Art Talk and Opening Reception: "Celestial Bodies"

Artist Rashad Malik Davis discusses the inspiration and technique behind his exhibit on view in the second-floor Reading Room. Tour of artwork and reception to follow.

Rashad Malik Davis discusses his exhibit "Celestial Bodies: Black Queer Identity in Precolonial Africa," an installation that takes the audience through a visual journey using the concept of the cosmos. The artwork tells a small yet fascinating piece of the story of the African continent’s rich, queer and gender-nonconforming story. This exhibition seeks to understand how Africans of various cultures and ethnic groups not only viewed but celebrated individuals and narratives that we would recognize today as within the LGBTQIA+ realm.

About the Artist: Rashad Malik Davis is an author, illustrator, educator and dreamer. He is a graduate of Tufts University where he majored in anthropology and minored in Mandarin Chinese. Davis is the illustrator of the best-selling children’s book “Sunne’s Gift” His debut venture into publishing his own work, “Carefree, Like Me!: Chapter 1 – Root the Brave,” won the 2017 Best Indie Book Award in the Children’s Category, and his second book, “Carefree, Like Me! Chapter 2: Sacra the Joyous”, followed in 2018. The seven-part series has themes of cultural diversity and inclusion, fantasy, empathy and emotional literacy throughout, and is inspired by his own life experiences with his real-life best friend Nina, his connection to his spirituality, and his love of adventure tales. He is represented by Sera Rivers of Spielburg Literary Agency. For additional information, visit ramalikillustrations.com.

Community Room Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Assistive listening system compatible with personal T-coil-enabled devices (compatible headphones also available for use during programs)
• English-language subtitles for films (when available)
• If there is an accommodation that you need or would like so that you can fully enjoy library programs, please visit our Accommodations Request Form.

Upcoming events