From the Black Power and Black Arts movements of the 20^th century to the Black Lives Matter movement of today, artists of color have created public art that provided a communal vision of history, heritage, and hope.   Recently the works of three culturally conscious Black artists – the bronze head of a Black woman by Simone Leigh, four Afrofuturistic females by Wangechi Mutu, and the 20-foot sculpture of a dreadlocked black male rider on a stallion by Kehinde Wiley – have set a new standard for what is memorialized in public art:  Imaginative Black Identities.

For this program, panelists will explore the public art scene in New Hampshire. Presenters will share their thoughts on questions such as:     What is Black art?  What does it mean to be a Black artist today? Should the work of artists of color always speak to and reflect the Black experience?  What happens when Black art bears witness to a non-white presence and enters “white” spaces?

Presenters: Sam Collins III, Juneteenth Historian & Public Art Creator, Galveston, TX Joel Christian-Gill, Graphic novelist and cartoonist, Derry, NH Richard Haynes, Artist, Educator & Visual Storyteller, Portsmouth, NH Cecilia Ulibarri, President & Co-Founders Positive Street Art, Nashua, NH Manuel “Phelany” Ramirez, Artist-In-Residence & Co-Founder Positive Street Art, Nashua, NH

Moderator: Shelley Walcott