Curator and scholar, Oluremi Onabanjo will engage in conversation with renowned artist, Marilyn Nance about her photographic archive of FESTAC 77, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture held in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1977. While serving as a photographer for the US contingent of the North American delegation, Nance created 1,500 images of the historic celebration of Pan-African art and culture.
From January 15 to February 12, 1977, more than 15,000 artists, intellectuals and performers from 55 nations gathered in Lagos for FESTAC 77. Taking place in the heyday of Nigeria's oil wealth and following the African continent's potent decade of decolonization, FESTAC 77 was the peak of Pan-Africanist expression.
This program is presented in collaboration with Denniston Hill, where Oluremi Onabanjo was in residence in 2019. It continues ICI’s engagement with organizations and individual partners in the New York region to think together about our shared investments. Denniston Hill is an artist-centered interdisciplinary residency and arts organization that fosters an inclusive, practical discourse about the aesthetics, function, ethics and meaning of contemporary artistic practice. Situated in the Southern Catskills on a 200-acre campus, Denniston Hill was established on the conviction that it is imperative for artists of all disciplines, backgrounds and career stages to have time and space for reflection and research. The organization was founded in 2004 by a group of primarily LGBTQ artists, architects, and writers of color. Their mission is guided by the principle that creative and critical voices are important in shaping a just, equitable society.
To attend, please RSVP to rsvp@curatorsintl.org with ARCHIVE in the subject line.
This event is accessible to people with mobility disabilities. Please contact ICI for additional accessibility needs.
