Arts & Culture

Paul Willis, who is performing onstage at the BAMS Festival in Franklin Park on June 11, is a musician, educator, artist and community organizer. With more energy than Con Edison and Eversource combined, the Boston resident focuses on bringing together seemingly disparate artistic, political and economic elements.

On Saturday, May 14, models strutted down the runway of the 2022 MassArt fashion show, displaying months of work by the graduating seniors of the fashion design program. Titled “404 Not Found” the show featured work by 21 students exploring themes such as race, gender, grief, the environment and inclusivity.

On Saturday night, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology presented an immersive music and multimedia event with themes of racial injustice and healing. Held live at Kresge Auditorium and viewable online through May 17, “It Must Be Now!” culminates a year-long series of virtual events and on-campus residencies at MIT to advance social justice actions through music and media.

This month, the Boston Lyric Opera returns to the stage for its first full performance in a theater since 2019. And they’re coming back with a bang: “Champion: An Opera in Jazz” celebrates the legacy of six-time world champion prizefighter Emile Griffith.

For 20 years, the Hamilton-Garrett Music and Arts Academy has brought soaring spiritual melodies and the rich history of Black music to the Roxbury community.

The “Riverdance” 25th anniversary show comes to Boston May 10–15, and it features a very important cast member. Morgan Bullock is the first Black female dancer to grace the stage in the production, ushering in a new, more diverse chapter celebrating traditional Irish dance.

Celebrity Series of Boston’s “Let’s Dance Boston!” event allows Bostonians the opportunity to shake off two years of pandemic stress on the Rose Kennedy Greenway dance floor.

Contemporary and Haitian fusion dance troupe Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE) will debut a powerful new piece, “Traka,” at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston on May 13 and 14. Presented by Global Arts Live, “Traka” explores trauma and the healing power of movement through the lens of Haitian history.

In an exciting collaboration of artistic forces, Castle of our Skins, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University and visual artist Daniel Callahan of Create & Record are presenting the MassQ Ball 2022: Origin. This large-scale cultural event, taking place July 9, will celebrate the cross-cultural artistic expressions and roots of Boston’s communities of color.

The croons of the Harlem Renaissance will soon be drifting across Cambridge’s Central Square Theater stage in a new production of “Ain’t Misbehavin’ — The Fats Waller Musical.” Produced by The Nora@Central Square Theater in collaboration with The Front Porch Arts Collective and Greater Boston Stage Company, the show celebrates the sound and soul of the period.

Gregory Groover Jr., Kenny Garrett, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, and Javon Jackson have all released jazz recordings within the past nine months that place gospel in the foreground. While jazz has its roots in the spirituality of the Black church, the current phenomenon of gospel-jazz recordings is more explicit and widespread than ever. 

The Front Porch Arts Collective, Boston’s Black theatre company, has announced its two-play 2022-2023 season, which will include the company’s first solo-produced production. As always, the collective works to uplift Black voices and stories and advance racial equity in Boston’s theater community.