IlluminArts to Present THE DANDY LION ROARS at the Lowe Art Museum

IlluminArts, Miami's Art Song and Vocal Chamber Music Series, has announced the upcoming presentation of "The Dandy Lion Roars," an innovative art song performance at the Lowe Art Museum on March 26, 2017 at 3:00PM.

This afternoon of songs will celebrate and highlight the politically and socially illuminating photography exhibition, "Dandy Lion: {Re} Articulating Black Masculine Identity," in an unforgettable exploration of how the dandy phenomenon in Black society is helping to "defy stereotypes and monolithic understandings of masculinity" through clothing and style.

IlluminArts collaborates with museums and galleries around Miami to present programs of music inspired by visual art. In the fall of 2010, curator Shantrelle P. Lewis developed The Dandy Lion Project out of necessity and a frustration with the way Black men were being misrepresented in mainstream media across the globe.

Lewis comments, "Dandy Lion confronts the myth of the young Black man as 'thug' via the juxtaposition of an alternative style of dress. Using the African aesthetic and swagger as a point of departure, Dandy Lions appropriate classical European fashion elements to articulate a self-actualized identity. The men photographed are exceptional in both style and manners and provide the opportunity for a paradigm shift to occur as it relates to how men of African descent are seen and treated by society-at-large."

The exhibition at the Lowe Art Museum is open to visitors from February 23 - May 21, 2017.

The Dandy Lion Roars performance on March 26, 2017 will feature internationally acclaimed baritones Kenneth Overton and Jorell Williams, accompanied by renowned pianist James Davis Jr., director of music at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City. This performance will showcase classical art song and spirituals by African American composers and poets, including songs by Robert Owens, H. Leslie Adams, Margaret Bonds and Uzee Brown.

Audience members are encouraged to come dressed in their best dandy garb for an unforgettable afternoon of art, photography, fashion, and music.

IF YOU GO:

The Dandy Lion Roars
Sunday, March 26, 2017 3:00PM
Lowe Art Museum, 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables
General Admission: $20
Lowe Museum Members: Free
www.illuminarts.org

Photo Credit: Kia Chenelle