The Fortune Society Presents WE CHOOSE TO BLOOM, a Virtual Arts Festival Next Week

From Monday, July 19 through Thursday, July 22, 2021, experience We Choose to Bloom, The Fortune Society's exciting, free four-day virtual festival celebrating community and healing through the arts. Fortune, one of the nation's leading criminal justice nonprofit organizations, offers an extraordinary Creative Arts program that supports the educational, emotional and cultural development of individuals impacted by the criminal justice system through creative writing, poetry, spoken word, video production, animation, visual arts, music and theater.

Fortune's beginnings are deeply rooted in the arts when, in 1967, Broadway producer and publicist David Rothenberg produced the Off-Broadway play Fortune and Men's Eyes. The play's evocative content about the horror of incarceration spurred audience discussion around criminal justice, and eventually led to the founding of The Fortune Society by Mr. Rothenberg.

We Choose to Bloom offers the audience a virtual and eclectic mix of film, theatre, music and poetry - all performed by artists from The Fortune Society - as well as an in-depth conversation with Mr. Rothenberg. Among the offerings are:

MONDAY 7/19 7 PM: Seeds: A Celebration of 54 Years of the Arts at Fortune: A special conversation with Fortune's founder David Rothenberg and Oscar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater

TUESDAY 7/20 7 PM: We Choose to Bloom: Film Screening: A Virtual World Premiere in Special Partnership with MoMA PS1. Experience Fortune artists as they activate Rashid Johnson's installation, Stage, with original poetry, music and spoken word.

WEDNESDAY 7/21 7 PM: The Castle: A Play: Watch the breathtaking drama chronicling the journeys of redemption of four formerly incarcerated New Yorkers.

THURSDAY 7/22 12 PM: Community Open Mic & Celebration: Join LIVE over Zoom for incredible performances from Fortune artists & community arts partners.

To make a reservation please go to: https://fortunesociety.org/event-show/2021artsfestival/