Birmingham Public Library Spotlights the Arts for Black History Month

The Birmingham Public Library (BPL) celebrates Black History Month with a series of programs on the Arts. February’s Brown Bag Lunch topics include visual arts, performing arts, language arts, and theatre arts. This program series promises to be thought-provoking, enlightening, and enjoyable. Mark your calendar and join us on the following dates at noon:

February 1
Treasures of African Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art
Emily G. Hanna, the Curator of Arts of Africa and the Americas at the Birmingham Museum of Art, will discuss great works of African art from the museum’s permanent collection and the re-installation of the African art gallery.

February 8
Alabama School of Fine Arts Presents
The Alabama School of Fine Arts (ASFA) Music Department will present a performance featuring the ASFA Choir, String Orchestra, and Jazz Combo groups performing music by African American composers. Directed by Kimberly Scott, Laura Doss, and Robert Janssen, these ensembles are sure to inspire and entertain. This noon hour program promises to be the break you deserve during the day.

February 15
Women in the Media
Malena Cunningham is President and CEO of Strategic Media Relations, Inc. In this one-hour segment, she shares her experiences as an award-winning journalist. Prior to launching Strategic Media Relations, Cunningham was evening news anchor for NBC13 covering numerous high profile stories including every gubernatorial race in Alabama since 1992 during her 12-year stint at NBC13. Cunningham is author of Savvy Leadership Strategies for Women; the book will be available for purchase and signing by the author.

February 22
Plays on the Go: A Poetic Glance at Black History
Christi Toyer, Artistic Director of Plays on the Go Touring Company, and members of her company will offer an energetic exploration of poetry, song and dance as they take us on a journey through the experiences of African Americans.

February 29
The Fight Continues in an Unlikely Place: African American Comic Art
Jeffreen M. Hayes is an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow at the Birmingham Museum of Art, where she will organize African American art exhibitions. She discusses comic artists Brumsic Brandon, Jr. (b. 1927) and Aaron McGruder (b. 1974), creators of the comic strips Luther and The Boondocks respectively. This talk will examine comic artists’ contributions to fostering dialogue about racism through comics. Her specialty is contemporary African American art and visual culture. Hayes is currently completing her doctoral studies at the College of William and Mary in the American Studies program.