Thu 7/9 @ 7PM
Akron Soul Train supports northeast Ohio artists is various disciplines through one-month residencies that in normal times involve community engagement events as well as producing work in their chosen genre.
Metalsmith Shani Richards created 100 pendant necklaces for her show that commented on racial and ethnic slurs, as well as sexual and gender orientation. It opened March 5 — and closed a week later when everything went into lockdown.
The gallery says, “Show attendees were encouraged to take selfies wearing a necklace and post it on social media in order to create a dialogue. The collective noise level from the conversations throughout the gallery on the night of the exhibition opening made it clear that further discussion was warranted.”
That discussion will continue this week on Akron Soul Train’s Facebook page as “The Weight of the Word” panel discussion, which will look at the words Richards used and their impact on people and their lives.
The panel will feature artists who use words in their creative process, including musician Alan Manley Jr. of Red Rose Panic, multimedia Journalist Yoly Miller, poet Barbara Marie Minney, poet/Pan-African lecturer John Dayo-Aliya, and University of Akron gallery director/lecturer Arnold Tunstall, with Richards moderating.
You can also see the work on Akron Soul Train’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
191 S Main St, Akron, OH 44308