Welcome to Philadelphia Jazz Project
A Creative Conversation
Feb 14, 2017
Creative Conversation
Thursday, March 2 at 6:30pm
The Institute of Contemporary Art [ICA]
118 S 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
What promises to be a great evening is coming to Philadelphia in early March. It includes a public conversation with a group of highly creative and influential artists who are also recipients of a number of high profile awards. It happens at The Institutue of Contemporary Art [ICA]. We spoke with Maori Holmes, ICA's, Director of Public Engagement about this event and related activities at the museum.
PJP: Tell us a little about ICA.
Maori Holmes: ICA is a non-collecting contemporary art museum located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia. Since its founding in 1963, ICA has a history of bringing under-recognized artists to the attention of the broader world. ICA believes in the power of art and artists to inform and inspire. Admission at ICA is free for all, which is part of our mission of connecting the public with the art of our time.
PJP: Who/what are The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now and Endless Shout?
Maori Holmes: The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now is a large-scale group exhibition that links the vibrant legacy of avant-garde jazz and experimental music of the late 1960s (particularly within the African American arts scene on the South Side of Chicago) and its continuing influence on contemporary art and culture today. The exhibition originated at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 2015 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Endless Shout, an ongoing exhibition nestled physically and thematically within The Freedom Principle, is our Chief Curator Anthony Elms’ response to and further investigation of the themes of collectivity and improvisation found in The Freedom Principle. It is a multi-artist performance project that interrogates the social, political, individual, and collective roles of performance in public and civic space. Elms invited five artists and collectives—George Lewis, Raúl de Nieves, Danielle Goldman, taisha paggett, and The Otolith Group—to oversee an unfolding series of performances and encounters within ICA’s exhibition spaces.
PJP: Why did ICA decide to do this; why is it important?
Maori Holmes: This was an organic collaboration stemming from a conversation between our institutions; we realized there were so many artists in both exhibitions who were previous Creative Capital and/or Doris Duke awardees. Both institutions continue to work to serve artists and we hope this event helps to underscore that commitment and continue that trajectory.
Creative Capital supports innovative and adventurous artists across the country through funding, counsel and career development services. Since 1999, Creative Capital has committed $40 million in financial and advisory support to 511 projects representing 642 artists, and their Professional Development Program has reached nearly 12,000 artists in over 600 communities.
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Arts Program focuses its support on contemporary dance, jazz and theater artists, and the organizations that nurture, present and produce them. In 2016, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation provided over $1.37 Million dollars to fund a dozen performing arts organizations and projects through its Fund for National Projects. Two Philadelphia organizations: DataArts and Partners for Sacred Places were among the twelve projects supported.
PJP: When, where, and what is “Creative Conversation"?
Maori Holmes: The Creative Conversation is a collaboration between ICA and Creative Capital—it will be the third event in their series this year—and will give us an opportunity to make connections between our exhibitions and artists that Creative Capital has funded.
PJP: Who will be participating and why should jazz fans come out?
Maori Holmes: The conversation will take place on Thursday March 2 at 6:30pm at ICA and will feature Henry Threadgill, Cauleen Smith, Steve Coleman, Muhal Richard Abrams, and will be moderated by Greg Tate. Threadgill, Abrams, and Coleman are exceptional talents and legends in their own right in the field of jazz. Both Smith and Tate’s work is constantly in dialogue with jazz forms.
PJP: If folks want to find out more about these exhibitions and programs how might they do that?
Maori Holmes: To find out more about our exhibitions and programs, head to our website: ICA or follow us on social: @icaphiladelphia! Folks can sign up for our newsletter on the “about” page of our website. The event will likely sell out quickly and will be livestreamed on PhillyCAM, so if people can’t make it, they will be able to watch from their mobile devices or desktops.
Creative Conversation
Thursday, March 2 at 6:30pm
The Institute of Contemporary Art [ICA]
118 S 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Philadelphia Jazz Project is a sponsored project of the CultureWorks | Greater Philadelphia, with funding provided by The Wyncote Foundation
