Refa One And Complex Movements Inner City Arts Panel Discussion

St. Philip’s School and Community Center’s PSA, in partnership with SMU’s Meadows Arts and Urbanism Initiative, will host a dynamic panel discussion on THE ARTS IN INNER CITY COMMUNITIES on Saturday, February 21st at 1 PM. The event will take place at St. Philip’s, a seven decade institution located in and serving South Dallas. This discussion is being held in conjunction with a community mural project St. Philip’s is spearheading with members of South Dallas’ Forest Heights Neighborhood through a GrowSouth grant, awarded last year. Oakland muralist/educator/activist and founder of AEROSOUL, an international African Diaspora Spray Can Art Movement, Refa One, has been commissioned for the mural project that is being created with Dallas artist, Chris Herod, and residents of the Forest Heights Neighborhood. This includes youth and adults. The mural was conceptualized by elders in the community. The unique mobile mural that will be painted in March will officially be unveiled in May and feature live performances of past and current resident stories of this South Dallas neighborhood bordered by Highway 45, Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, and Lamar Street. COMPLEX MOVEMENTS is a Detroit-based arts collective that is successfully utilizing the arts as a platform to transform communities in the inner city. SMU’s Meadows Arts and Urbanism Initiative will present Complex Movements' BEWARE OF THE DANDELIONS this month. BEWARE OF THE DANDELIONS is a multimedia performance, visual-art installation, and workshop space exploring the connections between social justice movements and complex systems. The project is inspired by Grace Lee Boggs and community organizing networks in Detroit. Iv Amenti Holmes, a Dallas writer/performance artist/educator, will moderate the panel that will be rounded out by Dallas artist Emmanuel Gillespie and Chris Herod. The event is FREE and open to the public. St. Philip’s School and Community Center is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in South Dallas.