Lewisville Talks – City Speaker Series:
The Quilt: A Living History of African American Music
Film screening and conversation curated by the Denton Black Film Festival

The Lewisville Talks – City Speaker Series continues to incite curiosity and promote meaningful conversation with its next engagement featuring a film screening and panel conversation around The Quilt: A Living History of African American Music.

In this documentary, Aunt Cynthia, a music history buff, helps her niece Lauren learn about the music genres that were born and formed by African American history and culture. They cover a wide breadth, all the way from the times of slavery, to Negro Spirituals, Blues, Ragtime, Jazz, the Harlem Renaissance, Gospel, the Civil Rights movement, Soul and R&B, and Hip Hop. Cynthia works to inspire Lauren’s curiosity about these periods of history by continuously making it relevant to the music, and uses the layers of a quilt to explain how music of the past connects to the contemporary music that Lauren is most familiar with. By the end of the film, Lauren feels more empowered by the generational connections of music and culture she has learned. 

This educational documentary for children and adults is produced by Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW), a performing arts nonprofit in San Antonio, TX.

Following the presentation, filmmaker Cynthia Freeman Gibbs will be joined by cast member Lauren Anya Jwahir Hunter and local musician Kwinton Gray for a conversation about the film and African American music, moderated by the Denton Black Film Festival.

This event is part of the Lewisville Juneteenth Celebration. Guests are encouraged to arrive early for a special tour of the exhibition, Let The Tablecloth Speak: The Embedded DNA Storytelling in Heirloom Linens, featuring 13 quilted fabric art pieces by artist Jas Mardis at 6 p.m. 

This event is FREE to attend, but ticket reservations are encouraged. Reserve your seats.