Beach Museum of Art, McCain Auditorium offering free public discussion and concert on legacy of Gordon Parks
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Multimedia artist Andrew F. Scott, screenwriter and filmmaker Kevin Willmott and trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard will take part in a public discussion on the legacy of famed photographer, director, musician and writer Gordon Parks on April 6 at Kansas State University's McCain Auditorium. No tickets are required. Blanchard and the E-Collective will present a free concert honoring Parks on April 7, also at McCain. Tickets are required for the concert. Photo credits: Andrew F. Scott photo by Sarah N. Wall, Kevin Willmott photo by Kacy Meinecke and Terence Blanchard photo by Daymon Gardner. | Download this photo.
MANHATTAN — The Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, in collaboration with McCain Auditorium, is offering two special events celebrating the legacy of native Kansan Gordon Parks, the famed photographer, film director, musician and writer, April 6 and 7 at Kansas State University's McCain Auditorium.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 6, three noted contemporary artists — musician and composer Terence Blanchard, multimedia artist Andrew F. Scott, and filmmaker Kevin Willmott — will discuss the relevance of Parks for our own time in "Art Matters Now: Three Artists Reflect." This public discussion is free, with no tickets required.
If unable to attend in person, join the free livestream offered via Zoom. Advanced registration is required and may be found at ksu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SfXonZZlSGeehcrtyf7ErQ. The program will be recorded and made available after the event through the museum's YouTube channel at beach.k-state.edu/videos.
Continuing the theme of reflection, a concert will be offered at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in McCain Auditorium. "Presence of Absence: Gordon Parks Through an Empathic Lens" will pair the musical stylings of Blanchard and the E-Collective with a video montage of Parks' photographs. K-State art professor Matthew Gaynor and artist Andrew F. Scott, who is also an associate professor at the University of Texas, Dallas, worked with K-State students to create the evening's virtual backdrop. The Turtle Island Quartet will also perform. This multimedia concert experience is free to attend, but tickets are required and will be available at the McCain Ticket Office beginning Wednesday, March 23. The McCain ticket office is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday or by phone at 785-532-6428 during the same hours. Tickets are not available online.
Both programs are made possible by The Gordon Parks Foundation; Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies at Hale Library, a part of K-State Libraries; St. John's Bible Fund at K-State Libraries; K-State Department of Art; and Art Bridges.
Harlem, New York" is a chromogenic print taken in 1963 and gifted to the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art by Gordon Parks. The print is offered in the exhibition "Gordon Parks: 'Homeward I Come'" on display at the Beach Museum of Art through May 28. The exhibition is also offered online. | Download this photo.
The special programs are related to the current Beach Museum of Art exhibition "Gordon Parks: 'Homeward to the Prairie I Come,'" which is on display in the museum's Marion Pelton Gallery through May 28. The exhibition is also available online at beach.k-state.edu/explore.
In addition, the Beach Film Club will present a free virtual discussion of the movie "Shaft" by Gordon Parks at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13. Register at ksu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqf-irrzsvG90HgA_QZLD8z4cmNwkMzkAh.
The Beach Museum of Art, 701 Beach Lane, is on the southeast corner of the K-State campus. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Free parking is available adjacent to the building. To catch a livestream event or view exhibitions online, go to beach.k-state.edu, or watch videos of the museum's special programs and events on its YouTube channel, beach.k-state.edu/videos. For a calendar of events in the Art in Motion annual program series, visit beach.k-state.edu/calendar.
