Bronzeville Artist Lofts Present ON-DEMAND DANCE

"Art is Business"

Bronzeville Artist Lofts   Open Studio featured resident dancer- Imania Fatima Detry, “On Demand!”  Come dance with Imani!!!.. In class, you will go on a journey through the beginning of the traditional West African movement and how it relates to the contemporary music played now. Imani has been expanding on her choreography with fusing styles that include Djembe and Doun Dance, Sabar, House, Chicago Footwork, and Afrobeat.

With over 20 years of professional training and performance with Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago as a principal artist and as the Assistant Artistic Director of Ayodele Drum and Dance, she truly enjoys and works in the efforts to preserve African dance and culture as well as share her current experiences and style in her teaching and performing. 

https://lucky-plush-productions.myshopify.com/collections/afro-house-with-imania-fatima-detry

Spoken word artist Binkey, aka Lawrence Tolefree, will host a three-part series on BEATNIKS giving a platform to discuss these critical issues from the perspective of African dance forms.  This can help a person deal with emotional conflicts, become aware of issues, and express unspoken concerns. 

Bronzeville Art Tours. Music therapy is another tool to relieve stress and anxiety and is often played loudly in space activations and activities here at the Bronzeville Artist Lofts, where each collaborative art partner resides.

Event Description; Bronzeville Art District Trolley Tour, August 19th, 2022, 6PM- Bronzeville Artist Lofts, 436 E. 47th Street.

Frank y Louise, An American Novella

Art is Business, Apr 24, 2019, Frank Y Louise, An American Novella

 NICHOLAS CONLON

ILLINOIS

As a Multi-media artist, my ultimate purpose, my ultimate goal, is to entertain. So anything after that is just a plus!

Artist. Fashion Designer. Writer. Actor. Filmmaker. Currently working on abstracts with different tools and media, which include commission works for local Doctor offices, law firms, and private collections. Credits in art also include multiple worldwide private collections. They have shown work at galleries and Satellite Showings in Art Basel, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Colorado, and Chicago. Regional Finalist with the sculpture; "Travel Like The King" for Bombay Sapphire's Artisan Series contest. Award-winning writer, director, and actor. 

Previously worked as an Actor, Director, and Co-writer on several short and feature films. Started pre-production on a new feature film based on past works in theater, short films and features, training industrials, Stand up comedy, Live music, and political graffiti. Studied and trained in theater as an actor receiving B.A. from Southern Illinois University with credits in Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Maarten. Self-published author of 3 poetry books AKA "The last American poet."

Renewal Revival & Remembrance 2022 AAAM Conference

"Art is Business"  I'm attending the 2022 AAAM Conference representing Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum; very excited about the opportunity to attend this year.

MISSION

The Association of African American Museums (AAAM) is a non-profit member organization established to support African and African American-focused museums nationally and internationally, as well as the professionals who protect, preserve and interpret African and African American art, history, and culture.

Established as the single representative and principal voice of the African American museum movement, the Association seeks to strengthen and advocate for the interests of institutions and individuals committed to preserving African-derived cultures.

The services provided by AAAM enhance the ability of those museums to serve the needs and interests of persons of African ancestry and those who wish to know more about the art, history, and culture of African-derived cultures.

HISTORY

AAAM was established to provide professional development and networking opportunities to broadly serve its membership base and African American and diaspora audiences. As a result, the Association has a longstanding success rate of convening leaders, from national and international institutions, around issues of professional development and capacity building, boasting a membership of over 800 individual and institutional members rallying around this worthy cause.

Membership comprises museums, museum professionals, institutions, and individuals who share an interest in African American art, culture, and history. Through training opportunities and member services, AAAM supports the goals of African American museums and museum professionals. The Association includes cultural organizations, historical societies, and museums that collect, preserve, and exhibit objects valuable to art, history, and science, as well as educational institutions, research agencies, and cultural centers.

AAAM works as an advocate for the interests of institutions and individuals committed to the support of African and African-derived cultures. It defines a relationship between the body of such institutions within the national museum community. It seeks to strengthen such institutions through improved communication, shared resources, training, annual conferences, technical assistance, and fundraising guidance. The Association also provides services supportive of the professional needs of its membership.

AAAM shares a common core of knowledge and a sense of purpose with our member institutions to advance the professional and scholarly attainments of our members by supporting opportunities for sound professional preparation, observing high ethical standards, and providing outlets for research and collaboration that foster the improvement of the museum profession.

AAAM FOUNDERS

In the late 1960s, Dr. Margaret Burroughs, founder of the DuSable Museum in Chicago, and Dr. Charles H. Wright, of the Museum of African American History in Detroit initiated a series of conferences for Black museums. In 1978, a consortium of six Black museums, with funding from the National Museum Act (administered by the Smithsonian Institution), presented a series of conferences at participating institutions. The conferences allowed an ad hoc committee to lay the groundwork for yet another organization.

Under the chairmanship of E. Barry Gaither, the committee, prepared by-laws ratified in Detroit in February of 1978. The new organization adopted the name" "African American Museums Association" (AAMA) and elected its first governing council AAMA's’sAAMA's's council AAMA's first office was at the Museum of the National Center for Afro-American Artists in Boston, Massachusetts.

During the General Session of the 1997 AAMA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, the members present voted to change the name t" "Association of African American Museum,"" dissolving the former name of AAMA. Reorganized as the Association of African American Museums (AAAM) in 1998, the organization continued servicing constituents with annual conferences and fellowship opportunities.

Under the leadership of a dedicated volunteer executive director, Willia" "Bi" l" Billingsley, AAAM relocated to the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Ohio and expanded its operations to serve the burgeoning number of new institutions focused on African American content. During this period, the organization set out to provide improved communication (including a website and newsletter), shared resources, professional training, and technical assistance.

In the 2000s and beyond, the Association has focused on identifying the composition and needs of its constituents and the larger African American museum community, aided by the support from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Including a number of projects surveying the Black Museum field and supporting strategic planning for the Association. Continuing its core work and collaborating with the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, AAAM looks forward to future success in furthering and implementing the critical work of institutions and professionals dedicated to preserving and promoting the art, history, and culture of African and African American communities globally.