Art Equals Politics: From the Streets to Social Justice

press release: The University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts (presenter) welcomes Ben Barson and Gizelxanath Rodriguez as the spring 2020 Interdisciplinary Artists-in-Residence. Both Barson and Rodriguez are musicians, artivists (artists and activists), environmentalists and co-founders of the Afro Yaqui Music Collective (longer biographies below).

They will teach the course “Artivism: Intercultural Solidarity & Decolonizing Performance.”  Students will investigate the theory, practice, multidisciplinary and intercultural concepts connected with the recent jazz opera, “Mirror Butterfly: The Migrant Liberation Movement Suite." Barson and Rodriguez will guide and inspire students to participate in the construction of a new performance module of the jazz opera. To supplement the residency, Barson and Rodriguez will present at various events and bring in guest artists Nejma Nefertiti and Charlotte Hill O’Neal aka Mama C (biographies below).

The spring 2020 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program is presented by the UW–Madison Division of the Arts and hosted by the Asian American Studies Program with Associate Professor Peggy Choy as lead faculty. Co-sponsors include the Dance Department, the Mead Witter School of Music and the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Some of the residency events are also part of the Nelson Institute’s Earth Day@50 – Arts Initiative.

The UW–Madison Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program (IARP) brings innovative artists to campus to teach semester-long, interdepartmental courses and to publicly present their work for campus and community audiences and is funded through the university’s Office of the Provost.

Spring 2020 Public Events

All the events are free and take place in Madison, Wisconsin unless noted otherwise, such as the conferences. Events are subject to change. Visit the events section at their website go.wisc.edu/barsonrodriguez for more details.

Thursday, Feb. 27 | 7­–8:30 p.m., Bayview Community Center, 601 Bay View (in the Triangle), “Art Equals Politics: From the streets to social justice,” An evening with Nejma Nefertiti

Nejma Nefertiti shares her experience as an EmCee, an open mic session follows. Discussing the five elements of hip-hop culture, Nejma explains how hip-hop is a tool for the legacy she creates and practices. She shares her process of inspiring, bringing awareness and creating social change, through the tenets of Mother Earth centeredness, self-determination, restoring the way of the Original peoples and radical matriarchy. She also touches on how hip-hop and art are voices of the movement.

Nejma will lead an opening ceremony honoring the ancestors and build a liberated space of expression, using hip-hop’s elements. Attendees are encouraged to use any and all elements of the art form. Everyone is welcome to participate in an open mic cypher/soul share. (Parking in the Center’s lot is limited, please use Braxton Place and West Washington Avenue)

Friday, Feb. 28 | 5–7 p.m., Tandem Press, 1743 Commercial Avenue: Performances by Blue Note Ensemble, directed by Chris Rottmayer, and the Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, directed by Johannes Wallmann. Ben Barson, saxophonist, and Gizelxanath Rodriguez, vocalist, as well as Nejma Nefertiti, all of the Afro Yaqui Music Collective, will join this session as guests.

Wednesday, April 15 | 7:30 p.m., Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, 740 University Avenue, Contested Homes: Migrant Liberation Movement Suite: The final spring 2020 residency features a new performance module of the jazz opera “Mirror Butterfly,” created together with students from the “Artivism: Intercultural Solidarity & Decolonizing Performance” course.

Includes music by Ben Barson and Gizelxanath Rodriguez and the UW Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, directed by Johannes Wallmann. Choreographed by Peggy Choy. Special guest performers include Charlotte Hill O’Neal aka Mama C and Nejma Nefertiti.