The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts welcomed Black poet, performance artist, and UW–Madison alumna Jasmine Mans to campus October 31–November 5, 2022 through the Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program.
The second in this series, Mans’ residency included presentations and workshops in partnership with various departments on campus and a panel discussion with the 2022–23 Go Big Read author Clint Smith. Mans, who holds a B.A. in African American Studies from UW–Madison, also cast and directed a small group of UW–Madison scholars to debut a choreopoem performance at OMAI’s Just Bust! Open Mic at the Wisconsin Historical Society on Friday, November 4.
About the Artist
Jasmine Mans is a Black poet and performance artist from Newark, New Jersey. Jasmine’s poetry book, BLACK GIRL, CALL HOME (Penguin Random House), has been named one of Oprah’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books and a TIME Magazine Must Read, to name a few; and Jasmine herself named as Essence’s #1 Contemporary Black Poet to Know. Jasmine most recently collaborated with the Brooklyn Ballet on an original performance piece titled Unnatural Surrounding at the prestigious Brooklyn Academy of Music. Prior to this, she opened for Nikole Hannah-Jones at the launch of The 1619 Project at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and co-hosted The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America digital series alongside renowned poet, Jason Reynolds. Jasmine’s poetry has gone viral many times over on YouTube. Jasmine is a MUSE100 icon and can currently be heard as the voice of Ulta Beauty’s national “Muse” campaign, honoring Black women in the hair and beauty industry. She has opened packed shows for Mos Def, Janelle Monae, and Goapele, and performed at such esteemed venues as the Kennedy Center, Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theater, the Wisconsin Governor’s Mansion, and the Sundance Film Festival. Mans also participated in Brave New Voices, an 8-episode poetry documentary on HBO.
jasminemans.com
The November 2022 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency was presented by the UW–Madison Division of the Arts with Aryn Kresol as program coordinator and by the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) with Director Sofía Snow as residency lead.