Castle of our Skins, Boston’s concert and education series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music, closes their 10th anniversary season with a Harlem Renaissance-inspired rent party, Friday, June 30th from 7:00-10PM at Black Market.
(Isstories Editorial):- Boston, Massachusetts Jun 21, 2023 (Issuewire.com) – Castle of our Skins, Boston’s concert and education series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music, closes their 10th anniversary season with a Harlem Renaissance-inspired rent party, Friday, June 30th from 7:00-10PM at Black Market in Nubian Square (2136 Washington Street, Roxbury). For a suggested entry fee of $40, attendees can enjoy live jazz music, dance, film, spoken word performances and food, with 100% of the proceeds donated to the historic League of Women for Community Service (558 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston).
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The event is the brainchild of Castle of our Skins’ 2022-2023 Shirley Graham du Bois Creative in Residence Angel C. Dye. “Rent parties are so fascinating to me because they represent at once this uninhibited desire for enjoyment and community among Black families and a real ingenuity in the way of pooling meager resources to support individual households financially,” Dye states. “They give us a model for care and fun in the face of serious racial, economic, and environmental disparities.” A poet and doctoral student at Rutgers University, Dye’s dissertation thesis is centered around the phenomenon of rent parties that grew from the 1920’s Harlem Renaissance era. Organized to quite literally raise money for next month’s rent, the parties were intimate and lively celebrations of community, food, arts, and fellowship. They were advertised on business cards with whimsical rhymes and pseudonyms such as “social whist party,” and attended by such figures as Langston Hughes.
Proceeds will go towards the League of Women for Community Service, one of the oldest continuously running Black women’s clubs in the country formed for the purpose of undertaking civic, social, educational, and charitable work for the benefit of Boston’s Black community. Established in 1919, the League is undergoing its own renaissance: leading a more than $5,000,000 capital campaign to restore its headquarters, maintain ownership of its historically significant collection of documents and artifacts, and expand its educational and community programming. “The League is a beautifully fitting partner for this event,” Castle of our Skins’ Artistic Director Ashleigh Gordon noted. “As a fellow Black-women run organization steeped in history, action, and community-building, there couldn’t have been a better match. We’re honored to support their work and historic renovation.”
The evening will include spoken word performances by Dye and Regie Gibson; dance performances – both live and filmed – by Aysha Church and VLA DANCE; and jazz music by the Kevin Harris Project. Tickets are suggested donation of $40 and are available for purchase at bit.ly/coosrentparty. Early booking is encouraged as spaces are limited.
About Castle of our Skins
Castle of our Skins is a Black arts institution dedicated to fostering cultural curiosity and celebrating Black artistry through music. In classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle of our Skins invites Black heritage and culture exploration, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present. To learn more, please visit: www.CastleSkins.org
This article was originally published by IssueWire. Read the original article here.
