Fashion Show to Feature Pieces Inspired by Museum’s “Artists in Dialogue 2” Exhibition
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art’s annual Community Day is Saturday, Sept. 10, from 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. This year’s theme is “The Power of the Word: A Dramatic State of Affairs.” Each September, the museum opens its doors so visitors of all ages may experience special performances and events intended to inspire them to learn more about the culture and people of Africa and its diaspora through music, dance, film and art. This event is free.
“Community Day at the museum is all about the joy of celebrating the diversity and the similarities among us,” said Johnnetta Betsch Cole, director of the museum. “It is a day when people from communities as nearby as Anacostia and Georgetown and as distant as Johannesburg, girls and boys, women and men, come together to witness and participate in the making of visual arts, music, dance and theater that come from Africa, the very cradle of humankind.”
Emceed by Diallo Sumbry and Dehejia Maat, Community Day offers something for everyone, including art activities, face painting, storytelling, a performance by Bill Grimmett, West African dance by Nazu and spoken word by Omecongo.
Among this year’s highlights are performances by Afro funk band Chopteeth and a fashion show by Morgan State University influenced by the museum’s contemporary exhibition “Artists in Dialogue 2.” In it, models will respond and interpret the innovative artistic styles of Henrique Oliveira and Sandile Zulu through fashion.