Question Bridge: Black Males is an innovative transmedia project that facilitates a dialogue between black men from diverse and contending backgrounds. Artists Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Kamal Sinclair, and Bayeté Ross Smith traveled the country to collect over 1,500 question and answer videos from over 150 men. The resulting video installation attempts to present the full spectrum of what it means to be “black” and “male” in America. Through Question Bridge, “blackness” ceases to be a simple, monochromatic concept. Question Bridge has been featured at art centers and museums throughout the United States.

• Respond to the exhibition and the issues it engages through thoughtful discussions
• Bring a variety of different perspectives together to consider and critique the exhibition
• Provide the video installation and its Q&A dialogue as a resource for various groups and organizations
• Encourage a local/community grounding of the exhibition and its wide-ranging content

Schedule of Discussions (7-8:30pm)
The Representation of Black Men in The Media organized by the Democrat & Chronicle Wed. October 8
Gary Craig - Staff writer at Democrat & Chronicle
Janet Lomax - News Anchor at News 10NBC
Dave McCleary - Publisher/Editor at Minority Reporter
James Lawrence - Editorial page editor at Democrat & Chronicle

Community Art Perspective Wed. October 15
Shawn Dunwoody - Artist and Community Arts Organizer
Thomas Warfield - Founder/Artistic Director at PeaceArt International
Shabaka Mu Ausar - President at UTCHAT VISION

Mayor Lovely Warren and Judge Stephen Miller Wed. October 22

Special Screening & Panel Discussion for P-12 Educators Thurs. October 23, 6-8pm

RCTV Panel Discussion Dialogues... toward Solutions Fri. October 24
Rajesh Barnabas - Producer/Director at RCTV Media Center
Nate Brown, Jr. - Health Educator at Community Place
Lashara Evans - Rochester City School District Teacher
Arzouma Kompaore - Filmmaker
Rick Osborne - Program Manager at RCTV Media Center
Hank Rubin - VP, Community Programs, Rochester Area Community Foundation
Na-Im Wilcox - Senior Recreation Assistant of the City of Rochester

RIT MOCHA (Men of Color, Honor and Ambition) Wed. October 29

Lloyd Holmes, VP for Students Services at Monroe Community College Wed. November 5

First Friday Artist Discussion Fri. November 7
Garth Fagan - Founder/Artistic Director at Garth Fagan Dance
Luvon Sheppard - Director at Joy Gallery
Carvin Eison - General Manager at RCTV Media Center

The Role of Youth: Sketching a New Blueprint Wed. November 12
Teen Empowerment Youth Organizers

Black Males and Legal System Fri. November 14
John Klofas - Professor and Director of The Center for Public Safety Initiatives, RIT
Bill Johnson - Professor of Public Policy and Urban Studies, RIT; Former Mayor of Rochester
Van White - Rochester City School District Board President
Mary Ann Wolfe - Chair Elect, Rochester Area Child Abuse Network
Simeon Banister - Director of Special Programs at PathStone

More about Question Bridge:
Question Bridge originated in 1996, when artist Chris Johnson was looking for a way to use media art to generate a meaningful conversation around class and generational divisions within San Diego’s African American community. Mediated through the lens of a video camera, ten members of the black community were given a format to openly express their deeply felt beliefs and values through candid question and answer exchanges. None of the questions or answers were prompted. A decade later, Hank Willis Thomas approached Johnson about collaborating to establish a similar project focused on Black men. Over the past four years, Johnson, along with Hank Willis Thomas, Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair, have traveled the nation collecting questions and answers from over 150 Black men in eleven cities including: New York, Chicago, Oakland, San Francisco, Birmingham, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Philadelphia. The resulting video project contains of over 1,500 exchanges. By focusing on exchanges within this extended community, surprising insights and new possibilities for witnessing our common humanity emerge.

Question Bridge was conceived by Chris Johnson. Question Bridge: Black Males was created by Chris Johnson, Hank Willis Thomas, Bayeté Ross-Smith, and Kamal Sinclair. The Executive Producers are Delroy Lindo, Deborah Willis, and Jesse Williams. Edited and assembled by Will Sylvester and Rosa White.

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