Five films by Black
filmmakers to be screened via livestream
in conjunction with
the Let Us March On exhibition
at the Windgate Museum
of Art at Hendrix College
CONWAY, Ark. (September 25, 2020) — Black Representation Matters: In Film and Beyond, the inaugural film series of the Windgate Museum of Art, begins this weekend with a screening of 13th. The series of five films and discussions, which are free and open to all, will be livestreamed due to
coronavirus concerns. Access to each livestream requires a reservation; to make reservations, visit
https://watch.eventive.org/brmathendrix.
The first film in the series, 13th, will screen on Saturday, September 26 at 7 p.m. A panel discussion will follow with Zachary Crow, director of DecARcerate; Dawn Jeffrey, blacktivist and grassroots organizer and creator of the Little Rock
Freedom Fund; Kaleem Nazeem, who was incarcerated at the age of 17 and now advocates for prison reform and to end death by incarceration in the penal system; and Dr. Joshua Glick, Assistant Professor of English, Film, and Media Studies at Hendrix College. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Anne Goldberg, Charles
Prentiss Hough Odyssey Professor of Anthropology.
13th is the 2016 American documentary by Ava DuVernay (director of Selma) that explores the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States. It is titled after the 13th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime. The film investigates America’s history of racial inequality by focusing on the fact that the nation’s prisons are disproportionately filled
with African-Americans.
Future films/panel discussions in the series include:
- October 2: Dreamland: Little
Rock’s West 9th Street (Mayhan, 2018)
- October 16: The Watermelon Woman (Dunye, 1997)
- October 23: I Am Not Your Negro (Peck, 2016)
- November 6: Moonlight (Jenkins, 2016)
Black Representation Matters: In Film
and Beyond is a series that serves as a powerful collection of Black stories, written and directed by Black film artists, emphasizing the overarching themes of Black resilience, hope, and progressive change in the face of America’s historic and continued systemic racism. The
series is curated by JaZmyn Shambley and Sophia Stolkey, Hendrix students who are serving as Museum Associates in Film at the Windgate Museum of Art.
“JaZmyn Shambley and Sophia Stolkey have organized a terrific film series by some of the most important Black filmmakers working today,” said Mary Kennedy, Director of the Windgate Museum of Art. “Real world experience in cultural programming for Hendrix students
working as Museum Associates is a priority at the Windgate Museum of Art. Sophia and JaZmyn curated the film series and organized the panel discussions, just as they would in professional film programming positions.”
The film series is part of the exhibition, Let Us March On, an exhibition on the Black Lives Matter movement in Arkansas. The exhibition includes a rich mix of documentary photographs, artwork, artifacts, interactives, and narrative text. The exhibition will be on display
through January 22, 2021 at the Windgate Museum of Art in the Window Gallery, which is visible at all times from the exterior of the museum.
For more information about Black Representation Matters and Let Us March On, please follow
@windgatemuseum on Instagram and
@WMAatHDX on Facebook. For more information, contact Amanda Cheatham at 501-328-2383 or
cheatham@hendrix.edu.
About the Windgate Museum of Art
The Windgate Museum of Art is the new art museum located on the campus of Hendrix College. With a vision to be the premier teaching art museum in Arkansas, the WMA presents outstanding art exhibitions, compelling educational programs, and invigorating social
activities for students, faculty, staff, and visitors to campus. Free and open to all, the museum uses hands-on experiences to train students in all facets of museum work, including curatorial research, collection management, educational and social programming, marketing and communications, as well as all aspects of
exhibition research, planning, installation, and evaluation. The Windgate Museum of Art is made possible with the generous support of the Windgate Foundation and the Alice L. Walton Foundation.