“Art ain’t innocent. And it’s always political.” ** Inquiry, value, choice, and revolutionary connections. ** The relationship between Black performance and mainstream arts space. ** Monèt Noelle Marshall discusses her upcoming and deeply though-provoking performance art piece, BUY MY SOUL AND CALL IT ART. (And listen for the surprise reveal!!)
Monét Noelle Marshall is a Durham, North Carolina-based artist, director, producer and creative consultant. She serves as the Founding Artistic Director of MOJOAA Performing Arts Company, producing new works by and new opportunities for Black playwrights. She is also the Founder and Lead Con(sulting) Artist at BaD Arts Consulting which helps creatives do better business and businesses be more creative. BaD Arts Consulting provides arts integrated solutions to creatives, businesses and nonprofits through consultation, event curation, marketing and facilitation. Monèt activates the arts to engage communities in collective visioning, changemaking and joy as social action. See her featured in American Theatre: 6 Theatre Workers You Should Know!
Buy My Soul And Call It Art, a performance art experience, will premiere in Durham, North Carolina on Jan 26th. With a team of over 30 local artists, this immersive exhibition will explore the relationship between Black performance and mainstream arts spaces, the emotional labor of Black artists, the importance of Black joy and the connection between the slave market and the arts market. Check out the trailer and support the work at gofundme.com/buyitcallit.
*Buy My Soul And Call It Art is a Pay-What-You-Can, Pay-What-You-Want, Pay-What-Its-Worth experience. Tickets are reserved free of charge and you will pay at the venue. If you have any questions or would like to bring a group, please email Monet.Marshall@gmail.com.
This episode is brought to you by the Soapboxers, the official patrons of the Artist Soapbox. If you like these episodes and want more, get on the Soapbox! Podcast recorded at Shadowbox Studio in Durham, NC.
Time break-down:
[0:00] Episode intro and Monèt’s bio
[1:05] BUY MY SOUL AND CALL IT ART description. “Was there A moment when you decided, I’m going to make THIS?” Surprise! Monet tells us BUY MY SOUL is the first piece in a 2018 trilogy!
[4:56] What is this trilogy?!
[6:20] Questions about how BUY MY SOUL AND CALL IT ART could/should/will be received by audiences
[10:44] Details about BUY MY SOUL: the structure, the importance of it as an immersive piece, pay-what-you-can/pay-what-it’s-worth
[17:40] “The relationship between Black performance and mainstream art spaces “– why is this important to underline for our community?
[19:50] Translating these ideas into a performance art piece
[22:23] Art ain’t innocent. And it’s always political.
[23:16] “Is the title, Buy My Soul and Call it Art, accurate in this case for this project? Do you feel that this art piece is your soul? Is it art that is for sale?”
[25:38] Monet reads a portion of her blog post THE WHY from November (YOU MAY SOON WONDER WHY, SO LET ME ANSWER IN ADVANCE). Why choose art to speak to people about these ‘Whys’?
[29:52] The value of mothers, grandmothers, and family in our lives as artists and people
[32:31] Self-care in the midst of all of this
[35:45] Revolutionary Relationships
[37:58] Rehearsal preparation (from a practical point of view)
[40:10] BaD Arts Consulting!! Why was the time right to start this consulting group?
[44:30] A meaningful project week for BaD Arts
[46:13] What’s next? (Listen to this list because, wow, Monèt has a lot of cool projects coming up this year!)
[48:09] Thanks and sign-off
Mentions:
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