Voices of the Community: Straz To Host Free Town Hall Discussions

TAMPA, FL — In an effort to amplify BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) voices, The Straz Center for the Performing Arts will hold a series of live, virtual town hall meetings, called Voices of the Community. Each gathering will be held from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on the Straz Center’s Facebook page as a Facebook Live event.

Each Voices of the Community town hall focuses on a different theme. The next one will be held Thursday, Nov. 16, with the theme being Young Voices in the Arts. Up-and-coming artists in the Tampa Bay area will be featured.

Discussion topics will include the unique challenges local artists face, such as access and visibility, as they find their footing. Artists also will share their experiences as they navigate this dynamic community.

Additional Voices of the Community events will be held:

• Thursday, Jan. 25 — Freedom and the Power of Healing through the Arts panelists will explore the importance of the Annual Arts Legacy REMIX MLK Jr. Commemoration, and themes including freedom, and how music, poetry and other artistic expression can heal and unify the community.
• Thursday, March 28 — The Artistic Tapestry of Tampa Bay Multiple artists from local cultures demonstrate that when diverse threads are woven together, they create this unique Tampa Bay community. This discussion will focus on how differing cultures use and create art to help represent and honor their cultures and how that shapes the Tampa Bay area.
• Thursday, May 23 — Vision of the Arts Visual artists will shine in the spotlight at the final town hall of the season. Guests include local visual artists from differing disciplines, such as photography and film, who will explore the multiple ways to portray our experiences through the power of imagery and why it is important.

More information can be found at www.strazcenter.org.