Afrofuturism in Jazz on View in the Narthex Gallery
Sun Ra Arkestra, 2009
On View | Now through May 25, 2023
Afrofuturism in Jazz
Photographs by R.I. Sutherland-Cohen
Presented by Saint Peter’s Church in collaboration with Midtown Arts Common and jazzexpressions.org.
Afrofuturism is a conceptual space in the arts that explores the intersection of science and technology with Black history and culture. Afrofuturist artistic imagination provides a framework for reckoning with the past by refusing to be written out of the future. In music, Afrofuturist expression is usually traced back to George Clinton in funk and Sun Ra in jazz. Today, the list of jazz, pop, hip-hop, and R&B musicians who are influence by Afrofuturist concepts continues to grow. Some proponents of Afrofuturism today are featured in this photography installation, which coincides with a multidisciplinary exhibit opening in March 2023, Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC.
Opening Reception
Afrofuturism in Jazz
March 18, 2023 | 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Join us in the Narthex Gallery to celebrate the opening of Saint Peter's new exhibition, featuring jazz musicians and former Saint Peter's performers in an extensive variety of concert photography.
Afrofuturist artistic imagination provides a framework for reckoning with the past by refusing to be written out of the future. It also explores the intersection of science and technology with Black history and culture. In Jazz, most notable contributors being Sun Ra, the nods to Afrofuturism are visible as more and more artist embrace this framework. This exhibition aims to capture that exploration on stage.
Exhibition Walkthrough
Afrofuturism in Jazz
April 19, 2023 | 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Join R.I Sutherland-Cohen for a walk-through of the exhibiton, Afrofuturism in Jazz, which features his photography work, and learn about the techniques of shooting performances.
About the Photographer
R. I. SUTHERLAND-COHEN lives in New York City. Following his college years (BS in Mathematics, Northeastern University and MFA in Directing, Boston University) he has stage managed numerous productions on Broadway, over forty operas for New York City Opera, and theatrical presentations throughout the world. His production management credits included Lincoln Center Festivals, HOWL! Festivals, ten years as Entertainment Operations Manager for the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, Associate Producer/Writer for Westinghouse Television’s syndicated series Earth Lab, as well as overseeing a wide-range of special live-performance events. Following retirement as Professor Emeritus from the Department of Theater at Brooklyn College, his published books include Tesla for Beginners and Introduction to Production: Creating Theatre Onstage, Backstage, & Offstage. In 2022, Robert was honored by the Stage Managers Association with The Founders Award.
As a photographer of primarily jazz musicians in concert, artistic recognition has come in many forms. Recognition include the solo exhibition that accompanied All Nite Soul for the Jazz Ministry at Saint Peter’s Church, as well as at the Berlitz Language Center’s presentation in New York’s Rockefeller Center. Robert’s photos have been featured in a Lincoln Center showing of employees’ art, an exhibition at the Hot Summer Jazz Festival in Minneapolis, and inclusions in the collections of Winona Ryder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Paul Simon, as well as many other recording artists. He is a regular contributor to music publications such as Downbeat, New York City Jazz Record, Jazz Times, All About Jazz, Wire, and other international journals. Additionally, many musicians in the jazz community feature his photos in their recordings. Among these were Downbeat Magazine’s Annual 65th Critics Poll - Jazz Album of the Year: Wadada Leo Smith’s America’s National Parks. Robert has been twice nominated for Lifetime Achievement in Photography by the Jazz Journalists Association.
In June 2020, amidst the grief and social unrest following the murder of George Floyd and the pandemic lockdown, Robert photographed the boarded-up storefronts of the SoHo neighborhood in New York City. This resulted in a three-month solo exhibition in South Boston in 2022. The accompanying self-published book captured many of the storefronts and a variety of outspoken artists expressing their heartfelt feelings against the plague of injustice and the coronavirus pandemic ravaging so many lives.
Contact Information: jazzexpressions@gmail.com / www.jazzexpressions.org