What is Whistle Space?

Whistle Space is a burgeoning entity supporting the work of Black artists and their relations in the Berkshires* initiated by choreographer Will Rawls.

Whistle Space asks:

• How does our work stage or construct public complaint?
• How do we [re]-negotiate our roles in our community?
• How do you state a grievance as a student, artist, scholar?

As we develop the concept of Whistle Space, we question how we might build into our foundations a deep consideration of how a space like this might effectively hold tensions regarding Blackness, indigeneity, this region, its history, our practices, and how we relate to our existing community members.

Whistle Space is supported by the Mellon Foundation and is fiscally sponsored by the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

How we put research into practice

Whistle Space is an emerging research and practice exercise that takes many forms. From 2022 to 2023, we held a series of intimate conversations with black scholars and practitioners about their desires from an artist residency. In 2024, we hosted our first public event, a town hall, which will asked locals from Western Mass to share their experiences with public complaint. In 2025, we will be launching a summer pedagogy series and a remote artist residency.

Statement on place & space

Whistle Space is a speculative space that occasionally lands at partner sites including our fiscal sponsor, MassMOCA which occupies the ancestral lands of Muhheaconneok or Mohican people (People of the Waters That Are Never Still) and the Wabanaki peoples, many of whom have experienced forcible displacement.

WS’s core collaborators are Will Rawls, Rebecca Fitton, and Kearra Amaya Gopee.

Rawls splits his time between Lenape and Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh, and Chumash Peoples’s land.

Fitton works and lives on occupied Chochenyo Ohlone and Ramaytush Ohlone lands.

Gopee lives on Lenape lands.

Summer Institute

In summer 2025, Whistle Space will launch its Summer Institute in Williamstown, MA from July 14th to July 19th, with travel dates being July 13th and 20th. Selected participants will engage with a renowned cohort of facilitators (including Dr. Saidiya Hartman, Dr. Ayasha Guerin, Torkwase Dyson and Sarah Workneh, among others) to examine the key themes of Whistle Space's agenda—Body, Food/Land, Technology and Organizing. All participants will be paid a fee to attend. All travel, lodging, food and childcare (as needed) will also be covered. Furthermore, all applicants will be considered for Whistle Space's Extended Residency program in Fall 2025.