360 Degrees: November 2014

November 28, 2014

Where Art Thou, Obama?

Z. Hall

Where Art Thou, Obama? [Title]

Obama, Obama, where art thou, Obama?

Americans slain in the street

Unarmed, naked to the world

Rights assassinated

Blood pools curdle in the sun

Stains on Main Streets

Here, there

In every state

Mothers bend over in pain

Fathers fight tears of helplessness

Families torn asunder by systemic intolerance

Communities brutalized by the rule of law

Laws long-since divested of their humanity

Justice lies in state

Our children call from the grave

Obama, Obama, where art thou, Obama?

Poem: Z. Hall

Image: BBC News

About Dr. Z. Hall

Hall is a researcher, artist, and art writer whose published scholarly writing and art writing focus on visual art, literature, visual and material rhetoric, race, identity, gender, performance art, media, and intersections of these. She has blogged about these since 2011. She is a poet, photographer, and emerging visual and performance artist. Ekphrasis is her poetry specialty.* Her performance art exhibitions include ‘Freedom is a Constant Struggle’ (Jan. 2016) for the Dialogue Institute’s Martin Luther King birthday celebration and ‘Intersession’ (Apr. 2016) at The Riverfront Readings Special 'What on Earth?' in celebration of Earth Day. Her art works articulate social and political realism as critique.

Hall began curating visual and performance art as a vital part of dialogic events in 2015. She is the Executive Director and Producer of Salon~360, a monthly event that brings together artists, business people, scholars, activists, and community members in dialogue around society’s most pressing issues in a safe and responsive space. Hall’s passion for creating room for genuine dialogue stems back to the 2011 online version of Salon~360, 'Shaken Not Stirred: Conversations with Friends,' here on her blog.

Themes of Salon~360’s inaugural 2015 season included: forgiveness, anger, suicide, humane capacity, and grief. The first year closed with a benefit show based on its five themes. Highlights can be seen on their website.

The connection between Salon~360 and Hall’s scholarship, artistry, curating and art writing is her interest in the relationships between artistic expression and dialogue and how these shape culture within societies.

*To read, listen to, and view some of Hall's ekprasis poetry collaborations go to Palisade of Poetry under the Blog Posts tab.

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November 28, 2014

Where Art Thou, Obama?