Robeson Week April 5 - 9, 2021
Robeson Week is typically held during the week of Paul Robeson’s birthday. Robeson week is a week of celebration events that honor the life and legacy of our namesake, Paul Robeson’s significant contributions to dismantling racism locally and abroad. Paul Robeson was an artist, human-rights activist and Class of 1919 Rutgers alumnus. Robeson Week consist of programs sponsored by the PRCC, Academic Departments, and other community partners.
Virtual Robeson Week Art Exhibition
Students drew inspiration from the Robeson quote "Artists are the gatekeepers of truth. We are civilization’s radical voice.”
Artist: Burrell Smithen
Title: Speak
Description: Paul Robeson’s life centered around sharing his voice and talent to interconnect people. Despite attempts at being silenced, Robeson worked to further civil rights internationally, and was beloved by the world. In “Speak” I hope to highlight the powerful potential our voices have in creating a better world.
Artist: Eka Tawe
Title: This Is America- Drum Cover
Description: I have been playing the drums for almost 6 years now and it is just my passion. Recently, I have been getting into playing more black artists and their music because it moves people in amazing ways. This song has been so important for so many years now because it causes conversation and makes people think, so I felt motivated to cover it for this gallery. Enjoy! ?
Artist: Atiya Reign, Jackson
Title: The Voice of Change
Description: An artist has the power to express their opinions through their art. An artist must use this opportunity to bring societal and global issues to the forefront. As an artist, you must use your talents to promote change in the world and inspire others to do the same.
Artist: Kayla McKinnon
Title: Pieces of Souls
Description: In the poem, Pieces of Souls, it describes the different types of artwork that artists express themselves through. Many artists express themselves in distinct ways throughout history. Artists express their identity, cultures, and stories through their work. The artist’s voice is within their craft and this poem is meant to highlight the beauty of the truth that speaks through the artwork.
Artist: Jenika Scott
Title: Racismo
Description: This is a Poem about Racism and police brutality that affects afro Americans, Latinos and Caribbean people within the U.S.
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Artist: Hanna Hammoud
Title: The Melody of Paul Robeson
Description: I wanted to create a piece that represented the explicit beauty of Paul Robeson’s musical talent while implicitly representing how he incorporated his talent into his political activism of global citizenship. In choosing to create a painting, I decided to use distinct colors, as there are only five shades of purple used in this painting, one of which is the primary purple shade, and the rest are hues of this purple. The five different hues of a single color represent how Robeson often used the pentatonic scale of music to describe his artistic performances and political aspirations. In the corners of my painting, I decided to include depictions of sheet music from one of Paul Robeson’s most popular tunes, Ol’ Man River, which also represents his love for sharing his musical talent and the political undertones that accentuated his art. As an influential musical artist and a revolutionary political activist for globalism, Paul Robeson will forever be a hero for those aspiring to the same hopes as Robeson across the world.
