New Chapter, New Verse: An Hour of Spoken Word at M. Curry Designs Art Gallery
**Date & Time:**
February 18, 2024 | 1 PM - 2 PM
**Location:**
M. Curry Designs Art Gallery
Welcome to an enchanting afternoon of poetic expression and visual artistry at M. Curry Designs Art Gallery. Join us on February 18, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM for "New Chapter, New Verse," a one-hour spoken word event featuring the captivating words of dr. beloved and Myron Curry.
Meet the Poets
dr. beloved
valerie f. hunt is the daughter of Merdie Hunt and Beloved Ancestor Hunt. She is a talented polymath: poet and essayist, educator, policy analyst, author, healer, mentor, community, political and union activist, world traveler, and visual artist. Fondly known as dr. beloved, her primary applied research and praxis is in transforming racial inequities by way of Building the Beloved Community(ies). Her poems and spoken addresses politics and praxis of being and belonging; race, citizenship, and immigration, wealth, and income inequalities; race and housing policy; Black and Indigenous relations; and health disparities.
dr. beloved has performed and offered her words in a kaleidoscopic array of places and spaces. she’s performed in Open Mic Night at New York Busboys and Poets, Founder’s Day honoring Dr. Maxine Mimms at Evergreen State College-Tacoma, the Labor Stage with the Labor Chorus at the Annual Seattle Folklife Festival. she brought some noise to Avant Garde public multimedia arts gathering We are the Public in downtown Seattle (2016), performed commissioned (love offering) poem Precarity for Seattle Central College 2022 Japanese American Day of Remembrance Program, performed commissioned (love offering) poem Refraction of Light for 2017 conference of Washington State educators addressing the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Most recently dr. beloved gave a spoken word love offering and encouragement at the Seattle 2023 Black Graduation held at Langston Hughes Performing Arts. dr. beloved has performed in West African Danxome (Republic of Benin) for the Le Sens de l’Elite Africaine” (SEA), a Pan-African community based organization dedicated to uplifting West African youth through education, community service and the arts.
dr. beloved is also a talented and versatile creative in producing, curating, writing, performing, and mentoring. she produced and hosted a futurist television program named PHOENIX in the late 1980s/early ‘90s, served as a videographer at the Women’s Building, a collaborative art creating, curating, teaching, and exhibit space in downtown Los Angeles. She cofounded Seattle Central’s former Central2Community (C2C), an arts program that infused local and national creative experience into the college’s life and blood. Through C2C, dr. beloved was responsible for gathering poet Jericho Brown during the year he was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for his book Tradition and secured beloved Pacific Northwest’s own Cedar Sigo as curator for local indigenous poetic and creative voices at Seattle Central.
A lifelong Afrofuturist who believes our young people are our Future, dr. beloved conceived and co-curated an Afrofuturist Year Program with and for Seattle Central College’s Black students to foster a Black American futurist exploration as liberatory praxis. dr. beloved works closely with and has performed in Danxome (Republic of Benin, West Africa) for the Le Sens de l’Elite Africaine” (SEA), a Pan-African organization of educators dedicated to empowering African youth through education, community service and the arts. dr. beloved is a Certified Emotional Emancipation (EEC) Facilitator for Community Healing Network, a MacArthur Genius awarded organization dedicated to “defying the Lie of Black Inferiority and Embracing the Truth of Black Humanity.”
Her manifesto: “Art is Education is Liberatory Praxis” so “Get in, fan out and bring somebody with you.”
Myron Curry
Myron Curry shares a deeply personal and transformative experience through his spoken word. Join him as he reads pieces written during his time in federal prison. Myron's words carry the weight of resilience and self-discovery, offering a unique perspective that invites reflection and empathy.
A Fusion of Poetry and Art
Immerse yourself in the synergy of spoken word and visual art as you listen to the poets' voices echoing within the walls of M. Curry Designs Art Gallery. Explore the gallery's captivating artwork while the poets paint vivid landscapes with their words.
Event Details
**Date:** February 18, 2024
**Time:** 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
**Location:** M. Curry Designs Art Gallery
**Ticket Information:**
This event is open to the public, and admission is free. Parking is free on 2nd Ave right out front, it is limited so we encourage you to show up early to secure a space. RSVP below.
Let "New Chapter, New Verse" be the beginning of a poetic journey, where words and art intertwine to create a tapestry of emotions and experiences. Join us for an hour of inspiration and reflection in the heart of M. Curry Designs Art Gallery.
