What began as an annual (crowd-favourite) showcase at Black Arts Matter, Black Girl Magic sprouted roots creating a collective of artists dedicated to uplifting the Black feminine brilliance in Amiskwaciywaskahikan. Mainly comprised of the celebrated and beloved Karimah, Dwennimmen, NASRA, Effy in the Sky, Mpoe Mogale, Lebene Disele
BGM were the recipients of the Mcluhan House Residency 2017-2018 where they collaborated in curating community dialogues around Blackness and media as well as creating Unwoven, performed at SkirtsAfire Festival and Black Arts Matter.
Unwoven was a multi-disciplinary show co-written by the members of BGM alongside brilliant guest collaborators; current Historian Laureate of Amiskwaciy, poet and visual artist Amber Paquette, award-winning musician Stephanie Harpe and acclaimed sound designer and projectionist Kalli Mellenius. We were also able to work with Nicole Sander and her team of brilliant American Sign Language interpreters to fully integrate ASL into the fabric of the show. Because of this collaboration we had stories from deaf and hard of hearing patrons who expressed, one most potently, that our melding of mediums/languages allowed him to “hear music for the first time”. Being able to bridge the gap between audiences and offering the entrance to an entirely new way of experiencing art had to be one of the most significant impacts on us as well as those our art was meant to serve.
UnWoven centred us in the magic of Black/Indigenous feminine relations, and the truth that through the unravelling of our pasts, we braid a new future.
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