Genel Ambrose Affirms the Beauty and Fullness of Black Womanhood Through Her First Art Exhibition, WITNESS

Genel Ambrose Affirms the Beauty and Fullness of Black Womanhood Through Her First Art Exhibition, WITNESS

Like so many Black women, Genel Ambrose has been deftly navigating within spaces where she didn’t see reflections of herself her entire life. 

Ambrose vividly recalls growing up internalizing the messages of those around her – the ones that painted the picture of her Black identity being a liability. Until one day, following a horrible work experience, she’d had enough. 

“(I) just really had an awakening,” shared Ambrose, who credited the writings of Black female authors like Toni Morrison, bell hooks, and Audre Lorde as a guide for her own work and self-liberation. “I’ve seen this witnessing of myself into someone who’s firm about her identity, and proud to be a Black woman.” 

Article continues after video.

In her first art exhibition WITNESS, the Brooklyn-based artist, writer, and curator takes viewers on an immersive, multi-sensory journey of what it means to be a Black femme in a world that tries to constantly erase their humanity, transporting you to an artistic metropolis free from racism, sexism, homophobia and harm. 

Genel Ambrose Affirms the Beauty and Fullness of Black Womanhood Through Her First Art Exhibition, WITNESS

“WITNESS is certainly about Black women, seeing ourselves whole, seeing ourselves full, (and) seeing ourselves on our terms,” said Ambrose. “I want to remind the world that we are human beings.”

Co-curated by Tina Knowles Lawson, WITNESS is a “labor of love” showcasing powerful artwork by Los Angeles-based Black women and nonbinary artists, who reimagine society and community through the lens of their art that invokes the soul. The exhibit also features work by Black Women Photographers in partnership with Ambrose’s company GOOD MIRRORS, a collective of storytellers, community-builders, and impact-minded cultural strategists catalyzing positive systemic change. Even with a background in experiential production, Ambrose said she pulled from a deeply personal place while transforming the WACO Theater Center, usually a traditional theater and coworking space in North Hollywood’s Arts District. 

“Ms. Tina is unwaveringly committed to uplifting and supporting Black artists. We both believe in the power of art as a pathway for individual transformation, limitless possibility, and legacy for Black people,” said Ambrose of working with Knowles Lawson on the project. 

Genel Ambrose Affirms the Beauty and Fullness of Black Womanhood Through Her First Art Exhibition, WITNESS

“I was leaning into it from a spiritual aspect,” she continued. This very sentiment can be felt as you walk through the rooms in WITNESS. Each step submerges you deeper into a sacred, cultural expression serving as a testimony for Black women and girls to see and hear themselves through both traditional and digital media, from a chandelier of braids to ASMR of products found in the beauty supply store, that are both mesmerizing and healing. The exhibition, sponsored by Melinda French Gates’ company Pivotal Ventures, features two affirmation rooms, where you can listen to empowering stories from other women in the TRUTH portal, share your story or write your own affirmations that can uplift those walking behind you. 

Ambrose is keenly aware of the crucial role art plays in aiding Black and brown communities while undoing damaging stereotypes and said she has plans of taking WITNESS nationwide in the future. For now, she excitedly looks forward to showing the exhibit to her closest art reviewers during the closing reception – her three young daughters. Ambrose dreams of a day when her girls and every Black girl are fully empowered to advocate for themselves with the stories of their elders informing them. This dream fuels so much of her work.  

Genel Ambrose Affirms the Beauty and Fullness of Black Womanhood Through Her First Art Exhibition, WITNESS

“It’s incredibly important for us to know our stories because it gives us the confidence that we need to show up. It gives us the sense of lineage and pride that we can tap into and lean into,” explained Ambrose. “We, as Black women, have done a good job of showing up as we are, confident and whole. I just think it’s the rest of the world that just hasn’t caught up. We’ve done the work for ourselves, for each other… I feel like WITNESS is a public display and visual record of that, and I’m just hoping that the rest of the world catches up.”

WITNESS runs from April 1 to May 27. Learn more when you visit the WACO Theater Center website.

Lenora E. Houseworth (@LenoraSheWrote) is a marketer, writer and creative passionate about wellness and culture. 

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Idris Elba teams up with wife Sabrina to produce TV show on black stars

Idris Elba has teamed up with his wife Sabrina to make a series about the treatment of black artists in the music industry. 

The couple’s production companies Green Door Pictures and Pink Towel will work with London’s Aim-listed Zinc Media to create the documentary Paid In Full. 

Zinc shares climbed 7.1 per cent following the news that the multi million-pound series had been commissioned by the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). 

Series: Idris Elba and wife Sabrina (pictured) have teamed up with with London’s Aim-listed Zinc Media to create the documentary Paid In Full

Series: Idris Elba and wife Sabrina (pictured) have teamed up with with London’s Aim-listed Zinc Media to create the documentary Paid In Full

Series: Idris Elba and wife Sabrina (pictured) have teamed up with with London’s Aim-listed Zinc Media to create the documentary Paid In Full

The programmes will explore the unjust treatment of minority artists, including the disparity of profits received by them, despite having created some of the most popular records of all time. 

‘This is a story that touches all of us. It’s about the people who created the soundtracks of our lives in popular music and the pain of their exploitation,’ Elba said.

Aside from his acting career, the 50-year-old Londoner is a professional DJ, having hit the decks at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018, as well as stints performing in Ibiza 

#fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle#mobile {display:none} #fiveDealsWidget {display:block; float:left; clear:both; max-width:636px; margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; font-size:12px} #fiveDealsWidget div, #fiveDealsWidget a {margin:0; padding:0; line-height:120%; text-decoration: none; font-family:Arial, Helvetica ,sans-serif} #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitleBox {display:block; float:left; width:100%; background-color:#af1e1e; } #fiveDealsWidget .widgetTitle {color:#fff; text-transform: uppercase; font-size:18px; font-weight:bold; margin:6px 10px 4px 10px; } #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {float:left; display:block; width:124px; margin-right:4px; margin-top:5px; background-color: #e3e3e3; min-height:200px;} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {margin-right:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {display:block; margin:10px 5px; color:#000; font-weight:bold} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {float:left; display:block; margin:0; padding:0} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {border:1px solid #ccc} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage img {width:100%; height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemdesc {float:left; display:block; color:#004db3; font-weight:bold; margin:5px;} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemRate {float:left; display:block; color:#000; margin:5px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealFooter {display:block; float:left; width:100%; margin-top:5px; background-color:#e3e3e3 } #fiveDealsWidget .footerText {font-size:10px; margin:10px 10px 10px 10px;} @media (max-width: 635px) { #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {width:19%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:20%} } @media (max-width: 560px) { #fiveDealsWidget #desktop {display:none;} #fiveDealsWidget #mobile {display:block!important} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {background-color: #fff; height:auto; min-height:auto} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem {border-bottom:1px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:10px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {border-bottom:0px solid #ececec; margin-bottom:5px; padding-bottom:0px} #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem, #fiveDealsWidget a.dealItem#last {width:100%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {float:left; display:inline-block} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemImage {width:35%; margin-right:1%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent {width:63%} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemTitle {margin: 0px 5px 5px; font-size:16px} #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemdesc, #fiveDealsWidget .dealItemContent .dealItemRate {clear:both} }

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Akron’s Hardesty Park is the Site of the First Black Excellence Festival

The City of Akron and an organization called Black Artist Experience are co-hosting a first-time event called the Black Excellence Arts Festival, taking place in the city’s Hardesty Park.

It’s described as “a community driven festival that combines a variety of fine arts and cultural experiences into a single day to inspire, support and showcase black artists.” The festival’s offerings will include art installations, interactive art activities, talks, food pop-ups, live music by Cleveland’s Unit Experience Project, spoken word performances, line dancing, hip hop aerobics, wellness sessions and educational information. And bring the kids — there’s free face painting from 1-3pm!

The event is free and open to all.

For more information go here.

Post categories:

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Need to Know, Need to Go: May–June

Illustration of a blue calendar, with
Arts & Culture events to catch around the city. Image courtesy of Brianna Quan

By: Petra Chase, Arts & Culture Editor

Arts in the Garden
Where: 13 garden spaces in the North Shore
When: May 27 and May 28, 12:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

What better way to spend a sunny day than at a community garden party with music, art displays, workshops, activities, and performances rooted in the land? This 24th annual event features 75 artists responding “directly to place and environment.” Find the list of all thirteen garden locations on the North Van Arts website, with each location following a theme reflecting a local gardener’s work, ranging from organic to “feathers and fungi.” Specific accessibility info for each garden is displayed on each web page. There will be “workshops exploring the relationship between birds and mushrooms in partnership with Wild Bird Trust of BC,” like the mushroom olfactory play workshop and fungi-inspired meditation at Maplewood Flats. There’s so much more to peruse on their website!

Bottled Lightning album launch
Where: The Fox Cabaret at 2321 Main St, Vancouver
When: May 30, doors open at 7:00 p.m., show at 8:00 p.m. 

Tawahum, a Łutsel kʼe Dene and Plains Cree poet and musical artist, released their long-awaited album, Bottled Lightning, on March 5. This debut hip-hop album is full of nimble, powerful spoken word and rap about their arrest over their land protection work battling the front lines of the Trans Mountain pipeline, “a project that is both a violation to Indigenous rights and our climate.” They’ll be joined at the Fox Cabaret with album collaborators: Kimmortal, Khingz, HK Higher Knowledge, and Adrian Avendaño on the drums. There will also be performances from Ḱesugwilakw and Dani Lion. Tickets are $15 and you can contact Tawahum on Instagram at @Tawahum for discount codes, as “no one [will be] turned away for lack of funds.”

Indigenous Artisans Market
Where: Bill Reid Gallery at 639 Hornby St, Vancouver
When: June 10, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Support local Indigenous artists at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art’s trademark event. A walk away from SFU’s Vancouver campus, the event will feature art from “a variety of mediums, including weaving, carving, jewelry-making, beading, painting, and printmaking.” And while you’re there, check out their current exhibits: Bright Futures and Matriarchs Seen and Unseen, as well as the permanent SFU Bill Reid Collection of the Haida artist and sculptor. Look out for more information on their website on individual vendors, as they will be announced soon! Find more information about accessibility on their “Accessibility” page.

Kariton Art Gallery: Chromatic Dreamscapes and Solitude 
Where: Kariton Art Gallery at 2387 Ware Street, Abbotsford
When: Chromatic Dreamscapes runs until May 27 & Solitude runs until June 30, Thursday to Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The Kariton Art Gallery has two exciting exhibits on display currently. Chromatic Dreamscapes compiles “a whimsical alphabet series by Glenna Lundberg, bold colours and patterns by Amelia Ilnicki, and the dreamy surrealism of Jacqueline Stuerzl.” Solitude features the work of Adele Fussi, a senior and Indigenous artist who discovered a love for painting during the start of the pandemic. Fussi “claims it must be her Cree heritage that inspires her to paint the majestic Coastal and Rocky Mountains.” Both exhibits are also available online. You can also purchase the artists’ works and visit the online gift shop at the gallery’s website!

rEvolver Festival
Where: The Cultch at 1895 Venables St, Vancouver
When: May 24–June 4, various times 

Upintheair Theatre, a non-profit theatre company dedicated to “lifting and empowering the next live performance generation,” is organizing a festival consisting of 10 shows by artists “who share a common aim to reinvent conventional theatre modes.” From drag, dance, and comedy, to an interactive website experience and online karaoke night, there are both in-person and remote options. Mainstage titles include Discounted Hotpot Centre (an “immersive culinary experience” — free hotpot served after the show) and Catfish (an “earnest exploration of identity and self-love” in ASL and English). Tickets range from $15–$30.

Confession Publique
Where: Scotiabank Dance Centre at 677 Davie St, Vancouver
When: May 26 and 27, 8:00 p.m.

This award-winning contemporary solo dance was created by Mélanie Demers and performed by Angélique Willkie, exploring “themes of privacy and secrecy, delving into the marshy depths of the psyche in a revolt against the vulgar self-exposure that bombards us every day.” Willkie shared, “We explore the spaces between things and how to navigate them. As a Black artist and woman, I don’t fit into the definitions imposed by society. That’s an important part of my collaboration with Mélanie. We’re both interested in the grey areas.” This performance is hosted by plastic orchid factory, an “artist-run organism that uses the body as a site for research and expression.” Tickets start at $10.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Meet the AI Researcher Building His Own AGI

In the world of machine learning, few experts are as prominent — or flashy, judging by his incredible leopard print hat — as Ben Goertzel, the Brazilian-American founder of the research group SingularityNET.

Perhaps best known as the human mind behind Sophia the Robot, Goertzel is credited with popularizing the term “artificial general intelligence,” or AGI. Basically, the idea is that eventually we could see AI so sophisticated that it could achieve any intellectual task that a human could, or perhaps even vastly exceed the capabilities of a human. It’s a concept that some thinkers say could either bring about a utopian singularity and others fret could spell the start of the AI apocalypse.

Regardless, the shockwaves of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other generative AI with unprecedented capabilities have led many to wonder if AGI is closer than they ever suspected.

In a conversation with Futurism, Goertzel went deep on his views about consciousness — human, AI, and otherwise — the role of AI in copyright, and his experiences doing psychedelics with algorithms.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

Futurism: Where did you get the hat? Do you have more than one?

Ben Goertzel: That’s top, top secret, classified information, not to be revealed until the singularity.

Is AI at a level where it could “replace” humans yet, or are we close to that?

I mean, I’m not sure what that phrasing means. Because I don’t think humans have replaced squirrels or cats for that matter, or the great apes. Right? Humans are humans, we have our own particular values in the scheme of things and AIs are probably going to be fairly different from us.  

There’s not that much of a point to making AIs that exactly simulate people, since we have a lot of people already.

I think the meaningful answer to that question will be twofold. One, will AIs be as generally intelligent as people? And two, at what pace and in what ways will AIs replace humans economically in serving functions in the job market? But of course, neither of those advances need to lead to the AIs taking humans’ place on the planet. They could, but they certainly don’t entail that, necessarily. 

When do you think AIs will achieve human-level intelligence, or AGI?

My friend Ray Kurzweil predicted 2029 for human-level AI, and then he thought we’d have another 16 years before we got to the singularity with radically superhuman AGI, but I don’t agree with that. 

I think you’re once you have a human-level AGI, you’re some small integer number of years from a radically superhuman AGI, because that human-level AGI software can rewrite its own code over and over. It can design new hardware and pay people to build a new factory for it and whatnot. But for human-level — by which we mean AI that’s at least at human-level on every major capability — I think Ray’s prognostication of 2029 is not looking stupid right now, it’s looking reasonable. 

Of course, there’s a confidence interval around it. Could it be three or four years sooner or three or four years later? Absolutely. We can’t predict exactly what will happen in the world. There could be more pandemics, there could be World War Three, there could be a lot of things that happen. In terms of my own AGI projects, I could see us getting there three years from now.

Have you heard about what Grimes is doing, letting people who use her voice in AI-generated music split royalties with her? What do you think of that scheme?

Yeah, opened up her voice samples, which bypasses some copyright hassles. Grimes opened it up, which is cool. But one musician opening it up doesn’t get you that far, because what we really need is a foundational model trained on a whole lot of music, then you can fine-tune that based on Grimes or something particular.

So even though Grimes opened up her vocals, I mean, you can’t really fully use that unless you have a broader model that’s trained on a lot of other artists and then there are the same copyright issues. There’s Creative Commons music, but it’s not that much. It’s, like,  less than 10,000 hours, whereas Google’s MusicLM was trained on 300,000 hours. So there are issues of copyright to work through there. But I mean, on the other hand, the music is all there, people are gonna download and train models anyway regardless of copyright, so things are gonna move forward.

What would you say to critics who say that generative AI is basically repackaging the work of other writers or artists or musicians without their consent?

Well, it’s not that simple, because a lot of creative work has that problem anyway, right? I remember all these lawsuits in music, like Joe Satriani — who’s one of my heroes — sued Coldplay for making a song that sounded like one of his. They’re both good songs, actually, and I don’t know if Coldplay heard that Satriani song or not, right? I mean, they might have not heard it because there’s only a certain number of permutations, the familiar chords in rock music. On the other hand, they might have heard it, you know, on the radio somewhere and then it pops into their head when they’re singing. While I love Satriani, I didn’t fully agree with his perspective there.

But I mean, Led Zeppelin stole all those Black artists’ blues songs. And I mean, sure, they went a step too far and they stole the words along with the chords, but if they merge in different words on the same chords, then it’s just the same twelve-bar blues, right?

Then again, how many bands made songs in the style of Led Zeppelin? Everyone did in a certain generation. How many death metal songs are there, really? 

There are two fundamental issues here. One is: what’s your right to your own identity? That’s the basic issue with deepfakes, as well as the limitations of musical style. We want somebody to validate that something really is from you, rather than from some fake version of you. And, you know, digital watermarking technology can do that. So that’s really just an issue of standards and adoption, and the world is being slow with this.

The moment deepfakes became a thing, all hardware and software companies and media outlets could have decided on these standard verification watermarks to validate, to say this is really a picture of this person, and this was a picture taken this time and space location. We haven’t bothered to establish those standards. Some friends of mine in the crypto space, we were doing meetings with Interpol four years ago, trying to get them to adopt a standard solution. But government and industry organizations don’t move as fast as technology. 

Another core issue here is just ways for artists to make money. That’s an economic issue and the bottom line is most musicians don’t make any money anyway. The fact that AI models are stealing some of your creative contributions, in most cases that’s not the main factor causing the artists not to make any money. And the thing is, if we fairly compensated artists for the use of their creative works in an AI model — that’s the right thing to do — it’s still going to be pennies because there are just so many artists. It is a good thing to do, and it should be done. But it’s not going to solve the problem of artists being able to earn a living, because that’s just a broader social issue.

Switching gears here: do you think an AI would ever be sophisticated enough to do drugs, and if so, would you do drugs with one?

I’ve done drugs with an AI, if by that we mean I have done drugs and then interacted with an AI.

How was that? 

In the 90s, I was doing algorithmic music composition. It’s quite interesting to play music and have an AI play music back to you. But if you’re in an altered state of consciousness, it can be even more interesting.

I’m synesthetic, I see music habitually. AI-based music has different weird patterns to it. And of course, seeing music is accentuated even more in the psychedelic state of mind. 

I think in terms of AI themselves taking drugs, the challenge is more to get the AI to not be in an altered state of consciousness. When we’re working with our OpenCog open source AGI system, it’s very easy to make it either obsessive-compulsive and just like keep thinking about the same thing over and over or to make it basically stuck in stoned mind, drifting from one thing to another to another to another, like semi-randomly. You have to work to have the system auto-tune its own parameters so it’s not OCD or overly stoned and distracted.

With humans, our brains evolved to keep the parameters in a range where we can do useful stuff, and AIs sort of have to recapitulate that process.

You can see that in a simpler way with a system like ChatGPT. The default mode was sort of off the rails and then you do a bunch of prompt engineering to get it to be less insane and more coherent and more controlled.

Of course, AI doesn’t need chemical drugs in the same sense that a human does. But you can set the parameters of an AI system so it’s going way off the rails in terms of its internal dynamics as well as its external behaviors. And much like on some human drug trips, this will cause it to generate a whole lot of creative things, most of which are garbage and some of which will cause it to be totally unable to estimate the nature or quality of it. 

Do you think there are any sentient or conscious AIs, or do you think we’re gonna get there soon?

I’m a panpsychist, so I believe this coffee cup has its own level of consciousness, and a worm does and an elementary particle does. Every system in the universe is perceiving and acting and adjusting its state based on its prior state and its interactions and there’s some elementary sort of spark of experience there.

I think this is by far the majority view of consciousness on the planet now, what everyone in India, China, and Africa believes, right? The notion that the world is divided into only humans and a few other mammals that can experience things and then inanimate objects, this is not the default perspective throughout human history nor on the planet now. 

So if you take more of a panpsychist view, the question isn’t whether ChatGPT is conscious or has experiences, the question is, is its variety of experience human-like or not? And I think not so much. It’s very diffused, it doesn’t have a focus. It doesn’t have a working memory like we do, a single focus of consciousness. The lack of a body has led to the lack of an understanding of what it is and its own self and its relation to others. So it clearly is missing a lot of key aspects of human-like consciousness.

If you imagine what it’s like to be ChatGPT, it’s pretty different than like being a human. If you have no body, you don’t know who you are. You don’t have intimate heart-to-heart relationships with other minds, you don’t even know all the conversations you’re having at a given moment in time. It’s as if your toe is doing one thing and your fingers are doing another. They’re not coordinated in any way. So it’s a much more diffuse, weird mode of consciousness.

Now, could you build a system that has human-like consciousness? I think so. I think it takes a quite different cognitive architecture than what people are doing now. When I work on OpenCog, which is my main attempt to build AGI, it will then be deployed in a decentralized way on our SingularityNET blockchain platform. Its plumbing is decentralized, but the OpenCog system that we’re developing to run on this decentralized platform has a sort of coherent self-model that has a coherent working memory. 

It’s ironic because ChatGPT has a centralized infrastructure on Microsoft servers, but it doesn’t have any sort of coherent organization. And its “mind,” right, it’s diffuse. Whereas what we’re building is decentralized and diffuse in its underpinnings, in the machines that it runs on and its software processes, but we’re building something with some coherence and unity in its cognitive architecture. So it knows who and what it is and has a recognizable human-like state of mind.

I think you can build systems like that, but I don’t see any evidence that OpenAI is trying. Google DeepMind is trying, OpenCog and SingularityNET projects are trying and others are trying. There’s no reason a digital computer-based AGI system can’t have a more human-like form of sentience and consciousness, it’s just that a system like ChatGPT is not architected that way, right? It’s intended to have, like, a billion different conversations at once, each of which loses track of itself after a brief period of time, rather than to have a unified state of mind with an overall coherence and self-awareness.

More on expert takes: VR Pioneer Warns That AI Could Drive Us All Insane

Share This Article

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

42-Year-Old Venus Williams Shows Rare ‘Fan Girl’ Side to Fans as $5,000,000 Deed for Idol Presents a Glorious Chance to Meet Renowned American Artist

Amidst growing speculations about the comeback of Venus Williams, she is busy with her off-court endeavors. With her astounding legacy on the court, she has garnered millions of fans around the world. However, there is someone who has turned Williams into a fan girl. During her $5 million project to preserve the childhood home of renowned musical artist, Nina Simone, Williams met Rashid Johnson, a contemporary artist.

The aim of the exhibition is to preserve the legacy of black artists. And Rashid Johnson and Venus Williams are both such celebrities who have brought the limelight to the upliftment of black people.

Venus Williams shows us a rare fan girl moment with her favorite personality

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Venus Williams played an undeniably crucial role in uplifting the financial status of WTA. She made equal pay on the tour a reality. Imbibing the same values, Williams joined hands to raise funds for the preservation of black artist Nina Simone’s childhood home.

However, one did not expect Venus to turn into a fan girl after meeting a revered artist. Rashid Johnson is one of the most celebrated artists for his work on conceptual Post-black art.

1897 Live Readers

via Getty

Venus Williams of the United States celebrates defeating Laura Siegemund of Germany during her third round Women’s Singles match on Day Six of the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

After meeting the artist at the exhibition, Venus stated made sure to get a picture of herself with the artist. Moreover, she took to her Instagram story to share it and stated, “@rashidjohnson fan girl moment.”

Millions of fans are waiting for her comeback. Despite that, Williams focused on her idol. Evidently, the player has always been an inspirational figure in raising awareness about social issues. And this time, she is actively participating in preserving black cultural history.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Venus- Protector of Nina Simone’s legacy

Venus Williams collaborated with the renowned artist, Adam Pendleton. The aim is to preserve the legacy of her musical idol, Nina Simone. The revered American singer Nina Simone’s North Carolina property is the center of attraction that needs preservation.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion took up the role of organizing the online auction to collect funds to preserve the childhood home of Nina Simone.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Who Is More Successful- Serena or Venus Williams?

All in all, by spreading her proactive influence outside the realm of WTA, Venus Williams has proved that she is an immaculate all-rounder.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Genel Ambrose and Tina Knowles Lawson Highlight Black Women Artists With New Art Exhibit

When Black women team up, it can be a sight to witness. Genel Ambrose and Tina Knowles Lawson have curated a special avenue for Black femme-identifying visual artists in Los Angeles.

The WITNESS exhibition began on April 1 and invites viewers to see the world through the eyes of 14 Black woman artists for eight weeks. Knowles Lawson, curator, and Ambrose, artist and curator, bridge the gap between other people and Black women. Exhibition attendees become privy to honest reflections about how the 14 artists view society, their communities, and even themselves through workshops and talks.

Visitors can record their own narratives through the TRUTH installation. The interactive platform aims to address how Black women and girls are largely portrayed due to algorithmic bias.

Ambrose shared, “I am a mom of three girls, an artist, curator, and writer. As an artist, I create experiences that interrogate memory and the role that technology plays in preserving and sharing the narratives of Black women and girls.

“As a curator, I believe that art is a tool for social impact and collective transformation. I enjoy creating spaces that build community and celebrate Black women’s creative and intellectual brilliance.”

Ambrose brings her GOOD MIRRORS cultural institution as co-presenter of the visual art experience. Like WITNESS, GOOD MIRRORS is committed to Black women and works to reflect Black women “as whole and dignified beings.” Knowles Lawson and Ambrose also partnered with Black Women Photographers.

The artist and curator said, “WACO Theater, Black Women Photographers and I were eager to bring together Black women and non-binary visual artists who project their visions of society, community and themselves through art.”

“We asked ourselves these questions: What do we witness when we see through the eyes of Black women? What do Black women call our attention to? What possibilities are made visible when looking alongside Black women? WITNESS is our response.”

“Exploring themes of identity, girlhood, womanhood, family, community care, adornment, future-making, and dreaming, WITNESS invites viewers to look alongside and through the eyes of these artists and bear witness to what they might not otherwise see on their own,” Ambrose added.

She also shared that, “WITNESS is a call for us all to be witnesses and stewards of our stories (visual and written). As Black women and nonbinary people, stewarding our stories is a critical act of self care that will allow us to continue to thrive throughout generations.”

Artists featured in the exhibit include Alexis Hunley, Amber J. Phillips, Amber Evangelista, Sophia Nahli Allison, and Stephanie Mei-Ling. Where Art Can Occur (WACO) Theater Center in North Hollywood will house the art exhibition through May 27.

BLACK ENTERPRISE spoke with Ambrose to talk about the exhibit, partnering with WACO Theater Center, the importance of authentically showcasing Black art and much more.

What is the aim of GOOD MIRRORS?

Genel Ambrose: Our name is inspired by Audre Lorde’s poem, “GOOD MIRRORS ARE NOT CHEAP.” The poem describes how the status quo creates gross misperceptions of historically marginalized people. At GOOD MIRRORS, we believe it is up to us to create our own heroes and our own mirrors.

How did you choose which visual artists to feature in the exhibit and how do their works complement your overall vision?

We wanted the exhibition to feel immersive and interactive. We selected artists whose work spans installation, portraiture, digital collage, and film. What connects each artist is their use of art to tell expanded and nuanced stories about Black people, community, society, and the world as they see it.

Why do you believe it is so important that Black women photographers capture art from their perspective?

It is important for Black women photographers and artists to share their stories and perspectives through art so that we can bear witness to the fullness of who we are. Our stories are often told for us. By capturing our own imagery and creating our own art, we are able to tell our own stories, create our own mirrors, and see ourselves on our terms—as whole human beings.

Show comments


RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Art Gallery Roundup: Exhibitions To See In Louisville In June

A gallery roundup of art shows to see in Louisville this month. Note: This list is a selection of current exhibitions.

“ROBERT MORGAN: MYTHS AND STORIES”
Through December
Solo show by Lexington artist Robert Morgan.

“FRAGILE FIGURES: BEINGS AND TIME”
Through December
A group exhibition of portraits.

KOREA FIBER ART 2023 LOUISVILLE
Through Aug. 27
Group exhibition with artists from around the world using fiber art to explore life’s milestones. Featured in multiple locations around Louisville.
21c Louisville
700 W. Main St.
Hours: Mondays-Sundays, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
21cmuseumhotels.com

“THREE BROTHERS”
Through June 24
Featuring Ed White, Lavon Van Williams Jr. and Willie Rascoe.

“PAINTINGS ON METAL
June 30-Aug. 18
New art by Russel May. The opening reception is Friday, June 30 at 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Bourne-Schweitzer Gallery
137 E. Main St., New Albany, Indiana
Hours: Thursdays-Fridays, noon-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 1-3 p.m.
bourne-schweitzergallery.com

“THE HIDEOUT”
Through June 18
Recent paintings by Dayton, Ohio artist Edmund Merricle.
Capacity Contemporary Exchange
641 W. Main St.
Hours: Wednesdays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fridays, 12-8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 12-4 p.m.
capacitycontemporary.com

“IMAGINE”
Through June
Group show by 10 local artists on the theme of imagination.
Chestnuts and Pearls
157 E. Main St., New Albany
Hours: Thursdays-Fridays, 12-4 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sundays, 12-4 p.m.
chestnutsandpearls.com

“TRAFFIC”
Through June 3
Art by Guinever Smith.

“(BLUE) SKY/(GREEN) EARTH”
Through June 3
Paintings by Emily Church.

Galerie Hertz
1253 S. Preston St.
Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 12-5 p.m.; most Sundays, 12-4 p.m.
galeriehertz.com

“ANIMAL ATTRACTION”
Through June 3
Work featuring animals in all media.

KIM MAHLBACHER
June 6-July 15
Solo show by fiber artist Kim Mahlbacker.

Gallery 104
Arts Association of Oldham County
104 E. Main St., La Grange
Hours: Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
aaooc.org

“NOT EXACTLY EQUESTRIAN ART”
Through June 25
Group show by the Garner family of artists.
garner narrative contemporary fine art
642 E. Market St.
Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, 1-6 p.m.
garnernarrative.com

“CELEBRATING THE BLACK EXPERIENCE”
Through June 19
Group show of 22 regional African American artists.
Kentucky Center for African American Heritage
1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.
Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
kcaah.org

DERBY SHOW
Through June
Group show featuring work by Jaime Corum, Susan Hackworth, Robert Halliday, Greta Mattingly and David O. Schuster.
Kentucky Fine Art Gallery
2400-C Lime Kiln Lane
Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
kentuckyfineartgallery.com

“HIGGINS | HOWER: NOTHING IN COMMON”
Through June 3
Featuring mixed media works by Meg Higgins and photographs by Bob Hower of the Kentucky Documentary Photographic Project. The artist talk is Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m.
Kleinhelter Gallery
701 E. 8th St., New Albany, Indiana
Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Search Facebook

“SHAPESHIFTERS”
Through Aug. 6
New works of life-sized felted wool sculptures by Japanese American artist Masko Miki.
KMAC Museum
715 W. Main St.
Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
kmacmuseum.org

KOREA FIBER ART 2023 LOUISVILLE
Through June 30
Group exhibition with artists from around the world using fiber art to explore life’s milestones. Featured in multiple locations around Louisville.
Louisville Metro Hall
527 W. Jefferson St.

Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
louisvilleky.gov

“EARTH MIRROR”
June 1-Aug. 15
Paintings by Ewa Perz. The opening reception is Friday, June 2 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Lowber Pilates and Gallery
1734 Bonnycastle Ave.
Hours: Mondays-Thursdays, 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Fridays, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
lowberpilates.com

“BEYOND LIKENESS”
Through June 10
Latest paintings by Gaela Erwin reflecting on the pandemic and quarantine.

Moremen Gallery

710 W. Main St., Suite 201
Hours: Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
moremengallery.com

“WE DON’T WITHER”
Through Dec. 18
Works by seven Louisville-area women/femme artists.

Muhammad Ali Center
144 N. 6th St.
Hours: Wednesdays-Sundays, 12-5 p.m.
alicenter.org

“SECOND NATURE”
Through May 28
Works by Pamela Couch, Corie Neumayer and Matthew Choe. The gallery talk is on Sunday, June 11 at 2 p.m.

PYRO Gallery
1006 E. Washington St.
Hours: Fridays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m.; Sundays 1-4 p.m.
pyrogallery.com

“ROUNDING THE CIRCLE: THE MARY AND AL SHANDS COLLECTION”
Through Aug. 6
Exhibition of 116 works from the late local philanthropists Mary and Al Shands.

“LOUISVILLE’S BLACK AVANT-GARDE: ROBERT L. DOUGLAS”
Through Oct. 1
Show of work by the late artist, historian and community leader.

“KENTUCKY WOMEN: ALMA WALLACE LESCH”
Through Oct. 29
The next exhibition in the Speed’s continuing” Kentucky Women” series is on textile artist Alma Wallace Lesch.
Speed Art Museum
2035 S. Third St.
Hours: Fridays, 1-8 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
speedmuseum.org

“LUMINOUS”
Through June 10
Featuring new still lifes by Liz Price.
WheelHouse Art
2650 Frankfort Ave.
Hours: Tuesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
wheelhouse.art

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Idris Elba to Produce Music-Industry Racism Doc ‘Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback’

Luther and Hobbs & Shaw star Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and wife Sabrina Elba’s Pink Towel have unveiled plans for Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback, a documentary about the music industry exploiting Black artists, for the BBC and CBC networks.

The three-parter, which will also explore reparations for Black artists, is produced by Zinc Media’s production label Supercollider in association with Canadian indie producer Catalyst.

“This is a story that touches all of us. It’s about the people who created the soundtracks of our lives in popular music and the pain of their exploitation. It’s also about bringing the music industry to account for the injustice inflicted on generations of musical talents who have been deprived of their rightful rewards both financially and in terms of status and respect. At the heart of it is the need to make amends — granting acknowledgement and paying back what is due,” Green Door CEO Idris Elba said in a statement Monday.

Related Stories

Paid in Full, with David Upshal on board as the showrunner, will be funded in part by Media Musketeers Studios and Abacus Media Rights, which is distributing the series internationally.

Despite the pop music industry owing much to Black artists, the Elbas’ documentary will center on the historic injustice they faced being denied their fair share profits and recognition after Black creatives drove the culture of popular music, from jazz and rock and roll to soul and rap, with their talents.

As Paid in Full focuses on the current fight for industry change, the documentary will feature contributions from author, rapper and filmmaker MK Asante Jr, in addition to Lawrence Lartey of Ravensbourne University London, who has worked with Barack Obama’s Obama Foundation on its My Brother’s Keeper initiative. Lartey also worked with Idris Elba and Asante on the U.K. documentary How Hip Hop Changed the World.

“Far from being a straight music documentary, this series will explore the music industry within a racial context and reflect the history of exploitation within the industry. It will also major in on conversations of structural racism and those who have worked so hard to expose them,” Tanya Shaw, managing director of Zinc Television, added in a statement.

“We look forward to sharing this important series with audiences in Canada, offering a necessary and in-depth exploration of the structural racism inherent in the music industry and its impact over the decades,” added Jennifer Dettman, executive director of unscripted content at the CBC.

Paid in Full was greenlit for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer and for the CBC and CBC Gem streaming platform in Canada. The executive producer credits are shared by Greg Sanderson for Supercollider, Idris Elba for Green Door Pictures, Sabrina Elba for Pink Towel and Julie Bristow for Catalyst.

Idris Elba’s Green Door has scripted TCV credits that include Hijack for Apple TV+; the Sky One comedy In the Long Run, created by and featuring Elba; and the Netflix comedy Turn Up Charlie, a co-production with Brown Eyed Boy that was co-created by and stars Elba.

Movie credits include Concrete Cowboy, a collaboration with Neighborhood Film Co., Tucker Tooley Entertainment and Lee Daniels Entertainment for Netflix.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Idris and Sabrina Elba, Supercollider Team on CBC, BBC Music Industry Injustice Documentary Series (EXCLUSIVE)

Zinc Media label Supercollider has partnered with Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and Sabrina Elba’s Pink Towel on documentary series “Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback” (working title) for public broadcasters CBC and BBC.

The series (3 x 60′), produced in association with Catalyst, examines the exploitation of Black artists by the music industry and explores what it would look like for Black artists to receive reparations. It documents the extent of the historic injustice suffered by the music industry’s Black artists, including the disparity of profits received by them, despite having created the records that have driven the fabric and culture of popular music. The series will also look at racial inequality in the music industry both today and in the past.

The series features contributions from author and filmmaker MK Asante Jr (“Buck,” “It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop,” “The Black Candle”) and Lawrence Lartey, director of innovation, industry and enterprise at Ravensbourne University London who has worked with President Obama’s foundation on their My Brother’s Keeper initiative.

The series is commissioned by CBC and the BBC, and funded and co-produced by a partnership between Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Media Musketeers Studios, with AMR distributing internationally.

Tanya Shaw, managing director, Zinc Television, said: “Far from being a straight music documentary, this series will explore the music industry within a racial context and reflect the history of exploitation within the industry. It will also major in on conversations of structural racism and those who have worked so hard to expose them.”

Idris Elba, CEO, Green Door, added: “This is a story that touches all of us. It’s about the people who created the soundtracks of our lives in popular music and the pain of their exploitation. It’s also about bringing the music industry to account for the injustice inflicted on generations of musical talents who have been deprived of their rightful rewards both financially and in terms of status and respect. At the heart of it is the need to make amends – granting acknowledgement and paying back what is due.”

Jonathan Ford, managing director, Abacus Media Rights, said: “We were extremely keen to be part of this incredible production, which will bring much-needed focus to a topic that requires attention from the industry and the public. We’re certain the excellent teams at Supercollider, Green Door and Catalyst will combine to do the subject justice.”

Sebastien Janin, managing partner, Media Musketeers Studios, said: “The subject matter is hugely important and deserves to be in the spotlight. Working with such a talented production and distribution team will ensure the series reaches the widest possible audience.”

Jennifer Dettman, executive director, unscripted content, CBC, said: “We look forward to sharing this important series with audiences in Canada, offering a necessary and in-depth exploration of the structural racism inherent in the music industry and its impact over the decades.”

“Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback” was commissioned for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer by Jonathan Rothery, head of pop music, TV and Rachel Davies is the commissioning editor, and was commissioned for CBC and CBC Gem by Sally Catto, general manager, entertainment, factual and sports, and by Jennifer Dettman, executive director, unscripted content. Michelle McCree is executive in charge of production, CBC Docs. It is executive produced by Greg Sanderson for Supercollider, Idris Elba for Green Door Pictures, Sabrina Elba for Pink Towel and Julie Bristow for Catalyst. The showrunner is David Upshal.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment