~Robin D.G. Kelley, Foreword, The Vinyl Ain’t Final: Hip-Hop and the Globalisation of Black Popular Culture

Pictured above: B-boy Crazy Mouse of the Alto Estilo Crew from La Paz, Bolivia in front of WBL‘s “My DC” mural.

This is the second of three posts about the recent Hip-Hop Dance Exchange co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (September 30 – October 15, 2010). You can read Part I here. Please share your stories and thoughts in the comments section below.

I am the first to admit it: Hip-Hop is an American folk art. As such, I believe it deserves the respect, acknowledgment, fund$ (yes, I said it. Give us the money!) and professionalism that arts such as jazz, the blues, visual arts and other disciplines enjoy. This is especially true when it comes to future cultural exchanges like the State Department-funded, Kennedy Center-managed, Hip-Hop Dance Exchange I was fortunate enough to lead these past 15 days. However, this does not mean that we can discredit hip-hop’s unique and authentically local manifestations abroad.

We see this with the Ugandan emcees’ luga flow (“luga” means languages in Lugandan, the dominant language in Uganda) movement, whereby rapping in one’s native dialect is encouraged, or in the mash-up dance styles our visitors shared with me–Zeybreak, Bolly hop, and Bhangara-break to name a few. Then, there were those we created together: Burmese and Turkish traditional dances turned into contemporary dance vignettes and fused with ballet, African traditional and contemporary dances combined with breakin’ and Turkish movements, Bolivian folk dances and Zimbabwean stepping. And, if you don’t believe any of this is possible, just watch the video.

In what I’ve observed to be the M.O. of most US-driven cultural exchanges, there is an idea that cultural visitors (foreigners) have an empty cup, devoid of any originality. We, benevolent Americans, come to fill this empty cup with our vast knowledge, wisdom and generosity. Please pardon the sarcasm. But, those of us who hold hip-hop’s values at our core–those of mutual respect, understanding, competition, love, commUNITY and on & on–know that this is kind of thinking leads only to a dead end when it comes to building for real.

We off that.

And so, my deepest gratitude goes to the hosts of our 8 international b-boys and b-girls these past 15 days, with a special shout out to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, who surprised and impressed me with their sincerity and support for hip-hop culture as a bridge between the seemingly disparate traditions of the 8 nations represented on this trip: Burma, Bolivia, Turkey (Germany), Ecuador, Zimbabwe, Uganda, India and Pakistan. Somewhere between the dwarfing skyscrapers of New York, the 1.8-mile long graffiti pieces along the Raritan River Art Walk, the army of DJs olive Dance Theatre/Rich Medina brought to the West Philadelphia Community Center, and the Kennedy Center rehearsal rooms, we became a family. I am forever grateful to the 8 dancers who challenged me with their own artistic vision and talents, and brought so much love into every experience and dialogue. Indeed, I learned as much or more from them than I could ever hope to offer in return.

From L to R, top to bottom: B-boy Abdul (Uganda), Min Min Htun (Burma), Nonie Sachdeva (India), B-boy Crazy Mouse (Bolivia), Hasan Rizvi (Pakistan), Yeukai Zinyoro (Zimbabwe) and Hida Jama (Ecuador)

I also had the unique privilege of directing the visitors’ final performance at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage with DJ EYE AM as our musical director and collaborator. On the “holiday” where we “celebrate” Columbus “discovering” America (okay, you get the point!), the dancers performed for a packed house of enthused guests. Although my name was omitted from the program (Ahem. Me? Salty? Naaa. They still gave me a nod on the mic!) we all experienced growth from a new way of working: emphasis on the process, and not on the product. What you will see in the video of the performance is a multicultural village vibe. A dynamic group of talented, open-minded people with great ideas who formed a lifelong bond. They did this not through language, but with the element of breakin’ or b-boyin’ as their conduit.

What is sometimes now mistakenly called “hip-hop dance”–I would call it Hip-Hop Contemporary Movement–has taken the art of b-boyin’ and infused it with an amalgamation of local rhythms and styles. It is my belief that this “new style” (as our European homies call it) informs and expands our dance vocabulary, and is the contribution of this new generation of performers who embrace hip-hop culture with passion and purpose. As Mare139 so eloquently stated at the Show & Prove Conference at NYU a few weeks back, we must make room for new artists and practitioners who are revolutionizing the art form and culture. The young leaders I met from around the globe are doing just that through movement and music. Let’s show our support by shedding bitterness, US cultural superiority, pioneering “I was there”-ness, or “founderitis,” a term borrowed from arts management that applies here. Let new energy into the cypher, ya’ll. Hip-Hop is a living, breathing thing needing attention, care and innovation.

Will you keep building it up or let your ego cut it down? #jussayin

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ABOUT THE HIP-HOP DANCE EXCHANGE

Since 2006, the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Visitors program, managed by the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center, has offered artistic development and cultural exchange experiences for artists and arts managers. The goal of this program is to energize the work of emerging international artists in their own countries by bringing them to the U.S. and providing them with instructive and informative experiences in their arts discipline, exposure to the creation and performance of world-class American art, and opportunities to develop relationships with U.S. arts professionals. Participants have come from more than 37 countries worldwide, including Azerbaijan, Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, and Turkey. On behalf of the U.S. Department of State, the Kennedy Center develops customized programs for each group. For more information visit the Kennedy Center website.

Pictured above: The international cultural visitors performed at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on Monday, October 11, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. You can watch their extraordinary performance by clicking here.

Hip-Hop Roundtable Discussion at New York University. From L to R: Dr. Joseph G. Schloss, Pop Master Fabel, Afrika Bambaataa, Alien Ness and his wife, Sabrina. All photos courtesy of Joe Conzo, “the man who took hip-hop’s baby pictures.”

For the last seven days, I have had the immense privilege of leading a group of eight hip-hop dancers/international cultural visitors on a tour of New York, thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State and the visionary leadership at the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Hailing from Bolivia, Burma, Ecuador, Germany (by way of Turkey), India, Pakistan, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, these young artists and leaders have transformed the NYC streets and subway stations in which they dance (can’t stop, won’t stop) and every individual they’ve encountered since their arrival. To date, our ambitious tour has included attending “Swift Solos” and Freestyle Archityper 2: A Site-Specific Sculptural Installation by Carlos “Mare139″ Rodriguez as part of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival; FELA! on Broadway; a Hush Hip-Hop Tour with the Cold Crush Brothers (live and direct! including a visit to 1520 Sedgwick Ave.); dance workshops with olive Dance Theatre, Ken Swift, Kwikstep and Rokafella (and an impromptu trip to The Door, the teen center where they give free breaking classes to teens); a private tour of the Bronx Museum with Joe Conzo and Daze; a screening of All the Ladies Say; and two unmatchable experiences at New York University (round table discussion) and The Brooklyn Ballet, where our dancers presented works-in-progress at The Schermerhorn, developed in less than four hours with poppers and ballerinas with Founding Artistic Director, Lynn Parkerson’s expert guidance.

The cypher: Joe Conzo captures the energy of the round table discussion in this semi-aerial shot.

KEEPIN’ IT REAL @ NYU AND THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

“It’s my experience that the ones who say they ‘keepin’ it real’ are often the phoniest,” affirmed b-boy Alien Ness at a round table discussion at NYU’s Silver Center, on October 5, 2010, where Dr. Joseph G. Schloss, author of Foundation: B-Boys, B-Girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York, State Department hip-hop ambassador and emcee, Toni Blackman, Martha Diaz, Director of the Hip-Hop Eduction Center (H2ED), and Dr. Imani Kai Johnson, post-doctoral fellow at NYU whose dissertation discussed “cyphers” joined our international cultural visitors. They answered the question (over about three hours):

If you stripped away everything else, what is essential to hip-hop for it to continue to exist?

Other guests included B-boy Alien Ness and Pop Master Fabel, who insisted the community, the park jams and accessibility are key to the culture. With the assistance of world renowned photographer and documentarian, Joe Conzo, we were also fortunate enough to have the company of the Godfather of Hip-Hop and founder of the Universal Zulu Nation, Afrika Bambaataa, who explained the fifth element of hip-hop, Knowledge, discussed globalization and the principles of hip-hop.

It’s no mystery in the hip-hop community that Pop Master Fabel’s got a big mouth. But, what you might not know is that his heart is far larger than his reputation as an “angry” dude who will check you faster than you can say “I was there, yo!” (a recurring statement among the pioneers I’ve encountered). Fabel not only joined us for the round table discussion at NYU, but also generously alternated between English and Spanish for our Latino/a visitors and encouraged them in the cypher at Mare139′s show. My heart leapt into my throat when Fabel challenged one of international visitors, Mr. Abraham Pari Seis. Hailing from La Paz, Bolivia, a.k.a. B-boy Crazy Mouse, whose Alto Estilo Crew practices in the streets at altitudes more than 4,000 meters above sea level. After both men had a round in the cypher, Fabel gave a radiant smile and a firm hug to Crazy Mouse. The b-boys and b-girls in our group definitely felt his warmth. Oh, and uh, don’t get it twisted: Fabel can still dance his a$* off.

GET TO KNOW THE INTERNATIONAL CREW: WE SPEAK THE LOVE LANGUAGE

In response to JDL’s (Cold Crush Brothers) prompt, “What is hip-hop?” on the Hush Hip-Hop Tour, our Burmese visitor raised a fist in the air and proclaimed, “Hip-hop is freedom!” Tears welled in my eyes; Burma is my mother’s home country, too. Our distinguished round table guests agreed that Knowledge is more accurately the first and not the fifth element of hip-hop, so do ya research about my motherland! Only then can you truly understand the weight that one, simple phrase carries.

Ballet dancer turned aspiring b-girl, Ms. Hida Guerrero from Guayaquil, Ecuador, is a young woman filled with light. As the teenage boys at The Door rallied around her at the open practice, she kindly shrugged them off, gesturing with limited English something to the effect of, “Yea yea. Okay. Now, show me how to do that head spin and those freezes.”

Mr. Kadir Memis (Berlin, Germany) a.k.a. Amigo founded a b-boy crew, “Flying Steps” and is one of the founders of a worldwide dance association, “Dance Unity”. He incorporates new forms of dancing into his techniques, including Turkish folkdance. On the first day, when asked his age, he left us with a profound reply: “How can you put an age on your soul? I’ve been dancing 25 years, so I guess that makes my soul 25.” He also held an entire subway station captive at an impromptu performance to a live jazz band.

The baby of the crew, Ms. Nonie Sachdeva (Mumbai, India) is a member of the dance group “Buskers,” whose number of students ranges between 30- and 50,000. Nonie’s fire is unmatched; her signature hair flips always charm the crowd. Mr. Hasan Rizvi (Karachi, Pakistan) is the founder and director of BodyBeat Dance Studio in Pakistan, which is the first and only dance school in the nation. He has taught over 1,800 students since it opened. Although a dancer of 20+ years, he admitted that he now feels he has only been dancing one week, the duration of his visit with U.S. hip-hop greats.

And for all of you who have already seen the trailer for Bouncing Cats (like say, Kanye West, who recently featured it on his blog), you will have seen Mr. Abdul Kinyenya’s face (Kampala. Uganda). He is a founding member of BreakDance Project Uganda, which uses hip-hop to generate positive social change. (I was there in November 2009. Just imagine 500 – 1,000 b-boys and b-girls gettin’ dirty, literally, in an open-air dirt lot. Ridiculous). A contemporary African dancer and b-boy, Abdul has worked extensively with youth throughout Uganda and co-founded Tabu Flo, a professional Ugandan dance crew.

But if I could say I have a she-ro in the crew, it’s Ms. Yeukai Zinyoro (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) a.k.a. Yo. Yo is the only female member of ROLX, a touring hip-hop dance crew from Bulawayo. A pure and joyful spirit, Yo has rocked many cyphers during her brief trip so far. Although sometimes in need of a push to overcome a bit of shyness, once she hits the dance floor, her leadership is contagious. This is a woman to watch, young world.

From L to R: Hasan Rizvi, Yeukai Zinyoro, Hida Guerrero. Photo courtesy of Joe Conzo.

I am overwhelmed by the power of this universal language we call hip-hop. Following an inspirational visit with legendary hip-hop duo, b-boy Kwikstep and b-girl Rokafella, Rok wrote me, “I got emotional at our goodbye because I knew [the international visitors] would be going home to some really challenging circumstances. I hope they can transcend it all. We can connect and motivate each other to keep going.”

As this is the first of three posts I will share during this visit, I hope that you will all join me in my personal mission to convince the State Department that the core values of hip-hop culture, which Afrika Bambaataa reiterates–Love, Peace, Unity and Having Fun–can and do change the world. Please share your own stories via the comments section below. Like the energy we bring to the cypher, it will take a village to preserve this culture, which, for many of us, has saved and changed our lives.

Group photo at NYU by Joe Conzo.

ABOUT THE HIP-HOP DANCE EXCHANGE

Since 2006, the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Cultural Visitors program, managed by the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the Kennedy Center, has offered artistic development and cultural exchange experiences for artists and arts managers. The goal of this program is to energize the work of emerging international artists in their own countries by bringing them to the U.S. and providing them with instructive and informative experiences in their arts discipline, exposure to the creation and performance of world-class American art, and opportunities to develop relationships with U.S. arts professionals. Participants have come from more than 37 countries worldwide, including Azerbaijan, Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Morocco, and Turkey. On behalf of the U.S. Department of State, the Kennedy Center develops customized programs for each group. For more information visit the Kennedy Center website.

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The international cultural visitors will perform at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage on Monday, October 11, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, click here.

Photo of Michelle J. Wilkinson, PhD by frank talk

This is the second post in a two-part series about Black collectors and curators in the Diamond District. I hope that you will join me in making noise in the DC arts scene and dispelling myths about who is and who isn’t a part of our creative economy. My first interview with art collector, Darryl Atwell, can be found here. Again, my appreciation to one of my favorite schol(artists), Fred Joiner, for introducing me to such inspiring, complex interviewees.

Dr. Michelle J. Wilkinson is a woman to be admired. Currently Director of Collections and Exhibitions at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, Dr. Wilkinson is an innovative curator and scholar who approaches her work in a nuanced yet eye-level fashion with the non-scholar in mind. This amazing curator and I met at Renée Stout‘s art opening at Hemphill Fine Arts and shared some fleur de sel tartes at ACKC (best chocolate in DC, hands down). Here’s what she taught me–enjoy the knowledge, fam.

Could you tell me what your role is at the museum and any other relationship you have to curating and collecting?

My role at the museum is Director of Collections and Exhibitions and under that falls all the curatorial duties for the museum and managing and really guiding what collections come into the museum. The museum is the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History & Culture, also known as “The Lewis,” in Baltimore and we’re the largest museum of African American history and culture on the East Coast. Our collections range from visual art to material objects to photography–basically the kinds of things that people would have in their homes that have value to them that help tell the story of what African American life and experience is in the United States.

My role is to be the visionary in those areas of collecting as well as how we exhibit, whether from the collection or bringing in an exhibition that’s been curated elsewhere that fits with the mission of the museum or developing new exhibitions that expand the Maryland story and make it more global and have a diaspora focus as well so that we can understand the stories that intersect nationally, globally, etc.

Have you done curating elsewhere? Do you only work at the museum now?

I did work as an independent scholar and curator as a consultant on  curatorial project before joining museum. I have not done as much [independently] since coming to the museum because of the job. It’s curatorial, but it’s so much more than that. I would say on an average day, actual curatorial work might be 5-10% of what I actually do. A lot of it is really problem-solving, decision-making on a scale that involves when the lights are not working in the gallery the way that they’re supposed to. Or, when different vendors and contractors are coming in. So, it’s a lot of details that are involved in the big picture people see when they come into the museum that no one really thinks about. Also, I think, even with the curatorial aspect, often I’ll work either from home or off-site on days I really need to get curatorial work done. As a scholar, I kind of need that time and space and no interruptions. The challenge of working as a curator in a museum is that there are often lots of interruptions, so I think I was able to [focus] better when I was working independently as opposed to having to manage the project.

What kind of projects did you do independently?

I was a curatorial consultant for the Romare Bearden exhibition that was at the National Gallery of Art in 2003, and my sole focus was just that exhibition, working in tandem with the exhibition staff and the curator, Ruth Fine, and helping to develop and edit some of the wall text, and some of the interpretive material and brochures. It was very research-oriented, I did a lot of work assisting with the research for the film. The National Gallery of Art produced a film, also titled The Art of Romare Bearden, and there were no real subject specialists in the department where I was working. Of course the curator was [a specialist], but the department that produces a lot of the interpretive material, they really needed someone to come in and assist with that process.

So, it was just kind of wonderful because I was able to do research at the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian, trying to understand how Bearden used reproductions of African masks and which kinds of masks he used, and what his influences were in creating his collages. So it was very specific, you know, here’s a question, you find the answer and you do the research. And that’s really what I love. Foremost, I’m a scholar and so those are the kinds of things that excite me most.

What’s your field of study?

African American culture.

Where did you study?

I did my undergrad at Bryn Mawr College. I have a BA in Comparative Literature with a concentration in Africana Studies. I did my PhD at Emory University in Atlanta.

Did you choose The Lewis, or did it choose you?

Both… [giggles] that’s a great question! The Lewis was I guess about 2 1/2 years old in terms of being open at the time that I joined and I’ve been there almost three years. We just celebrated our fifth birthday in June. But of course, as you know, museums are in the planning stages many more years before the public often realizes. So, the staff that was there had worked extremely hard to get the museum open and they had some staff shifts and changes. For example, our current executive director, David T. Terry, had previously held the position of Direction of Collections and Exhibitions, which is my position now. So,  he kind of moved up from being director of a department to director of the museum. The slot that I’m in now had been vacant for probably about a year. After being open and all the madness that ensues when a new museum is open, they realized they needed to get that position filled. I actually didn’t even really know about the position; I got a call from folks who knew about the position and thought I would make a good match and it worked out well.

My purpose in writing this series of this articles is to encourage young people to engage in the arts as either appreciators, collectors, curators, or actually making this into a career. At what point did you know that this was going to be your career and how would you advise people, now that you’re a little further along in your career, to do something different in order to become curators?

For me it’s actually still one day at a time [laughs]. I’m not really sure what my career is! My graduate degree was really interdisciplinary so it was focused on African American studies more from a literature and cultural studies and visual culture perspective and I actually taught for three years at Bard College in New York. While I was teaching, I was also finishing my dissertation. The chapter in my dissertation that was most specifically about visual art was to me the most exciting to write. I started thinking, ‘What would it be like to do more of that?’ The other chapters were more about poetry and literature, so when I was teaching, I was Assistant Professor of Literature at Bard College, so focusing more on African American literature, Puerto Rican literature, Caribbean literature, and I love all those things. I still love all those things. But, as I was writing about arts movements in the 1960s and visual art, I felt very passionate and excited and it was something that wasn’t new to me but some of the writing of it was new to me. I had read a lot at that point, but this was the first time that I had taken a stab at it in my own words interpreting from my own perspective what that movement was in terms of visual arts. Something about that experience made me consider what it would be like maybe not to continue teaching literature, but to go into a field that would allow me to continue writing about art, thinking about art. And of course, I started thinking maybe museum work would be a good match. I wasn’t one of those kids that when I was little I wanted to be a teacher. It was just one of those things that you get a PhD, that’s sort of the natural step that people imagine. The whole idea of curatorial work, even though I was a grad student, it was still a little bit off the radar for me. So, I actually got to the point where the writing motivated me to see what other career options were there. From being an assistant professor at Bard, I decided um…[laughs] I wanted to take a leave of absence and really explore something else and that was working at the Studio Museum in New York, in Harlem.

What did you do there?

I was a curatorial intern at first because I really didn’t have any museum experience. I had done some archival work, I had done a lot of writing and editing. I was a curatorial intern at the museum and I was also doing some freelance editing for them. Lowery Stokes Sims was the director at that time. Thelma Golden was then chief curator. They had a library upstairs on one of their floors that wasn’t open to the public that wasn’t that well organized at the time. It wasn’t something that could be a real resource. One day I was up there and I was thinking, ‘Why not?’ I could see the possibility. Having been so immersed in books and reading and writing, I thought it’d be great as a researcher if I knew or someone else knew that those materials were there. Old exhibitions catalogs, tons of art historical books that you probably couldn’t find many other places. And I remember sending Lowery an e-mail saying, ‘Have you thought about what you might wanna do with the library? I’d love to do something with it.’ She wrote me back almost immediately and said, ‘Yea! Let’s talk,’ because there was something there waiting to be done. As a scholar herself, I think she knew the importance of that collection being available. So I went from being a curatorial intern to being a consultant for them, working as editor and library coordinator trying to get that collection more accessible to the public. In the end, there really wasn’t the funding to make that a reality, but I organized it enough that at least staff could have better access.

How do you identify as a professional?

I would say I’m a scholar first. I think, as a scholar I can really become involved in many different projects and take on different roles. For one project I might just be the editor, in another project I might be the curator, in another project I might be there coordinating people’s efforts. I think definitely that’s my first way of approaching almost any situation, what I’m comfortable doing. I also see myself as a writer. A lot of what I do as Director of Collections and Exhibitions involves writing. I do a lot of the writing for exhibition narratives, exhibition text, interpretive text in the gallery. To me, that’s the most fun part of the job. It’s figuring out in my mind what the artist is doing, having conversations with them, then making it accessible for a general public coming in that might not have any idea who these artists are. They can appreciate it just by looking at it, but then there’s this other tool, which is someone writing a couple of words that can bring something out of it that they might not see upon first sight.

Do you feel that you’re an anomaly in this field? Young, Black, female…

I don’t, actually. I think when I was 25 I didn’t realize really what the opportunities were in terms of museum and curatorial work. It’s not something I really thought about. I think it’s interesting you’re writing this article because if I had maybe read more articles about young curators, it would have been on my radar as a [good career fit]. I knew about art, I enjoyed going to exhibitions and seeing art, but I never really thought: I want to be a curator. I never really sat down and said those words. It wasn’t until much later, I guess being in grad school and almost being at the end of my program and thinking what are the other opportunities out there other than being a professor?

What is the difference between being a curator and a scholar?

They’re the same. I think, for the most part a curator has to be a scholar. It doesn’t mean you have to have a PhD or a Masters, but you have to read and do kind of your own self-study of what your field is, what you’re collecting in, what you’re exhibiting, what you’re editing. I think one of the reasons I’m attracted to both curating and editing is that to me they’re very similar processes. As an editor, not just a copy editor but as someone who’s taking texts and thinking about ways to make them more precise, more cogent, more illuminating, easier to understand, that’s the same thing you do as a curator. You’re putting things together. It’s an editing and selecting process. You’re trying to, I think, create a whole piece that is vibrant, has some motion, has some clarity and is easy for the viewer or reader to ingest and engage with. I see those two as really similar. For me, the scholarly mind is at the root of both of those. You have to have good critical thinking skills, you have to be able to listen, you have to be able to write. All of those things are at the root of being a curator or editor; you have to have a scholarly mind.

Who are your mentors?

I need some more [laughs]! I need some more… um, I would definitely say Lowery Stokes Sims is one of my mentors. She was, as I said, the director of the museum when I worked there and is still someone that, when I have a tough question or I’m thinking about career options [I can go to her]. She’s currently a curator at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York City. The chair of our board is Leslie King-Hammond and Lowery and Leslie are very good friends. I also see Leslie as someone who’s been a trailblazer in art and curatorial work, and just being a supporter of African American cultural and artistic production. She is at MICA, Maryland Institute College of Art. One of my dissertation committee members was Dr. Richard Long at Emory University and he’s just kind of a scholar par excellence. He focuses on literature, art, dance and is someone who does the whole gamut. As a young person being in graduate school seeing how broad but deep his interests and knowledge were was exciting to me and something that I wanted to emulate.

What are your three favorite pieces of art right now?

One piece that I’m really excited about, and have been, is called This Incredible Journey and it’s by a Baltimore-based artist named Loring Cornish and it’s glass and mosaic-colored glass piece. What he does is kind of cast footprints so it’s a 3-dimensional piece but it hangs on the wall so you don’t necessarily need to walk all the way around it. It is footprints on each side kind of just cascading up, then in the middle there’s a path. It could be grass, it could be water, or just a pathway. What it looks like is footprints, actually footsteps. As opposed to the print of a foot, it’s more of a shoe form. It’s like the Underground Railroad, walking to Heaven, they’re kind of very real African American cultural references as well as more spiritual, transcendent references. The motto of the museum is ‘take the journey,’ so when I saw this piece, it just perfectly pulled together what we say the museum experience is. We’re taking this journey through African American history as well as a journey through American history really, but through an African American lens. Then, the museum’s graphic logo has this winding path and this art piece has this winding path, so it was the perfect piece for us to acquire. It was in an exhibition I curated in 2008 called A People’s Geography about African American life and cultural geography.

One piece that’s hanging up right now that I really love is a piece by Anderson Pigatt. It’s a kind of reinterpretation of a Picasso piece. I think the Picasso piece is called Bull’s Head. It’s basically just the seat of the bicycle and the handle bars, but it’s made to look like this kind of anthropomorphic animal head with the horns sticking up. Very simple, recycled objects. He didn’t really do a lot to it, just put it up there, and you can see what it came from. But, you can also see the references in it. It’s just kind of brilliant, easy, simple. A kid could get it and understand.

A third piece is also up now called Blood of Our Ancestors by Maya Freelon Asante. She is a very young, contemporary artist also now based in Baltimore. Her work is with tissue paper. So, she does sculptures with tissue paper, colored tissue paper, she uses the color from tissue paper, wets it through a process that kind of lets water saturate the color and lets it drip onto another surface to make prints.

It sounds like a complicated process…

It’s a complicated process and it’s time-consuming. She had found some colored tissue paper in her grandmother’s basement that had gotten damaged from water stains. But they were so beautiful and she kept thinking, ‘How, through my own art-making process, can I get the same effect?’ She tried different things but she realized you couldn’t just wet it. It had to be wet kind of slowly over time to get these beautiful patterns. If you just wet it all at one time, it wouldn’t look the same, it would wash it out or it wouldn’t saturate it at the gradual state it needed to be. So after experimenting she was able to kind of recreate the effect. Even though it’s fragile, she glued them together and they became more unified. She talks about that being like the vulnerability of the human spirit and makes a lot of connections to the African American experience. She also does these tissue ink prints. It’s the ink from the tissue paper that makes this print called Blood of Our Ancestors. The top portion of it is like red and green and vibrant and has all these colors that you think of as African flags or Pan-Africanism but in an almost Jackson Pollack-y, Frank Bowling (the Caribbean artist), kind of way, very color-saturated. And at the bottom, it gets a little kind of muddy, a little bit messy. It’s not as, quote-unquote, “beautiful.” Again here’s this work, which is maybe about 9 or 10 feet tall. It’s [shows] all of our beauty, but it also [shows] the tragedy in it. You look at it and it’s compelling because there’s something that is, ‘Wow! Look at all those colors,’ it’s bright, it’s shiny. But, then you look at the bottom and there’s something hard in there also. That’s one of my favorite pieces that’s hanging right now.

Who is someone you’d love to work with but haven’t yet?

I would say Barbara Chase-Riboud. I’m really interested in the way she puts materials together. She uses metal, she uses fabric. There’s a kind of monumental quality to her work, but she uses so many references. You know, African American culture to African American history. She’s lived outside of the U.S. for many years now and I know that there’s a great appreciation for her art already in this country. But, it would be wonderful to work more closely and see her work represented here more than it has been in the last couple of years. Right now, I’m working on a show about contemporary African American women artists who are using materials in interesting ways. For example, Maya Freelon Asante with the tissue paper is one of them. Renee Stout is in that same exhibition. I’ve not worked with Renee before, so I’m really excited about the opportunity. I think the dialogue that will happen between the artists will be great in this show and if I could get a Barbara Chase-Riboud piece in there I think it would help illuminate the conversations between the artists.

Three favorite places to see art in the DMV area?

Woooow! Ummm… That’s hard! It could be anywhere, anytime. I love the National Museum of African Art. I think they’ve done a great job of highlighting a lot of contemporary African artists. I definitely think they’ve put themselves on the map in a new way in the last couple of years… This is tough for me! I feel like I go everywhere. 14th Street Corridor with all the galleries up and down here. And, I would say just talking to Juliette Bethea (collector). You don’t necessarily see her collection just talking to her, but she kind of just carries art with her and every time you see her she’s telling you about some place else that she went or some place else you need to be. Just having conversations with her or running into her is where your next stop is.

Renée Stout’s exhibit, The House of Chance and Mischief, will be up at Hemphill Fine Arts through October 30, 2010. Fore more information and to view more of her work, click here.

All photos by frank talk.

This post is the first in a two-part series of interviews with some of the District’s flyest Black art collectors and curators A special thanks are in order to frank talk, Fred Joiner and Thomas Sayers Ellis, without whom this series of creative conversations would not be possible. It is my hope that these interviews will illuminate for CS readers some of the forces of the DMV arts scene, people of color in particular, who deserve major props. Let’s spark a dialogue about our place, #brownfolksimeanyou, in the arts. It’s time we really engage and represent, ya’ll. Time to make ‘em envy.

It began like this: My good friend, Thomas Sayers Ellis, a genius, lover of go-go, photographer and writer, invited me to the book launch for his latest poetry collection, Skin, Inc.: Identity Repair Poems, at the home of Darryl Atwell. It turns out Darryl is an anesthesiologist, a hip-hop head, and an art collector. Besides that, he’s an amazingly generous man who opened up his home to me and shared a little bit about his group CAS51, Obama’s presidential collection and Kanye’s influence on collectors (or not?).

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m a scientist by trade, but that doesn’t really define who I am.

Tell me about CAS51 and what your role is.

When I first came to DC, I was going to a lot of exhibits and I didn’t see a lot of my peers really out. I consistently saw the same one or two persons and it was… I wouldn’t use the word lonely. Everyone says they like art, and they like to go to galleries, but you really don’t see ‘em out on a consistent basis. So, I just thought it’d be a good idea to get collectors together who were younger. There’s a very well-established [collector’s] group in DC already, and I thought it’d be good to get young people in the conversation. So, myself and four other persons started this group in the District called CAS51 about a year ago.

What’s the purpose of CAS51?

The purpose is to get persons who have similar feelings about art, and who are serious about collecting art, together. The purpose of a collector’s group is ultimately to collect art. We are still trying to figure out our common goals. If it were up to me, I’d like to purchase art as a group. That way you can defer some of the costs of collecting art and the group could own the art. But our other goal is to bring more persons, young persons, into the art scene, whether it be going to exhibitions, galleries, auctions, etc. to get more information so they know the importance of art in our community and so they know it’s a valuable asset. Not just a monetary asset, but also to the community. We also want to expand the dialogue about collecting.

Do you think other collectors of color are out there? Is there not also an economic barrier preventing people with an interest from collecting?

I don’t think economics is the main thing. DC is supposed to be a very affluent city, not just in the Black community. I think it has to do with [lack of] information and a little bit of education. I don’t think that DC is quite up to areas like New York in terms of appreciation for the arts on that level where people are really, really excited about it. I don’t think that money is the great limiting step. I think that’s one factor, but it’s more [about] getting people more interested and eager to participate in the arts period.

What makes you go from buying your first piece of art to collecting to calling yourself a collector, then feeling so strongly that you want to share it. What makes you want to share it? Why not just collect art, put it on your walls and show it off?

The [Thomas Sayers Ellis book launch] was the first event I had in my house. I’m gregarious, I know my share of people, but I’m not really a showy person. So I’d be less apt to have people come over to my house just to see my art collection. I think that’s a bit narcissistic. When you talk about art, that’s one portion of it I haven’t quite gotten a grasp of that a lot of people of color don’t get: you have to donate your art at some point because that’s the way many institutions get art and therefore, the artists become known. For me, right now I’m just getting to buy these pieces. It’s hard for me (and I think hard for other people) to separate from ‘em. You get attached. For me to just give [my art] to a museum [is difficult]. You saved your money, you paid down on it and now it’s yours. To then just give it away I think takes a lot. For me, the progression from just buying pieces to really calling myself a collector happened pretty rapidly. I was kind of reticent about saying ‘hey I’m a collector’ and I still feel funny saying that, but I started out just reading a lot of books and I bought a piece and now I’m just gonna continue on. Everyday I’m looking on the Internet, hearing about pieces…

What’s the first piece you bought?

Actually, you know the very first pieces I bought were in Ohio. A friend of mine’s father had muscular dystrophy and he started painting as therapy to help his coordination. He’s right-handed and he was painting with his left hand. I bought this painting of his of John Carlos and Tommy Smith in the Olympics with their fists in the air. I still have it upstairs and I still love it. He’s never gonna be famous as an artist or anything, but I just thought the story was so great. I was still very much learning [about collecting art].

What’s the most recent piece you bought?

Well, I have pieces out there that I’m paying on. People don’t understand that you can put art on ‘layaway.’ No one goes out and just plops $5,000 on a piece of art. You put down say $1,000 and you just pay it off in installments. There’s no interest. People don’t charge you interest to do that, so it’s a way to get art. The most recent piece was the Shinique Smith piece over there. The other two pieces are by Xaviera Simmons and Radcliffe Bailey and Titus Kaphar who all are very young, African-American artists.

How would you describe your aesthetic? What attracts you to a piece of work?

I think it’s important to decide why you’re buying art. If you’re just buying it for decoration and you just like it, you should buy whatever touches your fancy. But, I think if you’re spending a significant amount of money and that’s individualized (you can determine what’s significant to you), then you should be looking at art with a more serious eye and consider the long-term ramifications of your purchases. So for myself, I try to get artists who have a ‘pedigree’ at this point. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t buy a piece of art from an unknown artist, but I like artists that have studied their craft. More often than not, they probably have a degree in art and I think artists like that are more likely to have longevity in the field. They’re gonna stick to it meaning it’s not something that they are doing whimsically because they’ve invested their time into studying it. I don’t really have a style. I like to try to get a lot of abstract stuff now because I think it’s a little under-appreciated as opposed to figuratives. I think traditionally our community has always been drawn to figurative work and if you go to a lot of art fairs, you kind of see that, you know, I don’t want to call it stereotypical, but in a way it is. You see the man playing the jazz trumpet, or somebody walking, holding a basket on top of their head. There’s nothing wrong with those images, but you see them repeated over and over again. For me, I want someone thinking outside of that realm who is a little more creative.

Did you feel like a certain degree of pretension was necessary to be at the table with these other collectors?

When I was reading these [art] books, because African American artists still haven’t been documented as well, most of the books are still about masters. There’s not a lot of books about younger artists. So when you read about Tanner, Edmondson, Jacob Lawrence or Romare Bearden, and then you go to the Schomburg and you see it…it’s so overwhelming. These dudes were just giants. Or you see an Aaron Douglas piece, it’s ridiculous. So then when you see that and then you go see the image in the art fair with the dude holding up the baby, you just have to say, ‘That image is just nonsense.’ It almost happens automatically. You realize that there is a distinct difference between the level of craftsmanship and ability between those two persons. So it came from that notion. I was reading about the greatest artists in our history, so I guess that’s where those proverbial airs came from. And I fully admit it.

What brought you back out of your pretension?

I used to go to a lot of open mics. The same thing can be said about that; you hear a lot of bad poetry I think. But at one point I was like, even though it’s bad and kind of tilted, it’s still something they’re expressing. So it’s okay. You know, it really is. It’s a positive attempt to put something out there they want to share with people, and somehow it just clicked in my head that that’s okay.

OK. Three favorite pieces in your collection right now?

Elizabeth’s piece, “Nappy Roots,” the one with the woman with the afro. This whole issue with our relationships in our community and the perceptions of beauty, the issues with our hair, our skin color and all that stuff, it just bothers me so much. I don’t know how else to say it. That image of this person, this lady in this picture is so beautiful to me with the mask surrounding it. It really, really is one of my favorite pieces for sure. Then, if I had to choose another one, this piece by Glenn Ligon, it’s called “Invisible Man.” Glenn Ligon takes print words from either books or sayings and does these tremendously beautiful pieces with it. The one I have is a lithograph. The President added one of Glenn Ligon’s [pieces] when he was making his collection. He only actually has three African Americans in that collection, which I find interesting, and I’m sure someone suggested that Glenn Ligon to him ‘cause he’s kind of a controversial artist. Well, I don’t know. I don’t know the President that well. I really love that Ligon piece because of what the invisible man stands for. Third, these iron scorches by Willie Cole are very small representations of his work. But, they remind me of his larger pieces, which are just so spectacular that just knowing that I have those small ones makes them really significant. I really love his work that much. When we talk about being subjective, someone might say, ‘What’s so special about that? The dude just took an iron and burnt it on a piece of paper. Big deal’ But number one, did you think about doing that and how it could be artistic? And when you see the other images and how he makes them look like sunflowers or someone’s face, it’s just really amazing.

Your three favorite places to see art in DC?

I gotta plug International Visions Gallery, Tim Davis, because I think Tim is so open. His gallery is not a place you feel intimidated going into and he’ll talk to you very easily, very casually. I love the Portrait Gallery, specifically that space that connects the two buildings. It’s just so serene in there. I love the Portrait Gallery because they actually have a very large representation of artists of color on display all the time in their permanent collection. The third, I would have to say … [long pause] The Driskell Center [at the University of Maryland]. They don’t have a lot of exhibitions, but I do love their lecture series given by a professor, Jefferson Pinder. He’s an artist. I’ve been to several lectures there of like Sanford Biggers, Chakaia Booker, Kori Newkirk, it’s an excellent series to expose you to young artists.

Three artists to watch? In your collection or not…

Not in my collection: Theaster Gates I think is definitely an artist to watch. I’m really awe-struck by his work. He takes huge porcelain sinks that are relatively big, 30 by 40, and they just look phenomenal. He did a series of shoe shine stands that he built that are absolutely regal. Then he does abstract paintings with just board, pieces of wood, that are really, really beautiful. Who else? Rashid Johnson I like. I do have one small piece by him. He started off as a photographer and now he’s doing these black wax sculptures, which are phenomenal to me. Third artist? I’d say look out for [long pause again] I like Shinique Smith’s stuff. I have a piece of Shinique’s work. I actually have to of them.

I was just gonna give you a hard time for not shouting out the ladies.

Sorry. Definitely the ladies are tough. Xaviera Simmons is one that’s coming that I have in my collection. We even said Elizabeth Kat for the ladies. But, that’s a whole ‘nother topic. Irrespective of race, to the point that you have to have a National Women’s Museum here in DC because again, women, except when they’ve been exposed…Even in my collection, I have images of women with their clothes off…But, let it be known that there is gonna be a matching image of a man. There’s been a lot of controversy about women having to be exposed in their representation and how they’re displayed in art and I understand that. I don’t take that for granted or take it lightly.

Have you ever considered making collecting and consulting about art your career?

I have. My brother especially has been imploring me, ‘Dude, you need to do something with this! I’ll be your first client.’ Telling people how to buy art for decorating or collecting purposes. My job during the day affords me a certain lifestyle, which is good, I’ve never complained about it. But, on the other hand, I kind of got caught in the American trap. You buy this house, you gotta pay for it, so I have to balance my living style with doing something that would be less lucrative. I have thought about it on a professional level. If I could own an art gallery, ultimately that’s what I would like to do. But, it’s extremely difficult, especially in DC. You go to a show in New York, the show’s sold out before it opens. That’s the kind of excitement and dedication we need amongst collectors here in DC for art spaces to really work, particularly to have a fledgling art space. Someone like me who’s not really well known, you’d have to have that kind of excitement.

frank talk and I have been having the conversation about when you used to wait for an album, cassette or record to come out. Now, there is no excitement.

Oh yea! I remember waitin’ for that Mobb Deep to come out. I remember what that was like. Oh, it’s comin’ out on Monday or Tuesday. We’d go down to the CD store and buy it and there was excitement.

I just read an article on Philippa Hughes’ blog and she said one of the things that keeps her doing what she does is that she’s still excited about life. I love that you use the word ‘excitement’ because that’s it! That is what’s missing from DC, there’s not that same excitement here that there is in other cities.

Part of what I want to create with my group is to be as creative as possible when we have these events. That’s why I give Philippa a lot of credit that she has brought a new dialogue to the arts scene. She thinks about her events and brings an element that wouldn’t normally be added, so I really think that’s a good thing. To really get people out the house, it’s really gotta be unique instead of the same ole sippin’ on some wine or whatever the case may be.

[FRANK TALK] What effect, if any, do you feel like someone like–I don’t know if you frequent his blog or not–Kanye West can or does or will have on serious art collecting?

I don’t know about his collection. I don’t know how serious of a collector he is. I do think that–I haven’t read his blog, so I don’t know–but I do think that stars can have an effect, but they have to be serious about it. You can’t just say I got my wall painted by Murakami. Unlike Elliot Perry, who’s on the prowl, who’s pumpin’ these artists, who’s goin’ to visit their studios, who knows their work, what they’ve put out over the years. That’s what you need. To just have a star buy a few pieces here and there and call themselves a collector, I don’t know much that is really gonna influence people. I kind of feel funny about that, actually, because I look at a cat like Elliot and I know, you talk to any of these young artists and all of them know him. Why? Because he’s been to their studios. So, if Kanye’s doin’ that, if he’s goin’ to Theaster Gates’ studio, or he’s going to Wardell Milan’s studio and lookin’ at his work, then I’m givin’ him props. If he’s just buyin’ stuff because it’s hot, like he wants to get Murakami to make the next LV purse for him or somethin’, I gotta give him a whatever with that. But, I hope! It’d be nice if cats like that collect. That’s what I like about Elliot. He’s turned on a lot of the other NBA cats like Rashid Wallace. Darryl Walker actually turned Elliot on [to art collecting]. So you know, these cats who do have a huge disposable income to spend, they might get one less of something else… and buy a piece of art.

2011, this time. I’m gonna come and sit with you. Where’s CAS51 in your dream space?

In my dream space, number one what I would really hope is that we’ve established a series of events that people are aware of and know what CAS51 stands for in terms of promoting art collection and the appreciation of art. I would like us to have a say in the arts scene in the District. You know, people would look to our group as kind of a leader in knowing about what’s going on in the arts scene, who’s out there, where to go for art. I think that’s not too unreasonable, but maybe in a year to be a leader might be a little unreasonable? But, it’s my dream space! Again, I’d just like to say that for me, I never need to be out front. If no one ever knew who I was and it was just CAS51 out there doin’ stuff, I’d be completely fine. I really would just like to see artists and the whole art community just get bigged up. That’s what I wanna see. So like when Ellington calls and says, ‘Some cats came to your house and saw my work and they wanna come to the show tomorrow’–he’s in the Inter-Visions show–that’s really what I want. I want him to get his due. And if I can be part of that, then that’s what I’d like to do.

*  *  *

Want to know more about Black art and artists? The David C. Driskell 2010 Symposium takes place in DC this September 15-16. The topic is “Performing Race in African American Visual Culture.” All symposium information can be found here.

Paige in Full: She Ain’t No Joke (Joke Joke Joke)
by sim1ontharun

Real talk: when I read the tagline for Paige in Full,–”a b-girl’s visual mixtape”–I rolled my eyes and thought, “A visual mixtape?! What the eff is that? Mixtape my bleep!” Since I was a child, my parents have dragged me to the theatre, and although there are a few classic films I’ve peeped more than once, I don’t remember a time in the last ten years when I attended a performance two nights in a row, unless I was in the show myself. So, when I tell ya’ll that I went to see the infinitely charming and talented brother-sister duo, Paige Hernandez and Nick tha 1da, in Paige in Full two consecutive nights, I hope you’ll understand that in the words of Rakim, “[This play] ain’t no joke…joke joke joke.”

As an emerging arts administrator, I was amazed to see an audience diverse in age, ethnicity, and background that multicultural marketing professionals like Donna Walker-Kuhne dream of. The Mead Theatre Lab, located in the creative incubator space, Flashpoint, was tiny. No, like, for real ya’ll, the jawn was like the size of a 45”. But with the Afro-futuristic projections to the side of the stage by Tewodross Melchishua, or what the hip-hop professor refers to as “visual jazz media,” the space felt a lot larger than its actual size. There was a karaoke feel up in there; throughout the show, folks were singin’ along to familiar hip-hop tracks. The audience was immediately at home in the space, connected by this culture that has imbued our lives with “joo-oooy. pain. sun-shii-iine. and rain” since we fell in love with it as kids. Within the first 30 seconds, Paige’s story became our story. And it felt good to be home.

Highlights included “Baltimore: the haiku series,” during which Paige launched into 5-7-5 character acts about crackheads, clubbers and her time at the Baltimore School for the Arts. The dancer in me was also in love with a sequence of swimming/drowning underwater movements and a crucial bass hum in a brief simulated bar encounter on DC’s U Street Corridor. But, the climax came when Paige mourned the death of fallen icons like ‘Pac, Big, and DJ K-Swift, going into a hip-hop conniption. The choreography began to disintegrate, her limbs flailing in fragmented bits of movement, until she lay lifeless on the floor. After a few moments of silence, the audience was audibly holding its breath. The discreet brother behind the turntables, Nick tha 1da, casually spun around to the front of the cassette player, ejected the mixtape and flipped it over to Side B, injecting new life into his torn down sister. She doubled back, ‘rewound,’ and it was all good. Brilliant!

The verdict: Paige Hernandez represents the truest voice of what hip-hop theatre can be for our generation: non-linear, dynamic, personal, intense, community-oriented in content and tone, and fondly nostalgic. The distinct moments of Paige’s life in this 60-minute act allowed us a window into all of our own lives, love, loss, triumphs and missteps, all with a hip-hop lens through which to examine them. There is no doubt in my mind now that #hiphoptheatreisreal and that #visualmixtapesdoexist.

Luckily, the 18 months-in-the-making Paige in Full will appear two more times this summer. For all of those who missed the first run, get Paige in Full and cop an autograph before this sister hits Broadway – or better yet, resurrects the Fly Girls for an Award Tour (with Mohammed my man). Catch Paige in Full at Sulu DC June 19th and at the DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival July 7th and 8th. The 2010 DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival takes place July 6-10.

Special thanks to Nick tha 1da for blessin’ us with an ill exclusive Couch Sessions Paige in Full mini-mix to rep the show. Listen below and enjoy!

Nick tha 1da PAIGE IN FULL mini-mixtape

This song can only be only be found on iTunes if you purchase Wale’s entire album. It is one of two bonus tracks.

Wale – My Sweetie (directed by tabi Bonney) from tabi Bonney on Vimeo.

Watch and learn.

After the jump, check out some photos from the show….

If you haven’t heard about or watched any of the shorts from the Creative Control camp you are losing. DC artist Tabi Bonney GOT IT IN w/Ski, Mos, Dame Dash & co. and heres a short visual showing the energy and rawness of the space.

Tabi Bonney – Nothing But A Hero from Reynard Alli on Vimeo.

BUY TICKETS

On December 12th, National Geographic Live will present a panel discussion titled “Distrant Relatives” which will focus on the extensive ties between Hip-Hop and Reggae. Moderated by MTV VJ Sway, the panel will be led by Nas and Grammy-winning artist Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley. In addition to these two powerful names, the dicussion will also include Kool Herc, Rakim, Daddy U-Roy, King Jammy, Jeff Chang, Moussa Lo and DJ Red Alert.

Following the discussion, there will be an afterparty and performance at Zanzibar nightclub.

This is an AMAZING opportunity for the DC and it’s one of the few times that you will get to see such hip-hop talent on the same stage. LIMITED tickets are available for $25 and will cover the discussion AS WELL as entrance to the afterparty. Don’t SLEEP!