Past, present, future expressed through the Art of Bloomington’s Black History Month

The African American Arts Institute, sponsored by Arts Week, will present “Worlds Collide: Spirit, Soul and Body” in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Grand Hall at 6 p.m. Monday . This is just one of the upcoming events commemorating Black History Month with art at IU.\nAAAI Performance Manager Joii Byrd said the concept behind Worlds Collide was to incorporate different ethnic backgrounds and different art forms.\n“We all have a lot of things going on, but they’re able to coexist peacefully,” she said.\nFor visual art, painters and a photographer will present their work, then performers will do spoken art pieces, which typically consist of poetry told over a background soundtrack.\n“It’s a nice intimate feel,” Byrd said of the spoken art. “Very thought-provoking.”\nThe artists range in ethnic background, from a Brazilian photographer to Mexican and Asian spoken artists, as well as multiple black artists.\n“Worlds Collide” will be free and open to the public.\nOn the television front, educational shows abound, particularly on WTIU.\nProgram manager Brent Molnar said that in choosing what to air, he tends to select biographies of prominent people, documentaries and shows that have local tie-ins.\n“A lot of it is ... picking the best of what’s available,” Molnar said.\nMolnar said that he is looking forward to the Independent Lens film “Banished” in particular. \nThe documentary tells of three counties in Mississippi, Arkansas and Georgia that forced black families from their towns 100 years ago, focusing on the issue of reparations and the impact upon the descendants, both black and white.\n“They talk about how a lot of these communities are still mostly white today,” Molnar said.\n“Banished” will air at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19 on WTIU. \nMonday, Feb. 25, the Project on African Expressive Traditions will sponsor “The Poet & the Emperor: Power and the Arts in Nigeria and Beyond.” The night will begin with a reading from “Roots in the Sky,” a novel written by Nigerian-born Akinwumi Adesokan, who is an IU professor of comparative literature. \nAdesokan will read at 5 p.m. at the Lilly Library, with the reading followed by a 6:30 p.m. reception and exhibit that Adesokan and fellow Nigerian scholar Biodun Jeyifo have written for various publications.\nAt 7:15 p.m., there will be a discussion between audience members and the writers about the issues of art and politics in Nigeria, Africa as a whole and the United States.\nEileen Julien, director of the Project of African Expressive Traditions, said that in many societies, the “poet” often works for the government, but at the same time, they act as a check on those in political power.\n“They have the right to question and challenge authority,” Julien said. “It’s a synergy.”\nAs a finale to Black History Month, the African American Dance Company will hold two days of workshops, a panel discussion and a showcase performance Saturday, March 1.\n“It’s a workshop opportunity for people interested in dance,” AADC Director Iris Rosa said. “We have a lot of student groups from Indianapolis come in.”\nThe workshop registration fee is $90 for both Friday and Saturday or $55 for Saturday only and the Saturday showcase at 6 p.m. in the Willkie Auditorium is free and open to the public.\nFor more information or to register, go to the AADC Web site, http://www.indiana.edu/~aaai/ADC.htm, or contact Rosa at rosa@indiana.edu.\nFor a full list of Black History Month events, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~bhm/events.html.