Baltimore Butterfly Sessions — Clean Water Justice
Baltimore Center Stage
Center Stage
March 18 - 7:00pm
Book Tickets

Throughout history, access to clean water, one of our fundamental human needs, has been limited through various means. In Baltimore and worldwide, people are deeply committed to advocating for clean water, individually and as part of organizations. Blue Water Baltimore is one of the largest environmental nonprofits in our city and works to restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers, streams, and Harbor to foster a healthy environment, a strong economy, and thriving communities.  

Alice Volpitta, who has spent hundreds of hours surveying Baltimore’s waterways as Blue Water Baltimore’s Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper, will give a keynote speech about her work supporting clean water in Baltimore.

This session will also feature music from Baltimore’s own multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ray Winder, an artistic feature from filmmaker, educator, dramaturg, and Helen Hayes award-winning playwright Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi.

Come for the community, stay for the conversation, and leave with a deeper civic connection to Charm City! 

Alice Volpitta – Keynote Speaker

Alice Volpitta serves as your Baltimore Harbor Waterkeeper with Blue Water Baltimore.  As your local Waterkeeper, Alice’s primary goals are to advocate for the health of the Patapsco and Back Rivers, and to amplify the voices of the people who live within those watersheds.  She has spent hundreds of hours patrolling and surveying Baltimore’s streams, rivers, and Harbor.  Alice directs Blue Water Baltimore’s water quality monitoring programs and spearheads its enforcement efforts related to the Clean Water Act. She also oversees the management of BWB’s pollution reporting hotline, regulatory & permit review, and policy evaluation work.  Prior to joining Blue Water Baltimore in 2014, Alice worked with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for five years, monitoring water quality in every corner of the state.  Alice has a degree in Biology & Environmental Science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and is a Certified Stormwater Inspector.

 

Lady Dane – Artistic Feature

Dane Figueroa Edidi Dubbed the Ancient Jazz Priestess of Mother Africa, Lady Dane is a Black Nigerian, Cuban, Indigenous, American Performance Artist, Author, Educator, Advocate, producer, Film Maker, Dramaturg, a Helen Hayes Award winning Playwright (Klytmnestra: An Epic Slam Poem), a 2021 Helen Merrill Award Winner, a 2x Helen Hayes Award nominated choreographer (2016, 2018), and a Princess Grace Honoria Award winner. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Black Trans Prayer Book. 
 
She is the curator and associate producer of Long Wharf Theatre’s Black Trans Women At The Center: An Evening of Short Plays, as well as an artistic ensemble member of the theater. 
 
She was featured in King Ester as Patra and acted as a story consultant for the series. She wrote episode 1 of Untitled Mockumentary Project and acted on the series as well, and wrote episode 9 (Refuge) of Round House Theater’s web series Homebound. She also wrote a monologue featured in the film The 51st State. She was featured as Dr. Grace Grace in the web series I need Space.
 
She also narrated The Netflix Docu-series Visions of Us. 
 

Ray Winder – Musical Act 

Ray Winder, Born, raised & educated in Baltimore City, Ray is a dynamic performer known for her cinematic sound & dreamy vocals.In the time since her emergence on the scene, Ray Winder  has broadened her artistic reach, expanding her work to conducting, composing, perfecting her  ethereal live performances, while developing her unique “Dream Grunge” sound. 
 
With her forthcoming EP, Vingettes, the singer continues to push her vision forward with an exploration of her musical roots and their lifelong influence. In Ray’s case, that’s the culturally rich music of her childhood. A classically trained saxophonist raised on Baltimore club music, soul & Jazz, Ray is diving deeply into herself to create phenomenal art which lasts lifetimes. Follow her artistic journey on all platforms @raywinder.
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