STATE OF THE ARTS: A CREATIVE CONVENING ON ART, CULTURE, AND JUSTICE

Presented & Hosted by Lasana D. Kazembe, Ph.D.

Thursday, April 25
6-8 PM

Please note:
*This is a community event, not a Cabaret performance.

*There will be no dinner service. A cash bar will be available. 

*The views expressed by guests, panelists, and facilitators are their own, and their appearance in the program does not imply an endorsement by The Cabaret of them or any entity they represent. 

This panel discussion, inspired by Amiri Baraka’s ideas concerning the generative and transformative power of art to provoke social change and create a new vision for the nation, focuses on highlighting interconnections between art and culture as vehicles to generate public discourse, stimulate civic engagement, and promote social justice and healing.

Presented by Lasana D. Kazembe, Ph.D., State of the Arts is a landmark creative convening that explores the role of the arts in the constructions of culture, community, public discourse, and social justice. State of the Arts features stakeholders from the fields of arts management, music, academia, philanthropy, and social justice. The event features a diverse panel of practitioners whose discussion will center on artistic exploration, social engagement, arts entrepreneurship, and advocacy.

The convening takes its conceptual inspiration from Amiri Baraka’s classic essay “Cultural Revolution and the Literary Canon” (Callaloo Journal, 1991), emphasizing the transformative power of art and culture to create a new vision for the nation. As Baraka wrote: “There is no life or culture, no art or philosophy separated from the whole expression of human life and being on the planet. There is no way to measure ideas’ usefulness except in the crucible of real life. Art is the social life of humanity, and its philosophical expression is the ideological reflection of human life. To devalue it is to devalue creativity.”

Understanding the relationship between art and culture and the struggle for justice requires an advanced state of artistic vision, cultural organizing, and social acuity, particularly during periods of turmoil. The State of the Arts convening explores the power and necessity of the arts and cultural representation to promote civic health, enlarge social boundaries, and drive constructive social change. This event is an opportunity for artists, curators, patrons, and stakeholders of all kinds to connect, explore, and discuss art, culture, and belonging from multiple disciplinary perspectives.

ABOUT LASANA D. KAZEMBE, Ph.D.
Lasana D. Kazembe, Ph.D. is an award-winning poet, educator, and critical Black scholar whose work examines culture, race, history, the arts, and the social context of education. In his research and teaching, Dr. Kazembe explores the ‘lost-found’ sacred epistemologies (i.e., history, expressive forms, imaginaries, folklore, futurities) of Africana peoples and situates them as sites of memory, critical pedagogy, cultural production, and social action. A major aspect of his work examines the history, political thrusts, aesthetic foundations, and audiopolitics of 20th-century Global Black Arts Movements. Dr. Kazembe is an Associate Professor in the IUPUI School of Education and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the IUPUI Africana Studies Program. He also served as the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for The Cabaret. His newest project is Paul Robeson: Man of the People, a jazz poetry opera that explores the life, activism, and artistic legacy of Paul Robeson.

GENERAL INFORMATION
6:00p – 6:20 PM: Welcome + introductions, Grounding (i.e., unpacking the theme)
6:20p – 7:20 PM: Panel discussion (centering the theme)
7:20p – 8:00 PM: Audience Q&A

PANELISTS
• Keesha Dixon (Asante Arts Institute of Indianapolis)
• Jason Kelly (IU Indy professor and director of the IU Indy Arts and Humanities Institute)
• Rob Dixon (musician and arts educator)
• Richard ‘Sleepy’ Floyd (Inspire Studio)
• David Allee (The Jazz Kitchen)
• Judith Thomas (Indianapolis Deputy Mayor)
• Julie Goodman (Arts Council of Indianapolis)
• Jim Walker (Big Car Collaborative)
• Lasana D. Kazembe (moderator)