Zachary Oxman's new sculpture of Duke Ellington stands in front of the recently restored Howard Theatre.Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop
Editorial board
The minds that study our past most closely are often the ones with the greatest vision for the future. It’s why we need historians, and why the best innovators have their own mentors. It’s really our reason for reading stories at all. To step surely, we need traction, which means digging into the ground on which we walk.
When the Howard Theatre began its reopening process last week, the local press recognized the boldness and precariousness of the venture. But the past few days’ events confirm that the Howard’s new team prizes its history. Before any VIP banquets or sold-out concerts, the theater opened its doors for a community day, embracing the Shaw community that was always its base.
And as you walk through the majestic theater, you find photographs of the great Black entertainers who took the stage there over the years, from Dizzy Gillespie to Aretha Franklin. Then you glance up at the huge screens flanking the stage, and you notice the announcements for upcoming acts – Robert Glasper, Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def). It’s an encouraging lineup, because it acknowledges that constant progression, not some destined greatness, made those performers in the black-and-white photos into heroes. The Howard is out to reestablish itself as the city’s central proving ground for Black American Music’s new national stars.
Howard Theatre. Carlyle V. Smith/CapitalBop
So it’s fitting that a sculpture of Duke Ellington – that great D.C. native, innovator and Black cultural advocate – was unveiled last month outside the theater. The artwork is a swirling mass of metal, Ellington’s keyboard zooming into the sky in a whirl of visual sound. It implies the fluidity and endlessness of musical progress. I spoke to Zachary Oxman, the artist who created the statue, about what motivated him to portray Ellington and what he sought to convey. Continue reading
