2023 O+ Kingston Theme: FO+rward

The O+ Festival will return to Kingston, NY for the 13th annual exchange of art, music and wellness October 6-8, 2023. 

This year we are focusing on, investing in and celebrating the expansion of health care for artists and musicians, progressing toward our goal of providing medical support 365 days a year.

The theme of the 2023 O+ Festival is FO+rward.

Forward is the button you pressed on the VCR when you couldn’t wait to get to the best part of the film. The symbol on the button was like two arrows running towards or pushing against a wall. FF> Fast Forward. 

Forward is an action, a description, a position, a choice and a direction.

Forward is where you are heading and the movement of a body through space, through pain, through healing. It is one day at a time. It is an arrow pointed in a direction determined by where you are facing or where you are trying to go. It is sending a letter on to a future location. It is moving ahead more quickly through time than if you were to just sit and wait for something to happen.

Forward, the adverb, is defined as “to move onward so as to make progress; toward a successful conclusion.” And when we consider progress, we think of it as forward movement towards a destination or towards a better, more complete ideal. We may look back, but we move inexorably forward.

Forward is movement, it is a choice to do better, to keep trying, to survive. It is the direction of feet marching down the street in protest. Folks chant “we won’t go back” as a song of resistance and in recognition of the lessons of history. Not back… only forward. 

As we look to the future, we are moving forward towards a culture of care wherein everyone can access the healthcare that they need to not just survive but to thrive, feel valued and continue to make the creative work that our communities rely on to be well.