Ancestral Trauma Healing Through Historical Recovery | Antonio Rocha Lecture

In conjunction with Re|Sounding, now on view, join Maine Maritime Museum this spring and summer for an artist workshop and lecture series. Each month from May through August, we are hosting a different contributing artist for a unique learning experience, each examining art as a tool for exploring histories, and uncovering how historical and cultural contexts can influence art.  Award winning Storyteller Antonio Rocha (pronounced Haw-Sha) will take the audience through the journey he embarked on before and during the mounting of his show, “The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage.” As you listen to this journey of facing and understanding trauma, you will be exposed to how Mr. Rocha dealt and healed from hitting bottom due to his long lasting anxiety and fear caused by childhood trauma due to his father’s emotional rollercoaster stemming from ancestral trauma.  You will also be introduced to a variety of characters and healers who helped him in the recovery  process. Historical recovery and ancestral identity was at the center  of such recovery. This is a spiritual journey of self that also invites you to investigate your own journey and the traumas that have shaped your lives. Note: This is a lecture and not a performance, taking place in Long Reach Hall at Maine Maritime Museum. Free, preregistration is required. Register Today About the Artist Antonio Rocha is a performance artist originally from Brazil. His work combines mime and storytelling with voices and sound effects. He has performed in 20 countries on 6 continents as well as in 44 US states. Antonio also loves to teach his craft and often facilitates workshops, not only for performers, but for those who want to incorporate storytelling into their business presentations and classroom. In 1988 he received a Partners of the Americas grant to come to the USA to perform and deepen his mime skills with Mime Master Tony Montanaro. Since then he has earned a Summa Cum Laude Theater BA from USM (University of Southern Maine) and studied with Master Marcel Marceau. Some of the venues include The Singapore Festival of the Arts, Wolf Trap, The National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Geographic, The Tales of Graz in Austria, Dunya Festival, The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Cave Run Storytelling Festival as well as thousands of school performances. A two time TEDx speaker, Mr. Rocha is a proud recipient of the coveted Circle of Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network, and most recently the 2024 Maine Arts Commission Fellowship for the Performing Arts.  Exhibit Contributions An abridged version of Antonio’s show The Malaga Ship: A Story of Maine and the Middle Passage is on view in the exhibit