RICHMOND, Va. -- There's a lot to see and do at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts including an opportunity to catch the latest exhibition "Dawoud Bey: Elegy."
“He's an extraordinary photographer," said Valeri Cassel-Oliver, the curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the VMFA.
Elegy is a poem written in memoriam or a poem that is in many ways, melancholic, as it is meant to evoke a sense of honoring.
Honoring the early experiences of African Americans in America, in this collection, Bey, highlights specific landscapes.
Bey's collection of 42 photographs and two film installations takes viewers on an immersive journey along the Virginia slave trail, Louisiana plantations, and Ohio's Underground Railroad in three different sections, including the artists' recent series commissioned by VMFA.
"One, the importation and the coming of Africans to this country in bondage. Secondly, this idea of labor and what labor looked like, for African Americans who were enslaved, and lastly, the ultimate act of self-emancipation, one leaving enslavement toward a life that's unknown, but different and free," Cassel-Oliver said.
Cassel-Oliver hopes that visitors will leave the exhibition with greater empathy, emphasizing that these histories are not just African-American but American history.
"And I think as soon as we recognize and understand these that create the totality of who we are today, then we can move through the world with a greater understanding," she said.
"Dawoud Bey: Elegy” runs through Feb. 25. There are several programs to engage in, including a symposium on Jan. 27, and a thought-provoking discussion on Feb. 9, with Valerie Cassel Oliver, Dawoud Bey, and two of the film's collaborators.
Every Wednesday evening, the Dominion Energy Jazz Café takes place, with live performances by some of Richmond’s best jazz musicians, in partnership with the Richmond Jazz Society. It is a free event, with music beginning at 6 p.m.
You can celebrate the Chinese New Year with ChinaFest: Year of the Wood Dragon on Feb. 3.
And Fridays After 5, Taste of Art, is every 2nd and 4th Friday, and new, Fridays After 5, Mom’s night out, Feb. 9.
For more information on these and other events, click here.
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