My Calendar

Events in August 2021

  • - Redlands Creative Writing Workshop for Seniors with Mae Wagner Marinello, Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell, Around the World with Karen & Nicole “Precious Friend”
    Redlands Creative Writing Workshop for Seniors with Mae Wagner Marinello

    Redlands Creative Writing Workshop for Seniors with Mae Wagner Marinello


    August 5, 2021

    Virtual Winter Workshops on Zoom

    Registration required. 

    Our Redlands workshop is ongoing for participants 50+. They meet every Thursday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Zoom links will be sent by the workshop leader after registration confirmation.

    In partnership with the Joslyn Senior Center and the City of Redlands. To register: https://tinyurl.com/Spring2021CWW.

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell


    August 5, 2021

    Thursdays, August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 (3:30-5:00PM)

    Inlandia Institute Presents

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    FREE and in person at the NEW Main Riverside Public Library, Innovation Center (upstairs)

    3900 Mission Inn Ave

    Riverside, CA 92501

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

     Designed for teens, this creative writing class will focus on expressive writing in many forms. Students will have the opportunity to explore several different types of poetry and prose styles – while discovering their writing voice and learning new ways to express themselves freely through fun-filled writing exercises. Strategies to avoid writer’s block and uncover ideas for writing will be studied. Most of all, teens are encouraged come ready to have fun and unleash their writing and creativity! This is a safe space for individuals to be unapologetically who they are.

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

    Nia Sharron Campbell is a performance poet and honors English major at Riverside City College. When she was 15 years old, she attended her first Inlandia class. Miss Campbell was awarded a bronze medal for representing the NAACP’s Riverside Branch in a national competition. Grateful for Inlandia mentors Celena Diana Bumpus, Matthew Nadelson, and Nikia Chaney, Miss Campbell writes poetry, plays, short stories, books, and screenplays. In addition to this, she uses her talent for written expression to bring awareness to important issues such as mental health, race, sexual orientation, and humanity. She is currently working on the first novel in her book series, and her goal is to pursue a career writing fantasy, sci-fi, and action books.

    Around the World with Karen & Nicole “Precious Friend”

    Around the World with Karen & Nicole “Precious Friend”


    August 5, 2021

    Thursday, August 5, 2021 (7:00 PM)

    First Thursdays Arts Walk

    with Inlandia Institute and Riverside Public Library

    Around the World with Karen & Nicole “Precious Friend”

    FREE and in person in the new Main Library Community Room (street level, on Mission Inn Ave.)

    3900 Mission Inn Ave, Riverside, CA 92501

    In celebration of the Friends of the Riverside Library and National Friendship Day August 1, storyteller Karen Rae Kraut and puppeteer Nicole Cloeren will present “Precious Friend” stories, poems, puppets, and a song or two about friendship. Is it true that with a friend joys are doubled and sorrows cut in half?  What do you think?

    Karen Rae Kraut has been blending story, song, and creative movement in schools, libraries, museums, and theaters from California to East Tennessee since 1990. She has toured for the Smithsonian, and was commissioned by the McCallum Theatre to create a storyteller’s version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Karen’s CD, Cooler Water Cora and Other Stories, is the winner of an iParenting Media Award for Audio Excellence and a National Parenting Publications Honors Award.

    Nicole Cloeren is the founder of Puppets a la Carte, where she uses puppets and techniques of improvisation to create a space of surprise and wonder in which we can all learn from one another. She is a resident artist at Riverside Studios, has performed with puppets at numerous indoor, outdoor, and online events around Southern California, and loves partnering with other artists.

  • - BLACKLANDIA Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats
    BLACKLANDIA Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats

    BLACKLANDIA Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats


    August 11, 2021

    Wednesdays, August 11 and 18, 2021 (6:00-8:00 PM)

    Inlandia Institute’s Blacklandia Event Series Presents

    Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats

    On Zoom. FREE and open to the public but registration is required.

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

    Please join Inlandia Institute for a virtual art and poetry workshop with James Coats, poet and founder of Lift Our Voices Education. This two-session workshop will explore how visual arts can expound and inform written text. We will discuss the shared connection between art and poetry, and how both mediums have been used as tools for change. Participants will be prompted to create their own Ekphrastic poetry – poetry written in response to art. Paintings from artists past and present will be investigated for iconography, imagery, narrative, movement, and context. We will consider how form can be used and broken to develop connection with the viewer or reader.

    James Coats is an author, poet, and spoken word artist. He received his Masters from CSU San Bernardino, and after graduate school began writing and performing his poetry. With a passion for all things creative, he strives to capture authentic self-expression through his work. He completed his debut poetry book, If I Had Lived, in April 2018 and completed his second poetry book, All The Ways You Are Wonderful, in February 2020. He believes that poetry has the ability to bring diverse groups together, and offers a way to connect through our shared challenges, achievements, and experiences.

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

  • - Redlands Creative Writing Workshop for Seniors with Mae Wagner Marinello, Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell
    Redlands Creative Writing Workshop for Seniors with Mae Wagner Marinello

    Redlands Creative Writing Workshop for Seniors with Mae Wagner Marinello


    August 12, 2021

    Virtual Winter Workshops on Zoom

    Registration required. 

    Our Redlands workshop is ongoing for participants 50+. They meet every Thursday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Zoom links will be sent by the workshop leader after registration confirmation.

    In partnership with the Joslyn Senior Center and the City of Redlands. To register: https://tinyurl.com/Spring2021CWW.

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell


    August 12, 2021

    Thursdays, August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 (3:30-5:00PM)

    Inlandia Institute Presents

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    FREE and in person at the NEW Main Riverside Public Library, Innovation Center (upstairs)

    3900 Mission Inn Ave

    Riverside, CA 92501

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

     Designed for teens, this creative writing class will focus on expressive writing in many forms. Students will have the opportunity to explore several different types of poetry and prose styles – while discovering their writing voice and learning new ways to express themselves freely through fun-filled writing exercises. Strategies to avoid writer’s block and uncover ideas for writing will be studied. Most of all, teens are encouraged come ready to have fun and unleash their writing and creativity! This is a safe space for individuals to be unapologetically who they are.

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

    Nia Sharron Campbell is a performance poet and honors English major at Riverside City College. When she was 15 years old, she attended her first Inlandia class. Miss Campbell was awarded a bronze medal for representing the NAACP’s Riverside Branch in a national competition. Grateful for Inlandia mentors Celena Diana Bumpus, Matthew Nadelson, and Nikia Chaney, Miss Campbell writes poetry, plays, short stories, books, and screenplays. In addition to this, she uses her talent for written expression to bring awareness to important issues such as mental health, race, sexual orientation, and humanity. She is currently working on the first novel in her book series, and her goal is to pursue a career writing fantasy, sci-fi, and action books.

  • - BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural
    BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural

    BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural


    August 14, 2021

    Saturdays, August 14, 21 & 28, 2021 (4:00-5:30 PM)

    Inlandia Institute’s Blacklandia Event Series Presents

    How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural

    THREE Virtual Workshops on Zoom

    FREE and open to the public but registration is required.

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

    Workshop 1

    This workshop will address general questions, such as: What is art criticism? What is its value? What are its approaches and evolution as it correlates to African American art? Participants will be introduced to the historical challenges of approaching the practice of describing, interpreting, critically analyzing, and unpacking Black art for the reader/viewer. Participants will begin journals that contain brief (one-page) descriptions and interpretations of African American art, as viewed in person or online.

    Workshop 2

    The second workshop will briefly discuss the traditional approaches to writing about Black art that have saturated this practice – along with the significance and impact of Alain Locke as it pertains to his influence as a theorist, writer, and key strategist of the Harlem Renaissance. Through this workshop, participants will understand the role and challenges faced by art writers who “unpack” Black art.

    Workshop 3

    The final workshop in this series will introduce students to additional approaches to writing about art, the “language” of describing art, and the guidelines for interpreting it. Additionally, participants will be introduced to criteria for judging art – and to individuals, whose writing on Black art was, and still is, significant. Students will keep a diverse file of Black art exhibition reviews to understand the various approaches by writers to make the art accessible for viewers.

    Artist and educator, Richard Allen May III comes with a wealth of knowledge about the AfriCOBRA Movement, having written the forward to AfriCOBRA: Experimental Art Toward a School of Thought, published by Duke University, 2020. He is a staff writer at Artillery magazine and his work has been displayed in art galleries throughout the Inland Empire, as well as exhibits throughout the United States. May has taught courses in community colleges, universities, and prisons and will discuss his artwork in the context of community.  https://richardmayart.com/

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

  • - Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell
    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell


    August 19, 2021

    Thursdays, August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 (3:30-5:00PM)

    Inlandia Institute Presents

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    FREE and in person at the NEW Main Riverside Public Library, Innovation Center (upstairs)

    3900 Mission Inn Ave

    Riverside, CA 92501

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

     Designed for teens, this creative writing class will focus on expressive writing in many forms. Students will have the opportunity to explore several different types of poetry and prose styles – while discovering their writing voice and learning new ways to express themselves freely through fun-filled writing exercises. Strategies to avoid writer’s block and uncover ideas for writing will be studied. Most of all, teens are encouraged come ready to have fun and unleash their writing and creativity! This is a safe space for individuals to be unapologetically who they are.

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

    Nia Sharron Campbell is a performance poet and honors English major at Riverside City College. When she was 15 years old, she attended her first Inlandia class. Miss Campbell was awarded a bronze medal for representing the NAACP’s Riverside Branch in a national competition. Grateful for Inlandia mentors Celena Diana Bumpus, Matthew Nadelson, and Nikia Chaney, Miss Campbell writes poetry, plays, short stories, books, and screenplays. In addition to this, she uses her talent for written expression to bring awareness to important issues such as mental health, race, sexual orientation, and humanity. She is currently working on the first novel in her book series, and her goal is to pursue a career writing fantasy, sci-fi, and action books.

  • - BLACKLANDIA The People’s Youth Art and Poetry Show with Ginger Galloway, Book Launch and Book Signing for Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender (or how I became a punk rock lawyer) by Juanita E. Mantz, Esq., BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural
    BLACKLANDIA The People’s Youth Art and Poetry Show with Ginger Galloway

    BLACKLANDIA The People’s Youth Art and Poetry Show with Ginger Galloway


    August 21, 2021

    Saturday, August 21, 2021 10:00 AM-Noon, on Zoom

    Inlandia Institute’s Blacklandia Event Series Presents

    The People’s Youth Art and Poetry Show

    with Ginger Galloway and guest curators Lisa Henry and Nikia Chaney

    Open to Black/African American/Mixed Race Youth (who are residents of the Inland Empire)

    TO ATTEND The People’s Youth Art and Poetry Show via Zoom on August 21, please register here: https://tinyurl.com/ICreateEvent.

    TO SUBMIT art and poetry: https://tinyurl.com/icreateit

    DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: August 10, 2021

    Showcasing the talents of young people in the Inland Empire, “I Create” is a curated virtual showcase of art and poetry by BIPOC youth ages 10-18. The event features bold artistic pieces that speak to the topic “I Create” and show exceptional artistic strength and courage. Artists/Poets may submit no more than three of their best pieces of work. Deadline for submissions is August 10, 2021. Artists/Poets of selected work will be notified via email and are asked to be present at the event on August 21, 2021 to talk about their work or read their poetry.

    Ginger M. Galloway, Curator, is an author, poet and artist. Born and raised in San Diego, she moved to the Inland Empire in 2003 where she lives with her husband and four of their seven children. Ginger has authored an illustrated a number of books and is a proud member of Blacklandia. Ginger teaches art to kids at Enhance the Gift Academy and hosts the African American Book Festival IE.

    Book Launch and Book Signing for Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender (or how I became a punk rock lawyer) by Juanita E. Mantz, Esq.

    Book Launch and Book Signing for Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender (or how I became a punk rock lawyer) by Juanita E. Mantz, Esq.


    August 21, 2021

    Saturday, August 21, 2021 (1:00-4:00 PM)

    Inlandia Institute Book Launch and Book Signing for

    Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender (or how I became a punk rock lawyer) by Juanita E. Mantz, Esq.

    In person at Riverside Art Museum (masks required)

    4178 Mission Inn Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501

    Open to the public with admission to RAM $5 adults/$3 seniors & students

    On Saturday, August 21, 2021, from 1:00-4:00 PM, join Inlandia Institute at Riverside Art Museum for a one-of-a kind book launch for a one-of-a kind book. Writer, performer, podcaster – and attorney – Juanita E. Mantz, Esq. will be reading and signing her just-released chapbook from Bamboo Dart Press, Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender (or how I became a punk rock lawyer) accompanied by – what else? – punk music! DJ Eser will be jockeying disks in the atrium, and Bamboo Dart writers Romaine Washington and Allan Callaci will join Juanita in the literary mosh pit for some additional readings. Don’t miss it!

    Portrait of a Deputy Public Defender by Juanita E. Mantz, Esq. is a multi-genre chapbook containing memoir pieces, social justice essays and poetry. It describes the author’s love of punk rock and her quest to challenge the system of mass incarceration as a deputy public defender and the intersection between punk rock and public defense.

    Juanita E. Mantz (“JEM”) is a deputy public defender, writer, performer and podcaster, one who believes that stories have the power to change the world. She graduated from UCR in 1999 with a Bachelor's in English Literature and received her J.D. from USC Law in 2002. She is in the low residency MFA creative writing program at The University of New Orleans. Juanita has been with the Law Offices of the Public Defender in Riverside County for over a decade. She specializes in representing incompetent clients under PC Section 1368 and has taken many serious felony cases to trial on their mental health issues.

    BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural

    BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural


    August 21, 2021

    Saturdays, August 14, 21 & 28, 2021 (4:00-5:30 PM)

    Inlandia Institute’s Blacklandia Event Series Presents

    How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural

    THREE Virtual Workshops on Zoom

    FREE and open to the public but registration is required.

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

    Workshop 1

    This workshop will address general questions, such as: What is art criticism? What is its value? What are its approaches and evolution as it correlates to African American art? Participants will be introduced to the historical challenges of approaching the practice of describing, interpreting, critically analyzing, and unpacking Black art for the reader/viewer. Participants will begin journals that contain brief (one-page) descriptions and interpretations of African American art, as viewed in person or online.

    Workshop 2

    The second workshop will briefly discuss the traditional approaches to writing about Black art that have saturated this practice – along with the significance and impact of Alain Locke as it pertains to his influence as a theorist, writer, and key strategist of the Harlem Renaissance. Through this workshop, participants will understand the role and challenges faced by art writers who “unpack” Black art.

    Workshop 3

    The final workshop in this series will introduce students to additional approaches to writing about art, the “language” of describing art, and the guidelines for interpreting it. Additionally, participants will be introduced to criteria for judging art – and to individuals, whose writing on Black art was, and still is, significant. Students will keep a diverse file of Black art exhibition reviews to understand the various approaches by writers to make the art accessible for viewers.

    Artist and educator, Richard Allen May III comes with a wealth of knowledge about the AfriCOBRA Movement, having written the forward to AfriCOBRA: Experimental Art Toward a School of Thought, published by Duke University, 2020. He is a staff writer at Artillery magazine and his work has been displayed in art galleries throughout the Inland Empire, as well as exhibits throughout the United States. May has taught courses in community colleges, universities, and prisons and will discuss his artwork in the context of community.  https://richardmayart.com/

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

  • - Covid Stories at the Garcia Center for the Arts
    Covid Stories at the Garcia Center for the Arts

    Covid Stories at the Garcia Center for the Arts


    August 22, 2021

    Sunday, August 22, 2021 (1:00-3:00 PM)

    Inlandia Institute Presents

    Covid Stories at the Garcia Center for the Arts

    536 W 11th St, San Bernardino, CA 92410

    (between E Street and Baseline)

    With Tanisha Bradley, Rebecca Waring-Crane, Rose Monge, and the Multicultural Council

    Free, live, and open to the public

    During the darkest hours of this once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic event, isolation and social unrest were the norm. Countless friends, neighbors, and colleagues saw loved ones sickened, lose jobs, homes and livelihoods at risk. Now, on the cusp of recovery, we look back and ask: How did we cope? How do we recover? Where do we look to find common ground?

    In this program, hear from community members who collected stories, each in their own unique fashion, to document, provide connection, find solace.

    Tanisha Bradley’s “Bring it to the Table” is an interview-style podcast designed to provide a platform for her community in San Bernardino. Leaders and stakeholders used this platform to communicate and strengthen collaborative efforts, and to promote societal change through diverse and inclusive efforts to bridge the gaps in our community.

    Rebecca Waring-Crane’s “Who is my neighbor?” takes its inspiration from the literary origins of this question—biblical story, Good Samaritan—but the focus for this project is much more pedestrian. Literally. In taking daily walks, Waring-Crane asked two questions of her neighbors: Tell me the story of moving into your house, and tell me the story of life in your house in 2020.

    Born in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, Rose Y. Monge’s stories of her immigrant and migrant experiences honor her parents’ legacy of love and unwavering faith in the “American Dream.” She is a retired educator and facilitates memoir classes at the Janet Goeske Center. She encourages everyone to leave a written legacy for future generations.

    Meanwhile, the Multicultural Council (MCC) collected video interviews and combined them into a documentary with the common thread: What challenges did you encounter and how did you cope? The MCC believes that we can find common ground with people of all generations and diverse backgrounds, and in doing so, gain mutual understanding and appreciation of each other.

    Through the medium of story, we will find comfort, connection, and common ground.

    The Garcia Center for the Arts offers a home base for arts organizations and is becoming a hub for a growing arts community in San Bernardino. In addition to providing office space for organizations, including the San Bernardino Symphony and Inlandia Institute, the center offers an auditorium, conference room, gallery, library, classroom, and outdoor patio space.

  • - BLACKLANDIA Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats
    BLACKLANDIA Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats

    BLACKLANDIA Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats


    August 25, 2021

    Wednesdays, August 11 and 18, 2021 (6:00-8:00 PM)

    Inlandia Institute’s Blacklandia Event Series Presents

    Virtual Ekphrasis Writing Workshop with James Coats

    On Zoom. FREE and open to the public but registration is required.

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

    Please join Inlandia Institute for a virtual art and poetry workshop with James Coats, poet and founder of Lift Our Voices Education. This two-session workshop will explore how visual arts can expound and inform written text. We will discuss the shared connection between art and poetry, and how both mediums have been used as tools for change. Participants will be prompted to create their own Ekphrastic poetry – poetry written in response to art. Paintings from artists past and present will be investigated for iconography, imagery, narrative, movement, and context. We will consider how form can be used and broken to develop connection with the viewer or reader.

    James Coats is an author, poet, and spoken word artist. He received his Masters from CSU San Bernardino, and after graduate school began writing and performing his poetry. With a passion for all things creative, he strives to capture authentic self-expression through his work. He completed his debut poetry book, If I Had Lived, in April 2018 and completed his second poetry book, All The Ways You Are Wonderful, in February 2020. He believes that poetry has the ability to bring diverse groups together, and offers a way to connect through our shared challenges, achievements, and experiences.

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

  • - Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell
    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell


    August 26, 2021

    Thursdays, August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2021 (3:30-5:00PM)

    Inlandia Institute Presents

    Writing Workshop for Teens with Nia Campbell

    FREE and in person at the NEW Main Riverside Public Library, Innovation Center (upstairs)

    3900 Mission Inn Ave

    Riverside, CA 92501

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

     Designed for teens, this creative writing class will focus on expressive writing in many forms. Students will have the opportunity to explore several different types of poetry and prose styles – while discovering their writing voice and learning new ways to express themselves freely through fun-filled writing exercises. Strategies to avoid writer’s block and uncover ideas for writing will be studied. Most of all, teens are encouraged come ready to have fun and unleash their writing and creativity! This is a safe space for individuals to be unapologetically who they are.

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.

    Nia Sharron Campbell is a performance poet and honors English major at Riverside City College. When she was 15 years old, she attended her first Inlandia class. Miss Campbell was awarded a bronze medal for representing the NAACP’s Riverside Branch in a national competition. Grateful for Inlandia mentors Celena Diana Bumpus, Matthew Nadelson, and Nikia Chaney, Miss Campbell writes poetry, plays, short stories, books, and screenplays. In addition to this, she uses her talent for written expression to bring awareness to important issues such as mental health, race, sexual orientation, and humanity. She is currently working on the first novel in her book series, and her goal is to pursue a career writing fantasy, sci-fi, and action books.

  • - BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural
    BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural

    BLACKLANDIA How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural


    August 28, 2021

    Saturdays, August 14, 21 & 28, 2021 (4:00-5:30 PM)

    Inlandia Institute’s Blacklandia Event Series Presents

    How to Write About Black Art: An Introductory Course with Richard Allen May III and Natasha Gural

    THREE Virtual Workshops on Zoom

    FREE and open to the public but registration is required.

    To register: https://tinyurl.com/BlacklandiaEvents

    Workshop 1

    This workshop will address general questions, such as: What is art criticism? What is its value? What are its approaches and evolution as it correlates to African American art? Participants will be introduced to the historical challenges of approaching the practice of describing, interpreting, critically analyzing, and unpacking Black art for the reader/viewer. Participants will begin journals that contain brief (one-page) descriptions and interpretations of African American art, as viewed in person or online.

    Workshop 2

    The second workshop will briefly discuss the traditional approaches to writing about Black art that have saturated this practice – along with the significance and impact of Alain Locke as it pertains to his influence as a theorist, writer, and key strategist of the Harlem Renaissance. Through this workshop, participants will understand the role and challenges faced by art writers who “unpack” Black art.

    Workshop 3

    The final workshop in this series will introduce students to additional approaches to writing about art, the “language” of describing art, and the guidelines for interpreting it. Additionally, participants will be introduced to criteria for judging art – and to individuals, whose writing on Black art was, and still is, significant. Students will keep a diverse file of Black art exhibition reviews to understand the various approaches by writers to make the art accessible for viewers.

    Artist and educator, Richard Allen May III comes with a wealth of knowledge about the AfriCOBRA Movement, having written the forward to AfriCOBRA: Experimental Art Toward a School of Thought, published by Duke University, 2020. He is a staff writer at Artillery magazine and his work has been displayed in art galleries throughout the Inland Empire, as well as exhibits throughout the United States. May has taught courses in community colleges, universities, and prisons and will discuss his artwork in the context of community.  https://richardmayart.com/

    This program made possible with funding by Inland Empire Community Foundation through Arts for IE, a joint project of Riverside Arts Council and Arts Connection.