There are all types of artists. An artist doesn’t just apply to music, painters, or singers. Dance is another major art form in itself and I feel like we don’t see enough of it. I had the pleasure of speaking with Eleni Loving, a native of Dallas who will be making her Texas debut with Gibney Dance Company. Eleni was raised in Dallas, attending Dallas Black Dance Academy and then Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts. She is returning to show her village of supporters everything that she has learned over the years. “It’s kind of weird honestly because the trips between DFW,(airports) Love Field, and La Guardia, I’ve made that trip so many times through my school years, and to be now at this stage of my life with this wonderful group of people making my debut, it almost feels like a merging of my two worlds. It’s amazing because I spent all of my childhood in Dallas. I have my village from Booker T Washington and Dallas Black Theater and even my church family. I just have a large village here. It’s a bit nerve-racking because I still feel new. I want to make them proud. I feel really good about it. I’m glad I’m able to share where I am now and who I’ve become,” Eleni says.
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 The mighty women of the Agojie were warriors. From the 1600s to1800s in the West African Kingdom of Dahomey this all-female military regiment gallantly fought their empire’s enemies.
Film fans first glimpsed the Dahomey Amazon legacy in the Marvel movie Black Panther, where the Dora Milaje special forces in the fictional nation of Wakanda were modeled after those fighters. So, an introduction has already been made. On a visit to Benin in 2015, actress/producer Maria Bello encountered the legend of the Agojie, fathomed a movie and with screenwriter Dana Stevens, crafted a fictionalized story of true-life female combatants. Other corroborators include filmmaker Gina Prince-Blythewood, who researched the women, culture and era, adding her insight; Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis and her production company; and producer Cathy Schulman (Crash). The project is largely a female and POC effort.  This untitled painting (detail view) from Kaloki Nyamai is among the Kenyan artist's works on display at Keijsers Koning through Oct. 8.(Nan Coulter / Special Contributor) ‘Moments I Wished I Had’ runs through Oct. 8 at Keijsers Koning in Dallas Cut, stripped, painted, stepped on and stitched. The canvases of Nairobi-based painter Kaloki Nyamai are best described as constructions of time and memory. Paint is just one dimension through which narrative emerges. Nyamai adds layers of paper, archival photographs and rubber thread to deepen the dialogue. Out of the physicality of these surfaces, Nyamai paints with mysterious vulnerability the intimacy of our ghost selves and future selves, misremembered and reimagined. “Moments I Wished I Had,” which opened Sept. 10 at Dallas’ Keijsers Koning gallery, marks Nyamai’s first solo show in the United States. The 35-year-old artist and father of two has had an explosive year. His work is currently showcased in the Kenya pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, the art world’s most prestigious exhibition. His Untitled (laborer) 2022 was one of 10 works acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art at the Dallas Art Fair earlier this year.  The 25th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival opens with "The Banshees of Inisherin," closes with "Living," and will feature a special presentation of "Top Gun: Maverick" with Miles Teller.
The Savannah College of Art and Design celebrates 25 years with the 25th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, taking place in person October 22–29, 2022. The largest university-run film festival in the U.S., this eight-day celebration honors both professional and student filmmakers and welcomes major industry luminaries, with award-winning directors, writers, and actors on site. This year, SCAD will honor Jonathan Majors with the Spotlight Award for “Devotion,” Janelle Monáe with the Spotlight Award for “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” Kerry Condon with the Distinguished Performance Award for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” JD Dillard with the Rising Star Director Award for “Devotion,” Nicholas Hoult with the Vanguard Award for “The Menu,” Jeremy Pope with the Distinguished Performance Award for “The Inspection,” Sandy Powell with the Variety Creative Impact Award in Costume Design for “Living,” Eddie Redmayne with the Virtuoso Award for “The Good Nurse,” Henry Selick with the Outstanding Achievement in Animation Award for “Wendell and Wild,” and Sadie Sink with the Rising Star Award for “The Whale.” Previously announced honorees include Colson Baker (Machine Gun Kelly), who will receive the Discovery Award for “Taurus” and Ron Howard, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Directing for “Thirteen Lives.” |
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January 2023
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