“finding the 51st (dream) state: Sekou Sundiata’s America Project” will open the National Performance Network (NPN) Plenary Session on Friday December 11 in Knoxville, TN

The NPN Annual meeting is attended by well over 200 artists, presenters and arts activists from every region of the country.  The plenary session, “Art Activism and Action in the 21st Century” will be moderated by Michelle Coffey, Executive Director of the Lambent Foundation with participants including David R. White, ARTVENTURES NH; Linda Parris-Bailey, Carpetbag Theatre; Laura Faure, Bates Dance Festival; Stephanie V. McKee, New Voices Fellowship; Gayle Isa, Asian Arts Initiative; and Mark Valdez, Network of Ensemble Theatres.

The session is described as follows: This congregation of artists, activists and cultural workers will move us through a conversation that looks at how artists, presenters and community members are creating work that speaks to the aesthetic, community values and standards that exemplify daring and excellence.  The session opens with a screening of a recently released film about the making of the 51st (dream) state by Sekou Sundiata , MAPP International’s documentary on the creative trajectory of Sundiata’s incredible final work.  This piece captures the motivation for the artistic project and also touches on several key issues and ideas we continue to grapple with in our presenting work: how can artists engage with colleges and universities in their creative process and weave in community involvement to create beautiful, complex, insightful and aesthetically appealing art that communicates across cultural perspectives?  More notably, the film archives the artistic and social trajectory we have moved through following the events, and aftermath, of September 11, 2001.