Reading Douglass Author Talk : In Spite Of… with Treopia Green Washington
2023-01-28 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Reading Douglass Author Talk : In Spite Of… with Treopia Green Washington
Saturday, January 28, 2023 | 2 pm | Hybrid
Free with museum admission, but registration is requested

Join us for a liberating author talk that celebrates Reading Douglass, an exhibition exploring reading as an act of resistance and restoration that can profoundly impact our lives. This book discussion will feature The Lewis Museum’s Executive Director Terri Lee Freeman in conversation with guest author Treopia Green Washington about memoir book, In Spite Of…. in which the author shares her experience living during the Jim Crow era. Green Washington grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a community determined to protect its children, as much as possible, from the cruelty of segregation laws designed to make people feel “less than.”
In spite of, Treopia’s family and community created an environment where she and her brothers, Ernest and Scott, grew up believing in themselves. In 1957, a pivotal year in the course of their life stories, Ernest chose to be one of the nine high school students who integrated Central High School in the face of shocking violence. Treopia describes their parents’ guidance that helped them develop the inner strength and conviction they needed to succeed in their lives, each in their own way. For Treopia, it was through following her path as an educator. She chronicles her many teaching adventures and the enriching experiences she’s had since leaving the classroom. Through it all, Treopia finds her mother’s wisdom, inscribed in her heart and mind, never leads her astray.
A book signing will follow. Museum visitors can also view the Reading Douglass exhibit during this author talk event.

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Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival
2023-02-08 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival
Wednesday, February 8, 2023 | 1:30pm – 8:45 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Join the SNF Agora Institute for a free event bringing together scholars, practitioners, and the local community to grapple with democratic challenges and celebrate democratic resilience. Ideas and exchange with mayors, civic leaders, scholars, art by Globe At MICA, music by DJ Mebaa, dinner with Peoples Supper, a debate on voting rights with Symone DSanders and KarlRove, moderated by Hallie Jackson of NBC News.

Schedule of Activities:

Welcome & Introductions | 1:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Panel Discussion: Activating Local Democracy | 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

Breakout Sessions | 3:30 PM – 4:15 PM

Breakout Sessions | 4:30 PM – 5:15 PM

People’s Supper | 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Debate | 7:30 PM – 8:45 PM
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Frederick Douglass Birthday & Valentine’s Day Celebration,“Love & Liberation”
2023-02-11 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Frederick Douglass Birthday & Valentine’s Day Celebration,“Love & Liberation”
Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 1 pm – 5 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Did you know that statesman Frederick Douglass chose Valentine’s Day (Feb 14th) to commemorate his unknown birth date in February because he liked the traditions surrounding this date? Join the Lewis Museum celebrating Douglass’s upcoming birthday with several love and liberation activities including

1 pm – A Film Screening and Post discussion of Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches with Curator Imani Haynes | The HBO documentary Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches brings to life the words of our country’s most famous anti-slavery activist. Actors Nicole Beharie (Scenes from a Marriage), Colman Domingo (Euphoria), Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country), Denzel Whitaker, and Jeffrey Wright (Westworld) draw from five of Douglass’ legendary speeches, to represent a different moment in the tumultuous history of 19th century America as well as a different stage of Douglass’ long and celebrated life. Inspired by David Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom and executive produced by scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Black Art: In the Absence of Light), the film features the narration of Douglass’ autobiographies by André Holland and context provided by Blight and Gates to remind us how Frederick Douglass’ words about racial injustice still resonate deeply today.

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Patrons can also RSVP for the curator’s tour with our free discount code which will be sent in your acknowledgment email after you have registered.
Note: Curator’s Tour has limited group capacity.
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2:30 pm – A Curator Led Tour of archival images to learn more about the most photographed man in America in the 19th century and his love for learning with Curator Imani Haynes and Dr. Izetta Autumn Mobley

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Note: Curator’s Tour has limited group capacity.
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3:30 pm – A Food Demonstration and Tasting discussing the origins of Maryland crab soup with a regional chef in connection to a winter soup recipe located in the Reading Douglass exhibition. Valentine’s treats will be included to enjoy. Hoodfellas Bistro & Catering is a local African American-owned restaurant in Baltimore, MD that sells American cuisine. HoodFellas was established in 2019 by Ben and Ira who have been best friends for over 30 years and native Baltimoreans. We provide our customers with quality food at a reasonable price. Our specialty is food that feeds your soul. We love serving our customers and community. Hoodfellas was started from a love of cooking food for family and friends. It has grown into providing American and soul food for the Baltimore city metropolitan area. Our goal is to grow into more communities nationwide.

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Patrons can also RSVP for the film and curator’s tour with our free discount code which will be sent in your acknowledgment email after you have registered.
Note: Curator’s Tour has limited group capacity.
Plus find out about restaurant deal packages for the upcoming love holiday with some of Baltimore’s finest restaurants. Patrons who attend the Douglass Love and Liberation activities can receive discounted meal packages with proof of museum receipt. For more information, contact joy.hall@lewismuseum.org.

Imaginarium: Social Imagination Experience
2023-02-22 - 2023-04-09 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
February 22, 2023 through April 9, 2023 | The Lewis Now Gallery
In 1900, W.E.B. Du Bois, historian Daniel Murray, and librarian Thomas J. Calloway exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris, celebrating global achievements that looked back over the past 100 years while incubating ideas that would mold the future. The Exhibit of American Negroes was a display that showcased the humanity, diversity, and experience of African Americans at the turn of the century. Over the past three years, we have seen our world shift in ways we never thought; the IMAGINARIUM is a way that Black people can curate their vision, hopes, and ideas to be displayed for the world to see.
The IMAGINARIUM is an experimental and interactive exhibition of social imagination. It provides a space for visitors to share their vision for the feature of Black Baltimore, Black Region D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV), Black America, and the Diaspora. In conjunction with our theme Black futures/Black imaginings, the exhibit will ask a series of prompts and scenarios of visitors through engaging design activities that will encourage creative brainstorming for the future.
The investigative prompts that the IMAGINARIUM asks will discuss topics that impact the visitor as an individual and a member of the Black Community. The IMAGINARIUM will discuss socio-economic issues: mental health, nationalism, education, public safety, the workforce, community spaces, and the arts.
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Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined
2023-03-02 - 2023-09-05 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
March 2nd through September 5th | DeSousa Gallery, 2nd Floor
Member preview March 1, 2023
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is excited to partner with Galerie Myrtis and the James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University to present the groundbreaking exhibition “Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined” for the first time in the United States. Curated by Myrtis Bedolla for the 2022 Venice Biennale, “Afro-Futurist Manifesto” brings together a stellar assemblage of African-American Artists who construct a future forged in transatlantic links and Afrofuturism’s ideology to expand the notion of Blackness at the intersection of technology and liberation. This existence has been conceived, as asserted by author Kevin Young, in “Elsewhere … the remapping of what’s here,” forming an alternative reality where one’s freedom and humanity is found.
Featuring the works of Tawny Chatmon, Larry Cook, Morel Doucet, Monica Ikegwu, M. Scott Johnson, Delita Martin, Arvie Smith & Felandus Thames.
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Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Free Saturday Celebration
2023-03-18 10:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York)
Celebrate the opening of the groundbreaking exhibition “Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined” with FREE ADMISSION this Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 10 am to 5pm. The Lewis Museum is excited to partner with Galerie Myrtis and the James E. Lewis Museum of Art at Morgan State University to present this exciting exhibition curated by Myrtis Bedolla for the 2022 Venice Biennale. Check out this one-of-a-kind exhibition along with IMAGINARIUM, an experimental and interactive exhibition of social imagination, as part of our BLACK futures/BLACK imaginings season.
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Ladies First: An Evening Celebrating Maryland’s Pioneering Black Women of Achievement
2023-03-22 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Ladies First: An Evening Celebrating Maryland’s Pioneering Black Women of Achievement
Wednesday, March 22 , 2023 | 6 pm – 9 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Black women have made landmark contributions to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of the State of Maryland as “The first …” in their fields and have often gone unrecognized. Join us as we honor pioneers from a broad cross-section of disciplines and industries, offering the opportunity to hear from them about their respective journeys.

The Honorable Adrienne A. Jones | Speaker of the House of Delegates
Janet Currie | President, Bank of America Greater Maryland
Natasha Dartigue, Esq. | Public Defender, Maryland Office of the Public Defender
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie | Interim President & General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ USA
Daria J. Willis, Ph.D. | President, Howard Community College

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Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Women’s History Artist Panel Talk - In Person
2023-03-23 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Women’s History Artist Panel Talk – In Person
Thursday, March 23, 2023 | 6 pm ; Panel Talk Begins at 6:30 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum celebrating Black women, their imagery and experiences through the visionary artistic lens of the women exhibition artists from Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined (March 2, 2023 – September 5, 2023). During this art panel discussion, artists will explore the future of Black women, how they envision Black women bodies, mothering and confronting stereotype imagery of Black young women. This panel conversation features artists Tawny Chatmon, Monica Ikegwu and Delita Martin. This panel is moderated by Myrtis Bedolla of Gallerie Myrtis who curated “Afro-Futurist Manifesto” for the 2022 Venice Biennale. “Afro-Futurist Manifesto” brings together a stellar assemblage of African-American Artists who construct a future forged in transatlantic links and Afrofuturism’s ideology to expand the notion of Blackness at the intersection of technology and liberation.
** Come early at 6 pm to view the Afro-Futurist Manifesto exhibition with special guests.
Free Admission
Image Details (left to right):

Delita Martin, The Seeker, Acrylic, Charcoal, Hand-stitching, Decorative Paper, Reduction relief print,30w x 46h, 2019
Tawny Chatmon
Monica Ikegwu
Delita Martin
Myrtis Bedolla, Moderator

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Film Screenings and Post Discussion Afrofuturism: The Origin Story & Amethyst LoveGodz
2023-04-01 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Saturday, April 1, 2023 | 1 pm – 3 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum
This program is included with Museum Admission.
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum for a double film feature examining the origins of Afrofuturism and discovering what it takes to keep Black love in the future. A post discussion with filmmakers Alexis Aggrey, Jamal Gray and Denai “B Fly” Nixon will follow.

Smithsonian Channel /Afrofuturism: The Origin Story (58 minutes) – From enslaved Phillis Wheatley’s poetry and Martin R. Delany’s alt-history novel “Blake” to Sun Ra’s avant-garde music and Marvel’s sci-fi blockbuster “Black Panther,” the African- American experience has been explored and reimagined for centuries through many artistic mediums. This special brings together some of today’s most influential Black musicians, writers, dancers, and theorists, who celebrate and examine the historical and cultural impact of Afrofuturism through deep discussion and electrifying, fantastical performances.
Amethyst LoveGodz (28 minutes) – While on a romantic date in their native land, Kariz Marcel & BlackShesus are captured and sold into the transatlantic slave trade. Four hundred years after their abduction and murder, they resurrect, blind, and in search of their other half. Guided separately by ancestral forces they journey through lifetimes and a foreign land to finally unite in holy matrimony and end the colonizers reign. In the tradition of family, we pray their village leads them safely to the other’s love. Will they? Executive produced by BlackShesus and musically scored by Kariz Marcel this breakout silent film will challenge your perception of dialogue, love, and Blackness.

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First Friday: Navasha Daya & Lafayette Gilchrist
2023-04-07 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Friday, April 7, 2023 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm | Location : Reginald F. Lewis Museum
The Museum is thrilled to celebrate the return of our First Friday Music Series this Spring. Kick off your weekend mingling at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum with local musical performances. Explore our latest on-of-kind exhibitions along with food and drinks by local chefs. During our Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition, experience a wide range of music connected to Black futurism and celebrating the imagination, time, and liberation.

Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition: Featuring Navasha Daya & Lafayette Gilchrist
Friday, April 7, 2023 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm | Performance begins at 7 pm, Exhibits Open at 6 pm.
For Jazz Appreciation Month jam with “astral soul goddess” Navasha Daya and jazz pianist/composer Lafayette Gilchrist as they perform music that will liberate the soul and spirit. Navasha Daya, Baltimore-based singer, songwriter and producer, has performed all over the globe for over 25 years as an indie – soul and jazz artist. Grammy- Award winning artist India.Arie described Navasha’s voice as “the true definition of soulful”. As a composer, Navasha has written numerous songs focused on culture, spiritual evolution and liberation pinning songs that encourage the utilization of indigenous technology as a solution to society’s injustices. As a solo artist she has received international acclaim from her solo releases. Prior to her solo releases, Navasha served as lead vocalist, songwriter and co-founder of the highly acclaimed Baltimore based soul/jazz band, Fertile Ground. Navasha’s composition “Peace & Love” was remixed in Europe and opened the door to Fertile Ground’s international acclaim. Continuing the musical legacy of her cousin the late great Gil Scott Heron, and embodying the influences of the likes of Phyllis Hyman, Patti Austin, Lyn Collins, Mahalia Jackson, Miriam Makeba, Mavis Staples… her live show fuses her eclectic mix of Soul-Jazz – Funk and World Rhythms while pulling from her Mississippi Blues lineage.
Drawing on the span of jazz history from stride to free improvisation, along with inspiration from hip-hop, funk, and Washington D.C.’s unique go-go sound, Lafayette Gilchrist’s music thrives on making surprising connections between styles and influences, boldly veering from pile-driver funk to piquant stride, vigorous swing to hip-hop swagger, contemplative abstraction to deep-bottom grooves. Gilchrist has performed with Cassandra Wilson, Macy Gray, Oliver Lake, Andrew Cyrille, Orrin Evans, Paul Dunmall, Hamid Drake, William Parker, and many more. He has also recorded and toured regularly with Grammy-Award winning legendary saxophonist David Murray. Lafayette’s previous album Dark Matter (2019), Gilchrist’s second solo recording, muses on the elusive and mysterious matter that ties the universe together and landed on numerous critics’ best of 2019 lists. His composition “Assume the Position” was used in the score for the HBO drama television series The Wire. His compositions have also been used in the HBO series Treme and The Deuce.
Special Admission: Members: $20 and Future – Members $25; Food Prices are Separate Cost.
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Bmore Imaginarium Social Experience Panel Talk
2023-04-08 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Saturday, April 8, 2023 | 1 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum
This program is included with Museum Admission.
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum as we discover how local Afro-futurists are using their creative, technological and entrepreneurial skills at the community grassroots level to envision practical futuristic solutions for a better tomorrow in Bmore and beyond. This panel conversation will include the following Afrofuturists.

Jason Harris is a Baltimore based futurist, educator and cultural activist. He is the founder and facilitator of the BlkRobot Project. Jason published the speculative fiction anthology, REDLINES: Baltimore 2028.
Nneka Nnamdi is the founder of Fight Blight Bmore, a community-led economic, environmental and social justice initiative informed by data compiled by her Fight Blight Bmore app. Nneka is a Baltimore based entrepreneur engaged in social mission driven entrepreneurship and community wellness work.
Safiyah Cheatam is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and researcher passionate about Afrofuturism. Satifyah is a co-creator, producer and writer of OBSIDIAN Podcast,a speculative fiction anthology podcast based in Afrofuturism.
Olu Butterfly Woods is a social entrepreneur and a distinctive performance poet. Olu has produced a popular artist-development series Organic Soul Tuesdays, a major afrofuture Artscape anchor project (The Mothership Connection), and the B-stage at AFRAM. She will soon release Jupiter Memoirs: a collection of afro fantasy poems.
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First Friday: Afro-House - KOJO ASTRONAUT
2023-05-05 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Black Futures/Black Imaginings Music Edition: Featuring Afro House – Kojo Astronaut
Friday, May 5th | 6 pm – 8:30 pm.
Exhibits Open at 6 pm. Performance begins at 7 pm.

Relax and unwind from your week mingling at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum with local musical performances. Explore our latest one of a kind exhibitions with food and drinks by local chefs. During our Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition, experience a wide range of music connected with Black futurism involving the imagination, time and liberation. Come at 6 pm to view Afro-futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined. For the month of May, reimagine space and the cosmos with an evening of Afrofuturistic music selections from the Afro House Concert Series. In the great beyond of space resides Kojo Astronaut and his ensemble. Their offering consists of protest music written through an Afrofuturistic lens. Led by pianist and composer Scott Patterson, the music featured includes songs from Patterson’s extensive catalogue of cosmic grooves. His music, expressed through voice, sound design and instrumentation, is a blend of classical, soul and rock music that is futuristic, emotive and luxuriant. This performance is about love, liberation and the ways in which we navigate our relationship to our planet, our solar system and beyond. Afro House, is a Baltimore-based art house focused on creating transformative, disruptive, and emotive music.

Special Admission: Members: $20 and Future – Members $25; Food Prices are Separate Cost.
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Book Talk with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein featuring The Disordered Cosmo: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime & Dreams Deferred
2023-05-06 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Saturday, May 6th | 1 pm | Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum

A book signing will follow the book talk conversation. This program is included with Museum Admission.

Join The Lewis Museum as Dr. Izetta Autumn Mobley, Director of Interpretation, Collections & Education, talks with Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein about race, gender, and space and her book, In The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey Into Dark Matter, Spacetime & Dreams Deferred. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein will share her love for physics; from the Standard Model of Particle Physics and what lies beyond it to the physics of melanin in skin, to the latest theories of dark matter—along with a perspective informed by history, politics, and the wisdom of Star Trek. She urges us to recognize how science, like most fields, is rife with racism, misogyny, and other forms of oppression. She lays out a bold new approach to science and society, beginning with the belief that we all have a fundamental right to know and love the night sky. Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is an Assistant Professor of physics and astronomy and core faculty in women’s and gender studies at the University of New Hampshire. She is also a columnist for New Scientist and Physics World. Her research in theoretical physics focuses on cosmology, neutron stars, and dark matter. She also does research in Black feminist science, technology, and society studies. Nature recognized her as one of 10 people who shaped science in 2020, and Essence magazine has recognized her as one of “15 Black Women Who Are Paving the Way in STEM and Breaking Barriers.” A co-founder of Particles for Justice, she received the 2017 LGBT+ Physicists Acknowledgement of Excellence Award for her contributions to improving conditions for marginalized people in physics and the 2021 American Physical Society Edward A. Bouchet Award for her contributions to particle cosmology.

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Black Futures/Black Imaginings: 18th Annual High School Juried Art Show
2023-05-09 - 2023-07-16
Black Futures/Black Imaginings: 18th Annual High School Juried Art Show
Art Exhibition Opens: May 9, 2023 to July 16, 2023
This year, 2023, marks 18 years since the Reginald F. Lewis Museum launched its High School Juried Art Show. Our 2023 theme, “Black Futures, Black Imaginings” coincides with two exciting exhibitions that explore Afro-Futurism. For its 18th year, the High School Juried Art Exhibition at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum provides an opportunity to honor the artistic talent of Maryland youth from all 25 school districts in the state. Partnering with the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), the exhibition and programming will explore what young people imagine and conceive of for the future of the cities, state, region, the nation, and the world.
For 18 years, the High School Juried Art Show has provided students opportunities to voice, create, and showcase their own artistic vision and expression. This year, a cohort of selected students will now have the opportunity to work behind the scenes with museum staff and community art professionals to learn the art of curation and design.

Into Utopia 2023 Gala
2023-05-11 18:00 - 23:00 | The North Club at M&T Bank Stadium, 1101 Russell Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202, United States
Into Utopia: The Reginald F. Lewis 2023 Gala
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Cocktail at 6 pm | Dinner & Awards at 7pm
The North Club at M&T Bank Stadium | 1101 Russell Street | Baltimore, MD
Tickets: $350 | VIP Table Experience including Chair’s Reception access and table of eight: $4,000 | Sponsorship opportunities available
Escape to a world where fantasy and futurism reign supreme as The Reginald F. Lewis Museum transports you to a place filled with limitless possibilities … Into Utopia properly starts the Spring Gala season and recognizes luminaries who boldly imagined the seemingly impossible and made it reality. Join us as we recognize leaders who embody our namesake’s distinction as a titanic of industry, a trailblazer, and a maverick.
Into Utopia is presented by Kaiser Permanente with the support of Orion level sponsor Whiting-Turner and Andromeda level sponsor CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield.
Learn more here

First Friday: The Jonathan Gilmore Project - Funktopia Nation
2023-06-02 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
First Fridays Featuring The Jonathan Gilmore Project – Funktopia Nation
Friday, June 2 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm
Exhibits open at 6 pm. Performance begins at 7 pm.
Admission:
Members – $20
Non-Members – $25
Food available for purchase
Relax and unwind from your week mingling at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum with local musical performances. Explore our latest one-of-a-kind exhibitions with food and drinks by local chefs from Lexington Market. During our Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition, experience a wide range of music connected with Black futurism and involving the imagination, time, and liberation. Come early to view Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined.
Celebrate Black Music Month at the Lewis getting your P-Funk on with The Jonathan Gilmore Project as they present “Funktopia Nation.” Funktopia is part-theater, part-concert, and full of original funk, soul, and R&B music taking music-lovers on an intergalactic trip. Enjoy a theatrical concert performance featuring a series of selections from the hip hop, blues, funk, and disco genres and bringing Jonathan Gilmore together with a collective of Baltimore-based artists.
Jonathan Gilmore is an award-winning Baltimore native, a multidisciplinary artist that has over 10 years of experience in performance, programming, teaching, and directing. Deemed “Mr. Soul,” he has cut his teeth in musical theater (The Wiz, and Purlie), countless workshops and as a support vocalist for national artists Navasha Daya, Donnie Hathaway, and Musiq Soulchild to name a few. Jonathan is also the leader of two bands. The Experience with longtime collaborator Lawrence “Mann” Robinson and the Jonathan Gilmore Project whose debut album Yes Love Music was released in 2022. Known for his vocal range and dynamic performances, it has been said his shows are “the crossroad of church and a juke joint.”
Food and Beverages will be provided by Next Phaze Cafe and Lounge and Just Elbows, Tossed Together, and Deedles Donuts of Lexington Market.
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Juneteenth Celebration: Envisioning A New Future
2023-06-19 11:00 - 16:00 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Juneteenth Celebration: Envisioning A New Future
Monday, June 19 | 11 am to 4 pm
FREE ADMISSION

Celebrate Juneteenth this year at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum by looking towards the future. Visitors can learn about the origins of Juneteenth while enjoying musical performances by the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Benny Russell Big Band and actor and vocalist Keith Snipes. Commemorate the holiday by creating a time capsule with Culture Queen and sharing your memories in our Time Capsule Video Booth. Join us as we salute Maryland high school student artists and their works in the Black Futures, Black Imagining High School Juried Art Show with an artist talk by Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined exhibition artist Monica Ikegwu. Then, examined how 19th-century Black freedom fighters reimagined a free Black society with scholars Dr. Daniel J. Broyld of University of Massachusetts-Lowell and Angela T. Tate of National Museum of African American History & Culture. Enjoy Juneteenth-inspired refreshments in Slemmers Alley. Highlight Tours of our exhibition galleries will be provided.
This program is sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.
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Event Schedule:

PRIDE Film and Poetry Mixer: How the Boogeyman Became a Poet featuring Tony Keith Jr., Candice Iloh, and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival
2023-06-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
PRIDE Film and Poetry Mixer: How the Boogeyman Became a Poet featuring Tony Keith Jr., Candice Iloh, and the Baltimore International Black Film Festival
Thursday, June 22 | 6 pm – 9 pm
Mix and mingle at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum with afro futuristic exhibits, poetry, short films, music, and refreshments during Baltimore Pride Week. The evening kicks off with a series of short films exploring themes on same gender love, coming of age, parental acceptance, and bullying screened by the Baltimore International Black Film Festival. A talk back about coming of age and growing into their own personhood will follow.

Tony Keith, Jr., Ph.D. and Candice Iloh will then present poetry and literary readings from their works, On How the Boogeyman Became a Poet and Everybody Looking. Dr. Keith shares original stories and poems and performs spoken word about his journey towards being an openly gay Black man in America. He discusses key moments as a teenager when poetry protected him from racism, poverty, homophobia, and white supremacy. In Candice Iloh’s debut novel in verse, Every Body Looking, college and the newfound independence it brings launches 18-year-old Ada from her conservative upbringing into a discovery of what she wants.
ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Anthony R. Keith, Jr, Ph.D. is a Black, gay, spoken word artist, poet, Hip-Hop educational leader, and writer who produces academic and community-based scholarship about the politics of Black language, and the possibilities for Black intellectualism to disrupt White supremacy in American education. Tony is a multi-year fellow and grant recipient of the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities from his hometown of Washington, D.C., where he lives with his husband, Harry Christian, III.
Candice Iloh is a first generation Nigerian-American writer, dancer, and author of the 2020 National Book Award finalist and 2021 Printz Honoree, Every Body Looking. They have performed their work around the country, most notably at Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City; the Women in Poetry & Hip Hop celebration at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum in Baltimore; and as part of the Africa In Motion performing arts series at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.
The Baltimore International Black Film Festival (BIBFF) promotes and celebrates culturally significant films directed, produced, and starring African Americans and members of the African Diaspora. They also prominently feature and celebrate films with content of interest to the Same Gender Loving – Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (SGL-LGBT) community. Their mission is to couple the film festival with education, health, and exhibition programs that enrich life in Baltimore City and the greater Washington, D.C.; Maryland; and Virginia communities.
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PRIDE Children Story Hour: We Are Family
2023-06-24 11:00 - 16:00 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
PRIDE Children Story Hour: We Are Family
Saturday, June 24 | 11 am – 12 pm | Included with Museum Admission

The Lewis Museum celebrates Baltimore Pride Week with a children’s story reading and art activity rooted in the diverse ways families show up. Hear a story reading of A Tale of Two Mommies by Vanita Oelschlager and Papa, Daddy & Riley by Seamus Kirst read by our partners from the Pride Center of Maryland. An art project celebrating the families will follow.
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First Friday: B-Fly
2023-07-07 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
First Fridays Featuring B-Fly
Friday, July 7 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm
Exhibits open at 6 pm. Performance begins at 7 pm.
Admission:
Members – $20
Non-Members – $25
Food available for purchase

Relax and unwind from your week and mingle at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum with local musical performances. Explore our latest one-of-a-kind exhibitions with food and drinks.  During our  Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition, experience a wide range of music connected with Black futurism and involving the imagination, time, and liberation. Come early to view Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined.  Womanist. Formidable. Multi-disciplined… This sultry summer month will be a groove with the vocals of B-FLY. Hailing from the west coast, B-FLY is a non-fiction film producer and music creator who uses multiple mediums to express her “I” statements. As an advocate for the liberation of Black women and Black people, her lyrics resonate like a sonic bullhorn. Through her moniker, BlackShesus, B utilizes her original Afro-futurist style of filmmaking to produce unscripted short films and documentaries. As co-founder of BlakWater Production House in Baltimore, she continues paving the way for women in the technical arts.
“I produce films that convey our collective story, but I make music to tell my own.” – B, 2023
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The BlkRobot Project presents SOULBOT SATURDAY DESIGN SQUAD
2023-07-22 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
The BlkRobot Project presents SOULBOT SATURDAY DESIGN SQUAD
Saturday, July 22 | Session at 11:30am & 12:30pm
Ideal for patrons ages 7-12 | Included with Museum admission
Become a computer coder for a day and learn how to write the basic code used on application screens and devices we use every day. Participants will learn how to code on two platforms with STEM educator Jason Harris and become familiar with coding language to design a device. Space is limited.
Workshop participants should bring a laptop with them. A limited amount of laptops will be available for this event. Please contact Terry Taylor at terry.taylor@lewismuseum.org if you have any questions.

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Kindred Summer Book Club Session II with guest speaker Tananarive Due
2023-07-22 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Kindred Summer Book Club Session II with guest speaker Tananarive Due
Saturday, July 22nd | 3 pm EST |Virtual via Zoom (Link will be provided after registration and prior to the event)
Virtual guest speaker Tananarive Due will explore the author behind the book to continue the conversation about Kindred. Due is an award-winning author who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA. A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award. Her writing has also been included in several best-of-the-year anthologies. Shortly after the publication of her debut novel, The Between, Due met sci-fi icon and MacArthur genius Octavia E. Butler at a Black writers’ conference, which led to friendship. Due wrote the article, “Inside My 90 – Minute Visit with Octavia Butler” for Essence Magazine in 2020.
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First Fridays: Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh and WhoCamille
2023-08-04 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
First Fridays Featuring Maimouna Youssef aka Mumu Fresh and WhoCamille
Friday, August 4 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm
Patrons must be 18 years or older to attend
Exhibits open at 6 pm. Performance begins at 7 pm.
Admission:
Members – $20
Non-Members – $25
Food available for purchase

Relax and unwind from your week and mingle at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum with local musical performances. Explore our latest one-of-a-kind exhibitions with food and drinks by local chefs from Lexington Market.  During our Black Futures, Black Imaginings Music Edition, experience a wide range of music connected with Black futurism and involving the imagination, time, and liberation. Come early to view Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined.
Vibe with us this month as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop with performances by Maimouna “Mu Mu Fresh” Youssef and WhoCamille, a discussion on the five elements of hip hop, and a pop-up art show. Baltimore-born and D.C.-raised, Grammy®-nominated singer Maimouna Youssef blends gospel, jazz, soul, and hip hop to encourage listeners to believe in their own potential. Mumu Fresh has toured internationally as a critically acclaimed Afro-Indigenous singer, MC, songwriter, activist, workshop facilitator, and audio engineer who’s been called a “quadruple threat” by The Roots’ Black Thought and “groundbreaking” by Oscar-winning artist Common. Mumu Fresh’s music and philanthropic endeavors has been featured in publications such as Variety, Ebony, Essence, BET, NPR, Al-Jazeera, Afro Punk & more. Maimouna has also served as a mentor for several Grammy U-affiliated young aspiring artists.
From the 410 to the A, WhoCamille has become a name to remember. The Maryland native is showing the world who WhoCamille is! Not only can she carry a melody in her music, but she’ll tear a 16-bar verse to pieces when she gets behind the mic. Since dropping her debut EP ‘Copper and Carbon’ in 2019, WhoCamille has gone nowhere but up, making music for the daydreamers, paper-chasers, and passionate people. Winning the nationwide jingle contest for world-renowned restaurant Slutty Vegan in 2020 turned into WhoCamille being the first artist on Slutty Productions. She’s opened for some of the biggest names in music including Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, King Combs, and more. Appealing to fans all over the country and obtaining coverage from HypeBae, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Bedroom Barz with Sway and more, WhoCamille is WHO you need to know.
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Hip Hop Writers Workshop Metaphors for the Music: Hip-Hop & Poetry from the Page to the Stage
2023-08-05 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Hip-Hop Writers Workshop Metaphors for the Music: Hip-Hop & Poetry from the Page to the Stage
Saturday, August 5 | 1 pm | Included with Museum admission
The celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop continues as you Rap to your own beats by participating in a workshop for youth and adults. Join Ed Emcee Academy in this writing and performance workshop exploring the evolution of hip hop culture from the late 80’s to early 2000, with a specific focus on influential poets, rappers, spoken word artists and emcees. The Ed Emcee Academy team will discuss the relationship between written and spoken words, rhythm, lyricism, beat, flow, and rhyme in hip hop music. This workshop includes a creative writing activity followed by an open mic experience for the audience to share their works.
Space is limited.
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Kindred Summer Club Session 3 and Kindred FX Film Screening - In Person
2023-08-12 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
NOTICE?: The Kindred event for tomorrow is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We will reschedule the event at a later date. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Visitor Services at 443-262-1800. Thank you.
Kindred Summer Club Session 3 and Kindred FX Film Screening – In Person
Guest Speaker Courtney Lee-Mitchell
Saturday, August 12 | 1 pm
Join us as we conclude our Summer Book Club with an in-person screening of episodes from the FX Series Kindred adapted from the celebrated Octavia Butler novel by writer and showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.
The afternoon will conclude with a conversation with Kindred executive producer Courtney Lee-Mitchell. From 2007 to 2012, Courtney worked in development for Cine Mosaic, the NYC-based production company founded by Lydia Dean Pilcher. Films on which Courtney worked during her time at Cine Mosaic include the Mira Nair-directed feature films The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Amelia as well as the Fox Searchlight feature film Notorious about the life of Notorious B.I.G. directed by George Tillman, Jr. After leaving Cine Mosaic, Courtney began developing projects, including Kindred, through her company, 4th Power Films.

Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Artist Panel - Part II
2023-08-19 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined Artist Panel – Part II
Saturday, August 19 | 2 pm
Join several artists from Afro-Futurist Manifesto: Blackness Reimagined for a conversation examining afro-futurism and how it served as an inspiration for their works. The panel is moderated by Afro-Futurist Manifesto originating curator Myrtis Bedolla of Galerie Myrtis.
Panelists will include:

Arvie Smith
Felandus Thames
M. Scott Johnson
Morel Doucet

Developed for the 2022 Venice Biennale, one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world, Afro-Futurist Manifesto brings together a stellar assemblage of African-American artists who construct a future forged in transatlantic links and Afrofuturism’s ideology to expand the notion of Blackness at the intersection of technology and liberation. Bedolla is only the second Black woman commissioned to curate a showing for the renowned exhibition.
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First Fridays: Marcus H. Mitchell
2023-09-01 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
First Fridays Featuring Marcus H. Mitchell
Friday, September 1 | 6 pm – 8:30 pm
Patrons must be 18 years or older to attend
Exhibits open at 6 pm. Performance begins at 7 pm.
Admission:
Members – $20
Non-Members – $25
Food available for purchase

Social Music Artist “ Marcus H. Mitchell is not only an established saxophonist and pianist. He is also CEO and President of 24th Music a division of MHM Entertainment Group – a multi- faceted entertainment company that brings ‘SOCIAL MUSIC. What is “SOCIAL MUSIC “? It is a vast amount of eclectic nuances allowing him to explore his musicianship with no restrictions. Therefore as the listener, Marcus’ music will take you on a journey within any type of setting providing an array of experiences relative to all things social. In 25 years, he has released 30 projects and 1 DVD. Marcus’ most profound release “20” features Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber and a host of others.
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ArtClusive Series: Beats per Minute "Celebrating the Timeless Legacy of Tupac in Baltimore"
2023-09-07 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
ArtClusive Series: Beats per Minute “Celebrating the Timeless Legacy of Tupac in Baltimore”
Thursday, September 7 | 6:30 pm
Join the Reginald F. Lewis Museum and Beats per Minute as we reflect on Tupac Shakur’s hip hop legacy as a Baltimore teen on the anniversary of his death (September 7, 1996). Author and artist Darrin Keith Bastfield will discuss his artwork, Shakurspeare, an original oil painting that includes the very first master audio recording of Tupac describing the late rapper’s dream of becoming a Shakespearean actor at age 15. Darrin will share young Tupac’s original Baltimore raps and winning poetry submissions presented throughout Bmore’s community. Interviews connected to Tupac’s time at the Baltimore School of the Arts will be viewed from portions of Darrin’s working documentary, “Born Busy: Exploring Tupac Shakur and The Power of Arts and Culture.” Kenneth Bond will serve as moderator with a Q & A following.
Darrin Keith Bastfield is a visual artist, author, filmmaker, and President of BecomeAPatron.org, advocating for access to arts and culture for underserved youth. Bastfield graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts in 1988 and attended the School of Visual Arts in New York. He authored Back in the Day: My Life and Times with Tupac Shakur, first published in 2002 chronicling their teenage years in Baltimore. As an art broker, Bastfield represents Dr. Samella Lewis’s private collection featuring works by Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, and Richmond Barthe’. His artwork has appeared in solo exhibitions, national television, publications Including the 10th anniversary edition of Michael Eric Dyson’s ‘Holla If You Hear Me.’
Kenneth Bond served 27 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. While in prison, he educated himself and became a mentor, spiritual leader,and positive influence. He continues today to spread positivity and purpose with his voice and words.
This program is museum general admission.
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Film Screening & Discussion The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer in the Black Community
2023-09-09 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Film Screening & Discussion
The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer in the Black Community
Saturday, September 9th | 1 pm
September is National Prostate Health Month. Health statistics reveal that 1 in 6 African American will struggle with prostate cancer – a rate higher than any other group. Join The Reginald F. Lewis Museum and ZERO Prostate Cancer for a documentary screening of The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer in the Black Community. Following the film screening there will be a panel discussion featuring the filmmaker Landi Maduro, Eric Morrow, a prostate cancer survivor, Dr. Sherrie Wallington, health disparities researcher specializing in oncology in the Policy, Populations and Systems department and Kris Bennett of ZERO Prostate will moderate the discussion. The panel will talk about the film, how prostate cancer impacts the Black community, and provide suggestions to address barriers to treatment and care. Questions from the audience will be taken during a Q & A. Light refreshments will be provided.
A CHANCE TO WIN : Are you a Baltimore Orioles fan? Program attendees have the opportunity to win Baltimore Oriole Tickets for an upcoming home game when attending this event.
About the Participants
Kris Bennett is the new Director of Health Equity, Community Organizing and Engagement at ZERO after years of working in the public health sector, with virtually all of his experience centered around health equity and health disparities. Before ZERO, Kris designed and managed programs in homeless services and community health care. He also worked in the political sector, collaborating with state and local level politicians on health equity and advocacy matters. Kris earned his undergraduate degree from Lesley University, his first Masters in Management from Durham University in the United Kingdom, and is currently working towards a dual MSW and MPH from the University of Alabama. Kris came to ZERO because he was excited to work with so many people who are passionate about ending prostate cancer. As a Black man in America with a personal tie to cancer, Kris understands how scary the idea of prostate cancer can be, let alone a diagnosis. He’s passionately invested in devoting his time and skills to helping eradicate prostate cancer for all.
ZERO Prostate Cancer hosts the Prostate Cancer in the Black Community film series throughout the country, using public viewings to highlight and raise awareness about prostate cancer within the Black community.
Eric Morrow was diagnosed in 2021 with very high risk, locally advanced prostate cancer, at age 49. A husband and father with two teenage children, Eric opted for an aggressive treatment program including robotic assisted radical prostatectomy, two years of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT, hormone therapy), and external beam radiation therapy. He will complete ADT in October 2023 and remains optimistic about his long-term prognosis and future prostate cancer research and treatment developments. Professionally, Eric served as an Air Force officer for 20 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 2013. He then spent nine years as a sales rep and executive in the medical device industry before taking a sabbatical in 2023 to devote more time to family and advocacy efforts. Eric is a ZERO Prostate Cancer Champion and a Consumer Reviewer with the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Prostate Cancer Research Program. He volunteers as a patient advocate with the Center for Prostate Disease Research at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Bethesda. He currently works from home in Bowie, Maryland.
Landi Maduro is an awarding winning writer, director, and producer who has worked in the film industry for over 10 years. She has continued to direct and produced short films, features, music videos, small business commercials, business tutorials, and documentaries since launching her production company, Bluechild Entertainment, in 2012. Her documentary The Silent Killer: Prostate Cancer In The African American Community is currently streaming on Tubi TV and Amazon Prime. The award-winning documentary was screened for the Congressional Black Caucus and has been used by healthcare professionals and scholars to educate on the health disparities African American men face in dealing with prostate cancer. She is also the proud Founder & President of Women of Color Filmmakers; a 501c3 nonprofit organization that garners support, skill-building, and networking for female filmmakers as they pursue careers in film and television.
Dr. Sherrie Flynt Wallington is an associate professor (tenured) and health disparities researcher specializing in oncology in the Policy, Populations and Systems department. Dr. Wallington teaches and conducts research on health communication, social determinants of health, and community-based participatory research strategies that focus on prevention, health disparities, and clinical trial recruitment and engagement. She has a particular interest in cancer, particularly prostate, breast, and HPV-associated cancers. The American Cancer Society, the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Cancer Institute support her research. She has authored several peer-reviewed publications and serves as a scientific grant reviewer for the NIH and other national foundations. In addition, she is a program evaluator and consultant on NIH-funded, governmental, and foundation grant awards.
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Note: This program is a free event. To view museum exhibitions, tickets must be purchased at the front desk.
This program is in conjunction with Blacks in White: African American Health Professionals.
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Restorative and Laughter Yoga with Jupiter Aura from Aura Well World Wide - 2 sessions
2023-09-16 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, 21202, United States
Restorative and Laughter Yoga with Jupiter Aura from Aura Well World Wide

September 16th, 2023 | 1 pm – 3 pm (2 sessions) Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit through mindful breathing and yoga practice at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Our Yoga Wellness Series invites yoga enthusiasts, new and advanced to join us for a variety of holistic and creative yoga workshops between September 2023 and January 2024. Participants should bring yoga mats and wear comfortable clothing.

This class will gently help the body rest, heal and restore balance while also practicing laughter breathing exercises for deeper mind awareness.
About Participants
Aura Well Worldwide (A.W.W.) is a creative wellness commingling of well experienced community leaders, multi-disciplinary artists + wellness practitioners born from a passionate spark of re-imagining what pleasure looks like throughout life’s processes!
At Aura Well, we put our good FAITH in simplifying the process of self-discovery, daily growth and innovation. Our approach focuses on nurturing our clients to tap into their creative potential, embrace change and enhance their own healing abilities so they can get down to business, be it passion or PURPOSE.

Note: Included with Museum admission. Register below. This program is in conjunction with Blacks in White: African American Health Professionals.
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