Free Virtual Event - Beyond Mythologies: Black Women Heroes

Hammonds House Museum, through their new Hammonds House Digital programming, is creating and curating rich arts and cultural experiences that reach audiences beyond the walls of the museum.

On Wednesday, July 22 at 7 pm (EST) Grace Kisa, Thabisile Griffin and Lauren Tate Baeza take center stage with an engaging conversation that explores remarkable women warriors who changed the course of history! Beyond Mythologies: Black Women Heroes of the Atlantic was created as a companion program to Hammonds House Museum's current exhibition, Nu Africans, a collaboration by Grace Kisa and Maurice Evans which aspires to center the Black woman in her own power. This event is free, but registration is required. Register HERE.

Born in Nairobi, Kenya, Grace Kisa spent her formative years in Kenya, Ethiopia, Botswana, Canada, then McLean, VA before settling in Atlanta, GA. She came to Atlanta to study at The Art Institute of Atlanta, after which she began her pursuit of a career in art.

Working in many different mediums, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, costume and jewelry design, and photography, Grace’s artwork explores the connections between personal, cultural, national, and global perspectives. Her artistic process is a combination of creative play and problem solving, and her work explores ideas including: identity and how it relates to notions of comfort and alienation; migration and how one acculturates to a new environment; and the concept of home set against the context of time and space. Her work has been featured in exhibitions throughout the U.S.

Originally from Chicago, Thabisile Griffin completed her Bachelor's Degree at CalState LA, double majoring in Pan African Studies and Political Science and minoring in Theatre Arts and Dance. She attended UCLA to study in the African American Studies program, and received an MA there, as well as another MA in History. She is currently a doctoral student. Her work is centered in eighteenth-century black Caribbean insurrections. She loves stories and narratives, especially when there is a chance to talk about indigenous/Black populations WINNING against colonialism/slavery/empire.

Lauren Tate Baeza has a professional background in both international aid organizations and museums. She led an environmental and community development initiative in Central Uganda and consulted with nonprofits that collaborate with local governments to build sustainable groundwater wells and crop irrigation networks in Sahelian Kenya. An advocate for art as a vehicle for critical thought and social change, she has previous experience at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, the Fowler Museum, and the APEX Museum. Baeza currently serves as Director of Exhibitions at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, where she curates the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection.

Hammonds House Museum is generously supported by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, Fulton County Arts and Culture, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs, AT&T and WarnerMedia.

Hammonds House Museum’s mission is to celebrate and share the cultural diversity and important legacy of artists of African descent. The museum is the former residence of the late Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds, a prominent Atlanta physician and a passionate arts patron. A 501(c)3 organization which opened in 1988, Hammonds House Museum boasts a permanent collection of more than 450 works including art by Romare Bearden, Robert S. Duncanson, Benny Andrews, Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence, Hale Woodruff, Amalia Amaki, Radcliffe Bailey and Kojo Griffin. In addition to featuring art from their collection, the museum offers new exhibitions, artist talks, workshops, concerts, poetry readings, arts education programs, and other cultural events throughout the year.

Located in a beautiful Victorian home in Atlanta’s historic West End, Hammonds House Museum is a cultural treasure and a unique venue. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they continue to observe CDC guidelines, but look forward to welcoming in-person visitors soon! For more information about upcoming virtual events, and to see how you can support their mission, visit their website: hammondshouse.org.

MEDIA Contact: Karen Hatchett at Hatchett PR, karen@hatchettpr.com