Yes, And
Rest is Medicine
Yes/And: Maine – Rest is Medicine is the culmination of a multi-year journey of storytelling, movement, and collaboration with Black women and femmes across the U.S., St. Maarten, and the Lewiston, Auburn, and Portland, Maine communities.Burst! is a five-hour durational performance experiment that sources the creative expertise of Black women as a transformational practice to mark the transition from 2020 into 2021.
Stories, memories, and dreams of rest unfold in a series of performance activations, inviting audiences to pause, reflect, and imagine rest as both personal and communal medicine. Yes/And: Maine – Rest is Medicine invites audiences into 30-minute cycles of live performance, interspersed with 15-minuteintervals for exploration, reflection, and interaction with the installation.
Browse the components of
 |
|---|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Images by Jovan Landry and Olivia Moon Photography.
Video Potraits- Maine
The culmination of GMPP’s Maine Residency included a series of video portraits of Black, female identifying Lewiston, Auburn, and Portland, Maine community residents. Directed by Gesel Mason at various locations, these videos were recorded and edited by Jovan Landry They were included in the Yes/And: Maine – Rest is Medicine L/A Arts Gallery Performance on July 25th, 2025.
Click to expand.
Yes, And Community Postcards
During the event, community members were invited to choose a postcard, write a note to themselves, and share reflections inspired by the themes of rest, care, and connection.
Some of these heartfelt notes were later read aloud by Yunina Barbour-Payne —listen to a selection here.
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
Images by Jovan Landry and Olivia Moon Photography.
L/A Arts Gallery Performance
Courtesy of the Bates Dance Festival
Click here to view digital program.
This Maine iteration, features a visual art installation by Vicki Meek, choreography by Mason and co-direction by GMPP and Yunina Barbour-Payne. Stories, memories and dreams of rest unfold in a series of three 30-minute performance activations, inviting audiences to pause, reflect and imagine rest as personal and communal medicine. This video showcases the second activation.
Music/Poetry
The following music, mixed by Jovan Landry, was played live during the Rest is Medicine Gallery performance.
Click here to explore more sounds from the project.
Listen as 8-year-old, Nyla reads wisdom from The Nap Ministry Rest Deck
Images by Gesel Mason and Jovan Landry
Behind the Scenes
Images by Jovan Landry.