[at] The Intersection Festival of Arts & Ideas
The Apollo Theater
Harlem, NY
Oct. 6 – 8, 2023
“We are literally in culture’s uterus.” Jourdan Hicks observed, while facilitating a panel titled “Future Forward: Art, Activism & Politics”. The discussion between Hicks and artist-activist-organizers Chelsea Miller and Sumayyah Ali was one of many panels, presentations, and performances held at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theater during an inaugural [at] The Intersection Festival of Arts & Ideas.
“We give birth to culture. We feed culture. We are informed by culture.” Hicks continued, simultaneously setting the stage for the panel discussion and speaking to the mood and significance of the festival as a whole.
Curated by bestselling author and the Apollo’s inaugural artist-in-residence, Ta-Nehisi Coates, the festival was a convening of Black creatives working across every corner of culture, including TV and film, visual and performing arts, culinary arts, and sports. From start to finish, the weekend was a deeply enriching experience full of celebration, veneration, and revelation.
I, along with hundreds of festival attendees, braved the Saturday rain to catch the opening welcome and remarks given by Apollo President and CEO Michelle Ebanks, Apollo Executive Producer Kamilah Forbes, and Coates himself.
In his speech, Coates addressed the past struggles, recent progress, and road ahead for Black cultural figures. He remarked upon the fact that, when he was growing up, most of the people who he was taught represented “the highest category of humanity and heroism” were white, not because of any inherent superiority, but due to disparities in access, resources, and visibility.
In one humorous example of progress, he pointed out how, “if whiteness is important to you,” there’s no longer anywhere to turn for a contemporary Spider-man experience; In his most prominent current iterations, the friendly neighborhood superhero is either Black himself (shoutout Miles Morales!) or has a Black love interest (shoutout Zendaya!).
Coates cited this, along with other examples of cultural progress, as evidence that “the fight of our ancestors is at last beginning to bear fruit.”
After his opening remarks, Coates brought out the heavily-decorated screenwriter, director, and producer, Barry Jenkins, onto the stage for a conversation between them about Jenkins’ work, journey, and inspirations. On Friday, The Apollo screened three of Jenkins’ films: Medicine for Melancholy, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Moonlight.
The pair discussed Jenkins’ writing process, early career, experience working with a budget deficit on The Underground Railroad series on Amazon Prime, perspectives on artificial intelligence, and the pressure to create art that is “unimpeachably great”.
Throughout the conversation, it became clear that Jenkins is and always has been a collaborative spirit. I was impressed by his thoughtful rebuke of the “Auteur Theory” of filmmaking, wherein film directors are considered to be the sole or primary creative force behind a film. Jenkins emphasized the contributions of his collaborators throughout the conversation, and even redirected a few questions to Joi McMillion, the Oscar-nominated editor of Moonlight and most of Jenkins’ work, who was sitting in the audience.
After the conversation between Jenkins and Coates, musician Peter Collins took the stage with his guitar, and serenaded us with acoustic performances of “Sunshine”, “Love Like,” and “You Got This.” Collins’ slow, soul-soothing voice and melodies were exactly what I needed to recenter myself after the previous excitement and mental stimulation. During his performance, I found it easy to clear my head and focus on my breathing, as his music filled the space. (This calming, uplifting effect is also the reason I’m listening to Peter Collins on Spotify as I write this review.)
Nearly a dozen more panels, presentations, and performances followed Collins’ on Saturday, each providing unique, surprising, and delightful perspectives on contemporary culture through a variety of lenses. Some of my favorites: Sage Adams, SZA’s creative director, presented on their artmaking process and the importance of having references that resonate with one’s own experience. During “Black Satirical Comedy: Finding Humor In the Absurd,” a panel featuring Diallo Riddle, Bashir Salahuddin, Radha Blank, and facilitated Dr. Jalylah Burrell, the panelists were full of wit and shenanigans that kept us, and Burrell, guessing and laughing. “The Art of Slay,” a multimedia performance/presentation about New York City’s Ballroom Culture, curated by Dr. Kreative, was a glamorous and informative crash course on an important community for queer folks of color.
One common thread I noticed among different parts of the event was a discussion of how speakers successfully navigated systems and industries that weren’t built for them. Often answers centered around building community and support networks with peers. Jenkins mentioned that it was essential to “build horizontally, not vertically” in establishing networks. I thought his words were especially resonant with a later discussion, between entrepreneurs Luvvie Ajayi Jones and Eunique Jones Gibson, as they talked about how they were able to find essential support and empowerment in each other as they launched their careers, even as they were working in different industries.
As an emerging culture worker who looks up to a lot of the folks featured on that festival stage, I found the day enlightening and encouraging. I left the theater on Saturday with a kind of hope, joy, and clarity that’s rare to receive all at once, and in such abundance. And there was still a full day of festival programming ahead.
I certainly wasn’t the only one who felt that way. As she introduced the final performance of the evening, Leatrice Ellzy, The Apollo’s Senior Director of Programming who had also been serving as the festival emcee, made a simple request: “Clap your hands if you feel like today has been a vibe.”
The ensuing applause was uproarious, of course.
Up Next at The Apollo: The Apollo’s Famous Amateur Night competition has a Quarter Final on Wednesday, October 11.
Up Next for Me: I’ll be seeing Take Me Down to the Levee at The Tank.
