Celebrating Black History Month at Marist

The Immersive Theater in Marist’s Goizueta Center for Immersive Experience and Design showcased the exhibit “The Lasting Impact of the Harlem Renaissance.” This installation on the Harlem Renaissance was a collaborative effort between students in Dr. Michael Bieze’s course that focuses on Ralph Ellison’s novel "Invisible Man" and students in Dr. Shannon Hipp’s course Contemporary African-American Literature. The exhibit was an interdisciplinary, experiential opportunity for students to see and hear the music, art, and literature from the period as well as to learn more about the musicians, artists, and authors who were central to the era and to understand their influence in the lives and work of future generations. The exhibit was both historical and contemporary; it was both instructive about the past and a reflection on the present. Dr. Bieze said, “The Harlem Renaissance was the first and still the most diverse art movement in American history. That alone should be enough for us to take pause, and then listen, reflect, learn, celebrate, and be inspired as we look forward.”

Those who visited the exhibit took in information in a variety of ways, including reading text, looking at artwork, and listening to music. Using QR code readers on their phones and wearing headphones, students made their way through the exhibit hearing the music of Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, and more in addition to listening to biographies of members of the Harlem Renaissance to understand their influence on today’s generation.

The exhibit concluded with work created by students in Dr. Hipp’s Contemporary African-American Literature course. Dr. Hipp said, “In honoring the legacy of art that has developed since the Harlem Renaissance, students contributed their own creative responses to Ntozake Shange’s 1975 choreopoem 'for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.' In response to reading and discussing the choreopoem, the students created their own original work that spoke back to it. Their creative responses likewise recall the prism of a rainbow: visual art, playlists, original poetry, an interview with a student’s grandmother who saw Shange’s original production, and dialogues between Shange’s poetry and the writing of contemporary poets Jericho Brown and Rupi Kaur.” 

After touring the exhibit, participants were invited to choose words that described how the exhibit resonated with them. These words were added to a word cloud that was displayed at the entrance of the exhibit, which in turn became a living part of what participants experienced as they entered the Immersive Theater.

Marist School Principal Mr. Kevin Mullally said, “The installation was one of many meaningful examples of how our students are engaging with Black history this month at Marist, in addition to numerous other projects across campus and in a variety of departments. These are all a part of our ongoing work to celebrate and understand the diversity of our school and country and to cultivate empathy so we can build and live in an inclusive community. This work is threaded throughout our Strategic Plan 2025 and is linked directly to our goals for the Goizueta Center for Immersive Experience and Design.”