FUTURE: A VISUALIZATION
A PROJECT CELEBRATING THE CREATIVE SURVIVAL OF NEWPORT'S BIPOC COMMUNITY
Future: A Visualization is a free, open to the public journey through the past, present, and future of black manifesting with a civic-engagement outcome of increased and diversified voice in the Newport city planning processes.
The project is divided into two public events named Manifest Art and Afro-Futurism and engages ten artists and scholars to lead an evening exploring the past and future of BIPOC folx in Newport, RI. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19 these events are limited to an audience of 30 attendees. RSVP with the names of members in your pod, today!
THIS EVENT WAS APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF NEWPORT AND INCLUDES A COVID-19 PLAN AND PREVENTION.
Recent state guidelines include limits number of attendees to cultural events based on square footage calculations. The Future: A Visualization events surpass the capacity requirements by being hosted in a 4,000 square foot space.
A SAFE AND HAPPY EVENT
OUR SOCIAL DISTANCE EVENT-GUIDELINES
Future: A Visualization is capped at 30 in-person attendees.
Attendees are required to wear masks upon entering the site of the events.
Attendance to the events require registration prior to the event.
Attendees are allowed to RSVP for members of their pod only if they can provide contact-tracing required information (name, phone number, and email address). Thank you!
Attendees are asked to bring their own seating, snacks, and libations to the events.
next event: FUTURE A VISUALIZATION PT. 2: afro-futurism and NON-LINEAR Presences.
CREDIT, LEFT: ART BY NYCOLE OVERLAID WITH PHOTO BY TRACY JONSSON, ANIMATION: DRONE DOLORES
RIGHT: PHOTO BY TRACY JONSSON OVERLAID WITH HISTORIC IMAGE OF THE WANTON LYMAN HAZARD HOUSE. ANIMATION: DRONE DOLORES.
AFRO-FUTURISM AND NON-LINEAR PRESENCES
MANIFEST ART IN EARLY NEWPORT
09.30.2020, 7-8:30PM
AFRO-FUTURISM AND NON-LINEAR PRESENCES
11.18.2020, 7-8:30PM
BACKYARD OF THE WANTON LYMAN HAZARD HOUSE, 17 BROADWAY, NEWPORT R.I.
(SPRING STREET SIDE).
SANCTUARY AND/OR FRONT STEPS OF NAH H.Q., 73 PELHAM STREET, NEWPORT R.I. (SPRING STREET SIDE).
Featuring artists Christopher Johnson (story-telling and spoken word), Jose Losada (projected choreography), Nycole Fabulous (group reflection), Tracy Jonsson (projected art) and Jesus Andujar (drumming).
Speakers: Keith Stokes, scholar of African American history in Newport, and Ruth Taylor, director of Newport Historical Museum.
Context: The Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House was built in 1697 and is the oldest structure still standing in Newport. Probate record of items inherited by Ann Conkling upon her husband’s death in 1746 notes that she possessed three enslaved persons: “A Negro Man called Casan,” “A Negro Boy called Briston,” and “A Negro Girl Called Jenny.” When Ann Conkling remarried Martin Howard, the man who owned the Hazard House in the mid 1700s, these slaves became a part of his property. In the 1760s, Howard left Newport and the Wanton family purchased the house. Census records from 1772 note that John G. Wanton possessed a number of enslaved persons, and a manumission from 1775 proves that he freed at least one of them, a man named Cardardo.
For years, this is all that the historical society knew about the enslaved Africans on the property. Our knowledge took a giant leap forward in 2005 when a staff member pulled up floorboards in the attic and discovered remnants of a bundle of cloth which contained objects like nails, pits, beads, pins, corncobs, and a cowrie shell. They had found an nkisi.
Minkisi have been discovered throughout the colonies in various places were enslaved Kongolese lived and worked. The nkisi from the Hazard House means that Casan, Briston, Jenny, or Cardardo was likely from the Kongo. It shows that at least one of them had access to the attic; perhaps the attic was used as a living space. By placing a nkisi under the floor boards in the attic, the slave was seeking protection for the house, and holding on to his or her religious beliefs from home.
A virtual and in-person event showcasing the works of Jojo Abot, Ytasha Womack, Omega Art, and talks by Angela McCalla and Tracy Jonsson.
Hosted in the 4,000 sq. ft. sanctuary of the Newport United Congregational Church Sanctuary with a 30 person maximum capacity, as well as online.
hemes: Black Lives Matter, creative survival, technology, innovation, visualization, inclusion, mysticism, dance, visual art, performance, maker movement.
Who makes the future where you live, and will there be black folks on Mars? Black scientists and Afro-futurists of note.
YTASSHA L. WOMACK
is an award-winning author, filmmaker, independent scholar, and dance therapist. She is a leading expert on Afrofuturism, the imagination and its applications and frequently lectures on the subject across the world. Ytasha was honored among DesignHub’s 40 Under 40 designers for social good and innovation in 2017 and listed as a Filmmaker to Watch in The Chicago Tribune. Her book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci Fi and Fantasy Culture (Chicago Review Press) is the leading primer on the subject and taught in colleges and universities. Afrofuturism is also a Locus Awards Nonfiction Finalist.
https://www.ytashawomack.com
JOJO ABOT
is a nomadic interdisciplinary artist exploring evolving themes of spirituality, identity and community with “self” as the starting point to collective evolution. With an exciting, budding career, ABOT has toured with Ms Lauryn hill, played stages like Afropunk, Roots Picnic, Radio City Music Hall, The Apollo, Kennedy Center and more while being the first unsigned artist to perform live for NYC’s Times Square New Year’s Eve concert to over a million people. An alumni of the New Museum’s incubator
program, NEW INC and former resident at National Sawdust, ABOT continues to develop and present her interdisciplinary practice through POWER TO THE GOD WITHIN and other curatorial projects.
More information: http://www.jojoabot.com
OMEGA ART
is a Newport based artist. He was recently awarded a contract for a public mural and is the art- designer for the public tree-wrapping art-project (Newport Art Museum).
ANGELA MCCALLA
is the current Newport City Counselor for the First Ward of Newport, RI. She is the only Woman of Color who has served on the city council in over 50 years, as well as the first LGBTQIA female representative. Ward One hosts Newport’s most diverse population, including the North-End. Disclosure: Although McCalla is running for re-election, she will not be canvasing at the time of the event, instead showing-up as a POC resident, advocate, and community leader.
FEATURED MANIFEST ART SPEAKERS AND ARTISTS, pt 1.:
Missed it? NO Problem: Watch the full Future a visualization pt. 1 below:
SHARING IS CARING:
THIS PROJECT IS PARTIALLY FUNDED BY RHODE ISLAND COUNCIL FOR THE HUMANITIES
Newport Art House received a matching grant to support the creation of the Futures: A Visualization project. More information the application and the intention of the project can be found below.
PROJECT EVALUATION
GOALS:
SYNOPSIS AND PROJECT OUTCOMES FROM GRANT APP:
CIVIC RELEVANCY REQUIREMENT, OUR GOALS FROM GRANT APP:
Newport Art House director wants to understand how African American and POC centered story-sharing and place-keeping programming can influence and inspire increased civic-engagement of these communities into Newport’s future planning and programming processes. We also want to survey Newport’s cultural organizations about their plans to elevate BIPOC history and communities through programming, board inclusion, and anti-racism work.
Newport Art House director wants to understand how African American and POC centered story-sharing and place-keeping programming can influence and inspire increased civic-engagement of these communities into Newport’s future planning and programming processes. We also want to survey Newport’s cultural organizations about their plans to elevate BIPOC history and communities through programming, board inclusion, and anti-racism work.
Our project enhances the civic life of Rhode Island through the power of artistic exposure, increased civic pride, and direct access to civic information through our planning process sharing email list (see project outcome section). We hope that we not only increase the confidence of our Black and POC communities ability to visualize themselves in a future Newport, but that we also expose historically white local institutions to explore avenues for programming targeting similar goals. We aim to showcase the power of collaborating with the arts in furthering a cause and exposing cracks, as well as lead by example in engaging with artists and scholars to create compelling and experiences that expand people’s understanding of one another. Collaborators include the Newport Historical Society and Common Fence Music, as well as the Newport Health Equity Zone. The two events will include performance, conversation, and large-scale projection. The events will be digitized for future use and sharing, and are considered scalable. The project will abide by social distance orders and regulations, including following social distance guidelines, mandatory mask-wearing, and virtual implementation if necessary.
