Black Art in America: Those Who Walk Among Us

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New Webisode Premeire 11/11/15 6PM Those Who Walk Among Us
As terrorism threatens our way of life, So does the people who find themselves drawn under the influence.Those who may be lost feel that there is only one way to reclaim a peace of mind...and so this is our story.

Fifteen Reasons Why You Don't Want to Miss the Harlem Fine Arts Show

By: Black Art In America News
Since its inception The Harlem Fine Arts Show (HFAS) has had over 60,000 visitors, traveled to more than 10 cities and has showcased hundreds of artists and galleries. This weekend the HFAS returns…

Added by BLACK ART IN AMERICA NEWS on October 30, 2015 at 4:30pm

Art and Social Activism panel during #BAIAFINEARTSHOWHARLEM

Black Art In America -- Art and Social Activism, A Panel Discussion Hosted by the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC)
Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 9:30am
With the HMAAC panel discussion on Art and Social Activism, moderated by HMAAC CEO John Guess, Jr. and…

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Six Tips for Artists on Selling Artwork That's Collecting Dust in your Closet.

By Faron Manuel

As artist develop in their journey they tend to amass an abundance of their own works, created in various stages of their careers; in moments of trial, experimentation, and refinement.



Due to the relatively crude nature of some artist's earlier works, and lack of some aesthetic qualities and substance found in their latter works some followers and patrons could be slower to appreciate or enjoy an…

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Harlem Fine Arts Show "Discussions by the Lake" with Ben Chavis, Maudlyne Ihejirika and Arlene Coleman

We're having a thought provoking open forum about real issues facing the African American community, “Discussions by the Lake” on Saturday, October 31st from 4-6PM at Chicago's Merchandise Mart.
This discussion is quickly becoming a staple of Harlem and will feature The Chicago Sun-Times Urban Affairs…

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Harlem Fine Arts Show returns to Merchandise Mart October 29 – Nov. 1

The beautiful sculptures of master artist Woodrow Nash one of the artist who has participated i the HFAS

Harlem Fine Arts Show returns to Merchandise Mart October 29 – Nov. 1 

2nd Annual event recognizes Chicago art, civic and business…

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Reisha Williams - Granny use to say featured at the Harlem Fine Art Show Chicago

Reisha is a Chicago based contemporary fine art photographer and painter, creating images holistically by combining conception, styling, photography, collage and found objects.  Coming from a photography background has provided her with an excellent eye for the images she uses in her collage based pieces.
For several years, Reisha has sustained both an artistic and erotic investigation…
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REMEMBERING JOHN BIGGERS an Art exhibit presented by Winston-Salem Delta Fine Arts, Inc.

REMEMBERING JOHN BIGGERS an Art exhibit presented by Winston-Salem Delta Fine Arts,…

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Beautiful Art

Come out and support Black Art in America. Several world renowned Artist displaying work for sight or sale! Wonderful entertainment and fun for all.

Added by Gilda Norris on October 23, 2015 at 3:14pm — No Comments

Were You There for Justice or Else?

(Image Source: Justice or Else: 10 10 15 Million Man March Anniv. Facebook page)

By Faron Manuel…
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We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s at Woodmere Art Museum

We Speak: Black Artists in Philadelphia, 1920s-1970s

September 26, 2015 - January 24, 2016…

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Added by Black Art In America on October 16, 2015 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Let's get it started

Sooooo, I'm going to try this blog thing one time and see what happens ...I really don't use the internet for much more than sharing information, whether it's photos of me or my work, art projects I'm currently working on, Shows I'm participating in, artists I'm interested in or sharing their work, or just information I find to be interesting or relative to the necessary knowledge we as a people find vital in order to progress and elevate to a higher level of consciousness .... With that…
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Added by Marcus Sterling Alleyne on October 15, 2015 at 3:00pm — No Comments

A NEW EXHIBITION ABOUT THE MODERN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE

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BLACK ART IN AMERICA™ (BAIA) WORKSHOP at the Faison Firehouse Theater (Sun., 10/25/15, 11:00 AM)

BLACK ART IN AMERICA™ (BAIA) WORKSHOP at the Faison Firehouse Theater  (Sun., 10/25/15, 11:00 AM) Six Hancock Place, Harlem, NYC 10027 (124th Street between St. Nicholas and Morningside Avenues) (90…
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Added by bai americana on October 13, 2015 at 3:00am — No Comments

PERKULATOR™ Interview with Jamel Gaines of Creative Outlet Dance Theater in Brooklyn

Interview with Jamel Gaines, Artistic Director, Choreographer, …

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Added by bai americana on October 12, 2015 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Reginald Gammon artist talk at Stella Jones Gallery March 11, 2000.

Black Art In America™ (BAIA) will feature works by Reginald Gammon at the Faison Firehouse Theater in Harlem which span 50 years -- drawing attention to his contribution to the visual arts. PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE -- bit.ly/baiaharlem…
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PERKULATOR™ Discussions with Ted Ellis on upcoming Harlem Fine Arts Show Chicago

PERKULATOR™ Discussions : Where we like our conversations as HOT as our coffee. Najee Dorsey in conversation with Ted Ellis. Ted shares his thoughts on his career, the arts industry and…
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PERKULATOR™ Discussions with Lillian Blades parts 1 and 2

PERKULATOR™ Discussions : Where we like our conversations as HOT as our coffee. Faron Manuel in conversation with Lillian Blades in part 1 and Najee Dorsey interviews Lillian in…
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PERKULATOR Discussion: When an Art Scholar, Museum Director and Creatives meet up during Art Basel Miami 2014 part 1

PERKULATOR™ Discussions : Where we like our conversations as HOT as our coffee. When an Art Scholar, Museum Director and Creatives meet up during Art Basel Miami 2014 part…
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Added by Black Art In America on October 10, 2015 at 7:00am — 1 Comment

PERKULATOR™ Discussions: Being a Black Woman Artist with Tamara Natalie Madden

Added by Black Art In America on October 10, 2015 at 5:35am — No Comments

The Whitney Plantation: An Emotional Journey ...

A Step Back In Time at Louisiana's Whitney Plantation

“Imagine what it would feel like to be someone else’s property. Imagine you are a field slave. You wake up before sunrise. You work until dark, which is 8 or 9 in hot humid summers. Your life depends on the whims of your master or…

Black Bird Press News & Review: President of Oakland City Council replies to Marvin X--Calling all BAM artists, vendors, business persons! Be there or be square!

Black Bird Press News & Review: President of Oakland City Council replies to Marvin X--Calling all BAM artists, vendors, business persons! Be there or be square!

Left to right: Elaine Brown, Chairwoman, Black Panther Party;Dr. Halifu Osumare,  founder of the Malonga Arts Center; Professor, authorJudy Juanita, Black Panther Party, Black Arts Movement;Portia Anderson, author; Kujichagulia, author; Aries Jordan, poet. Laney College celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Black Arts Movement, panel on BAM women, Feb. 7, 2015 A Marvin X Production. photo Southpark Kenny Johnson

I was a part of building the black cultural community in Oakland from 1977-1994. These plans to recognize the unique black cultural contributions of Oakland has been around for a
long time. It is high time it finally happens. Oakland is unique in the nation, and the city and the state should finally recognize that in a major way by supporting this Black Art Movemet Cultural and Business District.
--Dr. Halifu Osumare, Chair, African American Studies, University of California, Davis

Black Middle Class Shrinking

The Black Middle Class Is Shrinking Even as The Economy Improves 

By Victor Ochieng

For years, there has been a wide cry about how minority groups in the U.S. are disadvantaged in a number of ways. Black people, in particular, have been victims of racial bigotry right from the days of slavery, something that has emaciated them both socially and economically. With the civil rights movement and the eventual expansion of the black middle-class, there was some array of hope.But was that just a mirage?

As the country went into the recession, there was a general negative impact on the middle-class, and Obama made it a key point in his campaign for the 2008 presidential elections. Since Obama took office, a lot of progress has been made, and many Americans believe that the country has significantly improved economically. In fact, there are many analysts who’ve stated that the country has fully recovered and is surging healthily forward.

For the black population, however, it seems like they’re still stuck in the mud. The Black middle-class, instead of regaining its pre-recession vigor, is fast dwindling.

In Las Vegas, for example, construction and housing prices are moving upward, showing a general growth in the middle-class. While this is true, the black middle-class in the resort town is still troubled.

A Washington Post article recently gave a picture of what’s happening in Prince George, D.C., where there was a growing majority affluent black population. Sadly, when the recession came knocking, this population suffered its pangs and ended up in homes that were worth way below their mortgages.
“There was never a period in American history where the wealth gap was not enormous, but after this most recent recession, the wealth gap went from dismal to even worse,” says Darrick Hamilton, professor of economics and urban policy at the New School in Manhattan.

For black families in America, the story of economic imbalance has always been there. Blacks are the descendants of slaves, who, through the civil rights movements, were able to earn some level of freedom, but whose freedom came with nothing in material possession to start them off. Their struggle to move up the economic ladder is, therefore, a big challenge.

The very wealthy in America are whites; and they’ve got homes and own some of the biggest companies in the world. When an economy suffers, this lot suffers too, but not to the extent of those who’ve got no homes; those still struggling to clear their mortgages. And when the economy bounces back, the big companies will pick up immediately, but the effects of a bad economy on someone with nothing at all takes longer to recover from.

In terms of property, the average African-American family possesses $41,581, compared to $233,793 for an average white family. Similar disproportionate gaps are also evident in retirement assets and total assets.

What this has turned into is debt, where black families have to always be in debt for sustenance. As a result, every new black generation either finds loans to clear or has to start from zero.
This all boils down to what standup comedian Chris Rock delivered in his “Kill The Messenger” piece. He said that he lives in a posh neighborhood with big black names like Jay Z, Mary J. Blige, among others. Surprisingly, his immediate white neighbor was a dentist, with no noteworthy achievement in the field.

To wrap it up, the comedian says, “See the black man gotta fly to get somewhere a white man can walk to. I had to make miracles happen to get that house. I had to host the Oscars to get that house.”

Book release: Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

October 28, 2015 / DSUpshaw

 

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

This is the little-known story of how a newly independent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America’s third president decided to stand up to intimidation.

When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country could afford.
Over the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion justified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states would show no mercy—at least not while easy money could be made by extorting America, France, England, and other powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy’s new warships and a detachment of marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status.

As they did in their previous bestseller, George Washington’s Secret Six, Kilmeade and Yaeger have transformed a nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Among the many suspenseful episodes:
* Lieutenant Andrew Sterett’s ferocious cannon-battle on the high seas against the treacherous pirate ship Tripoli.

* Lieutenant Stephen Decatur’s daring night raid of an enemy harbor, aiming to destroy an American ship that had fallen into the pirates’ hands.

* General William Eaton’s unprecedented five-hundred-mile land march from Egypt to the port of Derna, where the marines launched a surprise attack and an American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first time.

Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.”Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgotten war that changed American history, with a real-life drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas.

Film: BaddDDD by Sonia Sanchez, Queen of the Black Arts Movement, Impact Hub, Oakland, Nov. 5, 2015

Like BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez on Facebook

BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez

A new documentary
by Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon

Available from California Newsreel
Running time: 90 min

For 80-year-old Sonia Sanchez, writing is both a personal and political act. She emerged as a seminal figure in the 1960s Black Arts Movement, raising her voice in the name of black culture, civil rights, women's liberation, and peace as a poet, playwright, teacher, activist and early champion of the spoken word. She is among the earliest poets to have incorporated urban black English into her poetry; she was one of the first activists to secure the inclusion of African American studies in university curricula. Deemed "a lion in literature's forest" by poet Maya Angelou and winner of major literary awards including the American Book Award, Sonia Sanchez is best known for 17 books of poetry that explore a wide range of global and humanist themes, particularly the struggles and triumphs of women and people of color.

In BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, Sanchez's life unfolds in a documentary rich with readings and jazz-accompanied performances of her work. With appearances by Questlove, Talib Kweli, Ursula Rucker, Amiri Baraka, Haki Madhubuti, Jessica Care Moore, Ruby Dee, Yasiin Bey, Ayana Mathis, Imani Uzuri and Bryonn Bain, the documentary examines Sanchez's contribution to the world of poetry, her singular place in the Black Arts Movement and her leadership role in African American culture over the last half century.

BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez was featured at IFP's Spotlight on Documentaries at Independent Film Week

Generous support




Special thanks to Netflix, financial sponsor of the Women In Film Foundation
Film Finishing Fund 2012
Valentine Foundation
The Philadelphia Foundation
Lomax Family Foundation
The Leeway Foundation
American Composers Society
Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund
The Lida Foundation: Linda and David Glickstein

The Philadelphia Cultural Fund

Supported by The Wyncote Foundation and PCF
Thanks to our Kickstarter supporters: Check out the list of amazing
individuals who kicked in to help us finish the documentary.
Fiscal sponsors: Women Make Movies and PIFVA

Marvin X on his book of essays Beyond Religion, toward Spirirtuality

I never imagined I would live long enough to have grand children. I never imagined grandchildren, period! I imagined nothing as a revolutionary, except victory. This was the worst imagining of all because it called in the powers of the State: they crushed us totally, a military defeat in Oakland. We succumbed to military defeat by the USA in Oakland.

Oakland is thus a city of resistance, like Felugha in Iraq. Oakland had to be destroyed like Felugha, a city of resistance. Look at Oakland, look at the people, broken, mentally. physically, spiritually. On a visit from the East Coast, my daughter said, "Dad, all these people look like derelicts."

Marvin X just released his book of essays on consciousness, Beyond Religion, Toward Spirituality  .   Available from Black Bird Press, 339 Lester Ave, #10, Oakland CA 94606.  280 pages, $19.95. *   *   *   *   * Marvin X has done extraordinary mind and soul work in bringing our attention to the importance of spirituality, as opposed to religion, in our daily living. Someone—maybe Kierkegaard or maybe it was George Fox who—said that there was no such thing as "Christianity." There can only be Christians. It is not institutions but rather individuals who make the meaningful differences in our world. It is not Islam but Muslims. Not Buddhism but Buddhists. Marvin X has made a courageous difference. In this book he shares the wondrous vision of his spiritual explorations. His eloquent language and rhetoric are varied—sophisticated but also earthy, sometimes both at once. His moods are both reverent and irreverent: at times he consoles, other times cajoles with biting mockery. At times amusing but always deadly serious.   Highly informed he speaks to many societal levels and to both genders—to the intellectual as well as to the man/woman on the street or the unfortunate in prison—to the mind as well as the heart. His topics range from global politics and economics to those between men and women in their household. Common sense dominates his thought. He shuns political correctness for the truth of life. He is a Master Teacher in many fields of thought—religion and psychology, sociology and anthropology, history and politics, literature and the humanities. He is a needed Counselor, for he knows himself, on the deepest of personal levels and he reveals that self to us, that we might be his beneficiaries.   ] ] All of which are represented in his Radical Spirituality—a balm for those who anguish in these troubling times of disinformation. As a shaman himself, he calls too for a Radical Mythology to override the traditional mythologies of racial supremacy that foster war and injustice. It's a dangerous book, for it reveals the inner workings of capitalist and imperialist governments around the world. It's a book that stands with  and on behalf of the poor, the dispossessed, the despised, and downtrodden.     Marvin X has found a way out of our spiritual morass, our material quagmire. We are blessed to still have him among us. If you want to reshape (clean up, raise) your consciousness, this is a book to savor, to read again, and again—to pass onto a friend or lover. —Rudolph Lewis, Editor, ChickenBones: A Journal

Black Bird Press News & Review: President of the Oakland City Council, Lynette McElhaney, replies to Marvin X on BAM District

 

On May 22, 2015, the University of Chicago held the Sun Ra Conference in honor of Black Arts Movement co-founder Sun Ra, who established the Black Arts Theatre/School in Harlem NYC in particular and the BAM in general, along with Amiri Baraka, aka LeRoi Jones, Askia Toure, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Barbara Ann Teer, Last Poets, Marvin X, Milford Graves, The Ayler brothers, Woody King, Larry Neal, Ted Wilson, Haki Maddhubuti, et al.

Marvin X participated in the symposium on Afro-futurisim joined with a group of young Afro-futurist scholars, see Youtub video. He performed in the concert with Sun Ra's surviving band members, Marshall Allen and Danny Thompson, along with local musicians, including David Boykin, producer of the Sun Ra Conference at the University of Chicago. David Boykin invited Marvin X to a Chicago recording session which he accepted and performed a one-take reading of his writings, plus his reading of Amiri Baraka's DOPE poem; Chicago poet Kasembe read as well. He opened the session with a libation poem. Marvin X opened with What If, his beyond religion, toward spirituality poem, based on his book by the same name Beyond Religion, toward Spirituality, essays on consciousness, Marvin X.

Black Bird Press News & Review: President of the Oakland City Council, Lynette McElhaney, replies to Marvin X on BAM District



Marvin X is now available for lectures, readings, performances of the Black Arts Movement Poet's Choir and Arkestra. Send letter of invitation to: jmarvinx@yahoo.com. call 510 200 4164 Fees negotiable with a freedom of speech clause in contract: FYI: Marvin X is not politically correct. In fact, he is politically incorrect. Somebody said, "Donald Trump is Marvin X in white face and rich, but he cannot out do Marvin X in arrogance and politically incorrectness.

President of Oakland City Council replies to Marvin X--Calling all BAM artists, vendors, business persons! Be there or be square!

 Lynette McElhaney, President of the Oakland City Council, Empress Diamond and Master Teacher Marvin X

Dear Marvin,

Thank you for your note. We are going to meet with a group of artists and advocates on 11/16 to discuss the establishment of the Arts Commission. Erika will reach out to you to set up a meeting to discuss next steps on the Black Arts District. I intend to introduce legislation no later than Feb 2016 and will bring forth the Rules request next month. Looking forward to introducing you to my new policy analyst Alex. Kind regards, Lynette