Porchia Moore Phillips Conversation

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Porchia Moore leads a discussion in the “People on the Move: Beauty and Struggle in Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series” galleries. All photos: Laura Hoffman

How do works in special exhibitions People on the Move: Beauty and Struggle in Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series and Whitfield Lovell: The Kin Series and Related Works relate to current issues of racial injustice and discrimination? Porchia Moore visited the Phillips in November to tackle this question with Phillips visitors. See below for photos and a live-tweet of the conversation.

This was the second in a series of three open conversations that use The Migration Series as a jumping off point for discussions about current issues; join us for the third installment this Thursday with the DC Jazz Festival’s Sunny Sumter, who will be facilitating a discussion focuses on themes of identity, community, and what it means to be an American. See the storify of last month’s talk below. Follow along or join the conversation with #PhillipsConversation.

 

School Program Educators Meet with Question Bridge Artist

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Bayeté Ross Smith discusses Question Bridge with Phillips School Programs Educators last month.

On Wednesday, October 7, Bayeté Ross Smith, one of the creators of Question Bridge: Black Males met with Phillips School Programs Educators to discuss strategies on how to integrate the themes and content of the exhibition into school tours. On view through January 3, 2016, this documentary-style video installation seeks to represent and redefine black male identity in America.

According to Smith, Question Bridge is an effective education tool because, as a case study, it facilitates broader conversations about the identity politics operating in other identity groups and underrepresented demographics. Smith explained that the project reveals not only that indicators of identity are rather arbitrary, but also that there is as much diversity within a demographic as there is outside of it. “The only thing that black men have in common is that they are male and black,” said Smith. “You can’t say they have one thing in common. This seemed like a prime way to examine this issue and deconstruct it, as well as examine the idea of communication and healing within one community—even though it isn’t exactly ‘one community’ so to speak.”

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Bayeté Ross Smith and Phillips School Program Educators during October’s session on Question Bridge.

During his presentation, Smith exposed the group to the many ways educators can engage with the project through the Question Bridge curriculum, website, and mobile app. The curriculum aims to help students develop a variety of skills, such as building cultural, visual, and multimedia literacy. Furthermore, it allows students to engage in the essential, overarching question of how we can create equitable environments of inclusion in our diverse 21st century society. Composed of eight functioning modules with specific learning goals, based on themes such as “The Human Condition,” “Code Switching,” and “The Power of Communication,” the Question Bridge curriculum offers an alternative way for workshops to be structured and students to engage with the material. Each module includes a student workbook and teacher guide, which consists of a list of additional resources and a glossary of terms for reference.

On Thursday, November 12, the Phillips is hosting an Evening for Educators focused on Question BridgeFind details and register here.

Caitlin Casey, K12 Education Intern

Redefining Identity with Question Bridge

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Installation view of Question Bridge: Black Males and the accompanying in-gallery interactive station

On your next visit to the Phillips, don’t miss a gallery on the second floor which has been temporarily converted into a theater for the recently opened Question Bridge: Black Males installation. The documentary-style video art project aims to represent and redefine black male identity in America. Like the subjects on the screen, visitors are invited to answer questions and leave responses at an interactive station in the gallery.