‘Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century' Review: Cold Clime, Warm Welcome
New York
Dexter Gordon and Slide Hampton's jazz album 'A Day in Copenhagen'—piped into the galleries—is the principal soundtrack for 'Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century,' at Scandinavia House through March 8. Organized by the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, where it had its debut last year, the exhibition features African-American artists, musicians, performers, scholars and writers who sought creative freedom, education, inspiration, love and work—as well as refuge from racial discrimination and Jim Crow segregation—in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
22 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The home of one of the largest catalogs of Black history turns 100 in New York
NEW YORK (AP) — It's one of the largest repositories of Black history in the country — and its most devoted supporters say not enough people know about it. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture hopes to change that Saturday, as it celebrates its centennial with a festival combining two of its marquee annual events. The Black Comic Book Festival and the Schomburg Literary Festival will run across a full day and will feature readings, panel discussions, workshops, children's story times, and cosplay, as well as a vendor marketplace. Saturday's celebration takes over 135th Street in Manhattan between Malcom X and Adam Clayton Powell boulevards. Founded in New York City during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, the Schomburg Center will spend the next year exhibiting signature objects curated from its massive catalog of Black literature, art, recordings and films. Artists, writers and community leaders have gone the center to be inspired, root their work in a deep understanding of the vastness of the African diaspora, and spread word of the global accomplishments of Black people. It's also the kind of place that, in an era of backlash against race-conscious education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, exists as a free and accessible branch of the New York Public Library system. It's open to the public during regular business hours, but its acclaimed research division requires an appointment. 'The longevity the Schomburg has invested in preserving the traditions of the Black literary arts is worth celebrating, especially in how it sits in the canon of all the great writers that came beforehand,' said Mahogany Brown, an author and poet-in-residence at the Lincoln Center, who will participate in Saturday's literary festival. For the centennial, the Schomburg's leaders have curated more than 100 items for an exhibition that tells the center's story through the objects, people, and the place — the historically Black neighborhood of Harlem — that shaped it. Those objects include a visitor register log from 1925-1940 featuring the signatures of Black literary icons and thought leaders, such as Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes; materials from the Fab 5 Freddy collection, documenting the earliest days of hip hop; and actor and director Ossie Davis's copy of the 'Purlie Victorious' stage play script. An audio guide to the exhibition has been narrated by actor and literacy advocate LeVar Burton, the former host of the long-running TV show 'Reading Rainbow.' Whether they are new to the center or devoted supporters, visitors to the centennial exhibition will get a broader understanding of the Schomburg's history, the communities it has served, and the people who made it possible, said Joy Bivins, the Director of the Schomburg Center, who curated the centennial collection. 'Visitors will understand how the purposeful preservation of the cultural heritage of people of African descent has generated and fueled creativity across time and disciplines,' Bivins said. Novella Ford, associate director of public programs and exhibitions, said the Schomburg Center approaches its work through a Black lens, focusing on Black being and Black aliveness as it addresses current events, theories, or issues. 'We're constantly connecting the present to the past, always looking back to move forward, and vice versa,' Ford said. Still, many people outside the Schomburg community remain unaware of the center's existence — a concerning reality at a time when the Harlem neighborhood continues to gentrify around it and when the Trump administration is actively working to restrict the kind of race-conscious education and initiatives embedded in the center's mission. 'We amplify scholars of color,' Ford said. 'It's about reawakening. It gives us the tools and the voice to push back by affirming the beauty, complexity, and presence of Black identity.' Founder's donation seeds center's legacy The Schomburg Center has 11 million items in one of the oldest and largest collections of materials documenting the history and culture of people of African descent. That's a credit to founder Arturo Schomburg, an Afro-Latino historian born to a German father and African mother in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He was inspired to collect materials on Afro-Latin Americans and African American culture after a teacher told him that Black people lacked major figures and a noteworthy history. Schomburg moved to New York in 1891 and, during the height of the Harlem Renaissance in 1926, sold his collection of approximately 4,000 books and pamphlets to the New York Public Library. Selections from Schomburg's personal holdings, known as the seed library, are part of the centennial exhibition. Ernestine Rose, who was the head librarian at the 135th Street branch, and Catherine Latimer, the New York Public Library's first Black librarian, built on Schomburg's donation by documenting Black culture to reflect the neighborhoods around the library. Today, the library serves as a research archive of art, artifacts, manuscripts, rare books, photos, moving images, and recorded sound. Over the years, it has grown in size, from a reading room on the third floor to three buildings that include a small theater and an auditorium for public programs, performances and movie screenings. Tammi Lawson, who has been visiting the Schomburg Center for over 40 years, recently noticed the absence of Black women artists in the center's permanent collection. Now, as the curator of the arts and artifacts division, she is focused on acquiring works by Black women artists from around the world, adding to an already impressive catalog at the center. 'Preserving Black art and artifacts affirms our creativity and our cultural contributions to the world,' Lawson said. 'What makes the Schomburg Center's arts and artifacts division so unique and rare is that we started collecting 50 years before anyone else thought to do it. Therefore, we have the most comprehensive collection of Black art in a public institution.' Youth scholars seen as key to center's future For years, the Schomburg aimed to uplift New York's Black community through its Junior Scholars Program , a tuition-free program that awards dozens of youth from 6th through 12th grade. The scholars gain access to the center's repository and use it to create a multimedia showcase reflecting the richness, achievements, and struggles of today's Black experience. It's a lesser-known aspect of the Schomburg Center's legacy. That's in part because some in the Harlem community felt a divide between the institution and the neighborhood it purports to serve, said Damond Haynes, a former coordinator of interpretive programs at the center, who also worked with the Junior Scholars Program. But Harlem has changed since Haynes started working for the program about two decades ago. 'The Schomburg was like a castle,' Haynes said. 'It was like a church, you know what I mean? Only the members go in. You admire the building.' For those who are exposed to the center's collections, the impact on their sense of self is undeniable, Haynes said. Kids are learning about themselves like Black history scholars, and it's like many families are passing the torch in a right of passage, he said. 'A lot of the teens, the avenues that they pick during the program, media, dance, poetry, visual art, they end up going into those programs,' Haynes said. 'A lot the teens actually find their identity within the program.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why Brian Wilson's Net Worth Before His Death Is Lower Than You'd Think
The leader of one of the greatest rock bands of all time has died. At the age of 82, Brian Wilson passed away. The exact cause of death has yet to be determined, but it appears he struggled with a neurocognitive disorder in his later years. He leaves behind an immortal legacy of incredible music, which, although it became popular in the 1960s, has a popularity and intense relevance beyond just one generation. If there was any band that could declare itself the American version of The Beatles, it was Wilson's Beach Boys. Because Wilson was not only a musician but also a writer, it stands to reason that his albums and songs netted him a ton of cash over the years. So, just how much was Brian Wilson worth before his death? What was his net worth?According to Celebrity Net Worth and Parade, Brian Wilson's net worth at the time of his death was $100 million dollars. While that sounds like a lot, just consider that currently, Paul McCartney is worth $1.3 billion. Similarly, Bob Dylan, another contemporary of Wilson's, is closer to $300 million, while Mick Jagger is around $318 million. Obviously, Wilson's net worth could have come from his various albums and the countless times that Beach Boys songs have been used in movies, TV, and commercials. But, when you consider the ubiquity of songs like "Good Vibrations," to say nothing of "California Girls," you'd think this number would be a little bit higher. Here's why it's songwriting royalties alone were certainly reflective of great wealth, but the truth is, it could have been much more. The reason why Wilson's net worth wasn't in the stratosphere is that in 1969, the vast majority of the rights to Wilson's songs were sold to Irving Alamo Music for just $700,00 dollars. This decision was made by Wilson's father, Murray Wilson, and resulted in the company that previously owned the music, Sea of Tunes, becoming very profitable. But not for Wilson. In the 1990s, it was revealed that shady business dealings allowed Wilson to sue for the return of his rights. That didn't happen, but he did get $25 million awarded in damages. Though a subsequent lawsuit from bandmate Mike Love divided up those payments a bit more Of course, $100 million is still nothing to shake a stick at. But, unlike some of his contemporaries, Wilson wasn't rolling in dough from passive income thanks to profits from his songs. Much of his fortune came from his extensive tours, as well as his prolific solo Brian Wilson's Net Worth Before His Death Is Lower Than You'd Think first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2025
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘If you're a fascist, then get a Tesla': Neil Young's new album takes potshots Elon Musk
After weighing in behind Bruce Springsteen in his internationally reported takedown of President Trump's government onstage at Manchester Arena last month, this other left-leaning giant of American rock from the 1970s voiced fears that he, having been a consistent critic of Trump, chiefly over the issue of climate-change denial, may face problems regaining entry to his home nation following his European tour this summer. At this febrile moment, one might've expected Young, now 79, and as outspoken as ever – he made headlines last year after apparently refusing to sign up for Glastonbury 2025 on account of its BBC-driven corporatisation (he now appears to be headlining on Saturday night!) – to fill his latest long-player, his 46th studio outing, with polemical rantings, but as any long-standing fan knows, Young remains creatively wilful, and rarely serves up what might be expected of him at a given time. In recent years, he has been deluging the collector's market with archival releases, many of them 'new' old albums which he shelved years ago. In amongst all that, however, interested parties may be forgiven for not having noticed that Young had found a productive groove with a reconstituted line-up of his beloved, amps-on-11 backing band, Crazy Horse, releasing three new records with them, culminating with 2022's Rick Rubin-produced World Record. There, on Chevrolet, this unflagging automobile enthusiast wrung his hands about lusting after a vintage gas-guzzler. Further back, around his investment in a hybrid-electric model Lincoln, he wrote at length about the driver's responsibility to their children's health and survival on 2009's Fork In The Road, and perhaps the most immediately ear-catching moment on Talkin To The Trees arrives on Let's Roll Again, where, against clanging electric guitar chords, he urges America's automobile manufacturing giants, by name – Ford, GM and Chrysler – 'to build us something useful, something that won't kill our kids – come on America, let's roll again…on down the highway'. Alongside that responsible, depoliticised messaging, Young suddenly seems to find it hard to avoid needling at the Trump administration. 'China's way ahead, they're building clean cars,' he adds, knowing the mention of China will not be music to the president's ears. 'C'mon America, let's cover our backs, protect our children,' he goes on, before taking a clear potshot at Elon Musk. 'If you're a fascist, then get a Tesla: if it's electric then it doesn't matter. If you're a democrat: then chase your freedom, get whatever you want and taste your freedom.' Behind those words, of course, Young easily could've ramped up explicit themes of political dissent. Instead, his mind seems to be focused on enjoying the natural wonders of his ranch in Northern California, as well as, in the track Family Life, the domestic happiness he finds surrounded by his children and grandkids as he writes songs, and sings them for their approval, ' and also 'singing for my best wife ever, the best cook in the world' – a great review, indeed, for Darryl Hannah, the movie actor and activist, whom he married in 2018. Though second track Dark Mirage finds his 'new' band The Chrome Hearts – a mutation of his other one of late, Promise of the Real, with master soul keyboardist Spooner Oldham added – squalling into fierce feedback, as Young momentarily dips into lingering anger from his mid-'10s divorce – by and large, The Chrome Hearts are entrusted with summoning the kind of golden country-rock sound usually associated with Young's Harvest series – rustling acoustic guitars, blissful ivory-tinkling topped with Neil's wheezing harmonica, which light up rustic gems like First Fire Of Winter, the exquisite title track and the warm-hearted Thankful, As such, there's so much to enjoy here for long-standing fans – a mellow soundtrack perhaps for the four-wheel pilgrimage down to Glastonbury, with some fittingly thought-provoking messaging on automotive responsibility going forwards. In a week that has seen the passing of two of Young's West Coast peers, it's great to hear him sounding invigorated, domestically happy and creatively on song. Andrew Perry Prior to a brace of covers albums in 2023, it's fair to say that Belfast singer Van Morrison was in his 'late life super-grumpy' phase. Railing against everything from lockdown to scientists, he didn't hold back. My personal favourite from this era was a 2021 song called Why Are You on Facebook?, which contained the lines 'Why do you need second-hand friends? … Get a life.' And this from the sage who gave us Into The Mystic. Well, Van the Man is back doing what he does best. Remembering Now, his 47th album, is 14 songs of beautiful and reflective music addressing aging, romance and a sense of yearning for the landscapes and landmarks that made us who we are. It's 64 minutes of soulful blues and country folk, augmented by string arrangements by Fiachra Trench, who wrote the string parts for The Pogues' Fairytale of New York and worked with Morrison on his 1989 classic Avalon Sunset, to which Remembering Now can easily be compared. Folk star Seth Lakeman adds violin to three tracks. The album opens with Down to Joy, which soundtracked Kenneth Branagh's 2021 film Belfast and was nominated for a 'best original song' Oscar (Morrison lost out to Billie Eilish's Bond theme). Once In A Lifetime Feelings is one of three tracks with lyrics by Don Black, who's written for everyone from Meat Loaf to Michael Jackson. The song finds Morrison driving down to Monte Carlo with 'so much to say' to a loved one. It's fantastic. Stomping Ground sees the 79-year-old pleading to return to Belfast, while the closing nine-minute Stretching Out is simply swooning. The highlight is Haven't Lost My Sense of Wonder, which has touches of the awe that late songwriter Bill Fay saw in the world as he aged. 'Had my fill, 'cause I've been through the mill/ Now I'm saying 'Peace, be still,'' Morrison sings over lavish gospel-tinged soul. Under (hopefully) sunny skies, these songs will sound a treat when Morrison supports Neil Young in Hyde Park next month (along with Yusuf/ Cat Stevens). A lush return to form. James Hall Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
