Black artists team up to honor jazz icon’s legacy
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | OCT. 23-OCT. 29, 2020 7
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
Contemporary Black artists have
come together to create new, breathtaking
work in response to iconic jazz singer
songwriter Louis Armstrong’s legacy
through a video series that will culminate
in live online discussions, as part
of Louis Armstrong House Museum’s
(LAHM) new program, Armstrong Now.
The integrative video series began
on Oct. 5 and will continue through Dec.
31. Armstrong Now provides museumquality
programming that promotes equity,
access and inclusion to a wider audience
outside of the museum’s Corona
community.
Four groups of renowned contemporary
artists, with the help of filmmaker
Ben Stamper and artistic producer Jake
Goldbas, created original short films
exploring their respective art forms —
from spoken word to dance — inspired
by the newly digitized archives of Louis
Armstrong and the LAHM research
collections.
Each piece is meant to reacquaint audiences
with Louis Armstrong’s legacy.
Armstrong Now was initially brought
forth by Kenyon Adams, former director
of LAHM, and turned into a reality
by Jake Goldblas, artistic director of
programs at LAHM.
“I am humbled and energized by what
we all achieved in this debut season of
Armstrong Now,” said Goldbas. “In 2020,
when we find ourselves in a calamitous
landscape, the digitized Armstrong Archives
and home provide a lens and perspective
for some of the world’s leading
artists to show us the way through this.
The magic that was created based on our
research collections shows us the Armstrongs
of today and tomorrow.”
Notable Black artists delve into Armstrong’s
repertoire and what he represents
to culture in the series, including
Naomi Extra, Melanie Charles, Kayla
Farrish, Alita Mose, Vuyo Sotashe, Michael
Mayo, Nêgah Santos, Martha Nichols,
Christian Sands, Daniel J. Watts,
Derrick Baskin, Brett Williams and
Braxton Cook.
“Armstrong Now is an initiative that
is not only timely but necessary,” said
Martha Nichols, a prominent figure in
the world of dance, who has performed
everywhere from the Oscars and Cirque
du Soleil to “La La Land” and a Rihanna
tour. “Understanding the parallels in cultural
discourse between today and during
Louis’ life, this initiative is a beautiful
look into the humanity of the cultural
and musical icon Louis Armstrong,
while strengthening the connection with
black artists of this generation.”
Their work responds to his while encapsulating
their own journey as artists.
The collaborations, featuring a variety
of art disciplines that synthesize into
one cohesive body of work, were filmed
in and around the LAHM.
The Louis Armstrong House Museum
& Archives is a National Historic
Landmark and a New York City landmark,
located at 34-56 107th St. in Corona,
Queens.
The museum’s backdrop in each of
the short films allows viewers to revel
in the beauty of the artists’ work while
appreciating the deep history of the
museum. New programming will be released
each week.
Regina Bain, the new executive director
of LAHM, has a mission to uphold the
museum’s dedication to serving its community
with accessible, family-friendly
arts and education through new programs
like Armstrong Now.
“Through Armstrong Now, established
artists of every discipline who
know Louis can delve deep into his archives
and create new work based on
their experiences,” said Bain. “There is
also a generation of artists whose work is
deeply connected to Louis Armstrong but
they don’t know it yet. Armstrong Now
will bring them in intimate proximity to
his legacy and give them the opportunity
to learn, to interpret and to respond in
ways that reflect the issues of today and
their own artistic values.”
For more information, visit www.
louisarmstronghouse.org.
Photo courtesy of Louis Armstrong House Museum
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