Kevin Beasley
Black Rocker
May 15, 2015, 6pm–midnight
Artist talk: May 14, 7pm
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood Street
Dallas, TX 75201
New York-based artist Kevin Beasley will debut a new work titled Black Rocker during the May 15 Late Night at the Dallas Museum of Art. In continuation of the artist’s site-specific performance practice, Black Rocker, commissioned by the DMA, joins the program of the first annual SOLUNA International Music & Arts Festival, the first Dallas Arts District-wide, music-and-more festival, organized by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
The world premiere of Beasley’s Black Rocker, a sound performance piece consisting of interactive sculptural components, will be a one-night-only experience in the Museum’s atrium. The new work emphasizes the physicality of sound and explores the journey to American-ness through a culture dependent upon notions of blackness while celebrating the history of black music in America. The space will be activated between 6pm and midnight with timed performances by Beasley throughout the evening.
Black Rocker derives its name from an actual rocking chair that will be used by Beasley during the performance. This chair will be accompanied by 24 bespoke seat cushions that Beasley has equipped with microphones. The audience will be able to interact with the artist in real time during the performance. This bold experiment will harness the energies of the audience and transform them into dynamic aural sensations.
Artist talk
Thursday, May 14, 7pm
Horchow Auditorium
Order tickets online at dma.org/tickets, or by phone during business hours at T +1 214 922 1818.
Join Gavin Delahunty, Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, and Kevin Beasley in a discussion on Beasley’s work and the political economy of music.
Black Rocker
Friday, May 15, from 6pm to midnight
Atrium
Free general admission
6pm Seating Arrangement
7pm Black Rocker
8pm Hum + Seating Arrangement
8:30pm Black Rocker
9:30pm–midnight Black Rockers Mix—a search for a sonic American-ness by way of black aesthetics, illness and triumph
Beasley’s sculptural installations and performances have been included in recent internationally renowned exhibitions, such as at the 2014 Whitney Biennial, New York; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland; and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. The physicality of sound is foundational to Beasley’s site-specific practice that works to expose a location’s historical weight by revealing the invisible aural materiality and protracted moments from both mythical and scientific time. Prior to his residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, he was an artist-in-residence at the International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) in Brooklyn, NY. He received his BFA from the College of Creative Studies, Detroit, and an MFA in Sculpture from Yale University in 2012.
About The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family SOLUNA International Music & Arts Festival
Anchored by DSO performances led by Music Director Jaap van Zweden, The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family SOLUNA International Music & Arts Festival will showcase internationally acclaimed guest soloists, visual artists and performing artists alongside leading Dallas-based companies and ensembles. A new annual, three-week multidisciplinary event, SOLUNA will stage performances and exhibitions across such venues as the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas City Performance Hall, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Nasher Sculpture Center, Klyde Warren Park and Dallas Museum of Art, as well as other prominent galleries and performance spaces in the Dallas Arts District.
About the Dallas Museum of Art
Established in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) is among the ten largest art museums in the country and is distinguished by its commitment to research, innovation, and public engagement. At the heart of the museum and its programs is its global collection, which encompasses more than 23,000 works and spans 5,000 years of history, representing a full range of world cultures.
