FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 29, 2020 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 41
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Black artists honor Louis Armstrong’s legacy in
video series for the jazz icon’s Corona museum
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
aacevedo@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
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.
Th e integrative video series began on
Oct. 5 and will continue through Dec.
31. Armstrong Now provides museum
quality 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 fi lmmaker
Ben Stamper and artistic producer Jake
Goldbas, created original short fi lms
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 Goldbas, 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 fi nd 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. Th e 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 fi gure 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
Photos courtesy of Louis Armstrong House Museum
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.”
Th e 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.
Th e museum’s backdrop in each of the
short fi lms 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. See the awe-inspiring trailer
here:
Regina Bain, the new executive director
of LAHM, has a mission to uphold
the museum’s dedication to serving its
community with accessible, familyfriendly
arts and education through new
programs like Armstrong Now.
“Th rough 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. “Th ere 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
refl ect the issues of today and their own
artistic values.”
For more information, visitwww.louisarmstronghouse.
org.
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