A public event will take place June 30, 2024, with live music by Parama Chattopadhyay on violin and vocals, Steven P Asaro on drums, and Dan Belhumeur as DJ!

James Neville, Boston area artist and brain damage survivor, will stage how he has restored his functionality through painting and psychedelics in an exuberant day-long ceremony at Parma Chai’s Out of the Blue Gallery Too in Somerville’s Armory Building, June 30, 2024, 3-7 p.m., 191 Highland Ave.

Neville will lead four other artists in what he calls a Neurogenerative Ritual. This eight-hour choreographed event, which builds on previous rituals, will yield a 20’ x 8’ mural, which will be sold to support the advocacy work of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) of San Jose CA. Although the event is not open to the public (except for limited guests and press), it will be filmed, edited, and scored for sharing. Neville will invite community participation in further events,including a public event at the Gallery on June 30, 2024, where kids and adults are allowed to contribute to the mural with non-toxic finger paints.

Michou Olivera, a Trauma-Informed Psychedelic Guide of the UMass Amherst Multidisciplinary Psychedelic Club says: “The worlds of art and psychedelics can come together in a safe space to create a beautiful union of healing, enrichment, transcendence, and discovery. Vulnerable expression allows us to connect with what is sacred and meaningful within ourselves. I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to James for his vision, and for creating this space for others to explore and enrich themselves.”

About the people:

James Neville, who generates and sells small paintings briskly, is represented by Naturals Collective Gallery. He is a member of the Somerville arts community and resides in Belmont.

Parma Chai (Parama Chattopadhyay), is known widely for fostering outsider artists and hosting vibrant, memorable events. The gallery she’s headed for the last 10 years  has graced Somerville, Allston, Cambridge, and more for even 30 years before her curations. She is a nationally acclaimed educator, violinist, vocalist, actress, and polymath: www.parmachai.com.

Neville’s wife Markelle Valdez, also a practicing artist, will contribute to the mural and body paint. Lauren Wright Warford, who plans to work at the intersection of art, mental health, and psychedelics, will stage manage. Dolly Levels, a spray artist/skilled tradesperson/activist for a feminist LGBTQIA+ allied work culture in the trades, will be overseeing construction.  John Bailes, a Zen-Buddhist Priest, will engage with the artists ritualistically throughout the livestream event as well as the Gallery opening.

More about the art:

Rewiring his brain helped Neville understand that ritual is crucial to the state of being human: Like homes give us a sense of belonging to space, rituals provide a belonging to time. Repeating rituals gives us things to use, rather than use up. In his attempt to remain intact neurologically, Neville sees his ritual-making events as a way of creating collective meaning and memory. They bear resemblance to how rituals signify for First Peoples, which include attention, deep listening, ongoing repetitive practice, and sharing.

Visit  https://m.twitch.tv/paintyjames  to watch this engaging live art on mega canvases, body art, and all things in between.