August ‘24 Community Calendar
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August Events
August 2: “you good?” exhibition of new work by Jeremy Biggers @ Daisha Board Gallery
Featuring new works from my “Combustible” and “Defiant” series. Combining two seemingly opposing concepts “rage” and “celebration”, “you good.” Will be a conversation about duality, intersectionality, and dichotomy, and how multiple things can be true at the same time.
The exhibition’s title “you good.” also explores that idea that just 2 words can have so many meanings based on the inflection of how they are said and across the diaspora, we have an understanding. It investigates how language is co-opted and stolen by outsiders.August 3: Black Girls in Art Spaces - "Corporate to Creative" solo exhibition Matthew Dancy @ 1808 Studios
Join our host + founder, Kaci Merriwether-Hawkins, and artist Matthew Dancy at 1808 Studios on August 3 from 6PM-8PM for a viewing of the “Corporate to Creative” exhibition, followed by a discussion and guided workshop experience. Drinks and snacks will be provided! RSVP w/ link bio.
About the Exhibition- Matthew Dancy and Somebody Art Co. proudly present “Corporate to Creative”, the artist’s first solo exhibition unveiling artwork that chronicles Matthew’s journey from the corporate world to a creative career. Delve into a mesmerizing array of visual and immersive pieces crafted to depict his personal and profound transition.
“Corporate to Creative” Art Show and Exhibition showcases an artistic evolution, embodying the shift from corporate constraints to the limitless realms of creativity. Each stroke, line, and fabric in the artwork narrates a tale of perseverance, hope, and boundless imagination — celebrating the resilience of the creative spirit.August 13: Arts and Letters Live: Dinaw Mengestu author of Someone Like Us
In Someone Like Us, by Dinaw Mengestu, the son of Ethiopian immigrants seeks to understand a hidden family history and uncovers a past colored by unexpected loss, addiction, and the enduring emotional pull toward home.
After abandoning a promising career as a journalist to search for a new life in Paris, Mamush meets Hannah, a photographer whose way of seeing the world shows him the possibility of finding not only love but family. Five years later, with his marriage on the verge of collapse, he returns to the close-knit immigrant Ethiopian community of Washington, DC, that defined his childhood and sets out on an unexpected journey across America in search of answers to questions he’d been told never to ask. This is a breathtaking, commanding, unforgettable work from one of America’s most prodigiously gifted novelists.
Dinaw Mengestu is the author of three novels, all of which were named New York Times Notable Books: All Our Names, How to Read the Air, and The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears. A native of Ethiopia who came with his family to the United States at the age of two, Mengestu is also a freelance journalist who has reported about life in Darfur, northern Uganda, and eastern Congo. His articles and fiction have appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and more. He is a 2012 MacArthur Fellow and recipient of numerous awards, including a Lannan Literary Fellowship for Fiction and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Prize.
August 15 - 18: Sister Act brought to you by Jubilee Theatre
The original film’s locations of Reno and San Francisco have been changed to Philadelphia and the action now is set in the 1970s. When disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier sees her gangster boyfriend Curtis Shank commit a murder at the grungy club where she’s performing, she reports the crime to the police and is placed in the witness protection program. Disguised as a nun named Sister Mary Clarence, she is placed in the convent of the Holy Order of the Little Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith, where she finds herself up against the rigid Mother Superior. Deloris uses her singing talent to inspire the other nuns to create a more contemporary choir, and they become the hit of the community. Word of their success reaches Curtis and his mob, who arrive on the scene to settle their score with Deloris and find themselves battling not only her but a gang of feisty nuns and the Mother Superior as well.
August 17: In Tandem: Jones and Henrion @ DHV Artworks and Pencil on Paper Gallery
Join us on August 17th for two unique artist talks as we debut work from artists Marilyn Henrion and Katie McKay Jones at both DHV Artworks and Pencil on Paper Gallery.
Artists will have work at both galleries on this day and we welcome you to hear from both artists with talks at DHV Artworks and Pencil on Paper Gallery.
Schedule of Events:
🎨Marilyn Henrion Artist Talk: 1:30-2:15pm at DHV Artworks. (2835 Irving Boulevard)
🎨Katie McKay Jones Artist Talk: 3:00-3:45pm at Pencil on Paper Gallery. (4755 Algiers St. Suite 100)Black Arts DFW Featured Event
August 22: Cedars Union Lecture:Join us for our Panel Discussion series, focusing on community engagement, outreach, and partnership. This series aims to amplify the voices of community-forward initiatives, educating and inspiring others to actively participate. In this session, DAART will lead a panel of community organizers as they share insights into what community means, how to better serve and support others in your community, and answer any questions you may have about community organizations and their purpose. This panel will be moderated by DAAART Club president Christina Hahn who will be joined by Reyna Ramirez (CIMA) and Cathryn Mcclellan (Black Arts DFW).
August 30: “Wunderland Noir” a solo exhibition by Marryam Moma @ Pencil on Paper Gallery
“As a Tanzanian-Nigerian collage artist, I chose to break away from my formal architecture background to create a practice that highlights the experiences of people like me. My work depicts Black life reframed and reimagined, emphasizing Black joy through a multidimensional use of cutouts, layered paper, acrylic paints, gold leaf, and mixed media.
In “Wunderland Noir,” I combine contrasting textures, luxurious materials, and carefully selected cultural elements and regional flora to symbolize resilience and interconnectedness. These elements enrich the narrative of growth and inclusivity, sparking conversations around the multilayered experiences of Black bodies, including my own.
Drawing inspiration from Afrofuturism and Tanzanian culture, I explore themes of identity, race, gender, rest, love, family, community, and resilience. By celebrating growth and inclusivity, I invite art-lovers and collectors to immerse themselves in my unique artistic vision, challenging societal norms and embracing the transformative power of creative expression.” - Marryam Moma