A Suite For Malcolm
poster & print exhibition celebrating 100 years of impact
MUSIC, PERFORMANCES, TALKS, PUBLICATIONS, MEMORABILIA & MORE
Friday, May 16, 6-10 pm
Exhibition Opening
Saturday, May 17, 2-8 pm
PANEL DISCUSSION
with BABA CHARLES SIMMONS
Co-Founder of Hush House, The Black World Community Museum and Leadership Training Institute for Human Rights
and SHEA HOWELL
Co-Founder of The Boggs Center
conversation moderated by
MEGAN DOUGLASS
Manging Editor of Riverwise Magazine
LIVE SCREENPRINTING
with WES TAYLOR
Co-Director of Talking Dolls
SOUND ACTIVATION
with artist and curator
MICHAEL JEVON DEMPS
TALKING DOLLS
7145 E. Davison, Detroit, MI 48212
El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz aka Malcolm X was born on May 19,1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. For most of his childhood he lived in rural Michigan with his family until he moved to Boston in his mid-teens. Many times in his life he has returned to Michigan to start mosques, found institutions, deliver speeches, and establish strong networks of black consciousness and resistance in places like Flint, Inkster, and Detroit.
A Suite for Malcolm celebrates the life and 100 year impact of Malcolm X through posters, prints, books, fashion, and music at Talking Dolls in Detroit. It is an expression of what I could not express through the Piston’s “Detroit Red” project and an excuse to celebrate his life with friends and artists I admire who are also impacted by him. It will include original works in the form of poster prints and a performance installation by artists from around the country on May 16, and May 17, 2025.
The show asks artists impacted by him to revisit and reflect on the moment they were introduced to him. The show explores the ways in which prints, publications, and performance exhibit new possibilities and interpretations of his legacy that can be projected into the future. The show asks the artists what are the learnings from his life’s work we can take forward? As well as the ways we can reintroduce him to the youth and future generations?
This show focuses on Malcolm’s ability to synthesize and redistribute knowledge. This was evidenced in his many speeches, debates, interviews, publications, etc. Artists are asked to make a work that is replicable for editions and lends itself to distribution.
Curation by Michael Jevon Demps and Wesley Taylor
FEATURING THE WORK OF