Guide highlights Indianapolis Black History Month events
For 25 years in Indianapolis, the Art & Soul music and art festival has kicked off Black History Month in Indianapolis but due to COVID concerns, the festival has been postponed until June.
Despite this, February is still packed with remembrances and celebrations of Black arts & culture. The Indy Arts Council partnered with FAF Collective to curate a Black History Month guide featuring more than 20 events: film screenings, book discussions, community conversations, music, visual art, poetry, theater, and more.
Jazmine Kemper, co-founder of Face A Face Collective, joined us Monday on “All Indiana’ to discuss the arts and culture guide to help you find upcoming events in Indianapolis.
Upcoming Events:
1. Afrofuture Fridays: Hip-Hop as Afrofuturism
Virtual on Fridays
Join Kheprw’s resident Afrofuturist, Maurice Broaddus and creatives from our ALKHEMY Entrepreneurship Incubator as they discuss Hip-Hop as a tool for reexamining the past, critiquing the present, and creating new futures for community.
2. Minton Sparks and Manón Voice: Bold Lineage
March 19, 2022 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Where: Virtual and Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio St. Indianapolis
“The Idea of Ancestry” by Manón Voice: Etheridge Knight wrote the 42-line poem “The Idea of Ancestry” in 1968. The title signifies the subject of the poem — the poet’s connection to his family, birthplace, and culture. Using this title and context for inspiration, poet and spoken-word artist, Manón Voice, will interweave a narrative through storytelling and spoken word that celebrates and pays homage to the bold lineage of Black women writers and many mothers who shaped her as a poet, writer, and woman. Visit this Indianapolis native’s website here.
3. A New Beginning: A Collection of Works by Local Black Artists
Arts For Lawrence
8920 Otis Ave.
February 1-27
See mixed-media works by Cierra Johnson, Audrey McFarland, Janet Harris, and Carl Hazelwood. This art collection symbolizes the new beginnings occurring in the community, in the world, and at Arts for Lawrence as they open a new visual arts center on the Fort Ben Cultural Campus. Free.
4. Leon Jett Memorial Lecture: Zaron Burnett III
Eiteljorg Museum
500 W. Washington St.
February 17 6-7:30p
Members $10, Non-Members $15
eiteljorg.org/eiteljorg-events/leon-jett-memorial-lecture-zaron-burnett-iii
As a child, Zaron Burnett learned that there’s more to our stories than what we’re taught in schools. Studying Black cowboys expanded his view of Black history and the Black experience. Now an investigative journalist, he explores these themes in his iHeartRadio podcast, “Black Cowboys.” $10-$15.
5. Indiana State Museum Black History Gallery Tour
Feb. 25 & 26 at 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Learn more about the artifacts featured in our museum that are connected to Black history in Indiana. Staff will guide your group through the galleries and discuss artifacts including Madam C.J. Walker’s hair products and artifacts from Black settlements. Registration is required by 5 p.m. the day before the tour.
The Indianapolis arts and culture guide to Black History Month is available now at explore.indyarts.org.