{"id":15042,"date":"2025-01-23T15:58:05","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T15:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=15042"},"modified":"2025-01-23T15:58:05","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T15:58:05","slug":"the-museums-mlk-day-is-more-than-a-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/23\/the-museums-mlk-day-is-more-than-a-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"The Museum\u2019s MLK Day Is\u00a0\u201cMore Than a Dream\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Damon Coleman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Fletcher Word<\/em>
\nThe Truth Editor<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cArt and activism help us to think about Martin Luther King in a more wholistic way,\u201d said Lanisa Kitchiner, PhD, Chief, African and Middle Eastern Division at The Library of Congress and director of Education and Scholarly Initiatives at the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, during a panel discussion at the Toledo Museum of Art\u2019s celebration of MLK Day this past Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cKing awarded us a moral fabric \u2026 with such persuasive power, such poetic skill,\u201d she added. \u201cWe must think of him as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n

And thus the discussion began about the connection between art and activism. The panel, moderated by Jennifer McCary, PhD, Chief Culture and Brand Experience Officer at TMA, explored the issue as it related to Dr. King\u2019s contribution to both art and activism.<\/p>\n

The other Art Is Activism\u2019s panelists were artist\/activist Yusef Lateef, performance artist\/activist Youseff Baddarr and activist Anthony King.<\/p>\n

The Art Is Activism Panel was just a part of TMA\u2019s MLK Day celebration, which also included a performance by cellist Damon Coleman, a BGSU Pan-Hellenic Council Performance, a Local-Eyes Brenda Singletary Tour and a host of art-related activities throughout the museum.<\/p>\n

Art, said Anthony king, enables Dr. King to \u201cendure his trials and tribulations. \u201cArt is the fuel behind activism, it opens us the joy of activism.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baddarr, whose primary focus as an activist has been on the struggles faced by those in his native land, Palestine. He agreed on the importance of art as a means of sustaining the activists\u2019 struggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cActivism requires endurance,\u201d said Baddarr. \u201cYou have to be resilient to be an activist \u2026 Palestine has been under oppression for 75 years and art keeps them going.\u201d As an example, Baddarr explained the significance of the traditional scarf worn by many Palestinians which reflects the unity and persistence of those within that struggle.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Art] will center you and help you recognize your humanity,\u201d said Lateef. \u201cYou are an activist when you try to reach for your best self and you are an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n

TMA\u2019s \u201cMore Than A Dream\u201d holiday celebration started at 11 a.m. on Monday \u2013 normally the museum is closed on Mondays \u2013 and lasted until 5 p.m., concluding with a spoken word workshop late in the afternoon.<\/p>\n