I was truly honored the evening of October 16th to be asked to take visual notes at a meeting sponsored by Mural Arts to begin planning for a new mural commemorating Black dance in Philadelphia. In particular, the mural will honor Essie Marie Dorsey, Marian Cuyjet, Sydney King, and Joan Meyers Brown, three pioneering Black women who as dancers made a place for themselves in what had been an exclusively white art form, and as teachers introduced ballet to generations of Black Philadelphians.
The discussion was wide-ranging and touched on all kinds of issues, including how Black people’s contributions to dance and Philadelphia generally have been minimized and ignored, what the mural should communicate, and what role it could play in educating the community. I always enjoy capturing discussions like this, because you never know what will happen, and because the visuals often end up playing an important part in the proceedings. There was a lot of great energy in the room, and I left excited about the project. I’m looking forward to driving by the completed mural in a few years and feeling like I played a small part in making it happen! Thanks to Mural Arts, Donnell Powell, and facilitator Shavon Norris for bringing me in!
