Seasons of Strength Hosts Live Workshop on the Power of Listening

The Seasons of Strength project invites the public to a special live presentation of the Listening for Art Workshop, led by project director Gwendolyn Kuhlmann, on Tuesday, August 19 at 11:00 AM at the Newnan Carnegie Library as part of their Artists & Authors Series.

Please join us as Gwendolyn Kuhlmann, the creator and director of Seasons of Strength, shares with us the power of listening and the art of holding space for our most profound and honest stories. Pick up the tools and mindset she’s used while gathering close to 100 people’s tornado and recovery stories for the Seasons of Strength project — a live performance telling the story of our community’s recovery, set to premiere next year on the 5th anniversary of the storm.

The Listening for Art Workshop, which has been available online since October 2024, was created to help friends, family members, and neighbors engage in meaningful conversations about the March 2021 EF-4 tornado and the long journey of recovery. This project is supported by Georgia Humanities, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, through appropriations made by the Georgia General Assembly. The in-person version of the workshop offers a rare opportunity to experience this tool for connection and healing firsthand.

This event also comes on the heels of a major storytelling milestone: Seasons of Strength just wrapped three days of filming with community leaders who played key roles in Newnan’s recovery. These filmed panel conversations, recorded at the Central Educational Center (CEC), brought together:

● First responders and utility leaders

● Local and national government representatives

● A few of the many individuals from nearly 40 local and national organizations who sat at the allocations table, where critical decisions were made about how to distribute recovery funds to those most in need.

These powerful group reflections will form a central part of the final Seasons of Strength performance, scheduled for March 21 and 22, 2026.

The Seasons of Strength project is a community-rooted effort to preserve, honor, and artistically interpret the story of Newnan’s recovery. It combines oral history, music, movement, and visual storytelling to weave a collective memory of strength and resilience.