The is hosting a special lecture on Tuesday, November 5th听by nationally acclaimed Dr.听Dwandalyn R. Reece from the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Museum of African American History and Culture.听听Dr Reece, who curates the museum鈥檚 prize-winning and permanent exhibition will present, 鈥�At the Crossroads: African American Music-Making in American Life鈥� at 4:30 p.m. in the new on CU campus.听听
Drawing upon objects in the National Museum of African American History and Culture鈥檚 collection, Dr. Reece aims to explore in this presentation how objects deepen our understanding of music in the United States, offering new ways to construct narratives about the social, cultural and historical meaning music holds in our daily lives.听The ways we engage with music is constantly evolving and the multiple worlds that music inhabits is a culture unto itself.听
鈥淭his movement to preserve, document, and interpret music鈥檚 existence is driven by a growing interest in its material culture, the tangible objects of things that are the material evidence of its creation, performance, dissemination, and听reception,鈥� Dr. Reece describes, and continues, 鈥渢he musical object as artifact, anticipates interpretation and has the power to broaden our understanding of music beyond an experiential level.鈥�
Dr. Reece, a scholar and musician, who is highly regarded by her academic colleagues听and has been highlighted on听,听is responsible for the acquisition, research and interpretation of the museum鈥檚 music and performing arts collections, is chair of 听and the Smithsonian Pan-Institutional Group, is leading the , and publishing a book on the material culture of African American music.听听The comprised 19 museums and research centers and is the largest cultural complex听in the world.听听Dr. Reece considers museums her calling and is working diligently听to make humanities accessible through music.
Dr. Reece's lecture is part of African American Music--At the Crossroads,听a collaboration with听Boulder's Trance Blues Festival and will be followed at 5:30 p.m.听by Black Banjo & Beyond, a roundtable discussion with Dr. Reece, Dom Flemons "The American Songster," Johnny Baier from the National Banjo Museum, and the Trance Blues Festival's creator, Otis Taylor.