Though this year’s festival may be over, there are still those who have its works and impacts on their minds.  Our Thinkers in Residence each went out during the festival days and engaged with the artists, the works, the public, and the street.  They had their own reactions and interpretations of what they saw and experienced.  As we look forward to 2017, let us take the time to look back on what these Thinkers thought and read their perspectives on this year’s festival.

Thinker in Residence: Nia I’man Smith

Nia I’man Smith is…
daughter to Linda & Tony Smith. sister to Malik Nealy & Hasan Lyons. granddaughter to Coleen Ransom (ibaye) and Levy C. & Minnie Nealy (ibaye). great-granddaughter to Mama Lou & Papa Dennis Nealy (ibaye). great-niece to Essie Nealy Manning (ibaye).Oakland born & raised. former D.C. resident. current Bed-Stuy resident. Orisa devotee. lover of Black Music. creator of the online blog and etsy page, THE BLACK CONNECTION. sometimes poet. sometimes lover. always friend. full-time arts administrator. part-time museum educator, music consultant & research assistant. Howard University & Bank Street College of Education graduate. capricorn sun & ascendant. almost 30.

For her Thinker in Residence piece, Nia curated songs that she felt resonated with the projects and its theme, all drawn from Black owned and operated labels:

Below are links to the Spotify playlist of “race records” I created for this project! All the songs are from the Black Swan and Black Patti record labels, which were two Black owned and operated labels that existed in the 1920’s. Among many things, Black Swan is notable for being the first Black Owned record label.

Attached is an “advertisement”  for the playlist modeled after adverts the labels placed in Black owned newspapers such as The Crisis and The Chicago Defender.