Dianne Smith  Art   

To a Garden Luxuriously Verdant (Enameled with Countless Flowerings) Curated, by Carl Hancock Rux,  was a multi-genre, experiential, full-campus celebration of the fight for a more free America on the eve of the 158th anniversary of Juneteenth Independence Day. This year's work, inspired by the eponymous verse by Portuguese poet Luís Vaz de Camões and Harriet Tubman's self-described recurring dream, embraces the transformative intensity and power of both color and nature. Rux's performance, featuring guest appearances by Alicia Hall Moran, Aaron Diehl, Martha Redbone, Morley and Chris Bruce, and Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber with special guests Vernon Reid & DJ Logic, will be presented amidst awnings of flowers across the space and a wave of petals atop the Hearst Plaza pool; and the audience will witness modern dance by Ronald K. Brown’s EVIDENCE. The concert will blend traditional spiritual songs, European opera, and Scottish folk songs in an exploration of salvation through floral rapture. Costumes, visual art and production design for this event are courtesy of the acclaimed installation artist Dianne Smith, with hair and makeup by Bernard Giles.