Friday, September 09, 2016

The Upperman African American Cultural Center will officially introduce its new director and unveil its new look to the campus community during an open house on Sept. 13.

The event is open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners, and will begin at noon at the center located on the second floor of the Fisher University Union, Room 2021.

Sean Palmer took over as director of the Upperman Center in May 2016. He previously served as the assistant director of the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture at Duke University. He also served as director of student activities and residence life at Paine College in Augusta, GA.

“We are excited to host our annual open house, which seeks to help our constituents understand who we are,” said Palmer. “This year, we are reintroducing ourselves to our community as a partner, friend and collaborator. Our reintroduction has much to do with our redesign of the center, our commitment to social and cultural engagement, and our thematic programming slate for the year.”

The center’s theme, “Yours to Tell”, focuses on the narrating black lives in the 21^st century. Throughout the year, the center will explore the question of who is capable of telling the story of the people of African descent. 

In August, the center opened its featured exhibit, “EyeSpeak: An Account of Visual Activism” by Durham artist Franco. The exhibit is a collection of social commentary illustrations and graphic designs. Artwork will be on display at the Upperman and Warick centers through Dec. 1.

“Given the theme of the year, our goal is to re-introduce the new center through our updated space design, reorganized exhibit space, and year-long thematic program initiatives,” said Palmer. “Our goal is to invigorate innovative activity, collaboration, social and cultural development this year.”

--Venita Jenkins

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