 This month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Duke Ellington (1889–1974) made a name for himself as the composer and orchestra leader at Harlem's Cotton Club, a white-patron-only nightclub. He composed more than 2,000 songs and several musicals. Ellington viewed music as a form of activism. He knew that music could reach people in a way that words simply could not. While he knew the power of words as a poet and writer, he also knew that white people were more likely to listen to music by a Black musician than read the revolutionary writings of a Black activist. "Black leaders did not so much fight against the racial system in America as quietly and determinedly circumvent it.” - Duke Ellington's America Learn more about Ellington here, here and here.
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 This month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) was a Bahamian and American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive Golden Globe Awards, a competitive British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA), and a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. Poitier was one of the last major stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. In addition to his talents on screen, he used his platform to fight against racial injustices, working with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1964, Sidney Poitier risked his life for civil rights. He delivered a suitcase full of $70,000 into the heart of America's racial nightmare. "Black actors, celebrities and entertainers who support voting rights and racial justice — whether behind the scenes or in more vocal ways — owe a debt to Poitier and the work he did in front of the camera and when the Hollywood klieg lights were turned off." —Peneil Joseph Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images Learn more about Sidney's venture and see some of his work here, here and here.  youtu.be/UeYP8ssD_BMThis month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Njideka Akunyili Crosby is a Nigerian-born visual artist working in Los Angeles. She inspires us to examine complexity and layers in our past and our present as she explores her culture and identity in her paintings. Akunyili Crosby says, "I think the point I make in my work is that my home is Nigeria and the United States at the same time.” Her paintings show us that we can be many things at once. "A mesh of old and new imagery, as well as traditional and modern media—in addition to photo-transfers she uses acrylic, charcoal, and colored pencils—process is essential to Akunyili Crosby’s cosmopolitan style. She’s influenced as much by European masters as by the household products that she collects in Nigeria. One gets a very physical sense of perspective through her works; you’re led instinctively to the big picture ideas about the way cultures, histories, and identities intertwine." — Charlotte Jansen in Artsy Photo: Brigitte Sire Interview with Akunyili Crosby here.  Alvin AileyNorman Maxon, New York Public Library This month we are highlighting a #blackartist each week that has been a major influencer in the arts community and beyond.
Alvin Ailey (1931-1989) was an African American dancer, director, choreographer, activist, and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Ailey was known for taking his life experiences growing up in the rural south and turning it into storytelling and thought provoking modern dance works. As once a student of Lester Horton, who was the founder of one of the first racially integrated dance companies in the US, Ailey went on to create his own legacy through his dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, that would continue to inspire future generations of dancers to become performers, choreographers, teachers and plenty more. More:  We had an amazing experience at YAGP Chicago! We are immensely grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful studios, passionate instructors, awe-inspiring choreographers, talented dancers, and phenomenal supporters. Congratulations to all who danced their hearts out! And congrats to our semifinal award winners:
Pre-Competitive Classical Variations Top 24: Brynlee Sawin Peyton Eustice Top 12: Brynlee Sawin 3rd Place Overall: Brynlee Sawin *** Small Ensemble Top 6: Fragile Hybrid Just 2nd Place Overall: Hybrid *** Large Ensemble Top 6: Moonlight Sonata 3rd Place Overall: Moonlight Sonata *** Junior Contemporary Soloists Top 24: Gabe Johnson Top 12: Gabe Johnson 1st Place Overall: Gabe Johnson *** Junior Classical Ballet Variations Top 24 Women: Lily Stuhr Sage Sulentic Top 12 Women: Sage Sulentic Men: 1st Place Overall: Gabe Johnson *** Senior Contemporary Soloists Top 24: Emma McMahon Tatiana Schmidt *** Senior Classical Ballet Variations Top 24: Emma McMahon Tatiana Schmidt *** Outstanding Choreographer: Leslie Nolte |