
Media Contact
Kenya King
Director
Public Relations and Marketing Communications
Perimeter College
[email protected]
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Poetry, music, photography and Afrofuturism are among the topics for artful and conscientious talks scheduled for the Mario A.J. Bennekin Black History Symposium at Georgia State University’s Perimeter College Feb. 17-21.
Tim Fielder, an award-winning illustrator, concept designer, cartoonist, animator, author and Perimeter College alumnus, will keynote the fifth annual event Monday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m. on the university’s Dunwoody Campus, 2101 Womack Road.
Over the past several decades, Fielder has received acclaim for working with clients such as Marvel Comics, The Village Voice, TriStar Pictures and Ubisoft Entertainment. He is also the founder of Dieselfunk Studios, an intermedia storytelling company.
Last year, Fielder participated in the United Nations' Summit of the Future held in the Harlem neighborhood of New York, where he now resides. As part of the summit, he co-curated an exhibit called “Quantum,” which addressed social issues like U.S. policing and showcased the future as seen in the imagination of Afrofuturists from across the world.
Afrofuturism is described as a movement in domains such as literature, music and art that features futuristic or science fiction themes incorporating elements of Black history and culture. Fielder said his presentation at Perimeter College will chronicle his journey as a visual Afrofuturist and focus on the link between social justice and artistic expression in the Black community.
“The Black arts community has always been an essential part of our struggle for parity in the area of human and civil rights,” he said. “This involvement determines how liberation looks by clarifying the parameters of what is possible.”
Along with Fielder, the symposium will feature additional presentations centered on the event theme: “Echoes of Resilience: Black Artistry, History and Identity.”
Musical influences on African American literature and Black antiwar art will be the focus of other sessions. Another presentation will discuss Dolly, an escaped Georgia slave whose photograph was included on a fugitive slave notice.
“Our objective with this year’s symposium is to spotlight the contributions of African Americans in the arts and their influence on the world,” said Kimberly Bennekin, a math professor at Perimeter College and co-chair of the event named to honor her late husband, who also taught at Perimeter.
The annual Mario A.J. Bennekin Black History Symposium is free and open to the public, with most sessions taking place in person and virtually. Visit the event webpage for a full schedule and ways to support the event.
By Kysa Anderson Daniels
Photo courtesy Tim Fielder