Truth & Healing Artist Showcase | Live Events

Join us at the Harriet Tubman Theater in the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on Saturday, July 15 for three live performances as part of the 2023 “Truth & Healing Artist Showcase.”

The “Truth & Healing Artist Showcase” will be held at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on July 14-16 and July 30, 2023, with the visual art exhibition in place through September 10, 2023. This year’s Showcase is focused on the themes of healing, rebirth and reconnecting. Projects will explore and build upon the current artistic commentary of health and race and connect it with historical events and visions of a more equitable future.

The schedule of performances is as follows:

3:00 p.m. | “Pato y Muerte” by Gabriel Martinez Rubio in the Harriet Tubman Theater

“Pato y Muerte” is a playful dance-theater performance with a message suitable for children and adults. The original script was based on a German tale and reflects the understanding of death, friendship, and loyalty in Mexico and other Latin cultures. Death simply serves as a “friendly” reminder that, although we mourn, we also celebrate life, loyalty and friendship. Through this celebration, as well as the bonds we create with others, our loved ones continue living. This project also includes free dance workshops for children in Spanish and English, taking place in areas of the city accessible to diverse communities.

3:45 p.m. | “FLIPd” by K.A. Simpson in the Harriet Tubman Theater

“FLIPd” is an episodic podcast exploring the historic places and spaces of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Utilizing narrative storytelling, archival audio and immersive soundscapes, it reframes our understanding of the region’s history by telling the often overlooked African American perspective.

4:15 p.m. | “Nomad” by Daniel Noel in the Harriet Tubman Theater

“Nomad” is a series of songs written from the author’s experience over a two-year period. It explores life as an immigrant and the challenges that can exist between two polarized spaces. Themes of love, heartbreak, the pursuit of “fitting in,” the unintentional consequences of expressing “self” through hair, art and more fill the songs with a universality that ultimately points to healing and belonging.

ArtsWave’s Black and Brown Artist Program supports Black and Brown artists in the Cincinnati region who interpret the themes of our times. It is one way that ArtsWave works to increase the sustainability of organizations and artists that focus on the preservation and advancement of Black arts and culture. ArtsWave’s partnership with the City of Cincinnati, Duke Energy, Macy’s, the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center make the program possible.