Home » Arts & Culture (Page 4)

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  [Club LaRay Talent Show (June 30, 1987)]

  Arts & Culture, Chicago, LGBTQIA, Performance

  A talent show and drag competition at Chicago music and performance venue Club LaRay.

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  [Club LaRay Talent Show (December 30, 1986)]

  Arts & Culture, Chicago, LGBTQIA, Performance

  A talent show and drag competition at Chicago gay club Club LaRay, as well as footage of the dance floor.

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  [Club LaRay Presents: The Anita Baker Show (February 2, 1987)]

  Arts & Culture, Black, Chicago, LGBTQIA, Performance

  Club LaRay presents a “Battle of the Stars” with host Anita Baker (impersonator) and co-host Tasha Thomas. This video documents the performances throughout the night by queen impersonators of popular soul and r&b singers and groups such as Gladys Knight, Grace Jones, and The [male] Emotions.
  Club LaRay was a Black, gay club in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, IL. The club was owned by Ray “LaRay” Hill. The club was housed in a former theatre consisting of two bars, a dancefloor, and a staircase that went from the floor to the ceiling, dubbed the “Stairs to Nowhere”.

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  Nubia and the Mysteries of Kush

  Arts & Culture

  Hidden away in the Butana region of northern Sudan lie the ruins of ancient Nubia, an African civilization that rivaled Egypt for centuries. This film documents ongoing excavations that study and preserve the deteriorating remains of the Nubian kingdom of Kush. Interviews with Sudanese, American, and European archaeologists and historians are interwoven with stunning footage from dig sites and graphics that illustrate ancient building designs and techniques. Viewers will encounter Nubian temples, pyramids, writing, and artifacts—as well as fresh perspectives on the flowering of culture, technology, and political power in the ancient Nile Valley.

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  For My People: The Life and Writing of Margaret Walker

  Arts & Culture, Black

  Margaret Walker has been described by Nikki Giovanni as the “most famous person nobody knows.” Walker established one of the first Black Studies centers in the nation, was mentored by Langston Hughes and W.E.B. Du Bois, and her signature poem, “For My People,” set a tone and a level of commitment to which African-American writers have been responding ever since. Narrated by Ruby Dee, this biographical film combines conversations with Walker, readings from her poetry, and commentary from leading scholars to make a powerful argument for the centrality of her work to contemporary American literature.

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  Wholesome Roc, Images of Home: Postcard Art (5/13/88)

  Arts & Culture, Chicago

  Wholesome Roc Art Gallery and Cafe, an alternative art space opened in Chicago in 1987, provided a place for artists, particularly black queer artists, to display their art and engage with one another. This video centers an exhibit at Wholesome Roc created by the Architecture Gallery and entitled “Image of Home,” which contains a collection of postcards sent from around the world.

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  [Wholesome Roc Gallery & Cafe, Poetry Tostada 9/19/87]

  Arts & Culture, Chicago

  Wholesome Roc Art Gallery and Cafe, an alternative art space opened in Chicago in 1987, provided a place for artists, particularly black queer artists, to display their art and engage with one another. This video features one of Wholesome Roc’s monthly “poetry tostadas,” an open mic dedicated to poetry, music, and other performances.

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  Wholesome Roc Grand Opening (1990)

  Arts & Culture, Chicago

  Opened in 1987, Wholesome Roc Gallery and Cafe was an alternative art space that hosted exhibitions and events with and focused on queer Black artists in Chicago. This video documents the grand opening of Wholesome Roc’s new space in 1990. It features footage of people performing at their open mic and general footage of the new gallery space.