A FREE PROGRAM OF EVENTS &
2-DAY SYMPOSIUM at
THE HYDE PARK ART CENTER
Symposium: November 11 & 12, 2006: 10 am - 5 pm
The Hyde Park Art Center presents Traveling the Spaceways, a landmark symposium devoted to the musical legend Sun Ra. Informative panel discussions, musical performances, and readings will investigate the impact Sun Ra and Afro-Futurism have had on American history and visual culture. Bringing together contemporary artists, major writers, and scholars who have focused on this prophetic jazz band leader, composer, pianist, and self-proclaimed extraterrestrial, this free event will enlighten and intrigue those interested in African American art and music of the postwar period. Download the pdf of the Sun Ra Symposium Schedule for easy printing.
Panelists include:
- Adam Abraham
- Robert Campbell
- Nick Cave
- John Corbett
- Anthony Elms
- Calvin Forbes
- Malik Gaines
- Terri Kapsalis
- Glenn Ligon
- Graham Lock
- Victor Margolin
- Kerry James Marshall
- Hamza Walker
- Kevin Whitehead
With special weekend performances by:
Cheryl Lynn Bruce
David Boykin’s Expanse
Thr Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio
Nicole Mitchell with the ensemble (tbd)
Ken Vandermark and the Sun Ra Composer Quartet
Friday, November 10, 9 pm
Music for Tomorrow’s World: A Dedication to Sun Ra
@ The Hideout
Starring Thurston Moore, Jim Baker, Rollo Radford, and Avreeyal Ra Quartet with Intergalactic Myth-Science DJ sets and an opening performance by My Barbarian! Tickets $20, to purchase call (866) 468-3401 or visit ticketweb.
The symposium has been supported in part by:
Additional Events:
Download a pdf schedule of events for easy printing.
The Art Center will also host free film screenings, performances and discussions through October, November, and December. These events will forge a reconsideration and celebration of Sun Ra’s legacy and the relevance of Afro-Futurism in contemporary culture. Sun Ra related events will be listed on an ongoing basis. Please check back regularly for updates and additions. All events are held at the Hyde Park Art Center unless othewise noted.
Tuesday, October 17, 6 pm
Film Screening: Space is the Place(1974) directed by John Coney
Discussion led by Blake Bradford, Director of Education at the Art Center
Sunday, October 22, 3-4:30 pm
Part of For the Love of Music, a FREE acoustic concert series presented in Gallery 1 with AACM Chicago, featuring the Dee Alexander Evolution Ensemble:Dee Alexander (voice and percussion), Tomeka Reed (cello) and Leon Joyce, Jr. (percussion).
Monday, October 23, 6 pm
TalkingPoint :Artist talk with Chicago-based cellist, bandleader and improviser, Fred Lonberg-Holm
Thursday, October 26, 6 pm
Tour with the curators Pathways to Unknown Worlds: John Corbett and Terri Kapsalis discuss the artwork and ephemera in the Pathways to Unknown Worlds exhibition.
Wednesday, November 1, 6 pm
Tour with the curators of Interstellar Low Ways, Anthony Elms and Huey Copeland.
Sunday, November 5:
2-3 pm
Speaking of Passage: Two Artists in the Conversation of Migration With Theaster Gates and Kelly Tsai
Chicago based artist Theaster Gates and guest poet Kelly Tsai present a unique “performance-dialogue” that weaves together the two art forms of sculpture and spoken word.
3-4:30 pm
Part of For the Love of Music, a FREE acoustic concert series presented in Gallery 1 with AACM Chicago, featuring Mwata Bowden Sound Spectrum: Mwata Bowden, (reed and percussion),Aveeraly Ra (drums), Junius Paul (bass), Ari Brown (saxophones), and
Douglas R. Ewart (winds and percussion).
Sunday, December 3, 3 pm
Sun Ra in Chicago:Musical Recollections
at the The Chicago Cultural Center (Claudia Cassidy Theater)
Sun Ra’s most important ensemble, the Arkestra, was formed in Chicago in the mid 1950s, where it played at various clubs on the South Side, like Budland and the Wonder Inn, as well as North Side social clubs. On this special evening, an ensemble of original members of the Arkestra and other Ra associates, including Robert Barry, Art Hoyle, Ricky Murray, Hattie Randolph, and Lucious Randolph, gather for an intimate exchange of anecdotes along with performances of favorite Ra compositions. Moderated by John Corbett.
Sunday, December 10, 2 pm
PHIL COHRAN
An intimate look at Sun Ra from one of his key associates, Philip Cohran, who played trumpet with the Arkestra in the late ’50s, before starting his own influential group the Artistic Heritage Ensemble. John Corbett will interview Cohran, who will also narrate a slideshow of rarely seen Arkestra photos.
Sunday, December 17, 3-4:30 pm
Part of For the Love of Music, a FREE acoustic concert series presented in Gallery 1 with AACM Chicago, featuring Fenix: Parasina Burton (poet), Art Turk Burton, (percussion), Dushun Mosley (percussion) and Douglas R. Ewart (winds and percussion).
These events included in theTraveling the Spaceways program are supported in part by:
Traveling the Spaceways is held in conjunction with the current exhibitions at the Hyde Park Art Center:
Pathways to Unknown Worlds: Sun Ra, El Saturn and Chicago’s Afro-Futurist Underground, 1954-68
Traveling the Spaceways is part of Chicago Artists Month, the eleventh annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant visual art community. In October, 250 exhibitions of emerging and established artists, openings, demonstrations, tours, open studios and neighborhood art walks take place at galleries, cultural centers and arts buildings throughout the city. For further information, call 312/744-6630 or visit www.chicagoartistsmonth.org. The Sara Lee Foundation is the lead corporate sponsor of Chicago Artists Month 2006. Additional support is provided by the Chicago Office of Tourism and Podmajersky, Inc. Chicago Artists Month is coordinated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.