“IT’S ALL OUT OF MY ARMS”: An Activated Honoring

  • February 21 - March 8, 2025
  • Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

    601 West Broad Street
    Richmond, Virginia 23220
Ticket Price Free Buy Tickets
Description

THIS EVENT WAS PREVIOUSLY FOR FEBRUARY 21, THE NEW DATE FOR THIS EVENT IS MARCH 8 AT 5 PM

Artists featured in the ICA exhibition Dear Mazie,—Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo and the collective known as The Black School (operated by Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters)—invite the writers Alexis De Veaux and Ayana Zaire Cotton to facilitate a collaborative altar-building workshop and collective reading.

Members of the public are invited to contribute to the altar with objects of significance that represent liberation, future making, and resistance. Please bring the item with you to the performance—you will leave the evening with it in hand.

Artist Description:

“IT’S ALL OUT OF MY ARMS, OUR COLLECTIVE MOUTH IS SPEAKING” holds visionary Black queer legacies within our mouths, woven into our relationship to our collective liberation. It honors the builders, crafters, sculptors, poets, educators, activists, and web keepers of our futurity, bringing together the practices and language of Amaza Lee Meredith, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, Ayana Zaire Cotton, Alexis De Veaux, and Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters of The Black School, into a spell and ceremony to build with.

The title reference, “it is all out of my arms,” is drawn from a poem by fellow Black queer architect, poet, activist, and educator June Jordan, and our collective mouth is speaking, giving our words power to craft a future full of collective worldbuilding. We wrap our mouths, homes, lovers, and sacred objects in words, letters, correspondence, spells, wishes, and demands, letting this language be the building blocks to craft our sacred survival spaces, in honor of and with Amaza.

Longer description:

“IT’S ALL OUT OF MY ARMS, OUR COLLECTIVE MOUTH IS SPEAKING” holds visionary Black queer legacies within our mouths, woven into our relationship to our collective liberation. It honorsHonoring the builders, crafters, sculptors, poets, educators, activists, and web keepers of our futurity,. bBringing together the practices and language of Amaza Lee Meredith, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo, Ayana Zaire Cotton, Alexis De Veaux, and Joseph Cuillier and Shani Peters of The Black School, into a spell and ceremony to build with.

The title reference, “iIt is all out of my arms,” is drawn from a poem by fellow Black queer, architect, poet, activist, and educator June Jordan, and our collective mouth is speaking, giving our words power to craftthe crafting of a future full of collective worldbuilding. We wrap our mouths, homes, lovers, and sacred objects in words, letters, correspondence, spells, wishes, and demands, l. Letting letting this language be the building blocks to craft our sacred survival spaces, in honor of and with Amaza.

The public/community is invited to contribute to the altar with objects of significance that represent liberation, future making, and resistance. These objects will be a part of an activated honoring ritual on Saturday, March 8, at 5 p.m. Please bring the item with you to the performance— – you will leave the evening with it in hand.

 

Date & Time

Feb 21 - Mar 8, 2025

Venue Details

Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University

601 West Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23220 Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University
ICA at VCU

The Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University presents the art of our time and provides an open forum for dialogue and collaboration across the region and throughout the world.

Opened on April 21, 2018, the ICA is a non-collecting institution that showcases an ever-changing slate of exhibitions, performances, films, and special programs that translate our world into every medium.

Admission is free and open to all.


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