Gamelan Sekar Jaya

BIG NEWS ♡
Gamelan Sekar Jaya just received a matching grant for our New Berkeley Banjar Fundraiser from The Subak Fund to Benefit Sekar Jaya. The Subak Fund, presented by an anonymous donor, is based on the idea of the “Subak” the Balinese farmers’ traditional rice irrigation cooperatives where farmers come together to decide fair distribution of water, and work together at the critical moments of planting and harvesting. Like the water springing from Tirtha Empul  (Holy Spring) which is strengthened by other rivers to sustain everyone, this generous grant will match, dollar for dollar, every donation received on or after November 1st up to the total amount of $10,000.

After a four-year search, Gamelan Sekar Jaya finally found the perfect Banjar (Community Center)—it's close to Ashby BART, has a residential apartment for our Balinese guest artists, an office, and two large rehearsal rooms for our musicians and dancers. After months of negotiations, a public hearing, soundproofing and renovations, we are finally up and running in our new home. The last big hurdle is paying for the renovations!

The whole project cost GSJ $30,000 in permits, materials and labor. If we all pitch in, we can make short work of this goal! Gamelan Sekar Jaya's Board of Directors has made a substantial gift of $6,200 to kick-off this fundraising campaign and to inspire others to invest in and nurture this valuable Bay Area resource.

We humbly invite you to make your tax-deductible contribution today, to ensure the lasting presence of Balinese Arts in your community, & another 32 years of evolution for Gamelan Sekar Jaya!

Just click the gold GIVE button to right side-bar PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, Discover & AMEX accepted.

All gifts are tax-deductible.

☜ Progress as of 12/19/11
 

If you prefer to mail a check, that's great too!
You can mail it to: Gamelan Sekar Jaya
3023 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705

We have thank you gifts to acknowledge our supporters!

•  $10        Thank You Card designed by I Dewa Putu Berata
•  $20        MP3 Single Download Card of Banjar Baru
•  $50        MP3 Full Album Download Card of Serasi (7 tracks!)
•  $100      MP3 Single Banjar Baru + MP3 Full Album Serasi
•  $300      Banjar Baru + Serasi + Jegog Live in Bali CD
•  $500      Banjar Baru + Serasi + Jegog + Kembali DVD
•  $1000    All the above + invitation to special Donor’s Dinner: Join GSJ Master Guest Artists for a traditional Balinese meal cooked by chef I Made Putrayasa.

A Letter from the Director of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Emiko Saraswati Susilo

9/16/2011
A NEW HOME FOR GAMELAN SEKAR JAYA

Four years ago, Gamelan Sekar Jaya received shocking news: we were losing the lease on our El Cerrito Banjar, our home, office and rehearsal space for over twenty years. We had lived, worked, dreamed, created art, taught children and welcomed some of Bali’s most astonishing artists in this community center. It was home in all senses of the word.

At that moment, I wondered if we could ever find a place as full of warmth, life, creativity and power as our old Banjar. We had lost, it seemed, our physical center.

In the years that followed, I have been in awe of the members of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, the artists who lead it and the core of people who have worked tirelessly to find a new home for us. I have been moved to see Sekar Jaya create new work even as we moved from one facility to another and as we struggled with too little space.

But that perseverance and dedication have borne fruit. We have found our new Banjar.

Our new facility in Berkeley has room for all of our ensembles, has space for our offices, a comfortable apartment for our Guest Artists from Bali, is easily accessible by public transportation, and has the welcoming feeling that any Balinese community space should have.

We have moved in and are completing the final renovations. As the members of Sekar Jaya soundproof, scrape walls, choose colors, paint, move boxes, plant the garden, build shelves, I can feel each person’s investment in the space. I can feel the sense of joy, the collective sigh of relief, that we finally have a home. If you have not yet had an opportunity to visit, we hope that you will be able to see it soon.

As you would expect, there have been and continue to be substantial expenses associated with establishing this new facility. And we must look to our extended community who love the arts, who love Balinese culture, and who also believe that the arts are a powerful way to create community, to foster the intercultural understanding that is so needed at this time in our history.

Please show your support for Gamelan Sekar Jaya at this cross roads of our history. Our goal is to raise $30,000 by December 31, 2011. This will support Sekar Jaya’s move, facility renovations, and help us plant the seeds of new programming in our facility, which will include ongoing gamelan and dance classes as well as special Balinese arts programs for children.

We hope you will join us in this endeavor. On behalf of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, I thank you for your support.

Warm regards,

Emiko Saraswati Susilo
Director, Gamelan Sekar Jaya