JJJJJerome Ellis presents “Aster of Ceremonies”
In this performance, artist JJJJJerome Ellis presents portions of their latest transdisciplinary project, “Aster of Ceremonies.” Using piano, saxophone, electronics, and voice, they’ll perform excerpts from “Benediction,” a devotional song cycle attending to 18th and 19th century Black runaway slaves who stuttered. This lecture-performance is an ongoing attempt to, in the words of critic Hortense Spillers, “hear [slavery’s] stutter more clearly.”
5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. / Lecture and Performance
6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. / Audience Q&A
7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. / Light Reception
Stay tuned for registration details!
Smoke & Mirrors is made possible by the leadership support of the Ford Foundation. Additional grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners through a grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
Generous support for bilingual text was provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.