September 17, 2019

Black Cultural Center sets fall Cultural Arts Series

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The fall Cultural Arts Series at Purdue University’s Black Cultural Center will include lectures, art exhibitions, immersion tours and artistic performances.

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Upcoming events include:

Sept. 3-27 — Haitian Art Exhibition. The exhibition features artists from Jacmel, Haiti, showcasing their rich heritage and contemporary experiences of life. The colorful Haitian Art Exhibition is curated by Lee Rainboth, Jacmel Arts Center director, and will be on display at the Black Cultural Center during building hours.

Sept. 20-Dec. 1 — Exhibitions: “Black American Voices: Featuring the Zamora Collection” and “My View from Seven Feet: Paintings by Joe Barry Carroll.” The Antonio and Betty Zamora Collection features African art in juxtaposition with photographs of black America. Carroll is a former Purdue men’s basketball player. His paintings explore his experiences, including those who influenced him, the places he has been, and his professional basketball career in the NBA. The exhibition is organized by the Black Cultural Center with the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. The art museum, 102 S. 10th St., Lafayette, is the location of the exhibition. The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. except on major holidays.

Sept. 22-30 — Paris, France — The African American Experience. Spend seven nights in Paris learning about the African American experience. Walk in the footsteps of African American luminaries, from jazz musicians and club owners, to writers and scholars who spent time in Paris following World War I. The Purdue Alumni Association and the Black Cultural Center have organized the trip. For more information, visit the webpage or call 800-414-1541 or 765-494-8056.

Sept. 26 — “Queeribbean — featuring Robert Wesley Anthony Taylor Jr.” Taylor, of New York University, will speak on the emerging area of study on the lives of the LGBTQIA and Caribbean people. The audience will be introduced to the islands, religions and social construction of the Caribbean. The event is a part of the Thriving Thursday showcase, a partnership event between the Black Cultural Center and the Purdue Student Union Board, and will be co-hosted by the Purdue LGBTQ Center and the Purdue Caribbean Student Association. “Queeribbean” will take place from 4-6 p.m. in Purdue Memorial Union. Specific location TBA.

Oct. 4-8 — Fall Break Cultural Immersion Tour in Memphis, Tennessee. The trip will feature contemporary perspectives on the Civil Rights Movement from local experts, visits cultural and historical sites and building community through facilitated discussions.

Oct. 9 — Condoleezza Rice to speak at Purdue. This event for Purdue’s Giant Leaps Series features a former U.S. secretary of state. Rice was the 66th U.S. secretary of state, serving under President George W. Bush. She was the second woman and first African American woman to hold the position. The event is sold out. Related news release.

Oct. 11-13 — Homecoming Weekend. There will be a welcome back reception from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 11 (Friday) in the Black Cultural Center.

Oct. 15 — Panel discussion on Model Minority. The panel will feature Lugao Kasberg, Mangyan American and documentary artist; Ivan Anthony Santos Henares, Purdue graduate administrative professional for Purdue’s teaching success area and a Fulbright Scholar; and Dada Docot, assistant professor of anthropology at Purdue. They will discuss the Model Minority Myth from the lens of the Asian heritage. The panel will take place at 6 p.m. in the Black Cultural Center, Multipurpose Room 3.

Oct. 18 and 19 — BCC Coffee House. The event is a celebration of life, love and black contributions to American life, featuring performances by BCC performing arts ensembles. The event will take place at 7 p.m. each night at the Black Cultural Center.

Oct. 26 — BCC Friends and Family Day. This event is a part of the campuswide Family Weekend. The event will take place at the Black Cultural Center immediately following the Purdue vs. Illinois football game. The BCC open house will feature interactive activities for the entire family.

Oct. 31 — “Arts as Activism, Part II.” The event will feature Adrian Matejka, Indiana’s poet laureate. “Arts as Activism” is a part of the Thriving Thursday Showcase, a partnership event between the Black Cultural Center and the Purdue Student Union Board. The event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Black Cultural Center.

Nov. 1 — "Harlem 100.” A Purdue Convocations show paying homage to the Harlem Renaissance, including sounds and ideas from Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes and Billie Holiday. This show was created in collaboration with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. The show will take place at 8 p.m. in Stewart Center’s Loeb Playhouse. For more information and to purchase tickets to the show, visit the Convos website.

Nov. 3 — “The Color Purple.” A Purdue Convocations show bringing Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning story to life. The show features a soul-raising, Grammy-winning score of jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues. In 2016, the show won a Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. “The Color Purple” will be at 7:30 p.m. in Purdue’s Elliott Hall of Music. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Convos website.

Nov. 4-29 — “Digitalia” exhibition. This exhibition features animator, musician and film director Jeron Braxton. His work has been hailed the “future of anime” by Fader magazine. The exhibition will be on display at the Black Cultural Center during building hours.

In conjunction with the “Digitalia” exhibition, there will be an animation master’s class, panels and interactive installations Nov. 18-21. The events will feature the topics of computer gaming technology, design and the future of the multimedia industry. The week will highlight Braxton and Purdue alumnus Tion Thomas. Thomas received his master’s degree in computer science from Purdue in 2009 and has worked in the industry for 15 years. More details will be made available online.

Nov. 10 — “Spirituality at the Intersection: A Conversation featuring Dr. Maria Abegunder, Richard Rohr and Dr. Barbara Holmes.” The speakers discuss the bridge between spirituality, faith, justice and wellness. The discussion will be hosted in partnership with the Black Cultural Center, Indianapolis Public Library Center for Black Literature and Culture, Peace Learning Center, Center for Faith and Action, and Spirit and Place Festival. The event is free and open to the public at Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis’ Campus Center Theater, 420 University Blvd., Indianapolis.

Nov. 16 — Peace and Love Classical Lafayette Symphony Orchestra and Black Voices of Inspiration. This concert will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock and feature iconic songs performed by Woodstock festival artists. The Black Voices of Inspiration is an ensemble of the Black Cultural Center. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. Tickets are available for purchase at the Long Performing Arts Center box office. More information can be found online.

Dec. 6 — BCC Cultural Arts Festival. The festival will feature the Black Cultural Center performing arts ensembles. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse. Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for students and are available for purchase at the campus box office at Loeb Playhouse. 

Ongoing events:

BCC Book Club: Selected books will be discussed weekly through a Facebook discussion board and an end-of-the-month meeting at the Black Cultural Center to discuss the book in person. For more information, visit the BCC Book Club Facebook page.

Turbo Tuesday/Thriving Thursday: The BCC Turbo Tuesday/Thriving Thursday series are biweekly events put on by the Black Cultural Center and the Purdue Student Union Board. The goal of the series is to uplift student success, campus enrichment and civic engagement. Find a list of dates, times and locations online.

Writer: Madison Sanneman, msannema@purdue.edu 

Source: Renee Thomas, rathomas@purdue.edu

Purdue University, 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, IN 47907, (765) 494-4600

© 2015-22 Purdue University | An equal access/equal opportunity university | Copyright Complaints | Maintained by Office of Strategic Communications

Trouble with this page? Disability-related accessibility issue? Please contact News Service at purduenews@purdue.edu.