Fisk University's 93rd Spring Arts Festival

Fisk University’s 93rd

Annual

Spring Arts Festival

April 3-10, 2022

KENNEDY ALEXANDER (Sophomore, Art)

DI’ANTE HOLLIS (Freshman, Business)

[ HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ] The Annual Spring Arts Festival is an established tradition at Fisk University. In 1929, the first Festival was held under the auspices of the Fisk Music School with Ray Francis Brown as director. Invitations were sent to Nashville patrons of music and to friends of Fisk all over the country requesting their presence at the three-day celebration known then as “The Festival of Negro Music and Fine Arts.”

This cultural event opened with a concert of Jubilee Music, which featured the Fisk Jubilee Singers®, under the direction of Mrs. James A. Myers, and the Men’s Glee Club and Mozart Society (Choir) both directed by John W. Work. The second day featured a program of folk songs, dances and gymnastics by the Department of Physical Education for Women, a talk by James Weldon Johnson, a student recital, an art exhibit and a fashion show with the theme “Sugar and Spice – Fisk Fashions for 1929.” Festivities for the third day began with regular Sunday morning church service. The afternoon activities consisted of a concert of sixteenth century church music, music by Russian composers, Bach, and others. The festival closed with a tea in the parlor of Jubilee Hall honoring Maggie Porter Cole, one of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers®, Mabel Lewis Imes, a former Jubilee Singer and Mary Fisk Park, daughter of Clinton B. Fisk. The Board of Trustees, who met during the Festival, was present at the tea.

As a result of the success of the first Festival, it was decided that the event should become an annual affair. Over the years, guest participants have included such luminaries as Countee Cullen and Robert Hayden who shared their poetry, Arthur Spingarn, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pearl Buck, Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, Margaret Walker, Carl Rowan, Ossie Davis, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and J. Mason Brewer who have been among the convocation and seminar speakers, musicians who have ranged from Roland Hayes, Philippa Duke Schuyler and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra to Miriam Mekeba, Quincy Jones and Cannonball Adderly, and dancers representing the Pearl Primus, Jose Limon and Jean Leon Destine Dance Troupes.

H

PAGE 2

In conjunction with the seminars, concerts, film showings and play productions, there have been several noteworthy art exhibits. Items from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, paintings by Aaron Douglas and other members of the Fisk faculty, portraits by Carl Van Vechten and works by Elizabeth Catlett have been displayed at the Library, Livingston Hall and in later years, the Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery.

There were several historic events connected with the University, which occurred during the Festivals.

In 1930, there was the laying of the cornerstone for the Erastus Milo Cravath Library. In 1959, there was the dedication of the Adam K. Spence Student Union Building, the W.E.B. DuBois Hall and Park-Johnson Hall. Events such as the crowning of the Festival King and Queen, the Beaux Art Ball and dance recitals were some of the most popular activities for Fisk students.

Several awards have been presented to individuals for their outstanding achievements. In1932, Roland Hayes received the Doctor of Music degree and Marian Anderson, Dorothy Maynor, Pauli Marshall and Undine Smith Moore are among those who have received the Humanitarian Award.

No account of the history of the Annual Spring Arts Festival would be complete without mentioning our own talented “in house” artists. The Fisk Jubilee Singers® and the University Choir have been integral parts of the Festival since its inception. The Stagecrafters, founded in 1926, joined the festivities in the early thirties and Orchesis made its first appearance in 1954. The Modern Black Mass Choir and the Jazz Ensemble became part of the Festival in 1972.

During recent years, the Festival has attracted well-known participants like Shirley Chisholm, Nikki Giovanni, Hubert Laws, and the Boy’s Choir of Harlem. From all indications, it is evident that Fisk University stands in the forefront as a medium for cultural expression while she continues to subscribe to her legacy of excellence in the arts.

— Beth M. Howse ‘65 (1943–2012) Special Collections Librarian

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

45

The

Harlem Renaissance

Recaptured

Fisk University’s Discipline of Art is delighted to participate in the University’s Annual Spring Arts Festival which celebrates the arts and the humanities. In 2022, as in previous years, we continue our tradition of showcasing the creative efforts of our students and of those who have taught and trained them. This year’s student curators have selected paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, and mixed media works which speak to the overall creativity on campus.

The department, founded, by Aaron Douglas, known as “the father of black American art,” was the department’s chairman for 22 years and chairman

LIEAH CHAMBLY (Senior, Business Administration)

Emeritus from 1966 until his death in 1979.

An illustrious list of faculty and alumni have followed and left a remarkable impression.

For over seventy-five years, the arts at Fisk have continued to produce exceptional graduates dedicated to the study of the arts and visual culture. Fisk’s museum collections have consistently been an integral teaching resource for students, artists, and scholars, as well as the national and global community.

MEAGHAN HALL (Senior, Art)

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

PAGE 3

I

VISUAL ARTS 67

KYA KNIGHT (Freshman, Biology)

SOPURUCHI NDUBUISI (Sophomore, Art)

H

PAGE 4

ZHANE BALLARD (Senior, Art) SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

PAGE 5

I

Fisk University’s 93rd

Annual

Spring Arts Festival

The Harlem Renaissance Recaptured April 3-10, 2022

Monday, April 4, 2022 1:00 pm LECTURE: “The Harlem Renaissance, HBCUs, and FISK!” Dr. LaTanya Rogers, Associate Professor, W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program Director, Jubilee Hall-Appleton Room 4:30 pm

THIS LOVE THING, preview, Jubilee Hall, Appleton Room

7:30 pm

TORY WESTBROOK, Senior Recital, Jubilee Hall, Appleton Room

Tuesday, April 5, 2022 1:00 pm LECTURE: Dr. Anthony Williams, Assistant Professor and University Organist, Music in The Harlem Renaissance, Jubilee Hall, Appleton Room 7:00 pm

FISK UNIVERSITY JAZZ ENSEMBLE, Dr. Gary Nash, Assistant Professor, composer/arranger, Jubilee Hall, Appleton Room

Wednesday, April 6, 2022 DIGITAL EXHIBIT: https://winoldreissatfisk.omeka.net/about 1:00 pm Dr. Brandon Owens, Sr., Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Library, The Winold Reiss Collection, John Hope and Aurelia E. Franklin Library Thursday, April 7, 2022 10:00 am STUDENT ART SHOW: Lower Level of Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery 10:00 am

ART EXHIBIT: Elevations From Within, Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery

10:00 am–5:30 pm FISK AT THE FRIST Frist Art Museum (https://fristartmuseum.org/) https://fristartmuseum.org/exhibition/alma-w-thomas/ https://fristartmuseum.org/exhibition/lexander-bryant/ 6:00 pm

H

PAGE 6

GOD’S TROMBONES, by James Weldon Johnson, Stagecrafters Production The Little Theater, $10 admission 93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

8:00 pm

STUDENT FASHION SHOW, Cravath Hall

Friday, April 8, 2022 10:00 am–5:30 pm FISK AT THE FRIST, Frist Art Museum

https://fristartmuseum.org/

https://fristartmuseum.org/exhibition/alma-w-thomas/

https://fristartmuseum.org/exhibition/lexander-bryant/ 6:00 pm

GOD’S TROMBONES, by James Weldon Johnson Stagecrafters Production, The Little Theater, $10 admission

8:00 pm

JADA SPIGHT, Senior Recital Jubilee Hall, Appleton Room

Saturday, April 9, 2022 1:00 pm–5:00 pm SPRING FEST, Fisk Activities Board 10:00 am–5:30 pm FISK AT THE FRIST, Frist Art Museum

https://fristartmuseum.org/

https://fristartmuseum.org/exhibition/alma-w-thomas/

https://fristartmuseum.org/exhibition/lexander-bryant/ 6:00 pm

GOD’S TROMBONES, by James Weldon Johnson Stagecrafters Production, The Little Theater, $10 admission

Sunday, April 10, 2022 1:00 pm–5:30pm FISK AT THE FRIST, Frist Art Gallery 2:00 pm

GOD’S TROMBONES, by James Weldon Johnson Stagecrafters Production, The Little Theater, $10 admission

For information, call 615.207.3405 or email: pffentress@fisk.edu

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

PAGE 7

I

MUSIC

g

PAGE 8

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

PAGE 9

I

MUSIC DURING THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE Dr. Anthony Williams, Lecturer Musicologist/Ethnomusicologist and University Organist, Fisk University Professor Gwendolyn Brown, Co-Presenting Contralto—Assistant Professor of Music in Voice and Opera Workshop, Fisk University

This lecture is about the “development” of Music during the Harlem Renaissance, starting with jazz and moving to classical music. But why is the title of this lecture a question?

Jazz in the 1920s was not a highly regarded art form. Many colleges and universities, including HBCUs, did not teach Jazz music. Thus, the changing Music scene of this time is not always in the forefront of the Harlem Renaissance in discussion. In this presentation, Dr. Anthony Williams will be discussing

Dr. Anthony Williams

Gwendolyn Brown

the development (both artistically and commercially) of Jazz and the Jazz artists who worked to elevate the level of jazz during the Harlem Renaissance.

He will then move to other composers of the Harlem Renaissance such as William Grant Still, Florence Price and some others whose musical styles created during the Harlem Renaissance was instrumental in making Jazz and classical music after this time period more regarded as an art form.

FISK JAZZ ENSEMBLE Dr. Gary Powell Nash Professor of Music, Fisk University; Teaches music theory, technology, composition, applied woodwinds and conducts the Fisk Jazz Ensemble

Gary Powell Nash

Fisk Jazz Enzemble Program Tuesday, April 5, 2022 7:00 pm

H

PAGE 10

The Fisk Jazz Ensemble is a group of student instrumentalists who perform a wide range of music including jazz, Latin, and blues. Organized in 1970 as the “Orchestrated Crowd,” this group has performed on radio and

television and has given community and campus concerts, appearing with such notable musicians as Quincy Jones, “Cannonball” Adderley, Edward Kennedy, Duke Ellington, and Eubie Blake.

Yardbird Suite Charlie Parker

Billie’s Bounce Charlie Parker

Satin Doll Duke Ellington

Yesterdays Jerome Kern

What a Wonderful World Louis Armstrong

Reminiscence Imer Santiago

I’m Coming Out Bernard Edwards and Nile Rogers C-Jam Blues Duke Ellington

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

ANTHONY WILLIAMS is currently Associate Professor of Music and University Organist at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where he teaches organ and courses in Music History. From 1990 to 2005 he was a member of the music faculty at Dillard University in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Williams began his teaching career at Fisk in the late 1980s where he served as Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers® and was the youngest person in the history of this ensemble to hold that position. He returned to Fisk in the fall of 2005 as Visiting Artist in Residence following the evacuation from New Orleans, Louisiana, due to Hurricane Katrina. As a church musician, Dr. Williams has held church positions in Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan, and Louisiana and currently serves as Organist and Choir Director at First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Dr. Williams holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, the University of Michigan, and the American Conservatory of Music. His principal teachers include Robert Glasgow, Marilyn Mason, David Mulbury, Peter Fyfe, and Paul Jordan. Active as a recitalist, Dr. Williams has performed throughout United States as well as Central America and Europe. He has also presented lectures, workshops, and masterclasses on a wide variety of topics including Organ Music of Black Composers and other topics related to American music. In 2018, Dr. Williams served as Service Organist for the Presbyterian Association of Musicians Worship and Music Conference held in Montreat, North Carolina.

Contralto GWENDOLYN BROWN’S more than 27year international career includes performances in opera, symphonic music, classical art song, and spirituals, as well as the contemporary and the avant-garde. She has received critical acclaim in these works and has performed in many large opera houses (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, New Orleans Opera, to name a few), and symphony houses in the United States including Boston Symphony, LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and Tanglewood. Her international career includes performances in Germany, Spain, Amsterdam, and Australia.

Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Gwendolyn obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Music at Fisk University where she was a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers® and pursued the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Memphis (Memphis, TN). She completed her Master of Music degree at the American

Music Conservatory, at Hammond, Indiana, and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in vocal performance there.

Her young artist development included The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Des Moines Metro Opera Young Artist Program. Ms. Brown currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is the Assistant Professor of Music in Voice and Opera Workshop at her alma mater, Fisk University. Ms. Brown is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the American Guild of Musical Artists.

GARY POWELL NASH, a native of Flint, Michigan, is Professor of Music at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches and coordinates courses in music theory, technology, composition, applied woodwinds and conducts the Fisk Jazz Ensemble.

Nash holds a Ph.D. in Music Composition from Michigan State University. His former teachers include Jacob Druckman, Jere Hutcheson, Bernard Rands, Charles Ruggiero, Mark Sullivan, George Tsontakis, and Ramon Zupko. As a composer of Western classical music, Nash has written musical works for orchestra, band/wind ensemble, choir, art songs (four in Chinese), electroacoustic works and instrumental chamber compositions, including two short film scores. His music has been performed in all major regions of the United States and abroad on the continents of Asia and Europe.

Nash has received numerous grants, commissions, and awards for his compositions including Vanderbilt University Wind Symphony to compose On the Battlefield, With Certainty (2022) commemorating the opening of the National Museum of African American Music. Others include Southern Grandparents (2017) soprano, tenor and piano trio, commissioned by Delta State University for the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration in 2017, 2007 UNCF/Mellon Foundation Faculty Seminar in Ghana, Tennessee Music Teachers Association Composer of the Year, 2005–2006, Mississippi Arts Commission, American Composers Forum, Carnegie Hall and Fulbright, where he was Visiting Professor of Music Composition at University of the Philippines-Diliman, May 30, 2000–March 28, 2001. Nash’s scores are published by Art of Sound Music, MusicaNeo and Tuba/Euphonium Press. Eleven of his compositions are featured on compact disc with five of those appearing on Albany, Centaur, and Citadel Records labels.

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

PAGE 11

I

SENIOR RECITAL PROGRAM TORY WESTBROOK, baritone Kyle Hankins, piano

“Deh Vieni alla Finestra” from Don Giovanni Recitative; I Rage, I Melt, I Burn! O, Ruddier than the Cherry from Acis and Galatea “En Sourdine, op. 58, no. 2” “Erlkonig, D. 328”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) George Frederic Handel (1685–1759) Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

arr. Shawn E. Okpebholo Spiritual Arrangements from “Steal Away” “There is a Balm” (b.1981) Ardria McDonald, flute “Wade in the Water” “Great Day!” INTERMISSION “The Creation”

Dave Ragland (b.1978)

“Come Unto Me” (recorded presentation) Mervyn Warren from the album, So Much to Say (b. 1988) Originally recorded by Take 6 “Easy” Lionel Richie from the Album, Commodores (b.1949) Originally recorded by The Commodores Kemani Iwu, Trinity Hervey, and Eren Brooks—Background Vocals “Unforgettable” from the album, Unforgettable

Irving Gordon (1915–1996) “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” Kenneth Gamble (b. 1943) from the Album, All Things in Time Leon Huff (b. 1942) Originally recorded by Lou Rawls Kemani Iwu, Trinity Hervey and Eren Brooks – Background Vocals This recital is in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education.

Tory studies with Professor Gwendolyn Brown.

Tory Westbrook, baritone, is a senior majoring in Music Education from Glastonbury, Connecticut. He is the son of Mr. Tory Westbrook and Mrs. Dawne Westbrook. Tory is born with a unique talent that is known as perfect pitch, which allows him to identify a note just by hearing it. He has also been taking piano lessons since he was five years old. Tory has excelled in areas of music theory such as four-part writing, orchestration, and counterpoint. He participated in the Glastonbury High School concert choir for three years, as well as the high school Madrigals for one year. Tory also took part in the New England Music Festival during all four years of high school. During his senior year, he received the high school National School Choral Award which recognizes a student who made outstanding contributions to the success of the school vocal program. Currently, Tory is a sectional leader and member of the Multi-Award-Winning Fisk Jubilee Singers® and has been a part of the group since he was a freshman at Fisk. He also serves as the leader of the Chapel Music Ministry and has participated in the Fisk University Choir. In 2019, he became a part of the W.E.B. DuBois Honors Program. Tory would like to thank his family for continuous support throughout his career, the Fisk University Music Discipline for inspiring him to climb new heights, his middle and high school music teachers for allowing him to see the talent he possessed and believing in him, and his amazing friends that guided him along the way.

H

PAGE 12

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

SENIOR RECITAL PROGRAM JADA SPIGHT, lyric soprano Kyle Hankins, piano “Nacht und Träume, op. 42 no.2”

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)

“Apres un reve op. 7, no.1”

Gabriel Faure (1845–1924)

“Batti, batti, o bel Masett” from Don Giovanni K.527

Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)

“Lebe Wohl” from Morike Lieder “Fluers Fp. 101” “Wie Melodien zieht es mir, op.105 no.1” “Botschaft, op.47 No.1” “Talk About A Child (Here’s One”) “Witness” “Psalm 42” “NO”

Hugo Wolf (1860-1903) Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Brahms arr. Damien Sneed (b. 1979) arr. Francis Hall Johnson (1888-1970) Jada A. Spight (b. 2000) Spight

“Safety”

Oscar Williams (b. 1978) Originally Recorded by Lecresia Campbell Trinity Hervey, Imani Suitt, Kristen Jones, Tory Westbrook, Hezekiah Robinson, Elise Golden, Kemani Iwu, and David Huery – Chorus This recital is in partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education.

Jada studies with Professor Gwendolyn Brown.

Jada Alanna Spight is the fifth of six children, born November 8th, 2000, to Pastor Lee Allen Spight Jr. and Michelle Denise Spight. She attended the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts (High School) where she studied vocal music. She is currently in her senior year at Fisk University, majoring in Music with a concentration in Voice. She is a member of the Alpha Beta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She will obtain her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2023. She is a member of the Muli-Award Winning Jubilee Singers®. Jada has been blessed to share the stage with Pastor Kim Burrell, Dottie Peoples, Dorinda Clark Cole, opera-great Angela Brown, as well as her own sister, Gospel recording artist, Alexis Spight.Most recently, she collaborated with Alexis in The Cover Me Foundation’s project entitled “All is Not Lost.” Jada is featured among music industry greats such as Mali Music, The Clark Sisters, Amber Bullock, and Kierra Sheard. Recently, Jada auditioned for another television series “Sunday Best” and placed as a finalist (runner up). In October of 2021 Jada participated in the “SoulFly” Tour as the only background singer, with Rap sensation Rod Wave. Jada has received numerous civic commendations for her participation within her community, including most recently being honored with a “Jada Alanna Spight Day” in the city of Buffalo, commemorated on August 23rd. Jada has been an invited guest across the country using her gift to spread love and encouragement through the message of Jesus.

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

PAGE 13

I

H

PAGE 14

The Fisk University Stagecrafters present

God’s Trombones SEVEN NEGRO SERMONS IN VERSE

By

JAMES WELDON JOHNSON Drawings by AARON DOUGLAS Directed by

Persephone Felder-Fentress Music Director, Konson Patton Choreographer, Shabaz Ujima April 7-9, 2022, 6:00 pm April 10, 2022, 2:00 pm

PAGE 15

I

DRAMATISTS PERSONAE LISTEN, LORD—A PRAYER THE CREATION THE PRODIGAL SON GO DOWN DEATH

Asante Gusik Mckenna Mimms Sean Webb Keenya Phillips-Riley

NOAH BUILT THE ART

Jeffrey Casey

THE CRUCIFIXION

Jayden Ruben

LET MY PEOPLE GO THE JUDGEMENT DAY

Crai’Sean George Brendon Tate

CHORALE Jeffrey Casey, Crai’Sean George, Asante Gusik, Catherine Howard, Kemani Iwu, Camryn Johnson, Kristen Jones, McKenna Mimms, Che Patterson, Heirreonna Streeter, Sean Webb

DANCERS Alexandria Brown, Kiare Green, Catherine Howard, Camryn Johnson, Che Patterson, Jaydon Roberson, Heirreonna Streeter, Brendon Tate

TECHNICAL CREW Costumer, Hazel Robinson Stage Manager, Asante Guzik Assistant Stage Manager, Jaydon Roberson Bryannah Smith

WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST AND CREW JEFFREY CASEY has had the opportunity to perform with Stagecrafters in several shows predating his tenure as a Fisk student. He has performed in Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money, The Colored Museum, Facing Our Truth, Pipeline, and his personal favorite, The Wiz. Now as a graduating senior, he aspires to continue furthering the legacy of the Fisk University Stagecrafters by being a professional performer.

H

PAGE 16

CRAI’SEAN GEORGE is a graduating senior at Fisk University with a major in Business Administration. Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Crai’Sean acted in several productions. Some of his most notable performances are A Christmas Carol, Seussical, Into the Woods, The Crucifixion, and Once on this Island. Crai’Sean joined Stagecrafters his freshman year and has acted in several Stagecrafter productions including: The Wiz, The Colored Museum, and Too Heavy for Your Pocket. He is excited to be in his final production

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

with Stagecrafters as one of the preacher in God’s Trombones. Upon graduation, he plans to further his education by earning a Masters in Divinity. He wants to thank Mrs. Fentress and Stagecrafters for the opportunity to act, as well as his fellow classmate, Jeff Casey, for sharing the stage for the past five years and pushing him to become a better actor.

KIARE GREEN, a Senior psychology major at Fisk, is from Nashville. She has been working with the Stagecrafters since her senior year in high school and has held many roles such as choreographer, light/sound technician, dancer, and actress. Kiare currently holds the position of the Vice President of Stagecrafters.

She has had the honor of participating in many productions such as The Wiz, The Colored Museum, Facing Our Truth, and more. Kiare aspires to be an adolescent and family counseling therapist and looks forward to seeing Stagecrafters continue to grow.

ASANTE GUZIK is a Freshman Political Science major from Los Angeles, CA. She participated in the Stagecrafters’ Fall production of Pipeline. She has been acting for many years prior to attending Fisk, including both staged productions and television commercials. Asante is making her debut as stage manager and is very excited to see what’s to come for the rest of her years as a Stagecrafter at Fisk.

CATHERINE HOWARD is a graduating senior and Psychology Major, from Atlanta, GA. She has been in Stagecrafters since Freshman year, working as an assistant with costumes and on the backstage crew, and now performing in productions. She is a singer/songstress and looks forward to her future journey in music.

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

KEMANI IWU is a Senior Business Administration Major with a concentration in Accounting.

During his time in high school and at Fisk, he has been a part of several organizations and theatre productions. His most humbling accomplishment is being a member of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and being able to bond with other people through music, history, and creative arts.

CAMRYN JOHNSON is a Junior Biology Major from Atlanta, GA. She has done musical theatre for five years and has participated as a member of the crew for Stagecrafters since her Freshman year at Fisk University; however, God’s Trombones is her onstage debut. She aspires to attend medical school and become a Radiologist.

MCKENNA MIMMS is a Junior Political Science and Criminal Justice Major. This is her 11th theater production. She has been featured in In The Heights, Too Heavy for Your Pocket, The Colored Museum, and many more. She recently participated in the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s first Black production of Jitney with Kenny Playhouse Theatre as an Assistant Stage Manager. She is well versed in many onstage and backstage theatre positions. She has career aspirations to be in entertainment production. She is a strong community activist, with a passion for dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline.

KEENYA PHILLIPS-RILEY is a Senior here at Fisk University. She has participated in a plethora of shows throughout her years.

Some include Facing Our Truth and Brown Boy Mad, Too Heavy For Your Pocket, The Colored Museum and many more. Keenya also worked

g 2022

PAGE 17

I

on the stage crew for the Nashville Shakespeare Festival’s production of Jitney.

JAYDON ROBERSON is from Detroit, MI. He is a Junior Psychology Major at Fisk. Jaydon values health and fitness, while being an athlete himself. With his prior experience with plays and theatrical productions, Jaydon is not only performing on the stage but is a great help behind the scenes.

JAYDEN RUBEN is from Cleveland, Ohio. He is a graduating Senior at Fisk University, who is a Business Major, Chapel Assistant, Actor, and Student Athlete. Jaydon has performed in many Stagecrafters’ productions such as Pipeline, Too Heavy for My Pocket, Colored Museum, and Facing Our Truth.

T

PAGE 18

SEAN WEBB is a Senior majoring in Business Administration. Sean has participated in theater most of his life. While he majors in Business, he plans on using the skills he learned in college to be able to manage his own creative career. Sean has participated in shows over the years, such as The Colored Museum, A Raisin in the Sun, The Wiz, West Side Story, and more.

NNOO STAGECRAFTERS

Fisk University’s Acting Ensemble

he Fisk University Stagecrafters was organized in April of 1926, with English 142 (a class in Pageantry) as a nucleus. The director was Miss L. E. Cashin, Professor in Comparative Literature. Its purpose was the “fastening of art for art’s sake, the discovery and development of new talent, and the establishment of a little theatre on the Fisk campus.” The initial performance was Sophocles’ Antigone, which was presented in May, 1926. From this rather auspicious beginning 96 years ago, Stagecrafters

H

HEIRREONNA STREETER is a Freshman Biology Major from Rockford, IL. She aspires to be a general pediatrician while living a healthy and prosperous life.

Not only is this Heirreonna’s first Stagecrafters’ production, but she is also a self-taught pianist that participates in praise dance here at Fisk.

has evolved into the main University theatre group.

They have occupied the Little Theatre since 1935.

Today, the group provides opportunities for intensive study of plays and their production. Membership is open to all students, who may participate as actors, designers, lighting technicians, make-up artists, or in the construction of scenery or costumes. Major productions and student directed laboratory performances are held each year.

93RD ANNUAL SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL

g 2022

THE DIGITAL EXHIBIT https://winoldreissatfisk.omeka.net/ Originally featured at the Twenty-Third Annual Festival of Music and the Arts in April 1952, the Winold Reiss Collection was symbolic of the artist’s high regard for his former student, Aaron Douglass, chairman then of the Art Department at Fisk University, who at the dedication of the collection remarked, “I learned all I know about mural decoration from Winold Reiss.” This digital exhibit features a collection of portraits and studies Reiss completed during the Harlem Renaissance of African Americans in New York City and on St. Helena Island in South Carolina.

Aunt Cecilia Simmons 1927

Fred Fripp and Children, 1927

Two Public School Teachers, 1925

The Actress 1925

SPRING ARTS FESTIVAL COMMITTEE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Persephone Felder-Fentress Convener

Dr. Vann Newkirk University President

Gwendolyn Brown

Dr. Shirley Brown Assistant Vice Provost of Online Initiatives and Dean of Humanities and Behavioral/ Social Sciences

James Dennis Katara Grissom Alicia Henry Adrienne Latham LaKeisha Moore Brandon Owens Nathaniel Perry Jamaal Sheats

Dr. Holly Hamby Chair of Arts and Languages Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Kappa Lambda Omega Chapter General Alumni Association of Fisk University, Inc. WFSK 88.1 Radio Station Nancy Apple The Designing Apple Studio

SUPPORT THE ARTS AT FISK — https://connect.fisk.edu/donate

PEYTON SHEPARD (Sophomore, Biology)