Manitoba Music and WAG-Qaumajuq Celebrate Black History Month with Intimate Concerts & Mixer

JayWood, Keisha Booker, Nestor Wynrush to Perform Free Event at WAG-Qaumajuq on February 24
 

February is Black History Month, and to celebrate, Manitoba Music and WAG-Qaumajuq are sharing a night of music brought through BPM and made possible by FACTOR. The event is the first in an ongoing partnership between WAG-Qaumajuq and BPM.

The special event will feature sets from acclaimed local artists JayWood, Keisha Booker, and Nestor Wynrush and will be hosted by Free Press journalist and writer, Julia-Simone Rutgers. The evening will be intimate and interactive, allowing the artists to express themselves through stripped-down, visceral performances that will address identity and community, and celebrate the African Diaspora. The performances will be followed by a short mixer, with a DJ and drinks.

“I’m excited to be working with WAG-Qaumajuq on this partnership and offering local, Black music makers in Manitoba new opportunities to build community, make connections, and share their incredible music,” says artist and business owner Andrew Sannie, who coordinates the BPM program.

“This is going to be an amazing night of music, connection, and community-building as we celebrate Black musicians in Manitoba,” says WAG-Qaumajuq Director & CEO Stephen Borys. “Art and music have always walked alongside each other, and through this partnership with BPM and Manitoba Music we're thrilled to bring some of the foremost artists in Manitoba to the Gallery, not just for Black History Month, but ongoing throughout the year.”

Launched in February 2021 and facilitated by Sannie, BPM | Black Professionals in Music is a program via Manitoba Music that supports Black music professionals in Manitoba. BPM offers regular sessions for participants to meet and network, join discussion groups, and learn from one another. Participants can bring ideas, share their professional needs and barriers, and influence the future direction of the program.

WAG-Qaumajuq has grown into one of the country’s leading visual art museums with an international reputation! Founded in 1912, the WAG is one of Canada’s first civic art galleries, housed in an iconic modernist building in the heart of downtown Winnipeg. Opened in 2021, Qaumajuq is a contemporary architectural landmark that connects to the WAG building on all four levels.

BPM X WAG-Qaumajuq: A Black History Month Celebration
Friday, February 24, 2023
7 - 9 PM
Free Event
Eckhardt Hall @ Winnipeg Art Gallery, 300 Memorial Blvd