Saturday, July 9, 2011, was the first of presumably regular annual gatherings to discuss the state of the Black arts community in Memphis. Hosted by Ekundayo Bandele (founder and artistic directer of Hattiloo Theater), the day long event was free and open to the public. First, I have to note how well organized it was. Bandele was well prepared with alternate speakers for those suddenly unable to participate and everything moved along without incident. 

The crux of the conversation is that there is no Black arts community present in Memphis. There are a number of organizations including theater repertories like Bluff City Tri-Art, dance companies like Bridging Souls Productions, and so on that are a disjointed presence in the city. I will be the first to admit that several of the organizations I was not familiar with and I'm a native of the city. Yet, that was part of my reason for attending. I want to be a better patron of the arts and this was a great way for to learn more about what's out there and how to be involved.

Now I'll share some take aways from the symposium...

• Bennie West, founding executive director of Memphis Black Arts Alliance, advocates an African American museum and cultural center and I strongly cosign this. It seemed the entire audience concurred considering there is a huge black population in this city...we are this city.
• Dr. Keith D. Lee noted two important things: (1) Those receiving funding for music arts and theater arts are not "talking to each other." Again pointing to the lack of community among the various black art forms. (2) Literary arts are pretty much ignored. So, this means our poets, spoken word artists, writers and such are marginalized when it comes to funding.
• Lawrence Blackwell, Asst. Professor of theater at University of Memphis and self-described "DuBoisian follower", believes that Black theater "must be political".
• During the last few hours, the question of whether or not artists need to know how to be both an artist and business person became an ongoing debate. 
• I even picked up a bit of history from Chicano artist, Richard Lou. He shared how his father and other Chinese immigrants found themselves part of the Delta community. Labor brokers brought them to Mississippi and Louisiana to work the cotton and rice fields, respectively, in an attempt to drive down wages. 

This, again, was a promising gathering of lively artists and patrons. There definitely needs to be more bridging of the disciplines. As was brought up several times, the various black arts organizations might even find more power collectively when it comes to securing funding. In the meantime, I'll keep doing what I do which is patronizing and sharing all the glorious creativity radiating from Memphis' Black artists.

If you're in the Memphis metro area, be sure to check out these organizations:

The Memphis Black Arts Alliance
Collage Dance Collective

Cultural Arts For Everyone
Watoto De Afrika
Hattiloo Theatre
Bridging Souls Productions
Bluff City Tri-Art Theatre