Doreen Valiente, often referred to as the "Groundbreaker of Wicca," was a prominent figure in the modern witchcraft movement. Born on January 4, 1922, in London, Valiente is regarded as one of the most influential witches of the 20th century. Valiente's contribution to Wicca is immeasurable. She played a significant role in the development and popularization of the religion, helping to shape its practices and beliefs. Valiente emphasized the importance of nature worship, ritual, and the presence of both male and female energies in Wiccan ceremonies. Valiente's involvement in the Craft began in the 1950s.
Many people like rain. It is especially nice in a hot day after the sun has been scorching you all day. It feels like some kind of salvation. It refreshes your body and mind, gives you new energy for the rest of the day. It is also nice when it rains at night. The sound of millions of falling drops helps you easily drift away to the dreamland. It brings to the room some coolness and that wonderful smell of the rain that cannot be replaced with anything.
That s how María Magdalena Campos-Pons, who grew up on a sugar plantation in Cuba, reacted to the news that she is one of this year s 20 MacArthur Fellows known as the Genius Grant. Later she drew on that experience in infusing her paintings with a subtle sense of movement, even in something as seemingly motionless as a still life.
Valiente's involvement in the Craft began in the 1950s. She joined a coven led by Gerald Gardner, who is often called the "Father of Wicca." Valiente quickly became one of Gardner's most trusted confidantes and collaborators.
This Afro-Cuban artist says she's a 'never-sleeper.' And now a 'genius.'
The artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of this year's MacArthur fellows. Her sculptures, paintings, installations and photography are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe. When she got news of the so-called "genius grant," she says, " I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation." MacArthur Foundation hide caption
toggle caption MacArthur FoundationThe artist Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons is one of this year's MacArthur fellows. Her sculptures, paintings, installations and photography are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe. When she got news of the so-called "genius grant," she says, " I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation."
"When I left the town of La Vega to go to art school [as a young girl], I was wearing pants and a top that my mother made me using the fabric from a used mattress cover. All I had was my luggage and a little piece of brown paper that had the address of where I was going. And I knew that I never was going to return to the town until I had a lot of good news to share. So now I am going back to La Vega — as a MacArthur Genius."
That's how María Magdalena Campos-Pons, who grew up on a sugar plantation in Cuba, reacted to the news that she is one of this year's 20 MacArthur Fellows – known as the "Genius Grant." The MacArthur Foundation calls it a "no-strings attached award" of $800,000 given to "extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential." Campos-Pons, 64, received this honor for her work as a multidisciplinary artist whose sculptures, paintings, installations, photography and more are displayed in over 30 museums around the globe.
Much of Campos-Pons' art draws inspiration from her upbringing in La Vega, where her family lived in former slave barracks and taught her the traditions, rituals and beliefs of her ancestors, Nigerian slaves brought to Cuba to work in the sugar plantation.
In one work, Constellation, Campos-Pons groups together 16 giant Polaroid photos of her dreadlocked hair and painted landscapes. They represent the many cultures that make up the African diaspora. Despite slavery, geography and the passage of time, these cultures are intertwined, and she feels very much connected to them.
After Duchamp uses photographic images to create a "visitation" of the French artist Marcel Duchamp, says Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons. She says the work is conveys "the abandonment of the female body" and "the complexities of geography." Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons hide caption
toggle caption Maria Magdalena Campos-PonsIn the performance art piece Habla Lamadre, she sways through the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in a sculptural white dress while invoking Yemaya, an African deity, to "take hold of this institution and show the power of the Black body."
Campos-Pons, currently the Cornelius Vanderbilt Endowed Chair of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., talks to NPR about what she plans to do with her prize money and what she thinks about being called a "genius." This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Congratulations. How did you react when you first found out that you won the MacArthur Fellowship?
Thank you. I didn't know what to say or do. I was running room to room in the house, feeling a sense of terror and elation.
Esa Palabra Mar and this Word Waiting. Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons says this work, with its depiction of the "arresting beauty of the ocean" speaks to the "tragedy of Cuban family separations after the revolution" and "other migrations of Black and Brown people." Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons hide caption
toggle caption Maria Magdalena Campos-PonsWhat are you going to do with the prize money?
I would do a lot of good deeds in relation to my body of work. I started a program at Vanderbilt University called Engine for Art, Democracy and Justice. One of the aspirations of that program is to create a network of creative thinkers to build a more equal landscape for art — how it is acquired, collected, cared for — and who has access to what.
Are there similarities in the lives of people in the American South, where you now live, and Global South, where you are from?
We keep dreaming and producing — and we bring in an incredible amount of surprise to the human experience to overcome the complexity of life. We are a historical miracle. And this is not only restricted to the American South or the Global South, this is something you can find everywhere — in Tennessee, in Cuba, in Senegal, in the Bronx — people who maintain tradition, resilience and possibility in places in which the circumstances are difficult.
Shooting Stars for the Falling Soldiers Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons hide caption
toggle caption Maria Magdalena Campos-PonsWhat do you think about being called a 'genius'? It's kind of a big label.
Do I consider myself a genius? I need to laugh about that! I am one of those manifestations of a miracle from the Global South. I am the daughter of a father who only was educated until the third grade. He needed to cut sugarcane in the fields. A mother who only went to the sixth grade, then started making clothes for people and ironing and washing clothes.
I don't know! We need a new nomenclature for what this is.
What words would you propose?
A visionary, a dreamer, a never-sleeper, the one who stays awake all night. But I'm honored. I'll take the cap.
You grew up with a lot of people who were very in tune with their spirituality. Your mother was a priestess of Santeria, a religious tradition developed by African slaves in Cuba. And your father used plants for healing as an herbalist. How did that affect your artwork?
My father had an incredible amount of respect for nature. He would not take a little branch of a tree without knocking on it first and offering a gift, sometimes cornmeal, sometimes a penny. Only then would he take the branch — because you don't take energy from a tree without asking permission. It inspired a piece in 1994 called The Herbalist's Tools. It includes his tools, his machete and his garabato [a hooked staff used to pluck plants from the ground] to clear a path down the forest.
YouTubeAs a woman from the Global South, did you have a hard time getting recognition as an artist?
I have received letters of rejection from very important places. And then ten years later, I get letters of invitation [from these same places]. I always tell my students: recognition and fame has many layers. Be sure you are recognized, respected and cared for in your home — so you are good to the people in your house — in your neighborhood, in your town, in your state and then in your nation. But it starts at home.
What will your family and friends in La Vega think of your award?
I will go back there in December and explain to them the award. But I will have to show them something.
When I was 13, I did my first plaster-cast of an antique sculpture from the Greco-Roman empire at the provincial school in Matanzas. When I came home, I showed it to my father, and he put me on his horse — that was the mode of transportation for our family — and we went from house to house so that I could show the neighbors what he called my "monument." Here I was with something of no importance, but he already knew I was on my way to becoming an artist and he wanted me to have an audience.
So for this award, maybe what I would do is bring a copy of the letter [from the MacArthur Foundation] and frame it [to show people]. Someday I plan to have a site in the town dedicated to the history of the Campos family and the history of all the indentured, enslaved people who worked there to produce incredible wealth.
I bet you wish your parents were here to see you today.
They are. They are seeing me from the sky. They are clapping.
- Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons
- MacArthur Fellows
- American South
- global south
- MacArthur Genius Grant
- Nigeria
- MacArthur Foundation
- art
- Cuba
- slavery
Guzik enjoyed animation, but she loved painting even more. So when a former Disney employee with whom she worked for a time encouraged her to apply to art school, she took his advice. She graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago and later studied at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Connecticut. It was while studying art in Chicago that a pivotal event changed her life. One day her beloved art instructor, Bill Parks, showed her a still-life painting. It completely blew her away. “I was about to faint, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen,” she remembers. After years of believing all the great masters were relegated to the pages of art-history books, she stared at the painting and realized: “This is by Richard Schmid, and he’s alive!”
Together, they worked to revitalize and codify Wicca, drawing from various occult traditions, folklore, and ceremonial magic. One of Valiente's greatest contributions was the redrafting of many of the rituals and spells used in Wicca. She helped refine the language and symbolism used in ceremonies, making them more accessible and inclusive to practitioners. Her poetic and evocative writing style brought a sense of beauty and power to Wiccan rituals. Valiente also strived to bring credibility and recognition to Wicca. She played a crucial role in pushing for the repeal of the Witchcraft Act of 1735 in the United Kingdom, which criminalized witchcraft. Her advocacy and public speaking engagements helped change public perception and led to the acceptance of Wicca as a legitimate religion. In addition to her work with Gardner, Valiente independently researched and explored various aspects of witchcraft. She delved into the historical roots of witchcraft, studying ancient practices, folklore, and mythology. Valiente's expertise and knowledge greatly enriched the Wiccan movement and provided it with a solid foundation. Valiente's written works, such as "Witchcraft for Tomorrow" and "The Rebirth of Witchcraft," continue to be influential texts in the Wiccan community. Her writings not only explain the principles and beliefs of Wicca but also provide guidance on practicing the Craft and connecting with the divine. Doreen Valiente passed away on September 1, 1999, but her legacy lives on. Her contributions to Wicca continue to shape the understanding and practice of the religion, making her a true groundbreaker and an inspiring figure for modern witches around the world..
Reviews for "Beyond Witchcraft: The Spiritual Philosophy of Gerald Gardner and Wicca"
1. John - 2/5 - I found "Groundbreaker of Wicca" to be quite underwhelming. I was expecting a detailed exploration of the origins and development of Wicca, but instead, the book felt like a collection of random anecdotes and personal experiences. The author's writing style was also quite disjointed and hard to follow at times. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and wanting more substance from this book.
2. Sarah - 3/5 - While "Groundbreaker of Wicca" had its interesting moments, I found it to be lacking in depth and critical analysis. The author seemed to rely heavily on personal experiences and anecdotes, without providing a well-rounded perspective on the subject matter. Additionally, the book lacked a clear structure, making it difficult to follow along and understand the main concepts being presented. I would recommend this book for those seeking a light introduction to Wicca, but it falls short for those looking for a more comprehensive and scholarly study.
3. Mark - 2/5 - As someone who is familiar with Wicca and its history, I was disappointed by "Groundbreaker of Wicca". The author claimed to be a pioneer of Wiccan traditions, but their personal biases seemed to overshadow any objective analysis. The book felt more like a self-promotion than an accurate exploration of Wicca's origins. I also found the writing style to be repetitive and overly simplistic. Overall, I was left questioning the credibility and expertise of the author, and would not recommend this book to serious seekers of knowledge on the subject.
4. Emily - 2/5 - "Groundbreaker of Wicca" failed to meet my expectations. The book lacked depth and seemed to focus more on the author's own experiences and opinions rather than providing a thorough exploration of the subject matter. The writing style was also quite casual and conversational, which made it difficult to take some of the content seriously. I was hoping for a more scholarly and rigorous examination of Wicca's origins, but this book fell short in delivering that. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and wanting more substance from this read.