(USA/1920—directed by Oscar Micheaux)  

Oscar Micheaux (1884 –1951) was an American author, film director, and executive of the first American movie company owned by Black filmmakers. Micheaux began his career during the early silent era, working in studios built on the East coast before the rise of Hollywood.

Within Our Gates (1920) is his earliest surviving film, a dense melodrama exploring the experience of multiple Black class divides in the years after WWI. Micheaux’s film follows Sylvia Landry (Evelyn Preer), a young bi-racial woman named whose family history was blighted by racial violence. Within Our Gates will be presented with a live musical score, composed and performed by pianist Mike Jellick. (79 min.)

This program is part of a companion series of film and music events presented in celebration of the exhibition Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971 from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts galleries from February 4th through June 23rd, 2024. 
 

Dr. Dom Flemons is a Chicago-based musician whose repertoire covers 100+ years of American Roots music. Flemons is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, actor, slam poet, record collector, and the host and producer of American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville. He is considered an expert on banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones.

Flemons will perform music from his Grammy-nominated album Traveling Wildfire, and a tribute to the music of Herb Jeffries, The Sensational Singing Cowboy from Detroit, who performed in all-Black musical westerns in the 1930s. Free with admission. 

After the concert there will be a free screening of Jeffries’ 1939 classic, Bronze Buckaroo.  

This program is part of a companion series of film and music events presented in celebration of Regeneration: Black Cinema, 1898–1971, on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts Feb. 4–June 23, 2024. Regeneration is organized by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult).

Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898 – 1971 invites visitors on a journey through the history of African American filmmaking. The exhibition includes historical photographs, memorabilia and contemporary artworks, as well as more than 70 film clips spanning from the dawn of cinema through the Civil Rights movement and a selection of restored, rarely seen full-length films showcasing Black cinematic history in the United States.

International Sweethearts of Rhythm in That Man of Mine, 1946. 35 mm films transferred to video. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Join mixed-media artist Habacuc S. Bessiake in creating a cardboard forest in this workshop about art and play. Experiment with various mediums and shapes as we build the many parts of a forest!

Free with admission. All supplies provided.
 

This program is made possible by the PNC Foundation.

Please join us in the Josephine F. & Walter B. Ford II Great Hall (2nd floor) between 5:30 and 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec, 8 for a simultaneous chess match between Justus Williams and 50 members of the Detroit City Chess Club at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Justus Williams became an International Master in chess in the year 2021. After achieving the National Master title at the age of 12, Williams has been a magnet in the chess community as a key piece to the award nominated and award-winning documentary “Brooklyn Castle” Williams has shined a positive light on the chess world.

We invite you to witness International Master Justus Williams as he continues to enrich the chess experience for participants and spectators alike competing in a simul match with the Detroit City Chess Club. 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult).

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult).
 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult).
 

Create a pencil drawing to take home while taking a closer look at the collection. No experience is necessary. All supplies provided. For ages 6 and up (children ages 12 and younger should be accompanied by an adult).