GLASSBORO, NJ — Rowan University is hosting a multi-event tribute to African American artists and their stories through 2027.
These new offerings are part of the "Marie Rader Series," a continuously curated program that seeks to "uplift the cultural landscape of the Greater Southern New Jersey Region."
The lineup of community offerings include public presentations, community outreach, and coaching for students.
"The Marie Reader Series provides unprecedented access for general public audiences to world-class performing arts," Artistic Director Debbie Shapiro told Patch, "...and most importantly, a sense of connection to a larger world beyond the stage and beyond this region."
Hundreds of first-time local residents join in on the events each year, Shapiro added.
The "Life & Liberty" Season begins in the fall with "Sounds Like America," a musical conversation between musicians Lara Downes and Rhiannon Giddens.
"In the words of Rhiannon Giddens, 'When we look at folk music and history, it's always had a function. It's made by people to say something about the human condition'," said Shapiro, on why they chose music to be at the center of their storytelling journey.
Grammy Award-winning Dee Dee Bridgewater and Bill Charlap will follow as they deliver a performance that touches upon American music across multiple periods and genres in January.
The works of historical composers, such as Duke Ellington, will be at the center of the storytelling.
Black History Month celebrations in 2027 will include a show of "American Street Dancer." A live hip-hop orchestra, beatboxers, a DJ, and more will join artists to highlight social and economic history through movement.
A pile of puppetry stories for all ages is scheduled for March 14, 2027 with "The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats."
The humorous adaptation of four different tales is free for kids 12 and under and features a question and answer session afterwards with the cast.
Tickets go on sale on Friday for all performances.
"I hope that this year, we can hold onto the collective conversations that these performances inspire a little longer, and bring them a little farther along, and it helps our audiences to feel even more alive and rooted," added Shapiro.
The events are supported, in part, by the Henry M. Rowan Family Foundation through the Marie Rader Memorial Fund and with help from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
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