How artist vanessa german worked with Topekans for Brown v. Board exhibit 'CRAVING LIGHT'

Among the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board will be an art premiere from internationally renowned citizen artist vanessa german.

German and ArtsConnect have partnered to honor history-making court ruling with an art exhibit and spoken work operetta. The exhibit will open Thursday and the operetta will debut May 24.

"I hope that people who have not had a way to tell their stories will be heard," ArtsConnect executive director Sarah Fizell told The Capital-Journal. "I hope that Topeka will be the kind of place where we know that we can tell happy stories and we can tell hard stories and that everyone's story has a place in our lives.

"That not only can we honor people's experiences of the past, but we can use them as vehicles to learn and also to learn how we can all share our lives and share the richness of all of our different experiences with one another."

Who is artist vanessa german?

German is a multidisciplinary citizen artist who works with sculpture, performance, communal rituals, immersive installation and photography, according to ArtsConnect.

"The artist’s practice proposes new models for social healing, utilizing creativity and tenderness as vital forces to reckon with the historical and ongoing catastrophes of structural racism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, resource extraction, and misogynoir," ArtsConnect said in a statement.

German's work is in private and public collections internationally, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, the Wichita Art Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut.

"We have such an incredible ecosystem of arts and artists here in Topeka," Fizell said. "And to have an artist of her caliber and experience join us for this commemoration is really amazing because I think it raises the bar for all of the arts in Topeka. It puts us on the map as a community that is innovating and making meaningful change through the arts."

'CRAVING LIGHT' offers an immersive experience

The overall experience which uses multimedia to create an immersive experience will be called "CRAVING LIGHT: The Museum of Love & Reckoning."

“CRAVING LIGHT” has been in the works for a year as german has collaborated with Topeka residents. She said members of the community participated in workshops and formal and informal interviews. From the community's stories, german was able to create her multimedia art production.

"We did several workshops in the Topeka community," german told The Capital-Journal. "We did writing workshops. We did ceramics workshops and all of the objects that the Topeka community helped to create are in this museum. They contribute to the deep purpose and the work that the art is doing.

"It was made by many hands that have many stories and many dreams, and it's all coming into one body and one story."

German said the installation embodies the legacies of Brown v. Board along with the community that has been created post-court ruling. The exhibit will feature sculpture work of the plaintiffs and others who were impacted by the case's outcome.

"We made objects that have something to say and something to do," german said. "Because they are art objects, they can hold the space for nuance and complexity, but also an intimacy of experiences because every individual who encounters these objects in any proximity, be it photographs or in person, will bring their own story to the objects and make their own relationships and their own connections."

Along with the physical art, there will be a spoken word operetta called “THE WAY OF LIGHT.”

It's a six-part spoken word operetta that brings together movement, collective voice and ritual to raise the voices, lives and writings of Topeka residents, according to a statement. It will explore the idea of “the beloved community” as envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., according to the statement.

“THE WAY OF LIGHT” will be a performance piece and a work of public art. The operetta was co-written by Angel Haze, August Mendoza and german. During the premiere performance of the operetta, it will be recorded and then submitted for a Grammy consideration.

Where to find the 'CRAVING LIGHT' exhibit

Fizell said the exhibit will premiere at the Mulvane Art Museum. An opening reception will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Rita Blitt Gallery.

Here are the weekend hours for the exhibit:

• Friday: noon to 6:45 p.m.

• Saturday: noon to 6 p.m.

• Sunday: noon to 4 p.m.

It will stay at the Blitt through mid-July and then it will go to the Great Overland Station, where it will be on display through the end of 2024, according to the statement.

The spoken word operetta will premiere at 8 p.m. May 24 in White Concert Hall on the Washburn University campus. There will also be a public reception starting at 6:30 p.m. The performance will be followed by a talk-back discussion with members of the choir and german, according to the statement.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: vanessa german's new exhibit 'CRAVING LIGHT' opens Thursday in Topeka