Guelph, ON – On Wednesday May 31, Black student groups from across the Upper Grand (UG) – in partnership with the University of Guelph (UoG) – shared what it means to express Black joy through the arts.
Over 130 students gathered in the basement of the UoG’s student centre where they were hosting their annual Black Brilliance Conference. This year’s theme was ‘Black Joy.’ Students separated and rotated between 4 sessions.
“Lights, Camera, Blacktion” (Drama)
“The Language of the Soul” (Dance)
“My Melanin Palette” (Visual Arts)
“Speak Your Truth” (Poetry)
In each session, the Black Student Group members would lead the session by giving a presentation on the Black contributions made to the specific art form before engaging students to participate in said art form themselves.
In “Lights, Camera, Blacktion” students played improv games, in “The Language of the Soul” they learned dances from musical genres such as: Soca, Afrobeats and Dance; in “My Melanin Palette” they drew and painted, and in “Speak Your Truth” they created original poetry and raps.
- ‘My Melanin Palette’ session
- ‘The Language of the Soul’ session
- ‘Lights, Camera, Blacktion’ session
- ‘Speak Your Truth’ session