PAMM And Indigo Arts Alliance Host Virtual Artist-in-Residence With Nyugen Smith

Indigo Arts Alliance, a community arts organization cultivating the development of artists of African descent, has created its first virtual artist-in-residence program, featuring Nyugen E. Smith, in partnership with Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM).

Nyugen E. Smith is a first-generation Caribbean-American interdisciplinary artist and educator. Responding to the legacy of European colonial rule in the African diaspora, his work considers imperialist practices of oppression, violence, and intergenerational trauma.

During Nyugen's virtual residency, he will host a series of conversations between artists, scholars and other specialists. The series, titled "The Wave," will be a dialogue on the current and future impact of the pandemic on Black and Brown communities locally and globally, and will prioritize the need for generative conversations, together with concrete actions, that are in service of and benefit to our communities. Nyugen's conversations will also feature a panel in partnership with Pérez Art Museum Miami, where Nyugen's work is currently on view.

As part of his virtual residency, Nyugen will host three, one-hour online panels via Zoom. The panels will also be live streamed via Facebook and Instagram by both Indigo and PAMM. Panel 1, Exodus, will focus on the plight of immigrant and migrant communities during a pandemic, putting already vulnerable communities at greater risk. Panel 2, The Pre-Existing Conditions, discusses various notions of "pre-existing" conditions as a cause of disproportionately high COVID-19 mortality rates among Black and other communities of color. Panel 3, Spiritual Sustenance, highlights how returning to indigenous practices can be a powerful coping mechanism in times of crisis.

Join the conversation. Learn more about Nyugen's virtual residency at indigoartsalliance.me.