ArtsFest visiting guest artists and speakers Image ArtsFest Guest Artists are supported by The Palmer Family Foundation Fund through The Foundation for Enhancing Communities.Thanks to the generous support of the Palmer Grant, we are excited to present four nationally recognized invited artists as part of this year’s events. We welcome to campus, Sir Dominique Jordan for a poetry reading, visual artist Sue Coe, singer and composer Melanie DeMore, and choreographer Camille Weanquoi. Image Melanie DeMore is a 3-time Grammy nominated singer/composer, choral conductor, music director,and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. In her presentations, DeMorebeautifully brings her participants together through her music and commentary.DeMore facilitates vocal and stick-pounding workshops for professional choirs, and communitygroups, and directs numerous choral organizations across the U.S, Canada, and beyond. She is a featuredpresenter of SpeakOut!-The Institute for Social and Cultural Change, the Master Teaching Artist for Musicat UC Berkeley/ CalPerformances; works with everyone from Baptists to Buddhists, and was a foundingmember of the Grammy-nominated ensemble Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir.Common Hour: “Singing Each Others Songs-Tightening the Weave of Community” with Melanie DeMoreTuesday, April 8, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m., Lenfest Learning Commons, JSM LibraryThe Wilson College Common Hour lecture series is dedicated to fostering inquiry and conversation across the campus community. For ArtsFest, Grammy-nominated singer Melanie DeMore will talk about the effects and influences of sound and music in our lives. The Common Hour event series is open to the public and will be held throughout the academic year.Community Sing with Melanie DeMoreTuesday, April 8, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Laird HallJoin Melanie DeMore in a one of a kind community sing. This event is for any individual of any musical experience to join together in harmony. No prior rehearsal, preparation, or music reading ability required. Don’t miss this event with multi-Grammy nominated artist, Melanie DeMore! Image Sir Dominique Jordan is a poetic vanguard from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. With his compelling words,he empowers others to embrace their vulnerability as a superpower. As an Artivist, he travels the country,sharing the transformative power of Hip Hop culture and creative expression, especially through spokenword poetry. He is a Baldwin fellow alum and was named the 2023 Activist of the Year and recognizedby the NAACP for his contributions to Arts and Entertainment in Central PA, Sir Dominique Jordanis a force for change.He is the lead vocalist of the sensational Hip Hop and R&B band, The Prolific Steppas, and the founder and CEO of The Artivist Corp. and Nobody’s Pen. Follow him on social media at @sirdominiquejordan and join the movement with the hashtag #WhatThatImpactDo.Artivism Poetry Reading with Dominique JordanThursday, April 10, 4 to 5:15 p.m., Sarah’s CoffeehouseSir Dominique Jordan visited campus in February to talk about his “artivism” and do a poetry workshop with students to get them thinking about how their art can be activism. He is returning for ArtsFest to do a reading of some of his work and also have students read their work that resulted from his February workshop. Image Since the 1970s, Sue Coe has worked at the intersection of art and social activism to expose injustices and abuses of power. Born in England in 1951, she moved to New York City in the early 1970s and made it her home. In 2012, she became an American citizen. Coe has always been ahead of the curve on social issues, with her art serving as a conduit for her progressive politics.Thinking of herself as an activist first and an artist second, she has focused her attention on a wide variety of issues, translating diverse topics such as the perils of apartheid, the life of Malcolm X, and the horrors of the American meat industry into artworks, exhibitions, and books. Coe’s graphic art, filled with unapologetic political commentary, struck a nerve when it appeared throughout the 1980s and continues to resonate today.Printmaking with Sue CoeThursday, April 10, 12-4 p.m., Lortz Hall - Lower LevelThis special event will allow participants to learn how a relief print is made and produced. During the event we will use one of Sue Coe’s relief blocks to print a small edition of her important work. Participants will also have the chance to screen print a t-shirt that features an image made by Sue Coe!!!!Sue Coe LectureThursday, April 10, 5:30-7 p.m., Lenfest Learning Commons, JSM LibraryWorking as an illustrator since her move to the United States, Coe’s growing reputation over the next two decades allowed her to set her own agenda with her editors. Her politically pointed illustrations appeared in a variety of prominent publications, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Nation, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Mother Jones, Entertainment Weekly, and The Progressive, among countless others. Image Camille Weanquoi is a freelance dancer, teacher, choreographer, and mentor from the Bronx, NY. She holds an MFA in Choreography from Wilson College, a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Winston Salem State University.Camille received most of her training from the Harlem School of the Arts, where she was a scholarship recipient of the HSA college preparatory/pre-professional dance program. She is well-versed in various styles such as Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Tap, Hip-Hop, and West African Dance. She has been privileged to study under Kim Grier-Martinez, Imani Faye, B.J. Sullivan, Dmitry Povolotsky, Duane Cyrus, and many other influential teaching artists.Rooted in Soul: Embodying the Dunham Technique Dance Workshop with Camille WeanquoiThursday, April 10, 7-8:30 p.m., Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance StudioThis masterclass explores the powerful intersection of African diasporic movement, modern dance, and cultural storytelling through the Dunham Technique.How to Be a Good Ancestor: Civically Sound & Rooted in CommunityLecture/Wilson Community DiscussionFriday, April 11, 12-2 p.m., Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance StudioThis interactive lecture explores what it means to be a good ancestor in the present moment—cultivating a legacy of care, responsibility, and collective well-being.*This event is connected to the Camille W. Dance & Co. Performance later in the evening. Attendance of both is encouraged.We Are The Harvest. Camille W. Dance & Co. PerformanceFriday, April 11, 6-7p.m., Appenzellar-Buchanan Dance Studio ArtsFest InfoArtsFest 2025 ScheduleArtsFest Calendar GraphicArtsFest Visiting ArtistsArtsFest Event Registration Contact InfoDillon Beede, Chair of Musicdillon.beede@wilson.edu
