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More than this chaos, I feel that the world was always spinning, in and out of our control. In what direction? How fast or slow? How do we get on or off this complex web of design, dysfunction, destruction, death—and dreams? And what of our dreams? Like cosmic dust, my Black matter isn’t metaphysical, rather, I stretch the liminal space between message and myth. I know that when our politicians and pundits have failed us, artists have always led the way home.

We are, this place is, more than castle.

It is essential.

DBR

It’s remarkable to be back in the city of Chicago. I was born here and so much of my family’s history resides in the architecture and spirit of the places here.

My father often talked about his love for St. Peter’s Cathedral. I pass by it every day on my way to Lyric Opera of Chicago and it’s been so moving.

I’m working on an opera for them, with a libretto by Anna Deavere Smith and directed by Yuval Sharon. Renee Fleming brought us all together. This photograph contains them all and so much history and power and change.

Left to right: Renee Fleming, Yuval Sharon, Anna Deavere Smith, and DBR

I just released a new single, They Still Want to Kill Us, in collaboration with J’Nai Bridges. This work speaks to an American atrocity in the city of Tulsa, and each week, it seems another tragedy unfolds in another American city with another mass shooting and another round of death and terror.

All of this to let you know, that as an artist, I can’t be a first responder, but can I be second or third? As an artistic field, can we respond to tragedy in a way that is empathetic, healing and offers hope?

I want to go to the places that require breath and space and life and sound and music and meditation. Can our work and creative, cosmic imaginations bring us together in some meaningful way? I don’t know but I’ll keep dreaming and doing.

What is the role and responsibility of the living in a time of trial and terror?

DBR

We, as a dedicated group of artists, arts organizations, and places of education and learning, declare without reservation or restraint, that the presumed innocence of Black people—and specifically Black men and boys—in recurring encounters with errant law enforcement officers, has disproportionately led to a presumed guilt and summary, inhumane responses centered on fear, detainment, arrest, removal, or a growing, repetitive practice of unlawful and unnecessary deaths.

We acknowledge America’s historical propensity towards harm, injustice, and exclusion. We also witness America’s extraordinary capacity to heal, be just, include and embrace. We know that law enforcement is tasked with the difficult work of policing our communities as they uphold the law and their solemn oath to protect and serve. And we are aware and reminded of the distance and divides we face between our politics, as well as the constant struggle we face in finding agreement on what we most value.

However, as artists, educators, and learners, we are clear and committed to the sanctity of life, the promise of liberty, and the most fundamental and absolute right to personal safety regardless of race and gender.

Therefore, we proudly and boldly affirm our commitment to Black people as a vital part of our American identity and families, and implore all of us to see in them your father, mother, brother, sister, and your child—all living within one spirit of one nation engaged in a shared, everlasting pursuit of happiness and love. 

Dr. Daniel Bernard Roumain

May 28, 2020

Photo by DBR: Arts for Equity Institute at Clemmons Family Farm (Vermont)

I don’t work. I’m workin', all the time, there’s a difference, and I love it. It’s about being in motion, making and doing something different, everyday. I’m always workin' and in motion, and while I miss my son and family and bed, being surrounded by the people and places who make life full and rich and loving, is a blessing. In this, I’m never far from home.

Home is Burlington, Vermont where I am the inaugural Community Artist-in-Residence at the Flynn Center. Working closely with Steven MacQueen and Madeline Bell, we are creating something that is city-wide, innovative, educational, and unabashedly political. I’ll be premiering my Protest Songs, a 24-hour violin work in complete protest to the words, actions, and policies of the Donald J. Trump, the Trump Administration, and demagogues everywhere. Protest Songs will stream live, so please get in the fight, get on-line and join me in resistance, protest, and love. Home will be Baltimore (lest we forget, a great American city) and my Baltimore Symphony Orchestra debut in my Voodoo Violin Concerto, with the ever-brilliant Marin Alsop. How rare is it that a White woman and a Black man get to make and celebrate Haitian music together in a city that struggles with race, place, and identity? Home will also be Providence, Rhode Island, where I am proud to continue a 10-year (and counting!) relationship with Kathleen Pletcher, PVDFest and Firstworks as their first Artistic Ambassador. Over the year, I will be in Providence conducting workshops, performances, community dinners, and an array of conversations on how the living arts makes for a loving life.

Home is always Arizona State University, the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, and ASU Gammage, where my creative practice lives, deepens, and thrives. I am so proud to be able to design and co-direct Towards A More Perfect Union, "a theatrical concert with film and spoken-word, highlighting new works and powerful compositions that speak to the challenges and our times in beautiful and moving ways.” Colleen Jennings-Roggensack and Michael Reed are like family to me, having collaborated with them for over 20 years.

For now, I wanted to leave you with the latest film project I am doing with YakFilms, Sozo Artists, and my brother, Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Don’t be afraid, but see Fear in September.

DBR