Facebook/Kennedy Center partnership bolsters anti-racism in the performing arts while offering a new outlet for DC artists

The Kennedy Center and Facebook’s new Arts Across America program will feature 200 performers by the end of this year, showcasing art driven by advocacy, education and social justice. Many of the artists hail from DC, including today’s performers — Tvameva, an international crossover band founded and led by Arvind Venugopal, a native of India.

The online Arts Across America program launched in late July as one of the Kennedy Center’s eight social impact initiatives in support of anti-racism in the performing arts. The 20-week program, which will run through Dec. 11, features a rotating schedule that spotlights artists from a different region of the United States each day of the week. 

For example, DC artists perform every Wednesday, and performers from the Mid-Atlantic or New England are featured every Monday. The program is an extension of the Kennedy Center’s free daily performance series, Millennium Stage, though most of the shows are streamed from the artists’ homes. 

Diana Ezerins, the Kennedy Center’s director of public programming, said the Kennedy Center worked with the National Endowment for the Arts and its regional affiliates with the aim of spotlighting artists of color, community leaders who combine art and activism, and artistic styles unique to certain regions.

“So often, the focus at performance venues is on artists coming into the community … and less on the artists and artistic styles of those who live there. These [regional arts] organizations have a responsibility to support and nurture creativity in their communities, and to protect and celebrate those learning and transforming artistic styles that are unique to their region,” Ezerins said. “We want to highlight the organizations who take their role in the artistic ecosystem very seriously and continually contribute to its growth.”

Recent performers with DC ties have included Jazmin Sutherlin, a trans musician and vocalist, and Denyce Graves, a native Washingtonian, operatic mezzo-soprano and Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate who was featured alongside Lawrence Brownlee — two past recipients of the Marian Anderson Award, which is presented by the Kennedy Center and the Washington National Opera.

One of the first DC performers in the Arts Across America series was Konshens the MC, a hip-hop artist and arts educator. Konshens performed a set titled “Rhyme and Reason” on July 29, featuring students from his six-week online creative writing workshop of the same name. The workshop was held by SchoolTalkDC in conjunction with the city’s Summer Youth Employment Program. In the virtual Kennedy Center performance, the students recited their poems, which Konshens said “focused on the spirit of being a melanated man in America.” The set was smooth, the words eloquent. But a chaotic 72 hours had preceded the performance. 

A previously scheduled performer was suddenly unavailable and Konshens was asked to step in, he recalled. He initially declined, not knowing what he could pull together in such a short time, but eventually decided to go ahead with the performance. Konshens often performs with Classically Dope, a band blending the hip-hop and classical genres. But he decided to dedicate this slot to his work in arts education. He said he draws inspiration from hip-hop lyricists who use their music as a form of storytelling, and aims to communicate positive messages and lessons in his own music.

“That’s really important when a lot of my time is spent with youth in underserved communities who see [negative] images every day,” he said. “So to come from that, but to also show them that you don’t have to remain that, and that you can use your experiences and things that you’ve seen to be a difference maker and a contributing member to society, as opposed to a statistic of it — that’s what I hope the legacy of my music leaves behind when I’m no longer here.”

Konshens’ course concluded a week after the performance, with the students’ poems becoming a book titled The New Normal. One student experienced in music production transformed their recited poems into an audio track, complete with backing music. 

Jazz composer and vocalist Mark G. Meadows performed virtually on Aug. 5 on a twin bill with fellow DC artists Christie Dashiell and Allyn Johnson. Meadows, who was born in the District and taught at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Northwest for five years, has already performed in more than a dozen virtual performances during the pandemic. The toughest part of this show for Meadows was having to perform after Dashiell and Johnson, which he said can be a “bit intimidating.” But performance opportunities, especially ones that carry such a collaborative feel, are coveted during the pandemic.

“[Artists] are in circumstances where we need to get this almost relief through our music, and so not only is it important for the audiences that need to hear this, but I think it’s just as important for the artists who need to be able to voice what we’re going through,” he said.

Dashiell, a DC-based jazz vocalist and Howard University graduate, sang her original works, as well as covers from artists like Stevie Wonder and Maurice White. She performed alongside Johnson, a pianist who serves as the jazz studies director at the University of the District of Columbia.

“I want to dedicate this set to Black art and Black music, just because I feel like it’s really important to honor our stories, especially in this time,” Dashiell said during the performance.

She added that she wanted to highlight her own works because discussions of women in the arts often don’t address all the different roles women fill in music, such as composer, producer and sound engineer.

“With my music, I hope to maybe just continue to be a healing force for people that need it, especially during COVID-19, during everything that’s going on in our country and in our world,” Dashiell said in an interview. “I also want to …  be some sort of representation for folks that look like me and for folks that can relate to being in a marginalized group of people, to give them kind of hope and representation.”

Live Arts Across America programming is available on the Kennedy Center’s website and social media platforms Monday through Friday at 4 p.m. ET.