The Black Lives Matter movement began in 2013 when the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin prompted an international outcry on social media under the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Since then, the movement has expanded physically — there are currently at least 23 Black Lives Matter chapters in the U.S., Canada and Ghana — and diversified its tactics for combatting injustice.
This month Nia Witherspoon, an assistant professor of theater in the ASU School of Film, Dance and TheatreThe School of Film, Dance and Theatre is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts., is highlighting the role of the arts as a necessary component of the Black Lives Matter movement and movements for social justice more generally.
“We have to reconceptualize what we think of as art when we’re talking about black art,” said Witherspoon (pictured above). “Black art is absolutely fundamental and essential to black life.”
In conjunction with Mary Stephens, producing director of ASU’s Performance in the BorderlandsPerformance in the Borderlands is an initiative of the School of Film, Dance and Theatre at Arizona State University., Witherspoon has staged a series of workshops, performances and other events under the banner BlackARTSMatter, which will take place Feb. 19–28 throughout the Valley.
Mesa Arts Center, Arizona Commission on the Arts, the Black Theatre Troupe and South Mountain Community College are also involved, making BlackARTSMatter a community-driven event.
Check out the full event listing here or visit the Facebook event page.
More Arts, humanities and education
The brush is mightier: One man’s mission to rescue art from the Taliban
Amid the horrors of war, survival needs often eclipse all else. But for Dr. Mohammad Yousof Asefi, a practicing physician and nationally recognized artist, saving Afghanistan’s art was as critical as…
ASU faculty member celebrates first anniversary of co-edited book about 'girls in development'
This month hosts International Day of the Girl Child, which celebrates the importance of girls all around the world and spotlights gender equality for children — a topic important to ASU's own…
Futurist Ted Schilowitz debuts ASU film school's speaker series with glimpse into future of AI
What impact will AI have on the entertainment industry? Will it eliminate creative jobs, or is it another tool in the filmmaker’s toolkit? These are questions film students are asking as the…