WHEN WE GATHER Film Celebrating Kamala Harris Postponed One Week

Wendi Norris, founder and president of Gallery Wendi Norris and executive producer of When We Gather, and Justine Ludwig, executive director of Creative Time announced today that the release of the film When We Gather and the accompanying behind-the-scenes special When We Gather: Together, has been postponed one week and will launch instead on January 27, 2021, 7pm EST.

"In the spirit of respect and compassion from which When We Gather was created, we have decided to release the film and special program on January 27," said Norris. "Please join us at 7pm EST on the 27th at www.whenwegather.art as we celebrate this historic moment and honor the heroines of the past, visionaries of the present, and leaders of the future."

"Art needs to be an integral part of the strategy around engendering dialogue and inspiring transformative action," said Ludwig. "When We Gather arrives at an inflection point-it is both an invitation to contemplation and a galvanizing call to envision and enact a better tomorrow. In this moment of isolation, digital and broadcast space is public space-serving as our town square where we can explore new horizons and come together. "

"At this historic moment, the work speaks to the elemental role that women have played, and continue to play, in the progress of this nation. In moving the date for the broadcast, we make room for the emotions and gravity of the historic events of the week ahead."

When We Gather is a multifaceted art project envisioned by Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons in collaboration with Okwui Okpokwasili and Natasha N. Nevada Diggs, that includes a three-minute art film, directed by Codie Elaine Oliver (Black Love, OWN), produced with Black Love Inc., and narrated by Emmy and Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Alfre Woodard, meant to inspire people across the country to mark this historic moment and join with them in reflection, dance, and song. A behind-the-scenes, interactive program, When We Gather: Together, will be presented alongside the film.

The performers have choreographed circular movements and gestures from diverse traditions evoking storms, spirals, and ancestral energy. The knotted blue fabric is a powerful symbol of connection between the performers. The soundscape incorporates both lyrics and a poem written by Diggs for the project.

When We Gather is performed by María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Okwui Okpokwasili, LaTasha N. Nevada Diggs, Dell Marie Hamilton, Jana Harper, Lisa E. Harris, and Samita Sinha. Attentive to both the upcoming transition of power in our nation and the global pandemic crisis, When We Gather was performed in separate studios and outdoor spaces in Brooklyn, Nashville, and Houston then artfully forged into the short film.

When We Gather: Together is an online production that contextualizes the themes of the film: heal, unite, create. The multi-generational presentation features creative conversations, diverse artistic interpretive performances, and behind-the-scenes interviews with the director and performers and an array of arts and education professionals. This special program is co-produced and hosted by Dr. Nikki A. Greene, tenured professor of art history at Wellesley College and author of an upcoming book that prominently features Campos-Pons.

When We Gather is a collaborative artwork produced by Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco. Creative Time, a leading public arts non-profit based in New York, is the presenting organization of the film. It is underwritten with major support from the Carl M. Freeman Foundation, Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and Arts Equity & Education Fund among others.