Krannert Art Museum will launch its second Global Africa Community Forum on Thurs., October 9th at 5:30 p.m. by asking “What Does Black Masculinity Look Like?”
The event, that investigates Blackness, Gender & Contemporary African Dance, will be a dynamic and participatory public forum on the arts, cultures and communities of Africa and the African diaspora. This year’s forum explores experiences of blackness, gender and coming of age through dance, music and personal testimonials.
Directed by C. Kemal Nance, lecturer in Dance at Illinois, the evening will include performances by Nance; Stafford Berry, Jr., assistant professor of Dance and Black Studies at Denison University; Nyama McCarthy-Brown, assistant professor of Contemporary Dance in the Department of Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance at Indiana University; and Djibril Camara, master Guinean dancer, choreographer and instructor.
KAM curator Allyson Purpura describes the project as “truly collaborative.” The planning team includes Nance; Purpura; Rory James at the BNAAC; Anne Lutomia, PhD candidate in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership; Erik McDuffie, associate professor of African American Studies at the U of I; Anne Sautman, director of Education at KAM; Sam Smith of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and Mabinty Tarawallie, MSW.
The event is free and open to the public, and visitors are invited to come, listen and share experiences. After the forum, all are welcome to stay for SPEAK cafe, KAM’s monthly open mic event starting at 7 p.m.
For more information, including a full list of sponsors for the Global Africa Community Forum, visit the KAM blog.
(Image: Stafford Berry, Jr. and C. Kemal Nance, 2011. Photo by Sarah Davis.)