because of this
is an exhibition + performance series that reclaims space and centers the work of local and regional contemporary artists of the African Diaspora, while purposefully building a multidisciplinary peer network for Black, Indigenous, and artists of color in the Midwest region. Charlotte Street Foundation will serve as a central hub for a variety of quarterly components of the series, which will include: quarterly featured visual art, poetry readings, performances, audio archive, critique series, panels, and community bike rides.
*An iphone picture of Charlotte Street Courtyard installation for Because of This. Across from each other a photo by Sundiata and a poem by Kwame Dawes.
midwest poetics
An opportunity for artists to hold space together for writing, reading, and literature that heals and holds the power to lead us to more questions. Midwest Poetics centers connection, conversation, collaboration and communal learning.
We happily give the spotlight to BIPOC vocalists, poets, writers, musicians and performers of color to celebrate their craft and facilitate our workshops.
This Lit space is intended for us to both: workshop new material in a peer-to-peer setting in CSF’s Library every other month and develop new ways and practices of being with our writing. This year’s Midwest Poetics will conclude with an end of the year showcase happening in December.
EVERYDAY PERFORMANCES
Throughout a tour of public places and spaces, I seek to bring artists and local organizers together through events that center performances, readings and connection. Our programming partners for these events will be those at the local helm of fights for everyday rights that need our ongoing attention and support for substantial change. Rights such as: housing rights, artist rights, mobility justice, and sex education + reproductive rights.
Each event for this four part series called, Everyday Performances will be located in seemingly mundane spaces where one would not anticipate experiencing art in any form, and that many encounter regularly. I believe all should have access to experiences of beauty in our day to day lives as a reminder of what is possible.
Hi-Fi House: Listening/Drawing Party
Hi-Fi House is a project rooted in the belief that every community needs a space dedicated to social listening. This one-of-a-kind experiment created an accessible shared music collection and listening environment in Omaha, Nebraska between 2015 and 2020.
Hi- Fi House Listening Parties will introduce Hi-Fi's unique vision of social listening to a new audience of Lincoln based listeners. We plan to partner with community members, artist-run spaces, record shops, and multidisciplinary artists from the central Midwest Region. Folks will be invited to share music from a curated list of vinyl created from Hi-Fi House' vinyl library and share how the music influences their individual creative practice and how it fits in their life.
Hi-Fi House will continue offering Drawing Parties alongside our Listening Parties. For our drawing parties we will partner with artists based in the Midwest Region who have a visual arts practice. Artists will be invited to create a still life for the event in their medium and bring records to play. Those who gather in space with us will be invited to listen, draw, bring records from their own collections and share a short story about how they were introduced to the music.
FUCK CANCER ART EVERYDAY
Three month series of crowdfunding through intentional local business + event support, poetry workshops, performances + art where we raise funds for women/femmes battling and/or recovering from cancer. In honor of Paulinga Tuakoi Lawson.
*An iphone picture of artist Ameen Wahba performing at First Friday in Parrish Studios (Lincoln, Ne)
BOOK CLUB
Fifth Installment: April 2023
Book: Parable Of the Sower by Octavia Butler
Fourth Installment: December 2021 - February 2022
Book: The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love by bell hooks
Third Installment: June-July 2021
Books: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology by Marlon B. Ross, Mae G. Henderson, E. Patrick Johnson
Bad Feminist by Roxanne Gay
Second Installment: June 2020
Books: In Search Of Our Mother’s Garden by Alice Walker
The Romare Bearden Reader by Robert G. O’Meally
First Installment: February 2020
Book: Art On My Mind: Visual Politics by bell hooks