This April, Lincoln Center's Meet the Artist joins New York University's Institute of African American Affairs to present Resonate! African America in Sound and Story, four, FREE, Wednesday after-school programs that will explore the cultural connections of the African Diaspora today. Each hour-long (4-5 p.m.) program features a performance by a noted African or African-American artist, followed by discussion and questions and answers moderated by Meklit Hadero, Artist-in-Residence of New York University's Institute of African American Affairs. Tom Dunn, Director of the David Rubenstein Atrium said, "Lincoln Center is delighted to be partnering with NYU to present this series which is geared towards teens and college-aged students. ‘Resonate' is an outgrowth of Lincoln Center's long-running Meet the Artist School Series' and the newest addition to on-going initiatives at the Atrium to bring free arts and events to the community.
"On April 6 African-American vocalist Chanda Rule and African vocalist Somi perform Listening to Roots & Voicing Branches, a multi-media work combining video, story and song that attempts to redress intra-racial tensions in the African Diaspora by exploring the cultural memory of various strands of the Black Atlantic experience.
April 13 features acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist Toshi Reagon, whose unique sound reflects a distinctive approach to rock, blues, R&B, country, folk, spirituals and funk, with a message that reaches deep into the heart and soul.
The April 20th program offers a solo dance performance by visionary dancer/choreographer, Zimbabwe-born Nora Chipaumire, (pictured) in work that breaks down all sorts of boundaries as it explores the meanings of identity in a complex world. The award-winning artist has performed and collaborated with Urban Bush Women, Anna Deveare Smith, and Thomas Mapfumo and his band.
The concluding program on April 27, And Lay Duo, is a special collaborative project by two members of the internationally-renowned Ethiopian funk and groove collective, Debo Band-Ethiopian-born saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and Boston percussionist Adam Clark. The two will premiere traditional Ethiopian folk songs and original compositions.
Now in its 31st season, Lincoln Center's Meet the Artist School Series gives New York area students in grades Kindergarten through 12 the opportunity to learn about the performing arts and experience the arts first-hand from professional artists in diverse artistic disciplines. The series serves more than 20,000 school children annually with programs at Lincoln Center that combine a performance, participation, and carefully-prepared curriculum materials for teachers, as well as an optional tour of Lincoln Center.
In addition to the Meet the Artist School Series, Lincoln Center has introduced a number of Free community programs as offshoots of the series. Meet the Artist Saturdays, a family program, takes place on the first Saturday of each month in the David Rubenstein Atrium; the Meet the Artist Library Series, a program geared for audiences of all ages, takes artists into public libraries in the outer boroughs in the spring and summer; and this spring, Lincoln Center brings specially-designed Meet the Artist programs for seniors, children and teens to the Lincoln Square Community Center. All of the MTA programs are designed to introduce audiences to the arts through intimate, live performance, paired with the opportunity to engage with artists. Performers hail from diverse artistic disciplines, including music, dance, theater, and spoken word. For more information about Meet the Artist programs call Lincoln Center Visitor Services, 212-875-5370, 212.875.5289 or e-mail: hmcandrew@lincolncenter.org.
Ethiopian-American singer and songwriter Meklit Hadero, who will moderate the post-performance discussions for Resonate! African America in Sound and Story, is Artist-in-Residence at New York University's Institute of African American Affairs for six weeks this spring. "She sings of fragility, hope and self-empowerment, and exudes all three," wrote the San Francisco Chronicle about one of her performances. Meklit's music has a wide range of influences, from the jazz and soul favorites she grew up on; to hip-hop and art-rock; to folk traditions from the Americas and her forebears' East African home. She was named a TED Global Fellow in 2009, and has been artist-in-residence at the De Young Museum and the Red Poppy Art House. Meklit is an Artist Consultant for the Association of Arts Presenters. For more information visit: Meklithadero.com
The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) at New York University was founded in 1969 to research, document, and celebrate the cultural and intellectual production of Africa and its diaspora in the Atlantic world and beyond. IAAA is committed to the study of Blacks in modernity through concentrations in Pan-Africanism and Black Urban Studies. For its spring 2011 artist-in-residence program, the IAAA presents "THE AFRICAN DIASPORA AND/IN THE WORLD," a unique space of artistic collaboration between two great talents of the African Diaspora Meklit Hadero, (musician), and John Akomfrah, (filmmaker).
