Musical Lecture: Dr. Naomi André

Visual and Performing Arts as Spaces of Possibility
In recent years artistic arenas focusing on visual images and sonic landscapes are being transformed in ways that speak directly to our current realities. In this talk Dr. Naomi André foregrounds the current paths being forged in museum exhibitions and opera houses.

Through multiple types of materials and media, artists are expanding the way familiar stories are being told. Additionally, the types of narratives being portrayed include inventive and groundbreaking themes and situations. The most compelling exhibitions and operas are presenting traditional narratives in ways that create paths for innovation and newer works. A key element in the visual arts and opera today is for the audience to see something that connects to who they are and that represents a wide range of experiences and situations.

Join Dr. André as she explores these themes in the North Carolina Museum of Art’s exhibition The Time Is Always Now and through recent operas in South Africa—Winnie: The Opera (2011, Ndodana-Breen/Wilensky/Vundla)—and in the United States—Fire Shut Up in My Bones (2019, Terence Blanchard/Kasi Lemmons) and The Factotum (2023, Will Liverman/DJ King Rico).

Image: Courtesy of the presenter