Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 18

A Visual Tribute to Black Resistance with Devin Allen | Chicago Humanities Festival

'You’ve probably seen Devin Allen’s photography on the cover of TIME magazine, featuring images of protests in response to the police murders of Freddie Gray (2015) and George Floyd (2020). At CHF, join Allen—who has spent nearly a decade documenting the Black Lives Matter movement—for a conversation with Michal Raz-Russo, Programs Director at the Gordon Parks Foundation, about No Justice, No Peace, Allen’s latest book honoring the connection between past and present racial justice activism.'

Charles Gaines: Systems & Structures | Art21 "Extended Play”

'Investigating the production of knowledge and culture, artist Charles Gaines uses rule-based systems to create paintings, drawings, musical compositions, and sculptures. Culminating in the completion of Moving Chains (2022), a 100-foot-long public sculpture on Governors Island in New York City, this film traces the connections Gaines makes between our lived experiences and the systems that shape them.'

How Roberta Flack Created Soul Music | American Masters | PBS

'Roberta Flack created soul music when she sang, which was seen as a way to recreate the Black experience in America. "Music was a space to feel solidarity," said Angela Davis.'

Elite Capture: Philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics | Democracy Now!

'Democracy Now! speaks with philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, who has recently written two widely acclaimed books: "Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else)" and "Reconsidering Reparations," which focuses in part on the climate crisis. He says identity politics is a concept that was stripped of its radical power to build solidarity and is now weaponized to split people into ever narrower categories that hamper movements for racial and social justice. "Elite capture is what happens when the advantaged few in a group steer the resources and political direction of organizations or movements or parts of our social structure like the justice system toward their narrower interests and aims," Táíwò says.'  

Stephen Hayes: Art is a Language

'At an early age, Stephen Hayes discovered that art was his preferred method of communication. Today, Stephen encourages Duke University students to move past their fears and speak through their art. Stephen has recently been appointed the Esbenshade Assistant Professor of the Practice of Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University.'

The Films of Zora Neale Hurston | ZORA NEALE HURSTON: CLAIMING A SPACE | American Experience | PBS

'American Experience | PBS spoke to Tracy Heather Strain, the writer, producer and director of ZORA NEALE HURSTON: CLAIMING A SPACE about how Hurston used film as an ethnographic tool to document Black lives and show the importance and beauty of Black culture.'

Popcast: Jazz’s Year of Reckoning With Tradition

'As the genre experiences a creative renaissance, has it become quietly radical to re-embrace the past?  Harmony Holiday and Giovanni Russonello join host Jon Caramanica.'

'The Embrace' Lets Viewers Viscerally Experience the Love and Legacy of MLK and Coretta Scott King

'A new monument was unveiled on Boston Common. It depicts the arms of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King wrapped around each other, based on a photograph taken after the 1964 announcement that MLK had won the Nobel Peace Prize. Here & Now's Robin Young takes a walk around and within "The Embrace" with the designer, artist Hank Willis Thomas.'

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn: Blues legend Buddy Guy on The Song That Changed His Life

'The Song That Changed My Life is a segment that gives us the chance to talk with some of our favorite artists about the music that made them who they are. On this episode, we're joined by guitarist Buddy Guy. We got in touch with Buddy at his home studio in Chicago. When we asked him about the song that changed his life, Guy took us back to his childhood in Louisiana, to the first time he heard John Lee Hooker's "Boogie Chillen'." He explains how the song encouraged him to learn the guitar in his early teens. Plus, he shares a story about getting to meet his hero and becoming friends with him.'

Jason Moran's Album Pays Tribute to Black Jazz Pioneer James Reese Europe

'Jazz artist Jason Moran revisits the deep influence of Black composer and bandleader James Reese Europe, best known for serving with the Harlem Hellfighters in World War I.'