Telfair Museums, Deep Center partner for Black Prisms event July 24
July 13, 2021SAVANNAH, GA (July 13, 2021) — Telfair Museums and the Deep Center are joining forces for an
interactive spoken word and audio experience later this month at the Jepson Center.
At 6:30 p.m. July 24, Black Prisms: Color Bending will feature local youth artists exploring generational
stories and shattering the shackles of the past using the power of light, movement, culture, and voice.
The performance is part of Telfair’s ongoing “Legacy of Slavery in Savannah” initiative.
“This year, our ATAs and youth artists were given the task of designing a show inspired by the LOS
initiative,” said Marquice Williams, Deep program manager. “Calling themselves Black Prisms and taking
the legacy of our shared trauma to refract a rainbow of resilience, lived experiences, and cultural
knowledge, I believe that each piece they have produced for the showcase resonates with this wisdom.”
Telfair’s initiative includes community partnerships, in-person and virtual events, and exhibitions
running now through its culmination with a national symposium in October 2022. The museum’s hosting
of the July 24 performance is funded in part by investment from the City of Savannah, Georgia Council
for the Arts, and National Endowment for the Arts.
“While slavery technically ended more than 150 years ago, its legacy continued through Jim Crow to
inequalities we see today,” said Ahmauri Williams-Alford, the Telfair curator who is overseeing the
project. “This unique, community-driven effort is a collaboration with other organizations like the Deep
Center to engage Savannahians, artists, and scholars to confront our troubled past as we seek to
understand our present.”
Black Prisms will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 24, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. at the Jepson
Center. Preregistration is required and seating is limited. For more information and to register, visit
telfair.org/los.
About Telfair Museums:
Opened in 1886, Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the South and features a world-class art collection in the heart of Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District. The museum encompasses three sites: the Jepson Center for the Arts, the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, and the Telfair Academy. For more information visit telfair.org.
About Deep Center:
Deep Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that empowers Savannah’s young people to thrive as learners, community leaders, and agents of change. Through creative writing, cultural production, and art, Deep creates platforms for the city’s youth and the village of support around them, including their families and adult allies, to share stories, engage in debates, and make Savannah a more just and equitable place. Learn more at deepcenter.org.
