The Commons: Southern Futures

FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2024

7 PM	After Lives by Curatorial Cohort  CURRENT ArtSpace The Opening Performance for The Commons: Southern Futures will feature vignettes created and performed by the six artistic curators of The Commons: Sylvester Allen, Jr., Johnny Lee Chapman, III, Cortland Gilliam, Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr., Jasmine Powell, and CJ Suitt. This performance will feature spoken word, dance, and theater, and includes historical, autobiographical and fictional storytelling throughout the evening. The vignettes are intended to offer a “taste” of the artistic presentation that audiences will have a chance to experience more fully through workshops and other performances throughout The Commons weekend. Content warning: There will be strobing effects, flashing, and light movement in this performance. ASL interpretation will be provided.
9 PM	Black Water Vernacular by Derrick Beasley CURRENT ArtSpace The culmination of several tours of NC wetlands in 2023. Some alone with only artist, Derrick Beasley, and some tours with friends. Core to this project is the question ”what can be learned from wisdom of the wetlands and peoples whose daughters build a new world for themselves within it?” Audio arrangement by Alan Thompson with voices from Swamp Tours throughout various NC Wetlands. The film features Derrick Beasley, William Jackson, Quay Weston, Alan Thompson, Cornell Watson, and Monet Noelle Marshall.
	Opening Celebration with Curators and other Commons attendees The Garden Spot (back of Lantern)

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2024

10 AM	Somatic Procession with Murielle Elizéon & Tommy Noonan of Culture Mill CURRENT ArtSpace What happens when we drop into our senses and experience a landscape together through our individual and communal bodies? What do we notice and what feels erased? How can this somatic experience open and deepen our knowledge of history and place? Join Culture Mill co-directors Murielle Elizeon and Tommy Noonan for a communal practice that utilizes tools that have formed the basis of their work Eclipse and their ongoing residency in Southern Futures at Carolina Performing Arts. Please wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes.
11:30 AM	Creative Movement Practices (Workshop) with Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr. and Jasmine Powell CURRENT ArtSpace This community-based workshop invites emotional investigation through movement, dialogue, and facilitated practices exploring themes of space, identity, and introspection. We will work to increase collective connection by creating an open space for experiences, inviting participants to come with an open mind and heart. We will use breathwork, guided movement, and the opportunity to experience the choreographers deep creative practice(s) to explore these various themes. While no dance experience is necessary, we invite all movers, novice to advance, to join.
1 PM	Black Water Vernacular by Derrick Beasley (available until 3PM) CURRENT ArtSpace The culmination of several tours of NC wetlands in 2023. Some alone with only artist, Derrick Beasley, and some tours with friends. Core to this project is the question ”what can be learned from wisdom of the wetlands and peoples whose daughters build a new world for themselves within it?” Audio arrangement by Alan Thompson with voices from Swamp Tours throughout various NC Wetlands. The film features Derrick Beasley, William Jackson, Quay Weston, Alan Thompson, Cornell Watson, and Monet Noelle Marshall.
	Lunch Break Northside District
3 PM	Page 2 Stage (Workshop) with CJ Suitt and Johnny Lee Chapman III CURRENT Studio A workshop where participants will discuss creative writing as a form of expression and liberation. Participants will need a writing utensil and paper/notebook (if not using digital writing utensils).
5 PM	The First and Final Meeting of Jim, Joe and Wyatt a short play with musical underscoring Written by Sylvester Allen, Jr. Performed by Sylvester Allen, Jr., Johnny Lee Chapman III and Cortland Gilliam CURRENT ArtSpace This one act play highlights three historical Reconstruction Era leaders and their experiences as black activists. Though they never met in real life, their circumstances while living in the South eerily paralleled each other. Jim, Joe ,and Wyatt convene in a fictional gathering to discuss their lives, their excitement for the future, and their anticipatory fears shortly before fate overtakes them.
7 PM	Self Un/En Titled by Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr. and Jasmine Powell CURRENT ArtSpace Two of six co-curators of The Commons: Southern Futures, Anthony Otto Nelson, Jr. and Jasmine Powell, have come together to present two new collaborative dance works, inviting the audience to step into currents of grief, joy, and memory. These interwoven works welcomes the audience to immerse themselves in a glimpse of authenticity, intertwined with dynamic narratives, lived experiences, and a vibrant celebration of black culture, told through movement. While Otto encourages viewers to question identity, masculinity, and queerness, Jasmine highlights the depth of black lineage within these rich Southern roots.
9 PM	Black Water Vernacular by Derrick Beasley CURRENT ArtSpace The culmination of several tours of NC wetlands in 2023. Some alone with only artist, Derrick Beasley, and some tours with friends. Core to this project is the question ”what can be learned from wisdom of the wetlands and peoples whose daughters build a new world for themselves within it?” Audio arrangement by Alan Thompson with voices from Swamp Tours throughout various NC Wetlands. The film features Derrick Beasley, William Jackson, Quay Weston, Alan Thompson, Cornell Watson, and Monet Noelle Marshall.
	After-Party Northside District

SUNDAY, MAY 5, 2024

10 AM	Passing Their Word: an Oral History/ Playwriting (Workshop) with Sylvester Allen, Jr. and Cortland Gilliam Hargraves Community Center This workshop delves into the methods of using short one act plays to bring oral histories to life. The workshop will give invited speakers the opportunity to tell their stories-stories which we will then collectively learn to structure short theatrical pieces around.
	Live Painting: Muralist and Graffiti Artist Hargraves Community Park
12 PM	Southern Futures Block Party Hargraves Community Park Live music by DJ Gemynii, food trucks, and local arts vendors Live painting by muralist & graffiti artists
3 PM	The Party Continues