Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 479

"Glowing Lines: Odili Donald Odita in Durham"

'"Glowing Lines: Odili Donald Odita in Durham" follows abstract painter Odili Donald Odita and his technical team as they conceive, develop and complete two monumental murals commissioned by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. In addition to creating a poetic portrait of the artist and his process, "Glowing Lines" also features some of Odita’s most exceptional murals, including "Rise" at Yale University, "Forever" at the New Orleans Museum of Art and "Light and Vision" at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York City. "Glowing Lines: Odili Donald Odita in Durham" offers a glimpse into the kaleidoscopic world that is Odita’s and reveals his conceptual practice and concern for the social issues of our day. "Glowing Lines: Odili Donald Odita" in Durham was produced by On Look Films.' 

Black America: Family Pictures with Thomas Allen Harris

'On this episode of Black America , host  Carol Jenkins sits down with the award and fellowship winning director and producer Thomas Allen Harris. He discusses his work behind such projects as the film Through A Lens Darkly and the forthcoming television series Family Pictures.'

"Bits of Borno": A Conversation with Photographer Fati Abubakar

'Photographer Fati Abubakar has embarked on a personal project to showcase her hometown in Borno State, Nigeria, in the time of Boko Haram. "Bits of Borno" on social media has gained critical acclaim and has been covered in media outlets including the New York Times, the BBC, Reuters, CNN, Voice of America, Newsweek Europe, Africa is a Country, and Nigerian newspapers such as ThisDay and The Blueprint. On October 25, 2017, Abubakar spoke with Duke Professor Samuel Fury Childs Daly at the Forum for Scholars and Publics about documenting everyday life in Borno and shared some of the photographs from this series."

"What We Need More of is Rebellious Behavior": Rosa Clemente on Resistance and Puerto Rican Independence

' BRIC TV Senior Correspondent Brian Vines and activist Rosa Clemente discuss how her home island of Puerto Rico is dealing with the impact of Hurricane Maria -- and the ongoing struggle to achieve Puerto Rican independence.'

Tate Talks -- Kahlil Joseph & Arthur Jafa: In Conversation

'To celebrate Tate Modern's Soul of a Nation exhibition Tate invited Kahlil Joseph and Arthur Jafa to discuss their careers and influences with curator Zoe Whitley, alongside a special presentation and discussion of the photography of Roy DeCarava by curator Mark Godfrey.' -- Tate Talks

Wayne Shorter: Artist In Residence At The Detroit Jazz Festival

' Wayne Shorter didn't release any new music in 2017. But that's not to say the eminent saxophonist, composer and NEA Jazz Master had anything less than a banner year. In the spring he returned to Newark, for the first time in ages, as the honored guest of a festival at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. He turned up as a sage witness in two notable documentary films, I Called Him Morgan and Chasing Trane. And over Labor Day weekend he was artist in residence at the Detroit Jazz Festival, the largest free outdoor event of its kind in the country.' -- NPR Music

MacArthur 'Genius' Njideka Akunyili Crosby Paints Nigerian Childhood Alongside Her American Present

'Visual artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby , 34, is having a moment. In 2017, she won a MacArthur "genius" grant, and over the past few months her work has been shown in Baltimore, New Orleans and upstate New York. Akunyili Crosby was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States when she was 16. Many of her works contain a sort of portal between figures, like an open space in a wall, and she often paints members of her family.' -- NPR

Alice Smith: Black Mary – A Film by Kahlil Joseph

Kahlil Joseph: "I have a pure obsession with Alice Smith. A lot of people do. When she sings, especially live, she goes places very few people I've ever seen live can create . . . there's a lot of pain and soul in her songs . . . it's formed by everything (that's happened in the last 400 hundred years or so*) . . . a kind of a cry, it feels like a cry . . ." 

"Who's Afraid of the New Now?": Faith Ringgold and Sharon Hayes in Conversation

In celebration of the New Museum's 40th anniversary, the institution hosted "Who's Afraid of the New Now?" featuring 40 artists.  In this segment artist Faith Ringgold and Sharon Hayes are in conversation.

Refined Players: Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah + Vic Mensa Perform "Freedom is a Word"

'In this final episode of the Refined Players Series the band, with leader  Christian Scott aTunde Adjua and Vic Mensa,  heads to the historic Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana to debut their new song "Freedom is a Word."