ART DISCUSSION: A DIALOGUE ON BEING
Saturday, October 5, 2024 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Build In Tulsa
124 Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK 74103
FREE & OPEN TO ALL.
Le'Andra LeSeur organizes A Dialogue on Being, a panel discussion with Jessica Gaynelle Moss, Pamela Council, and Alexandra Jane about critical perspectives on Black art and cultivating space for the well-being of Black artists.
Brunch menu by Prism Cafe.
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Tulsa Artist Fellow Le’Andra LeSeur creates powerful works across film, photography, and painting, celebrating Blackness, queerness, and femininity. Her art seeks to dismantle power structures and explore themes of identity, grief, family, and invisibility. Hailing from the Bronx, Le’Andra’s work has been showcased at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, The Shed, and more. Her piece ‘Maybe rainbows do exist at night’ (2019) is part of the Whitney Museum of Art’s collection. During her fellowship, Le’Andra debuted "That body of (a reflection of the sky)" at Swivel Gallery in February. Her latest body of work, Monument Eternal, opens at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, New York, exploring the body’s response to sonic rhythms and monuments of violence in examining their impact on the Black psyche.
Pamela Council is an interdisciplinary artist from Southampton, New York, known for creating multisensory dedications through sculpture, writing, and performance. Their work, including the Fountains for Black Joy series, blends dark humor with vibrant color to honor the unsung while critiquing power structures. Council coined the term BLAXIDERMY to describe their unique Afro-Americana camp aesthetic, which explores the precarity of Black life through playful transformations of everyday materials like sneaker soles, hair lotion, and acrylic nails.
Alexandra Jane is a curator, writer, and social media strategist. With roots across North Carolina, she is dedicated to the advancement of arts and culture throughout the state. While Alexandra was an undergraduate student studying public relations at North Carolina A&T State University, she first discovered her interest in identity and access. Now, as a practitioner, her work is dedicated to creating ethical opportunities for women artists, queer artists, Black artists, and artists of color.
Jessica Gaynelle Moss is an artist, curator, and advocate for Black art, dedicated to creating platforms that invest in and uplift Black artists. Her interdisciplinary practice merges fine art with real estate development, institution-building, and philanthropy, fostering more equitable and just policies in the arts. As the founding director of The Roll Up CLT artist residency and manager of Alisha B. Wormsley's Sibyls Shrine project, Jessica’s work extends into consulting for organizations like The Joan Mitchell Center and The National Museum of African American History and Culture. She holds degrees from Carnegie Mellon, SAIC, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
EVENT SCHEDULE | BUILD IN TULSA
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
Build In Tulsa doors open. Brunch menu by Prism Cafe.
11:20 AM - 12:00 PM (RSVP required)
A Dialogue On Being
Le'Andra LeSeur will host a panel discussion with Jessica Gaynelle Moss, Pamela Council, and Alexandra Jane about critical perspectives on Black art and cultivating space for the well-being of Black artists.
12:00 PM - 12:20 PM
Connection & food continues.
12:20-1:00 PM (RSVP required)
Coffee Ceremony & Reflection with Eyakem Gulilat
Join artist Eyakem Gulilat for an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a tradition of sharing stories, wisdom, and community over coffee from Asikana.
1:00 PM - 1:20 PM
Connection & food continues.
1:20 PM - 2:00 PM (RSVP required)
The Racial Reckoning in Art and Performance
Yale University scholar and Park Avenue Armory Curator of Public Programming Tavia Nyong’o will discuss the racial reckoning in theater, dance, and performance. Tulsa Artist Fellowship alum, Artist, and Queen Rose Art House founder Kalup Linzy will moderate the Q&A.
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Conversations conclude.
ABOUT TULSA ARTIST FELLOWSHIP
With the belief that arts are critical to the advancement of cultural citizenship, Tulsa Artist Fellowship supports artists and arts workers in the heart of Oklahoma’s Green Country. Socially invested artistic practitioners live and work here, intentionally engaging with our city.
ABOUT BUILD IN TULSA
The mission of Build in Tulsa is to close the wealth gap in America by catalyzing the creation of multi-generational wealth through tech and entrepreneurship. Rooted in the legacy of Black Wall Street, Build in Tulsa is committed to providing opportunity for entrepreneurs who have historically been denied resources and funding.
VISITOR EXPERIENCE
The north entrance to Build In Tulsa is located at 124 Reconciliation Way, between MLK Jr. Blvd and Boston Ave in the Arts District. For wheelchair accessibility, please use the south entrance, which can be accessed through the Build In Tulsa parking lot at the SW corner of Archer Street and MLK Jr. Blvd. If you have any questions about accessibility, need to request accommodations, or want to share feedback, please email info@tulsaartistfellowship.org or call (539) 302-4855.
Tulsa Artist Fellowship is a cultural initiative of the George Kaiser Family Foundation. Open House programs are made possible, in part, by The Bush Hughes Foundation for Progress. Special thanks to the dedicated staff, visionary awardees, artistic contributors, cultural partners, media platforms, presenters, culinary experts, and champions for supporting this ambitious weekend.
