By SHANNON O. WELLS
While not always prioritized in the learning-experience hierarchy, engaging with arts and music plays a crucial role in creating an enriched, soul-nurturing life. The visual arts enhance and stimulate the senses on multiple levels, while music moves the heart, soul and body.
Ron Idoko, director of social innovation in the David C. Frederick Honors College, says that art also serves as a powerful medium for sharing important information and ideas with a wide audience.
Idoko and several of his colleagues shared their thoughts in anticipation of Changemakers in Art, a program of February activities lined up to celebrate Black History Month at Pitt. Changemakers reflects the “African Americans and the Arts” theme of this year’s national Black History Month. It is designed to showcase the rich influence Black Americans have had on visual arts, literary arts and cultural movements.
“In terms of my own perspective and experience, the arts have been a sort of powerful tool to bring light to issues around social injustice,” he says. “When I think about particularly how hip hop has always been a sort of space where people speak to their experiences, whether it’s with the policing system or aspects of the justice system, or society in general, whether experiencing harm or challenges, the arts, music have been a way to get that message out broadly.
“We also know in other forms of the creative arts are opportunities for people to learn what it means to engage in deep self-expression,” he adds, “to carry on the narratives of stories that aren’t always fully expressed or broadly shared.”
Sponsored by the Frederick Honors College, the celebration features the following events. Visit the event’s calendar listing for more information and to register.
-
Visual Arts Panel — 7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 15, C4C: The Understory (B–50, Cathedral of Learning): Morgan Overton, the Frederick Honors College’s artist-in-residence; Diplomat-in-Residence Sherry Zalika Sykes and special guest Emmai Alaquiva will discuss the impact of African-American arts on the global stage, how to use art as a form of activism, and using media to tell African-American stories.
-
Literary Arts Panel — 3-4 p.m. Feb. 16, Hillman Library Archives & Special Collections Room 340: Damon Young, Frederick Honors College writer-in-residence, and Michael Sawyer, Frederick Honors College electus faculty fellow, take part in an interactive discussion moderated by the Center for African American Poetry and Poetic’s Joy Priest on the topic: “What Black Art Means in the 21st Century.”
- Finding Your Rhythm — 6-8 p.m. Feb. 16, William Pitt Union Assembly Room (new location): Emmai Alaquiva accompanied by DJ Selective, will share pieces from his exhibit “OPTICVOICES: Mama’s Boys,” and discuss his life story in an interactive audience forum.
Alaquiva, a four-time Emmy Award-winning film director, photographer and August Wilson African American Center B.U.I.L.D artist-in-residence for his national exhibit of mixed media and augmented reality, describes his mission as “manufacturing the future of digital art across the multiverse of mindful media. The sky is not the limit,” he says.
Jason Russell, Frederick Honors College director of student services, says the college is “very excited” to feature Alaquiva. “He has it all, and he’s been doing this a long time,” he says, adding Alaquiva will focus on the background of hip hop and rap music alongside DJ Selective. “So, a lot of music, a lot of artwork. I think this is gonna be a great turnout.”
Russell said this year’s Black History Month events are structured a bit differently than before.
“Instead of having one big event, we wanted to include additional events that will lead up to our big finale, signature event,” he said of “Finding Your Rhythm” the evening of Feb. 16. He also acknowledged the Center for Creativity for being an “amazing partner with their friends in Honors College. … It’s an amazing space, and they’re always willing to work with us.”
Nicola Foote, dean of the Honors College, said the college is “really privileged” to have such “incredible field leaders” to partner with to enhance students’ learning experience, including Sherry Zalika Sykes, a former U.S. ambassador “who has led our country in various locations.”
Mary Angbanzan, the Honors College’s outreach and engagement coordinator for social innovation, says Sykes has experienced firsthand how African-American arts have had an impact on the global stage.
The Feb. 16 Literary Arts Panel event will be an interactive discussion on the meaning of Black-created artwork in the 21st century. “We’re actually really excited about this, because it will be moderated by Joy Priest from the Center for African American Poetry and Poetics,” Russell says. “Both focus panels will be interactive, but I think this one will have a strong focus on participation.”
Angbanzan says the panel event will feature pieces from Pitt’s Archives & Special Collection in an exhibit highlighting Pittsburgh artists including artist/musician Erroll Garner and August Wilson. Damon Young and Michael Sawyer “are also going to talk about how they kind of emulate August Wilson,” she adds.
Young authored the best-selling “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays,” and “Your Degrees Won’t Keep You Warm at Night: The Very Smart Brothas Guide to Dating, Mating, and Fighting Crime.”
Angbanzan emphasized that the participants “were all born and bred here in Pittsburgh,” adding that Morgan Overton went to Pitt and Alaquiva is an artist-in-residence at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center. “They’re well known,” she says.
“These conversations and art pieces wouldn’t be possible without living in community,” she adds. “When you live in community, this informs your experience, and I think this is an opportunity for the community to see how they’ve been formed — the experience of local Pittsburgh artists, writers and media producers.”
Foote praised the homegrown nature of the event’s featured artists and speakers. “I love that we are using our experts and residents so immersively in this,” she says. “This really highlights the type of work that they’re doing in the Honors College, using that expertise and training to help our students learn and engage outside of the classroom.”
The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion website has information about other Black History Month events at Pitt, including the K. Leroy Irvis Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 26 at Alumni Hall.
Shannon O. Wells is a writer for the University Times. Reach him at shannonw@pitt.edu.
Have a story idea or news to share? Share it with the University Times.