Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/533451
B M & T ••• March/April 2015 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 17 "ART + PRACTICE;BEULAH RUCKER AND"ALL EYEZ ON ME: THEWRITINGS OF TUPAC SHAKUR" BY PATRICIA ANN JORDAN G reetings. By the time you are reading this, hopefully the cold weather has passed and we are getting a hint of spring. Here's some happening in the world of muse- ums/art: Art + Practice – Leimert Park, Los Angeles February 17th, the first in the series of artist in residence public talks was held at Art + Practice. Featured are Dale Brockman Davis and Alonzo Davis, the founders and proprietors of Leimert Park's Brockman Gallery and Brockman Productions, which exhibited cele- brated artists such as David Hammons, Senga Nengudi, and Charles White early in their careers. While in residence at A+P, Brockman Davis will archive the records and ephemera of the Brockman Gallery and Brockman Productions, a process that began during the research for the 2011 Hammer exhibition Now Dig This: Black Art and Los Angeles 1960–1980, and will culminate in a living, digital archive and exhibition. This public program will examine the challenges of archiving and locating materials related to a particular history, the implications of such undertakings for art historical scholarship, and how this initiative can impact and serve a larger community. The event was moderated by Naima J. Keith, associate curator at The Studio Museum in Harlem. The Hammer Museum, with support from the James Irvine Foundation, is developing a model for collaborative, offsite arts programming with A+P through fall 2016. Conceived and founded by artist Mark Bradford, philanthropist and collector Eileen Harris Norton and social activist Allan DiCastro, Art + Practice (A+P) is an arts and education private operating foundation. Visit: http://artandpractice.org/public-pro - grams/ The Educational Foundation and Museum of Beulah Rucker, Inc., Gainesville, GA The mission of The Educational Foundation and Museum of Beulah Rucker Inc. is to memorialize the life of a trailblazer African-American woman, Mrs. Beulah Rucker Oliver. Recognizing the important role she played in local education, while increasing public awareness of her contribu- tions to Gainesville, and Hall County through educa- tional, religious, economic, social, and civic activities that enhance the quality of community life. Dedicated to preserving African-American her- itage and promoting awareness of the contributions and personal sacrifice of Ms. Beulah Rucker Oliver, Rucker is the first museum to focus on African- American heritage in Gainesville and Hall County and throughout north Georgia. The Museum is open to the public and for book- ing events. Visit: www.beulahruckermuseum.org/ The GRAMMY Museum, Los Angeles I attended All Eyez on Me: The Writings of Tupac Shakur when it debuted February 2nd. The exhibition explores the GRAMMY nominated artist's songwriting talent and celebrates Shakur's legacy as a magnetic performer, charismatic actor, heartfelt poet and outspoken social activist. While experiencing the artist's love of words and talent as a gifted communicator through handwrit- ten lyrics and poems, I also, viewed artifacts from his career breakthrough with hip-hop group, Digital Underground and his rise to fame as a solo artist. Included were Tupac's handwritten notes, lyrics and poems; his poetry book: "The Rose which Grew from Concrete," which I had prior read and found fascinat- ing," plus interviews and performance videos, cloth- ing and more. It was truly tragic that Shakur was shot down at such a young age: 25 years old. As Quincy Jones stat- ed, "He was evolving… If Malcolm X had been shot down at 25 he would have been an incarcerated man; If Dr. King had been shot down at 25, he would have been a relatively unknown minister." We can't help but ponder what amazing heights this young man would have climbed. The exhibition will run through April 22, 2015. Visit: www.grammymuseum.org ALONZO DAVIS DALE BROCKMAN DAVIS NAIMA J. KEITH