Tsedaye Makonnen: Refuge used to live among the Hoosic River and the White Oak Trees

Come experience Tsedaye Makonnen’s latest work in which textiles and performers unfold and move under the autumn sky at the Clark Art Institute.

Tsedaye Makonnen: Refuge used to live among the Hoosic River and the White Oak Trees is a performance that highlights the ongoing world-wide violence inflicted upon folks who are actively being displaced from their homes, while emphasizing the possibilities of resilience and survival. The dancers and musicians will perform a cleansing, a shaking, a crashing—a catharsis and a signal. As the performers fall into a trance state, they open themselves to the spirits of those who have transitioned. Based in Black spiritual practices, this is about carrying all of the fracturedness of being Black across time and space, creating a feeling of resolve and healing.

Working with WCMA Associate of Curator of Programs, Roz Crews, Williams professor Sandra Burton as a co-choreographer and local student performers, Makonnen’s intention is to consider Berkshire histories while creating contemporary connections with Black and immigrant communities.

A publication documenting the project will be available at the performance.

Guests can park in the main parking lot at The Clark; please be aware of road construction on South Street that has traffic allowed only in one direction from the rotary in the center of Williamstown going south on South Street. The performance will be held outside on the Fernández Terrace and around the reflecting pools behind the Clark Center building; guests can bring their own seating or some will be provided. For accessibility questions, call 413-597-3127 or email rmd3@williams.edu.

In the case of inclement weather, the program will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5, at 4 p.m.