Please join us for the premiere of the WRAPture film (running time 48 minutes) at the Kennedy Center’s Reach outdoor pavilion as part of  জলসা Jalsa (REMIX), a wonderful evening of music, poetry, art, and film curated by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.  About the film:  

“WRAPture: A Public Art Project” follows a seven-month-long climate justice art engagement from Anacostia DC to a remote Bangladeshi island on the frontlines of climate change. Bangladeshi-American artist Monica Jahan Bose leads over 200 people to co-create 65 climate-themed saris and then wraps five DC buildings with them. While they work on the saris, the participants recite poetry, sing, and dance, creating a trans-border community.

 

CLICK HERE FOR REACH OUTDOOR MAP

The doors open at 5:30 pm on Thursday, June 24, 2021 with DJ Shuno Re শুনো রে and an art market.  Storytelling with Saris with have booth at the art market with books, prints, and WRApture soundtrack CDs. Come early and dance with us!  

7:30 pm — 9:45 pm  WRAPure Film Premiere with Monica Jahan Bose, including multilingual poetry and music by Storytelling with Saris participants, with violin accompaniment by Sonia Herrero, the film’s soundtrack composer.  This will take place at the outdoor Video Wall.  Live poets and singers:  Ahmad Woodard, Rashad Ullah, Qua Charmant, Philip Mecham, and Sonja Berry.  Remarks/poetry/music followed by film at sundown.

EVENT IS FREE AND NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED. 

Click Here for Kennedy Center Website and more details, directions etc.

Public transportation: Bus 80 or  Metro Foggy Bottom on Blue, Orange, and Silver lines (short walk to Kennedy Center on New Hampshire Avenue).

Parking available on street or in Kennedy Center’s underground garage.

This is an outdoor event with limited seating available for seniors and persons with disabilities.  ASL and captioning provided. It is suggested that you bring a blanket or folding chair.  Feel free to bring food and drink for a picnic dinner.  Drinks and snacks are also available at the outdoor cafe.  Please remember to bring a mask.  Under Kennedy Center’s current protocols, fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask while outdoors but must wear masks to use restrooms or enter snack bar.

Vision Statement: 

APAC:

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center is proud to partner with The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.  Established in 1997, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center brings history, art and culture to diverse audiences through innovative museum experiences and digital initiatives throughout the United States and abroad.  Join us for JALSA (REMIXED) – a weekend of celebratory sounds, storytelling and dance affirming the creativity, joy, and resilience of our AAPI and Global South diaspora communities in the DMV.  Jalsa, meaning gathering or celebration in cultures stretching from the Arabian peninsula to South Asia, returns for its second iteration since the Asian American Literature Festival in 2019. 

MILLENIUM STAGE: 

This summer, Millennium Stage will celebrate our societal emergence from the pandemic and the return of live performance with a summer of outdoor experiences curated by artists and organizations from around the DMV. Typical of Millennium Stage performances, the stage will be graced by a diverse array of musical and cultural styles. We will work in partnership with old (including The Washington Ballet, United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and embassies, as well as internal partners like the National Symphony Youth Fellows) and new partners. There will be your standard live streamed activity from 6-7pm, packed with a variety of activities for a deeper experience with each of our partners. We’ll host a weekly film night on Thursday, there will be music and performance on Friday night, and a full day of activity on Saturday featuring practitioners from across the city leading yoga sessions, dance lessons, performances by young people, educational activities, an arts market and more. All activity will take place outside on the REACH so we can ease back into togetherness in a beautiful environment that allows for continued social distancing.