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I.D.: A Selection of Works in Honor
of Otelia Cromwell, Class of 1900
Museum of Art
The exhibition I.D. is a collaboration between museum staff members
and Smith College students, featuring works on paper by African-American artists
that take different approaches to the theme of "identity": how it is constructed,
represented, and problematized. In conjunction with this exhibition, the museum will
also launch the project ID-Tags, a series of supplemental labels created by faculty
and students for selected works of art on view in the galleries of the Smith College
Museum of Art. These works will be reconsidered in terms of social concerns and concepts
that inform personal identity, such as race, class, sexuality and ideas of beauty.
ID Talk
Noon-1 p.m., Museum of Art
Join a guided discussion of I.D.: A Selection of Works in honor of Otelia Cromwell,
Class of 1900, and the "ID-Tags" label project, both of which were created
in honor of Otelia Cromwell the first African-American graduate of Smith College,
led by Smith students involved in the development of the exhibition and label project.
Keynote Address
1 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall
Musical Selections
Serenade Op. 10 by Erno v. Dohnanyi
Rondo-Allegro vivace; Sanford Allen, violin; Marcus Thompson, viola; Astrid Schween,
cello
Performance by the Glee Club, Jonathan Hirsh, conductor;
music by Joan Szymko; text by Langston Hughes; Clifton J. Noble, Jr., pianist
Keynote Address: Aaron Dworkin, Founder and
Director of the Sphinx Foundation
"Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Sphinx Organization and Music Education"
The Sphinx Organization is a national nonprofit organization, founded by
MacArthur Fellow Aaron P. Dworkin, committed to building diversity in classical music
through year-round programming in youth development through music education and arts
presentation. Keynote speaker Aaron Dworkin offers an overview of his background
and aims in starting Sphinx, in the context of the world of classical music.
Workshops
2:30-4:30 p.m., Sage and McConnell Halls
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Sage Hall,
Earle Recital Room: "People of Color in Western Art Music"
In the world of classical music, in which fewer than five percent of musicians
are people of color, there is opportunity for change and progress. Keynote
speaker, Aaron Dworkin, and guest musicians Sanford Allen, Astrid Schween,
and Marcus Thompson will discuss their personal experiences as people of color
in a decidedly monochromatic profession. Their success in an overwhelmingly
white profession will inspire musicians and non-musicians of all backgrounds. |
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McConnell 103: "The
Roots and Branches of African-American Dance and Music"
Jazz, the blues and hip-hop are just a few examples of African-American dance
and music that have their origins at the intersection of African and European
cultures. This panel will explore the roots of Black musical and dance forms,
as the panelists draw on their expertise in ethnomusicology and dance to moderate
a discussion on the origins of these artistic forms, the interdependence of
dance and music in the African context, and the wide range of cultures that
African and African-American music and dance have influenced. Panelists: James
Carroll, Lecturer, Afro-American Studies, Smith College; Donna Mejia, Guest
Artist-in-Residence, Dance Department, Smith College. |
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McConnell B05: "Project
2050 Performers Speak Up - Revolution or Evolution?"
Project 2050 is a multi-year exploration what it means to be a person of color
as we head toward the year when it is projected that people of color will become
the majority in the United States. The project engages professional artists,
youth communities, scholars, and community activists in civic dialogue and
artistic creation. Project 2050 performers and Project Coordinator Angel Rodriguez
discuss the transformative process of putting together a creative program through
an intensive summer workshop for youth that aims to reach out to revolutionize
the audience experience at the same time as it reaches within to draw upon
each performer’s personal evolution. |
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McConnell B15: "Representation
and Race in Portraiture"
Portraits can communicate who we are, what we value, and how we hope to be
understood. With assistance from Shanta Scott, School and Family Programs Coordinator
at the Studio Museum in Harlem, staff and interns from the Smith College Museum
of Art lead an interactive workshop that incorporates discussion with a hands-on
art activity to consider race and representation through portraits on campus.
This workshop is offered in conjunction with the exhibition, I.D.: A Selection
of Works in Honor of Otelia Cromwell, Class of 1900, and "ID-Tags," a
series of supplemental labels created by faculty, staff and students for select
artworks on view at SCMA. |
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The Hip Hop Project
7 p.m. Leo Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall
The Hip Hop Project is the inspirational story of a group of New York City teenagers
who transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle
for self-development and personal discovery. The film traces the evolution of this
award-winning outreach program developed by Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager turned
youth mentor. After four years of collaboration, the group produced a powerful and
thought-provoking CD filled with moving personal narratives and sharp social commentary.
In contrast to all the negative attention focused on hip hop and rap music, this
is a story of hope, healing and the realization of dreams. The Hip Hop Group founder
Chris "Kharma Kazi" Rolle will lead a post-film discussion.
CCAB Presents Slam Poet Alvin Lau
9:30 p.m., Carroll Room, Campus Center
Alvin Lau, a Chicago native and son of Chinese immigrants, was named
Amnesty International's 2007 Poet of Conscience. He speaks not only to the Asian
American experience, but to all of our experiences.
ID Talk
Noon-1 p.m., Museum of Art
Otelia Cromwell Day Chamber Music Recital
8 p.m., Sweeney Concert Hall, Sage Hall
A concert presented by the music department and the Otelia Cromwell Day Committee,
with distinguished guest artists Sanford Allen, Astrid Schween, and Marcus Thompson,
and members of the Smith Chamber Ensemble. Selections include: Dvorak, "Terzetto";
Brahms "Piano Quintet"; and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, "Blue/s Forms." "Blue/s
Forms" is a 1972 work for solo violin dedicated to violinist Sanford Allen,
who premiered the work at Carnegie Hall, by Coleridge Taylor-Perkinson, an innovative
African-American composer dedicated to exploring commonalities between the various
black vernacular music forms, including jazz and gospel.
Project 2050: "The Love in
Revolution"
7 p.m., Sage Hall, Sweeney Concert Hall
A youth initiative sponsored by New WORLD Theater, Project 2050 addresses issues
compelled by the changing demographics of racial identity in the United States. In
this performance, Project 2050 explores the meaning of "revolution," examining
how it gets used, where it comes from, and where the youth of today want to take
it. What's the difference between revolution, resistance, uprising and independence?
How can we reconcile the dual revolutionary credos of "by any means necessary" and
nonviolent civil disobedience? What did Che Guevara mean when he said, "Every
true revolutionary is driven by love"? Engaging revolutionary political movements
as well as revolutionary modes of artistic expression, the local youth in Project
2050 present a dynamic performance of music, poetry, dance, and drama that explores
revolution and hip-hop, racism and power, and the creation and transformation of
identity.
Multi-faith Service in Celebration
of Otelia Cromwell
10:30 a.m., Helen Hills Hills Chapel
Featured guest speaker: former Muslim Chaplain to Smith College Al- Hajjah Khalilah
Karim-Rushdan, SSW’99. The Regis College Gospel Choir, directed by Linda Brown-San
Martin, will perform. A soul-food brunch in the Campus Center Carroll Room will follow
the service.
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About
Otelia
Cromwell Day
Schedule
of Events
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Participant
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