(l to r) Sanford Biggers, Wangechi Mutu, and Greg Tate (photo credit Ed Marshall Photography NYC)
The New Black Imagination (NBI) Festival was launched in 2011 as a space to explore and celebrate the curators and creators of 21st century global black culture. It was designed to explore these possibilities, what they mean and where they were possibly heading, through lectures, discussion and performances.
The inaugural Festival featured 25 speakers over 14 session, as well as four musical performances. Speakers included visual artists Sanford Biggers and Wangechi Mutu; Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid; cultural critics Greg Tate and MSNBC’s Toure; futurist Dr. Nat Irvin II of the University of Louisville School of Business; comedians Elon James White and Baratunde Thurston; and MTV personality Amanda Seales, to name a few.