SIUE and NMAAHC’s The Smith Center Present   “Miles Davis: Modes and Modalities, 1935-1990”

EDWARDSVILLE - An exhibit featuring one of the most recognizable and talented trumpeters in the world, Miles Davis, will open to the public at the St. Clair County Historical Society on October 2, from 4-6 p.m. The “Miles Davis, Modes, and Modalities, 1935-1990” exhibit offers community members the chance to learn more about the jazz legend with roots in southern Illinois. Prince Wells III, Associate Professor Emeritus of the Department of Music at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, will introduce the program, which is free for attendees.

This is the second event within the Smithsonian Community Curation 2024: St. Louis event series. The Miles Davis Exhibit is part of a larger community curation project collaboratively produced by the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and local institutions and organizations. The exhibit opening will also feature presenters from each of the collaborating parties – NMAAHC, the St. Clair County Historical Society, the House of Miles East St. Louis, SIUE’s Department of Anthropology, and the Lovejoy Library located on the SIUE campus.

Irreducible and indescribable, Miles Davis was a complex individual whose groundbreaking music was continually evolving. This exhibit explores Miles’ engagement with innovative musicians and new technologies, as well as Miles’ personality rooted in his childhood in East St. Louis and tempered by the rapidly changing cultural milieu during the five decades of his musical career. The St. Clair County Historical Society will highlight physical artifacts to accompany the stories and history at the event.

“We are grateful to the Smithsonian’s Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History for their willingness to expand the focus area beyond St. Louis,” said Tisha Brooks, PhD, associate dean for anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences and coordinator of SIUE's NMAAHC Community Curation 2024 planning team. “What we hope participants will take away from this collaboration with the NMAAHC is that expanding the accessibility of African American History in the St. Louis region requires the inclusion of communities east of the river, especially East St. Louis, Belleville, Alton, and Edwardsville. Our goal is to encompass the complexity of African American history and culture in the region through the events we’re offering.”

This event hopes to be a catalyst to continue to both expand African American history and culture into the fabric of SIUE and bring together communities on both sides of the Mississippi River.

The St. Clair Historical Society is located at 701 E Washington St, Belleville, IL 62220.

For more information and to register for these enriching events, please visit the NMAAHC's website at NMAAHC Community Curation St. Louis 2024.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high-quality education that powerfully transforms the lives of all individuals who seek something greater. A premier metropolitan university, SIUE is creating social and economic mobility for individuals while also powering the workforce of the future. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Home to a diverse student body, SIUE is situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis.?

More like this: