NSU’s Division of Public Relations and Marketing Communications will host Afrotopia, an African Presence 2017 Art Exhibition from Feb. 3 through March 10. The reception portion of the event will kick off Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. in the Don Taft University Center and the exhibition will be housed in the Adolfo & Marisela Cotilla Gallery in the Alvin Sherman Library.
The evening will feature giveaways, musical entertainment by NSU’s Riff Tides a capella group and a dance performance by Young Contemporary Dance Theater, Miami.
The director of internal communications and chairwoman of the African presence committee, Mara Kiffin, said that along with the performances, there will be a welcome message by the NSU’s Executive Vice President Jacqueline Travisano. A guest speaker will talk about how black people have been represented in the 20th century in the arts, specifically in the performing arts.
This year’s exhibition, “Afrotopia: Art of the Politics of Representation,” features depictions of black cultural experiences by artists of African descent.
Kiffin said a lot of the artists whose works are going on display are international.
“I think we will have an exciting exhibit this year,” Kiffin said. “I usually never get a chance to get a really good look at the art before the event, so it’s really exciting for me to see how everything is displayed and to see how it is received by the audience.”
After the reception, all the attendees of the event will walk to the gallery where the artwork will be shown.
“We will have giveaways, food, wine, and afterwards we will walk around to see the exhibit,” Mara said.
The Division of Public Relations and Marketing Communications has put on this event for 14 years, choosing a new theme each year. Last year, they had a hairstylist onstage styling natural hair for the duration of the event and the year before that they had a hair fashion show.
Francesca Verret, senior secondary mathematics education major and president of the Haitian Student Association, has participated in the African Presence exhibit in the past as a natural hair model for the fashion show.
“I think this event is needed to educate people and to help them realize that us, black Americans, are here and that we are beautiful,” Verret said. “I think that this event is a really fun way to celebrate black culture and bring awareness to it. “
Kiffin said that she is looking forward to everyone having a good time and she wants the NSU student population to take advantage of the event and come out and support the event.
“We try to do more than entertain. We try to educate and I think it is important because the more we understand about each other and our differences, we realize we are more alike than not, and I think that’s why it’s so important to celebrate and remember Black History Month,” Kiffin said.
The is free and open to the community and to NSU Students. To attend the event, RSVP at cvent.com/events/afrotopia-art-and-the-politics-of-representation-african-presence-2017/registration-fccbd0b22f0d4a639debc29e6216a224.aspx.
Caption: The hair fashion show from a previous African Presence exhibition reception.
Credit: The Division of Public Relations and Marketing Communications
For more information, call 954-262-5357.
