How are you doing, Colored Girls Museum?
We are so glad you asked us! We are remarkably well, all things considered. We still have some walls to paint, some things to move, and some stuff to gather, but we are managing. Oh, and there is still that business of locking down a videographer to document this great work; but we are confident something will come.
I don’t know how to explain this show to my friends. What should I say?
I tell people "The Colored Girls Museum: Open For Business" is a show about the making of a Colored Girls Museum. In this show, a Colored Girl collaborates with a team of experts (Colored Girl "Knowledgeables") to create the experience of a Colored Girls Museum in a home, which then has to be disguised as a bed and breakfast (for the safety and security of the Museum, of course). The characters in the show are the exhibits and/or the artist; the objects in the rooms, contributed by the Ordinary Extraordinary Colored Girl, are displayed for the express purpose of giving visitors a small glimpse into a Colored Girls story.
What can folks expect when they come to the show?
Expect a guided tour through the Colored Girls Museum. Our idea is that the tour will have a "musical chairs" type feel to it. Patrons move in small groups throughout the Museum, sampling the rooms and the theater within them. Each moving group is a mini-family: they have to stay together until the experience ends. No wandering off to join another group.
What has been the hardest part about creating the Colored Girls Museum?
The whole process has been an act of faith. The fuel to move forward has come from a few good friends, the pop-up encouragement and shou touts, the incredible artists who said "Yes," and the countless people who said, in one way or another, "If you build it I will come." Sometimes, I have questioned whether or not this is something that people want, or see the benefit of. I thought, maybe I am just some grief-stricken colored girl, playing at my leftover life, and I should be doing something more serious. I have had to face that insecurity and doubt, and move forward anyway. I missed my husband a lot in this process. I also lost touch with some folks whose energy and opinions I really value, and that affected my confidence as well. I say this because it’s important to me to share with everyone, especially Colored Girls, that no one is ever gonna give you permission to dream out loud, and you shouldn’t expect it. If you wait for that permission, you will never dream. And, when you start moving towards something you want, you will often attract exactly what you need, and it may not look like what you expected. Embrace that!
Will there be any surprises during the show?
Sure. The whole show is a surprise -- even I am not sure what to expect.
How can folks help? I know everyone won’t make it to the show.
This is one event (a show) which announces our intention to create The Colored Girls Museum as an institution. It’s not the end of anything, it’s the beginning, so stay tuned.
Meanwhile, you can help by getting the word out! Use your social media, group gatherings, etc.
If you have an idea for another site for a Pop-Up Colored Girls Museum, reach out to us at www.thecoloredgirlsmuseum.com and let us know.
If you come across interesting information about Colored Girls, post it to our Facebook page, so we can share that knowledge.
And of course, please consider donating to The Colored Girls Museum. We are winding our way through the incorporation process; however, we do have a fiscal sponsor, soyour donation can be tax deductible.
What have you learned during this process?
I wouldn’t know where to begin answering that question entirely, but these are some highlights: I have learned that we have a greater capacity to do than we know. I have learned that sometimes, you just have to start, right there where you are. I have learned that just because you can’t do it today, doesn’t mean it won’t get done. I have learned that not having the money to do a thing, and then not doing it, never allows you to know if you could have done it anyway, so you should try. ...that heartbreak is real. That I can heal in public. That my children are incredible. That friendship is real, which is not to be confused with perfect. That love never ends….
To learn more about this, and other shows at the 2015 Fringe Festival, visit http://fringearts.com.