for collective climate action. The event is free and open to the public.
Join us for a vital conversation on cultivating sustainable and generative relationships with the planet, featuring Breanna Byrd, Climate Museum Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Climate Humanities and Social Justice; Courtney Rohan, artist and somatic educator; and Whitney McGuire, founder of the McGuire Consulting Group, which works at the intersection of sustainability, design, and culture.
Together, we’ll explore agency, creativity, and climate action, while remembering “that we are each other’s/harvest:/we are each other’s/business:/we are each other’s/ magnitude and bond.” (Gwendolyn Brooks) If you’re curious about nature, the future, and what we can learn to do together, this event is for you.
The program will begin with a reception. Light refreshments will be served.
Masking welcomed. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about access at the event, please contact info@climatemuseum.org.
Here is the link to RSVP.
Some exciting news for Polibot!
While we are still fundraising $60,000 to conduct our first pilot for Polibot, I’m happy to report that we have secured a fiscal sponsor and a cultural home to continue to incubate this tool. We plan to incorporate youth climate justice fellows into the creation of this tool and eventually test it with intergenerational, intersectional communities that have been impacted by the Climate Crisis here in NYC. I will share more in coming newsletters, but major thanks to my dear friends and community partners in the Arts and Culture sector here in NYC. I literally cannot do this work without you.
I hope to see you on Friday. And if not, I’ll be delighted to see you in the wild.
As always, take care.
Whitney