Of Thee We Sing: Art and New Patriotism

For Freedoms Town Hall

Join us for an evening of live performance and conversation on creative expressions of patriotic language hosted at the GW Corcoran School for the Arts and Design. This Town Hall event will feature performance excerpts from Samantha Williams’ multidisciplinary opera, American Patriots, a theatrical song-cycle that captures the contemporary American zeitgeist taken from contemporary interviews of 50 Americans from across the nation. Artists and cultural organizers Holly Bass, Helena Huang, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Miguel Luciano, and Samantha Williams will follow with a discussion on how the language and interpretations of patriotism can be rebranded, subverted, and redefined through artistic expressions.

Date: Friday, January 31, 2025

Time: Performance & Panel: 6:00-7:30 pm, Reception to Follow

Location: Corcoran School for the Arts & Design, 500 17th Street NW

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited, we strongly encourage you to RSVP.

Event Details

What does it mean to develop new artistic strategies and language that defines what unites and challenges us as a society?

This For Freedoms Town Hall invites a group of artists from different disciplines including theater, dance, visual art, public art, and music to explore creative ways of engaging with civic identity, challenging traditional symbols, and rethinking what patriotism can look like in our modern world.

Live performance excerpts from Samantha Williams’ project provides attendees with an unflinching look at the lived reality of American Ideals today. Touring in both a recital and chamber opera format, the minimalist production uses innovative staging, immersive aural design, and visual projections by local videographers to center an “intentional storytelling” process. The socially relevant content and representation of perspectives across disparate racial and socio-economic lines appeal to today’s audiences: a broad base of critical thinkers, activists, and adventurous consumers.

The Town Hall event is part of ongoing programming within the three year residency with For Freedoms produced by GW Corcoran School and the National Gallery of Art.

Excerpts from American Patriots will also be performed in the National Gallery of Art West Building on Saturday, February 1st from 1-4pm.

Host or Publisher The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at The George Washington University