Acclaimed artist, urbanist and social change advocate Theaster Gates presented the first of the “Processions” musical performance series to coincide with the historic opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. “Processions” is a mash-up of sacred music, African and African American culture and history, theater, world dance, and chant; an uplifting and powerful experience. The first Processions performance featured Gates alongside student athletes from Howard University in Washington, D.C. and The Black Monks of Mississippi—an experimental music group that combines gospel and blues with Eastern meditative musical traditions—and weaved through the museum’s third floor galleries, responding to the artworks on view. The group has appeared at venues including dOCUMENTA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Blaffer Art Museum and the Serralves Foundation. Student athletes included Hanah Billups, Kahe Edward Kaye, and Basil Niccolls. Each Processions will bring together a different ensemble of noted local, national and international artists, drawing on the Washington region’s rich heritage of jazz, folk and gospel musicians. Processions has been made possible with support from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation September 21, 2016
