Shortly before my RLST 120: Faith of Christians class commenced on March 20, I was skimming my inbox, and “Special Invitation to the BFC — Events at the Gund” caught my eye. Tillie Wang ’23, post-baccalaureate fellow in museum practices and arts administration at The Gund, sent the Black Feminist Collective a special invitation to Imani Uzuri’s solo performance of her immersive work Conjure Woman. The Black Feminist Collective recently collaborated on an event discussing Faith Ringgold’s Dancing at the Louvre, currently on show in the Gund’s Buchwald-Wright gallery. It was in this same space that 10 fortunate Kenyon community members embarked on a transcendent journey with Imani Uzuri. 

Uzuri is an award-winning vocalist, composer and librettist. She developed the soundscape for Dawoud Bey’s Evergreen, a video installation that was on show in The Gund’s spring 2023 exhibition. She was originally scheduled to present Conjure Woman in November 2023, but that event was canceled due to illness. Uzuri expressed gratitude and excitement at the chance to finally join The Gund, especially at a time when the event will be in conversation with the other works in the gallery — all by two Black women artists.

The Gund described Conjure Woman as “a solo, ritual performance” that encourages participants to restore and rejoice. The title and performance probes and praises “the archetype, iconography and mythology of the conjure woman within African American culture, religion and literature.” Scholar Kameelah Martin writes: “A conjurer includes, but is certainly not limited to root workers, midwives, herbalists, persons born with a caul, or second sight and others gifted with verbal or visual communication in the spirit world. The term conjure woman, then, works as an umbrella term for the various forms of healing and spiritual practices with expressly African derivations.’”

Upon entering the gallery space, Uzuri welcomed us in and urged everyone to shift into one large ellipse so we could all see and communicate clearly. Uzuri conveyed her belief in the importance of this healing event. Our introductions led into a discussion about Minnie Evans and Faith Ringgold (both of whose work adorned the walls of the room) and their roles as conjure women and cultural workers, both identities shared by Uzuri. Evans’ drawings traveled to the Gund from North Carolina, and Dancing at the Louvre depicts Black joy and presence in Europe during the early 20th century. We considered the difficult procedures of relocating art, people and ideas to the places in which they will be accepted, nay, celebrated. 

During the discussion, a participant introduced the word apperception, which the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as “introspective self-consciousness,” and “mental perception, especially: the process of understanding something perceived in terms of previous experience.” Our first meditation centered around the notion of apperception. To me, this meant pondering how we believe ourselves to be perceived and how our cumulative experiences impact how we function and interact with our surroundings. 

We all got comfortable — crossing our legs on the chairs, sitting or laying down on the floor. We closed our eyes, which Uzuri explained was to prevent uncomfortability and avoid the feeling of being perceived. Uzuri began humming an unrecognizable tune and making a beat with a tambourine. Slowly, additional voices joined the melody. I do not know for sure, as my eyes were closed, but it felt and sounded like Uzuri walked in a circle, playing the tambourine above and around each person. Uzuri did not sing any words, but changed her volume, register and tone. People began stomping, clapping, snapping and thumping as the tambourine’s volume increased and the rhythm picked up. We were all working together — listening, feeling and communicating. 

The second meditation was a performance of a traditional gospel blues song “Go with Me to That Land,” which Uzuri sang for us a cappella. This was my first time hearing her voice singing a prearranged melody, and it nearly brought me to tears. Uzuri’s powerful voice carried the melody beautifully, especially through the flourishing run that completes the message of the song: “[Come and go with me to that land/] Where I am bound.” We sang the song in a call-and-response format, adding the specific qualities in “that land,” which included joy, faith, art, love and peace. 

Sydney Fender, Administrative Assistant at The Gund remarked: “[I] found it incredibly moving to see people activating The Gund in such a new and innovative way.” This event was more than simply a solo performance. It was a conversation about how different people engage with museums, the value of Black women in art and American culture, and the necessity of community in remedying societal hardship.