Icons, Memory and Monuments: A conversation about collaborative memory work around resistance movement with the creators of I Am Queen Mary and All Power To The People Project
Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
Time: 9am PDT/ 12pm AST/ 6pm CEST
This event is taking place on Zoom and is free, but with a limit of 100. Get tickets on Eventbrite here.
We are pleased to announce a conversation between the creators of I Am Queen Mary and the founders of All Power To The People Project. I Am Queen Mary is a transnational collaborative public art project that honors the legacy of those who survived and fought against Danish colonialsim and slavery in the Caribbean. The pose of the figure Queen Mary is inspired by the iconic image of Huey P. Newton, leader of the Black Panther Party, in which he sits in a peacock chair with a spear and rifle in either hand. His widow Frederika Newton and designer Rachel Konte co-own the brand All Power To The People Project. They aim to inspire and empower each generation by creating products that communicate the history and global impact of the Black Panther Party. In alignment with that mission they have created a partnership with I Am Queen Mary as they raise money to complete their public art project. This conversation will discuss their combined and distinct collaborations.
LA VAUGHN BELLE | CO-CREATOR
La Vaughn Belle is a multidisciplinary artist from the Virgin Islands. For years her work has responded to questions surrounding the coloniality of the Virgin Islands, both in its present relationship to the US and it’s past one to Denmark. Her work borrows from elements of architecture, literature, history, archeology and social protest to create narratives that challenge the colonial process. She is best known for her work reinterpreting the material artifacts of colonialism to create an alternative archive. She has exhibited her work in such institutions as the Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco, El Museo del Barrio, NY, Arts of the Americas Museum, Washington, DC., the Royal Library of Denmark and the Centro de Wilfredo Lam, Cuba.
JEANNETTE EHLERS | CO-CREATOR
Jeannette Ehlers is a video, photo and performance artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. For years she has created artworks that delve into ethnicity and identity inspired by her own Danish and Caribbean background. Her pieces revolve around big questions and difficult issues, such as Denmark's role as a slave nation—a part of the Danish cultural heritage, which often gets overlooked in the general historiography. She has exhibited and performed in such institutions as AROS, Aarhus, Denmark, the Museum of Latin American Art, Los Angeles, the International Slavery Museum, Liverpool, the McKenna Museum of African American Art, New Orleans, Nikolaj Copenhagen Contemporary Art Center, Denmark and the Pérez Art Museum, Miami .
FREDRIKA NEWTON | CO-FOUNDER
As President of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, a former member of the Black Panther Party, and on behalf of the Foundation, I add my voice to the thousands around the world who will stop in this moment 50+ years since the Party’s founding to acknowledge and commemorate the powerful contribution of the Black Panther Party to the liberation of all oppressed people. The Mission of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation is to preserve and promulgate the history, ideals and legacy of the Black Panther Party and its founder Dr. Huey P. Newton. In prior years we have developed and distributed educational materials, established educational conferences and forums, and maintained and exhibited historical archives. Over 25 years since the founding of the Foundation, we have a new public history vision that includes a monument, pop-up exhibit, and museum all dedicated to the Black Panther Party. We are bringing the Panther legacy to the people while carving out a permanent space for our history in Oakland. The spirit of Huey lives on!
RACHEL KONTE | CO-FOUNDER
Rachel Konte has been in the apparel industry since 1993. Born and raised in Denmark Copenhagen she has worked for Levi’s & Co Norden in Sweden and Tommy Hilfiger Europe in Amsterdam and Levis US in San Francisco where she held the position of Women’s Design Director for Levi Strauss & Co. She runs her own brand OwlNWood online, where she designs and produces a small collection of locally made apparel. Rachel is also currently Chief of Brand at Red Bay Coffee. Rachel Konte is Co-founder of the brand ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE PROJECT.LLC. Since 2018 Rachel has worked with Fredrika on designing and producing the product line for APTTP Project.