The Black Arts Matter Festival, presented by BAM Festival Founder and Artistic Director Shasparay and the Wisconsin Union Theater, will return for its third year to celebrate contemporary Black art with a three-day national poetry slam, discussions, and performances in music, theater, dance, and more March 23-26.
“We are unbelievably excited at how this year’s Black Arts Matter Festival is shaping up. Shasparay has helped curate an incredible line-up of poets for the poetry slam, and getting to see her in the role of performing artist in her one-person show is also going to be a highlight,” Wisconsin Union Theater Director Elizabeth Snodgrass said in a press release. “The whole Festival is a don’t miss, so everybody should clear their calendars and spend all four days at the Memorial Union.”
Tickets range in price for the Black Arts Matter (BAM) Festival, an interdisciplinary arts festival dedicated to building community around Black artistry, from about $10-$50, depending on the event. The Theater team and Shasparay are making a limited number of three-day poetry slam passes available for sale through which patrons can experience all three days of the slam at a discounted rate, BAM Festival said in a press release, and UW–Madison students can purchase discounted tickets for some BAM Festival events.
Photo: Black Arts Music Festival
The current BAM Festival schedule at Memorial Union includes the following events:
- Poetry Slam prelims, March 23, 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
- Poetry slam semi-finals, March 24, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
- Poetry slam finals, March 25, 6:30-10 p.m.
- “Body Politics”: One-person show called “Full of Herself” performed by Shasparay and panel discussion led by Dr. Sami Schalk, assistant professor of gender and women’s studies, on body policing, self-image, identity and the intersectionality with race, March 26, 2-4 p.m.
Those who would like to support efforts like this can give to the André De Shields Fund here; the Fund supports artistic projects and performances created, performed, designed, or produced by BIPOC and other people who are historically underrepresented on stages and in audiences.
