Welcome to this season’s recommendations for cultural programs across NYC, as well as a pick for our west coast family. The Culture LP has a deep connection to hip hop culture, so it’s a beautiful opportunity to announce select events and exhibits that celebrate the 50th anniversary of this earth-moving genre.
In this update, we highlight some exciting events and exhibits taking place in the coming weeks, including celebrations of Hip Hop culture and Black maternal heritage, the reopening of the California African American Museum, and an exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. Read on for more details on these and other events happening in the world of art and culture.
Artwork by Daniel Tonge, December 5, 1980, view more works on the Cornell University Archive.
“As the son of Danny T., one of the early Hip Hop flyer illustrators, I share a deep appreciation for the artistry and cultural significance of Hip Hop.”
5X5 BLOCK PARTY SERIES:
5 DECADES x 5 BOROUGHS: AUGUST 5TH - AUGUST 13TH
We are excited to be a part of the marketing and promotional efforts for this momentous moment in history, for the culture. Pull up to the “5X5 BLOCK PARTY SERIES” Celebrating HIP HOP’s 50th. Each of these FREE block parties and events are taking place across all five boroughs, featuring Hip Hop royalty, alongside renowned DJs, street art installations by @lisaprojectnyc, markets curated by @thelayoutco, interactive experiences, and other headliners, to be announced.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to pay homage to the genre’s rich history and community impact! Let's celebrate the past, inspire the future, and keep the Hip Hop movement alive!
The events were made possible thanks to partnerships with NYC Tourism, the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, The LISA Project NYC, Sony Corporation, UMe Urban Legends, adidas, Certified, and Recording Academy®'s Black Music Collective.
Much gratitude to all of the community partners, 651 Arts, Brooklyn Arts Council, BAM, BRIC, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Weeksville Heritage Center, FAB Fulton, Community Board 2, Jill Newman Productions, Richmond Hood Company, The Bille Holiday Theatre, MoCADA, Restoration Plaza, and many more.
photo by: Vonecia Carswell, via our partners at The Lay Out
AFRIBEMBÉ FESTIVAL:
BLACK to the FUTURE: SATURDAY AUGUST 12th
The good folks at The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, also known as CCCADI, is producing an opportunity for the uptown community to celebrate creativity, intellectuality, and global Black culture, at the 5th annual AFRIBEMBÉ FESTIVAL. This Pan-African festival is a chance to remember our shared roots and elevate AfroFuturism from a global Diasporic lens with Africa at the center. This year's festival features an impressive lineup of artists and DJs using global Diasporic rhythms and sounds to move festivalgoers through statements of identity, agency, and freedom. The festival's theme, "Black to the Future," encourages us to tap into our shared art and culture to create a future that stretches beyond the reality of our present, just like our ancestors did.
M’DEAR: THE BLACK MATERNAL
Honoring the power of the black maternal spirit
"M'Dear: The Black Maternal," a powerful thought-provoking exhibition featuring rising women-identified artists whose works honor the power of the great Mother—the Matriarch—the ever-present Black maternal principle centered prominently throughout the African diaspora. This exhibition is presented by The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) and is made possible thanks to generous gifts from The Ford Foundation, Council member Marte, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development. On view from May 5 - October 29, 2023, only on Fridays to Sundays from 12-5pm, outside of the typical locations, this is a unique experience at the MoCADA Abolition House on Governors Island.
https://mocada.org/events/exhibition-mdear-the-black-maternal/
GOING BACK TO CALI: A REOPENING CELEBRATION —
KCRW Summer Nights @ CAAM
Friday, August 4, 2023 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.
Celebrate CAAM’s reopening in style! Enjoy a warm night and cool vibes with CAAM and KCRW, featuring:
Live sets from KCRW DJs Francesca Harding and Tyler Boudreaux
Food trucks
Beer garden
Open galleries
and our legendary dance floor!
Explore all of the new exhibitions (one day before the official opening date), which range in subject from the Great Migration to Black leisure in California, and include both solo and group exhibitions of contemporary art.
https://caamuseum.org/programs/special-events/reopening-celebrationkcrw-summer-nights-caam
TATYANA FAZLALIZADEH:
Speaking to Falling Seeds
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, Pressed Against My Own Glass, 2022 (installation view). Paper and oil paintings on wall, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and University of Michigan. Photo: Tatyana Fazlalizadeh.
August 5, 2023 - August 3, 2025
You might recognize the Brooklyn-based artist, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh’s work from many places, one of them being the Netflix series “She’s Gotta Have It”. Her practice considers Black image-making as a site of protest, contestation, affirmation, and possibility. At CAAM, Fazlalizadeh will present a powerful and thought-provoking series of portraits of Black Angelenos wheat-pasted across the atrium's monumental walls. The exhibition asks how safety is inferred, built, and felt by the city's Black residents. Fazlalizadeh's methodology of amplifying individuals' voices through portraiture emerged in 2012 from her public art series Stop Telling Women to Smile, in which she took on gender-based street harassment. The exploration of safety in Fazlalizadeh's project for CAAM will carry through to a solo exhibition at Art + Practice, opening spring 2024, when both sites will exhibit her work concurrently. The exhibition is curated by Essence Harden, Visual Arts Curator, and Taylor Bythewood-Porter, Assistant Curator, and will be on view for the next two years.
https://caamuseum.org/exhibitions/2023/tatyana-fazlalizadeh
Tatyana Fazlalizadeh installs her street campaign “Stop Telling Women To Smile” with wheat paste. Courtesy of the artist.
THE BOOK OF HOV:
A CELEBRATION of the life and work of Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter
This immersive installation, at the Brooklyn Public Library, celebrates the life and work of Shawn "JAY-Z" Carter, one of Brooklyn's most influential figures. The exhibit features never-before-seen images, art, and ephemera from JAY-Z's archives, providing an unparalleled look at his extraordinary career. Spread throughout two floors of the Central Library, the exhibit immerses visitors as soon as they enter the doors. This free experience is one of the only installations of its scope to be housed in an active public space and features text, audio, and curation by Roc Nation teams and partners. Learn more about each experience in the exhibit at thebookofhov.com.
…THINGS COME TO THRIVE…IN THE SHEDDING…IN THE MOLTING…
Now Extended Through October 22, 2023 | 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
At the NEW YORK BOTANICAL Garden
Ebony G. Patterson, 2023
Experience the stunning beauty of gardens this summer through the captivating work of contemporary artist Ebony G. Patterson. Her lavishly detailed mixed media installations, which explore entanglements of race, gender, and colonialism, transform the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and NYBG's landscape and galleries into breathtaking and provocative displays of art and nature. From monumental peacock sculptures to glitter-encrusted vultures, Patterson's garden-inspired installations are a must-see for anyone looking to contemplate their own relationship with the natural world. Witness the seductive power of Patterson's work in one of the most stunning settings in New York City.
Your attention is appreciated, thanks for checking out this programming highlight, please help us share it far and wide with another you think would be interested. If you get the opportunity to visit any of these experiences, please tag @theCultureLP on social to keep the conversation going. Much love!
The Culture LP is a creative ecosystem and consultancy dedicated to uplifting the global majority through the power of the arts.
Our values are self-expression, community, and liberation. The services we offer are cultural programming, community outreach, and marketing consultation. contact: michael@theculturelp.com with any inquires.