History of The Avalon Project

“The most enduring change agents and the most effective world citizens are those who have united the activist and seeker impulses within themselves.”– Margie Adam

The mission of The Avalon Project is to create opportunities to explore and reinforce the integration of activism and spirituality through cultural events within and among our communities.

Originally launched in January of 2001 with the release of Margie’s recording , Avalon, The Avalon Project fuses culture and community. Through the Avalon Tour that year, the project celebrated and galvanized feminist awareness in music lovers across the country.

Fall 2002, The Avalon Project and Veriditas, The World-Wide Labyrinth Project presented a number of events called “At the Edge: A Conversation Between Seeker and Activist with Music and the Labyrinth.” This collaboration between Margie and Lauren Artress, the founder of Veriditas, is an effort to explore the intersections of personal growth and community involvement. These events incorporate conversation, story-telling, songs and discussion with an open labyrinth walk. Margie accompanies the walk with her solo piano music and improvisation.

Response to Margie’s work with the labyrinth has been exciting and also very interesting. People’s expressed curiosity along with their support have prompted her to write a letter to her fans and friends sharing her thoughts about this new direction for her artistic and activist work.

Margie believes that the labyrinth can be an important resource for the peace and justice communities during these times when standing on solid spiritual and psychic ground is so important for effective activism. In keeping with this, in January 2003, on the same weekend as the international peace marches, offered the first of several monthly Community Labyrinth Peace Walks at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club and the North Berkeley Senior Center including a presentation of the history and her personal journey with the labyrinth. These gatherings evolved into the formation of the East Bay Labyrinth Project, a community group dedicated to the installation of a permanent peace labyrinth at a public and accessible site in Berkeley, ca.

Throughout 2004, Margie worked with eblp steering committee members Nina Ham and Nancy Carleton and the City of Berkeley’s Waterfront Commission to explore the possibility that this project might find its home at the Berkeley marina. In keeping with her goal to introduce the labyrinth to progressive groups, Margie facilitated walks at the Astraea Lesbian Justice Foundation’s retreat, National Women’s Music Festival, Day of Meditation and Prayer for Peace, Notre Dame de Nau, and the Association for the Integration of the Whole Person retreat.

Margie launched her 2005 work blending music, activism and the labyrinth – all elements of The Avalon Project – at an event sponsored by the Women’s Forest Sanctuary. Here she facilitated a labyrinth walk to “spark and guide a new year’s inspiration and visioning for women environmentalists and our beloveds.”

Inevitably, Margie designed a cultural experience which incorporated not only the labyrinth and music, but also her passionate engagement with Scotland’s ancient Callanish Stones. Following the release of her cd/dvd PORTAL, she debuted a new event during her 2006-2007 tours called The Portal Experience featuring a concert followed by a community labyrinth peace walk.

In addition, Margie developed a two-hour labyrinth workshop intertwining labyrinth history and community-building with applications for our healing, peace and justice work. This workshop includes a presentation, facilitated walk and a post-walk dialog. For more information…

Whether sharing The Portal Experience, a labyrinth workshop or a simple, intimate evening of music, humor and social commentary, Margie’s intention has always been the same: to activate and reaffirm the progressive community spirit that fuels us on the long haul.

For more information: Pleiades Records