WORLD PREMIERE
Movement Art Is (M.A.I.)

A powerful piece of artistry commissioned by the Quick Center, this world premiere dance work created by Movement Art Is (MAI) features the acclaimed duo of hip hop artists turned activists, Jon Boogz and Lil Buck. This original piece has been created in response to the powerful works in the exhibition #UNLOAD: Guns in the Hands of Artists. Working with spoken word artist, Boogz and Buck created a site-specific performance as a testament to the increasingly urgent issues surrounding gun culture in the U.S.

Creating shows that “aim to touch people rather than to just entertain them,” Boogz and Buck are on a mission to change the world through dance. They define M.A.I. as “an organization focused on using movement artistry to inspire change in the world.” Color of Reality, a film they created with painter Alexa Meade was made in response to police shootings of black men. The work continues to receive coverage internationally and won Great Big Story’s Art as Impact Award; Best Experimental at Toronto International Short Film Festival; and Concept Video of the Year from World of Dance, among others.

Jon Boogz has choreographed for international acts including Naomi Campbell, Gloria Estefan, FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance, and Cirque du Soleil’s MJ ONE, and he has collaborated with the TriBeCa Film Festival, DAIS, and Flying Lotus. He met Lil Buck “at an open jam session at the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in Los Angeles almost 10 years ago,” says the New York Times. “As they put it, they recognized each other’s skills but also connected on a higher plane, as two idealists who believe that dance can bring people closer and perhaps even change the way they think.”

The Quick, in partnership with the Fairfield University Art Museum and #UNLOAD:, is proud to announce the opening of the exhibition, #UNLOAD:: Guns in the Hands of Artists. This exhibit explores the creative transformations of guns as part of a nationwide initiative to spark a conversation about gun violence.

Each piece in the exhibition was created using decommissioned guns, taken off the streets of New Orleans via a gun buyback program initiated by Jonathan Ferrara. Ferrara distributed the guns to internationally-known painters, glass artists, sculptors, photographers, poets, and other artists, who then used the decommissioned firearms to create works of art that address the complex issues surrounding guns.

Image provided by Helen Klisser During

The exhibition will open on Friday, June 1, 2018 and run through October 13, 2018 in the Museum’s Walsh Gallery. Additional programming includes:

Additional programming is in the works, so watch for updates at fairfield.edu/unload.

Sponsors