Dear Flow Family,

As you may have heard, the former General Manager and Directors of Pacific Fire Gathering are parting ways with Flow Arts Institute. The GM, Directors, and their teams have the skills and passion it takes to make a positive, meaningful impact wherever they go. We wish them the best in future ventures, and are confident their work will bear fruit for their local community.

We’re inspired and motivated by the wide variety of approaches and attempts to serve the flow arts community. This diversity of thought is healthy, nourishing, and vital to the ongoing development of flow arts around the world.

FAI will continue to stay focused on building a network of events and resources that support flow artists locally, nationwide, and worldwide. We look to connect these concentric circles of community and interest in ways that leverage resources and benefits that are otherwise beyond reach to any single locale.

Each FAI event works with the freedom to explore new ways to better serve the community. As new innovations spark to life and demonstrate meaningful impact within one event, we’re able to help other events evolve by adopting those ideas. When ideas benefit one part of the community, we strive to ensure it can quickly and easily benefit flow artists around the country.

Our approach certainly isn’t the only one, and we see immeasurable value in the flow arts community trying new and different things. The FAI partners themselves have a variety of projects and collaborations in the flow arts world that are attempts to try out different things and see what works for us, for our close communities, and for broader communities that go further than our eyes can see. There is no one way; we’re trying as much as we can to see what sticks.

This process of creative innovation is ongoing. We are always striving for improvement and in no way see Flow Arts Institute in its final form; this includes issues that we agree are significant for both FAI and the community, such as transparency, increased compensation for organizers, instructors, and performers, and of vital importance, a breadth of lived experience in leadership, opportunity, voice, and participation.

There has been a change in the composition of the FAI partnership over the past 3 years. New partners are Michael LaHood, Rion Fish, and Bryan and Jenni Sekine, who have joined Noel Yee and Nick Garcia as active members. We anticipate additional changes by the end of this year, with a keen awareness of adding voices and perspectives that can augment our advocacy for all participants. We will continue working to create welcome spaces for all who exist in our community as well as welcome anyone who may find spark, passion, and meaning in what we do.

We are actively listening to all constructive feedback to better understand how we can serve the community by creating inclusive and rewarding opportunities. In the end, we want to continue reinventing what it means to gather for the sake of learning, connecting, and playing together.

With Love & Dedication,

Noel, Nick, Rion, Hoodie, Bryan, and Jenni