On Nov. 12, ArtsWave unveiled Flow, a new performing arts series that will spotlight nationally and internationally acclaimed African-American artists and ensembles throughout 2020.
“I believe we are in a community that is separated by black and white — if I can simplify that separation — and I think one of the opportunities here is to bridge that divide,” Mel Gravely, TriVersity Construction Chief Executive Officer and Co-Chair of Flow’s Board of Advisors, says via phone. “The arts has a unique way of doing that. So I think a consistent multidisciplinary art series has a chance to attract an audience that is very diverse.”
Gravely adds that he also thinks the series will add a sense of “place,” especially for African-Americans who come from inner cities, working here professionally and find it hard to connect.
“This is akin to what they might find on a regular basis if they lived in D.C., New York or Chicago,” Gravely says of Flow. “We’ll have this steady diet of African-American arts that, honestly, cities likes ours just don’t have.”
Designed to draw diverse crowds from all cultural backgrounds, the series kicks off with a residency and performances by the internationally acclaimed Dayton Contemporary Dance Company (DCDC) on Feb. 21-22 at the Aronoff’s Jarson-Kaplan Theater. Titled Retro/ACTIVE, this will be DCDC’s first full-length concert in Cincy in over 12 years. As part of the residency, the company will work with students at Frederick Douglass Elementary.
Also on deck is Grammy-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn with a concert May 1 and 2 at the Jarson-Kaplan Theater; contemporary dancer Lil’ Bec will join Jon Boogz on Sept. 26 (location TBA) and Grammy-winning Broadway performer Norm Lewis rounds out the year on Dec. 4 and 5 (location TBA).
In crafting the series, ArtsWave President and CEO Alecia Kintner says a curatorial committee examined national performing arts festivals and shows to get a feel for what artists are making exciting, new works.
“It came out of many conversations that were formal and informal to add to the inventory of professional Black arts in our city and region,” Kintner says. “Connected to that, the information coming from our business community and partners was that the city would benefit from stronger retention of African-American employees and executives.”
And so they asked: How can we use the arts to connect those two ideas? Flow is one response to that need.
“We are working really hard to have this flow from the African-American experience,” Kintner says. “And yet it’s not just for African-Americans. The magic of this — if we’re successful — is that we are inspiring people of all colors, interests, ages and backgrounds to come together and experience something new.”
The series also falls in line with ArtsWave’s larger 10 year “Blueprint for Collective Action,” which outlines an end goal of deepening the roots of Cincinnati residents, especially African-Americans, and bridging cultural divides.
“I think we fail if we don’t have non-African-Americans appreciating and enjoying the expression of African-American art,” Gravely says. “I do believe (Flow) creates the beginnings of an ecosystem, the beginnings of appreciation for other African-American art expression.”
Along with ArtsWave, Flow has partnered with several local businesses and organizations, including Fifth Third Bank, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, P&G and the Cincinnati Arts Association. Others include Duke Energy, GE, TriVersity and media sponsor Cincinnati Enquirer, d.e. Foxx and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Mary Stagaman, Flow co-chair and Vice President of Inclusion at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, says that one of things the chamber has learned through working with organizations across the region is that representation is important in creating more inclusive communities.
“Flow is sort of a proof of concept in the sense that it’s not the whole story,” Stagaman says. “It is the beginning of what we see as a much longer process to build out a stronger ecosystem here in our region, for arts and culture that are representative of the black experience.
“It’s important to understand that four events in a year are a great start but they are only the beginning.”
Tickets for the DCDC concert went on sale Nov. 13. For more info, visit artswave.org/FLOW.
This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2019.
