WASHINGTON (AP) — A “time capsule” of photographs documenting the descendants of slaves on a long-isolated island off the South Carolina-Georgia coast will have a new home at the Smithsonian’s African-American history museum. Bank of America, which has a vast art collection it lends to museums, donated a collection of 61 photographs by Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, […]
Author Archives: Brett Zongker
Associated Press
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Smithsonian Explores ‘Cool’ from Whitman to Jay-Z
WASHINGTON (AP) — Flashback to a 1940s jazz club. A saxophonist performs on stage wearing his sunglasses at night. “I’m cool,” he says, relaxed in the moment. Lester Young, the lead saxophonist in Count Basie’s orchestra and soul mate to Billie Holiday, was giving voice to what would become an American and global obsession for […]
Posted inAfro Briefs
Film ’12 Years a Slave’ has Ties to DC-Area Site
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The painful story of a free black man lured from his home in New York in 1841 to be sold into slavery, now the basis of the new film “12 Years a Slave,” has a little-known connection to a slave site that still stands near the nation’s capital. Alexandria’s one-time slave […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Police: Chris Brown Arrested/Charged with Assault in DC
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chris Brown was arrested early Sunday in Washington after a fight broke out near the W Hotel, police said, complicating an already snarled legal history for the Grammy Award-winning R&B singer. Brown, 24, was charged with felony assault in an incident that started just before 4:30 a.m., D.C. police spokesman Paul Metcalf […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Museums Retrace March on Washington 50 Years Later
WASHINGTON (AP) — Numerous exhibits and programs in the nation’s capital will allow visitors to retrace the historic steps of the 1963 March on Washington 50 years later. Several museums and cultural organizations have organized artifacts and art exhibits for visitors to learn about the march, the nation’s conflict over civil rights and the tumult […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
National Gallery of Art to Undergo $68M Renovation
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Gallery of Art plans to close its modern art galleries for three years to complete a $68 million renovation, adding new galleries and a rooftop sculpture garden. Federal funds will pay for renovations to the East Building’s infrastructure, totaling $38.4 million. Private donors are contributing $30 million to create 12,260 […]
Posted inARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Kennedy Center to Host Hip-Hop Festival in 2014
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hip-hop artists including rappers Nas and Somalia-born K’naan (kay-nahn) will take center stage in an unexpected place next year: as part of next season at the Kennedy Center in Washington. The center announced Tuesday that its 2013-2014 season would include the weeklong festival “One Mic: Hip-Hop Culture Worldwide.” It will also feature […]
Posted inInauguration 2013
Did or didn’t she? Beyonce questioned on lip sync
WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s no question Beyonce’s rendition of the national anthem was a roaring success. The mystery: was it live or lip synced? A spokeswoman for the U.S. Marine Band told news outlets, Jan. 22, that Beyonce had lip synced at President Barack Obama’s inauguration. Master Sgt. Kristin duBois said the band was notified […]
Posted inWashington D.C. News
Leading Black Artists Featured at Corcoran Gallery
WASHINGTON (AP) — Works by leading Black artists in the contemporary art realm go on view Saturday at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art to tackle issues of racial, sexual and historical identity. The exhibit, “30 Americans,” will be on view through February. It features 31 artists, including Jean-Michel Basquait, Hank Willis Thomas, Kehinde Wiley and […]