Black Cultural Arts Center sets spring Cultural Arts Series
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Talks by a noted Civil Rights movement participant and a noted African-American historian, along with an exhibition of exchanged collections of African and African-American art, are among the highlights of the Purdue University Black Cultural Center's spring 2012 Cultural Arts Series.
The lineup also includes several artistic performances, a genealogy tour to Fort Wayne and community dialogues and discussions.
The series is designed to increase awareness, understanding and appreciation of African-Americans and their culture.
"We are excited about the extraordinary array of events profiling the rich history, culture and contributions of African-Americans," said BCC director Renee Thomas. "BCC programs engage and enrich our community. Our programs are intended for a broad-based, diverse audience. We hope the community participates and finds the series enlightening."
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Upcoming events include:
Bernice Johnson Reagon
* Jan. 18. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Address. Bernice Johnson Reagon, a member of The Freedom Singers during the Civil Rights movement, will give the keynote lecture, titled "The Fierce Urgency of Now," for Purdue's celebration of the life and legacy of King. The lecture title also is the theme for the celebration. Reagon is professor emerita of history at American University and curator emerita at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. She was featured in the 1992 Emmy-nominated PBS documentary "The Songs Are Free: Bernice Johnson Reagon with Bill Moyers." For more information on Purdue activities for the King celebration, visit https://www.diversity.purdue.edu/mlk/
* Jan. 20 through March 18. Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, 102 S. 10th St., Lafayette. "Trading Spaces: Exchanging Collections of African and African-American Art." In a collection exchange program, African-American works from the Art Museum's permanent collection will be on exhibit at the BCC, and works from the BCC and six private collections, including a collection from President France A. Córdova and Christian Foster, will be on exhibit at the museum. An opening reception will be from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 20 at the museum.
* Feb. 9. 2 p.m. BCC, 1100 Third St., West Lafayette. The BCC, in collaboration with the American Studies Department, continues its Difficult Dialogues on Race program. The session will feature students from the American Studies/English departments' fall semester class Post Modern Blackness: Black Literature & Cultural Studies in the Obama Years. They will participate in a panel discussion on the function and meaning of blackness.
Bettye Collier-Thomas
* Feb. 15. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall in Stewart Center. Black History Month keynote by Bettye Collier-Thomas, "Black Women in American Culture and History." Collier-Thomas, a professor of American history at Temple University and the former director of Temple's Center for African American Life and Culture, is a nationally known expert on African-American history. She is the author of "Jesus, Jobs and Justice: African American Women in Religion" and "Daughters of Thunder: Black Women Preachers and Their Struggles." She has established the only repository in the nation devoted solely to the collection and preservation of materials on African-American women in America.
* Feb. 29. 7 p.m. Fowler Hall in Stewart Center. The Langston Hughes Project. The project is a multimedia concert performance of Hughes' kaleidoscopic jazz poem suite, "Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods of Jazz." The concert is Hughes' homage in verse and music to the struggle for artistic and social freedom at the beginning of the 1960s.
* March 2-3. Discovering Your Family History Genealogy and Historical Tour. Participants will travel to Fort Wayne to visit one of the largest genealogical libraries in the United States. They will research their family histories, utilizing ancestry databases and government records. There also will be a tour of the African American Historical Museum, a soul food lunch and a storytelling performance. Registration includes transportation, admission fees, lunch and hotel accommodations. Cost is $40 for Purdue students and $115 for the public. Call 765-494-3091 for more information.
* March 6. BCC Library. Book discussion: "The Souls of Black Folk." The BCC Library, in conjunction with the Purdue Black Graduate Association, will host a group conversation on W.E.B. DuBois' book "The Souls of Black Folk." The discussion will center on the author's socio-economic views for African-Americans at the turn of the century (early 1900s). Contemporary issues also will be explored.
Clifford Boxley
* March 21. 2 and 6:30 p.m. BCC Diaspora Discussion with Clifford Boxley. Boxley will discuss the Civil War sesquicentennial, including 150 years of untold stories of black soldiers and how they proclaimed their own emancipation from slavery before, during and after the Civil War. The "Forks of the Roads Enslavement Market" exhibition will be on display as part of his presentation and continue until June 1.
* March 28. 2 p.m. BCC. Black Thought Collective Spring Symposium. Casarae Gibson, scholar in residence at the BCC, will lead the symposium.
* April 1. 3 p.m. Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center. The Black Voices of Inspiration will perform their spring concert. The director is Twana Harris. The ensemble's repertoire includes traditional spirituals, and gospel and jazz music by African-American composers. Admission is $5 for students and $7 for the general public.
* April 6-7. 7 p.m. BCC. The Haraka Writers will present the annual Haraka Fest, directed by Khari Bowden. The group is a collective of student and community writers committed to literary expression of the black experience.
* April 13-14. 7 p.m. BCC. The New Directional Players will present their spring production. The director is Kecha Nickson Kambe.
* April 21. 7 p.m. Loeb Playhouse in Stewart Center. Jahari Dance Troupe' Spring Revue. The troupe performs a repertoire choreographed by Kevin Iega Jeff and Joshua Ishmon that includes African, ballet, folk, jazz, tap and modern dance. Admission is $5 for students and $7 for the public.
Writer: Greg McClure, 765-491-9751, gmcclure@purdue.edu
Source: Renee Thomas, 765-494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu