USU Concert to Pair Music, Visual Works From Black Artists

An upcoming concert will showcase flutist Jeiran Hasan and pianist Amy Glenn as they provide a soundscape for visual works from Black artists.

“Fanmi Imèn: A Celebration of Black Artistry” will begin at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17 in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall at Utah State University, and the event will be livestreamed on the CCA Presents YouTube page.

Last year’s Black History Month events inspired Hasan to partner with the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art (NEHMA), the Division of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and the Black Student Union to create this event in celebration of Black History Month and the arts.

“As a new faculty member, I was impressed with the variety of events on campus and was eager to find a way to include the CCA,” Hasan said. “Rather than only being a music event, I was also inspired by our close proximity to NEHMA.”

The concert pairs musical pieces and art pieces in the NEHMA collection. The music was created by living Black female composers, and Black artists created the art displayed in the collection.

“The pairing process was quite simple,” Hasan said. “I had about four pieces I was interested in performing, and, of the six in the NEHMA collection, I tried to find similarities between the message of the pieces.”

Danielle Stewart, curator and Head of Academic Initiatives for the NEHMA, appreciates that the selection of works celebrate both African Americans' heroic struggles for civil rights and moments of tranquility and rest.

“The art world professes the importance of inclusion, but we do not always practice what we preach,” Stewart said. “This is something we've tried hard to be conscious of at NEHMA, and diversity is certainly something we take into consideration when deciding which works to show or add to our collection.”

The Fanmi Imèn showcase is a part of USU’s Black History Month celebration and demonstrates a commitment to inclusive excellence.

“Black History Month reminds us that Black American history is also the history of the United States, and the history of the United States can only be told completely with music and the arts,” said Isaiah Jones, senior director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. "It’s impossible to tell the story of music and the arts in the United States without the contributions of African Americans, from the invention of rock & roll, blues, jazz, and R&B to hip hop."

This event — free and open to the public — is an opportunity to celebrate Black History Month at USU with the museum hosting a light reception following the performance. For more information, refer to the calendar event online.