Many Mouths to Feed the Soul
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 19:15
Paul Weir, the technical director of and a performer in Flam Chen Pyrotechnic Theater Company, also serves as a full-time board member for Many Mouths One Stomach, the non-profit that organizes the annual All Souls Procession.
With the name coined by his wife, Nadia Hagen, who also serves on the board, MMOS was created in an effort to raise the necessary funds to run the All Souls Procession. Weir was the motivating force behind creating the board for the organization. "Many Mouths One Stomach, the organization, came out of the need for the procession to be legal," Weir said.
Based in Tucson, MMOS is a collective of artists and performers who come together in the spirit of "festal culture," the expression of human emotion "through public celebration, ceremony, and ritual," according to the MMOS website.
"The prime idea behind festal culture is bringing diverse peoples together into a public space to share values that are common to us all through celebration and ritual, with the hope that such moments of shared experience will create a stronger, healthier community," explained Jhon Sanders, who handles communications for MMOS and is the event director for the Procession of Little Angels.
"Well, we're not all that big on titles these days to tell you the truth; there's a lot to do and only a few year-rounders to do it, so we just kind of slot in when and where appropriate as things roll," Sanders said about his many responsibilities.
MMOS was established as a non-profit in 2006, but has been operating since 1995.
Preparations have already begun in anticipation of the 21st annual All Souls Procession. According to the MMOS website, the procession attracts approximately 20,000 people a year.
Last year's procession cost $63,654 to run. Some of the bigger expense items were $8,765 towards artist stipends, $6,977 for sound and lights, $6,096 for security, and $6,933 for the tower.
"For how many people come out and for what we do the procession for, it's a phenomenally cheap event to pull off," Weir said. "For $60,000, for $2 a person, we close the street for three miles, create a giant spectacle at the end, and host 12 other events."
Many Mouths organizes several projects and benefits throughout the year to raise money for the procession. On Saturday, Sept. 24, MMOS hosted a benefit party at The Hut on 4th Avenue. Also in the works is the 2nd annual Poster Art Competition on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Arches Gallery on 35 E. Toole Ave., and the Photography Exhibition which will run from Oct. 8 until Nov. 5.
"It takes me a year," Weir said. "By the time the procession happens, it's like 2,000 hours of my life in a three hour evening."
Part 2: MMOS Benefit Party for All Souls Procession
Part 3: Little Angels wing-making workshops
Written by Zohra Yaqub
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