Join Marques Redd at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) on Saturday, June 7 at 2:00 PM for object lessons, a participatory event in conjunction with William Villalongo’s powerful exhibition, Myths and Migrations—FLOCK.

To flock is to gather and to cover. The event draws inspiration from both meanings: gathering together in a group and the velvety material known as flocking, a technique Villalongo frequently uses throughout the exhibition.

Over the course of 90 minutes, visitors will be guided through a series of thoughtful encounters with select artworks, led by a group of artists and scholars including Marques Redd, Mark Thomas Gibson, Lyra Monteiro, and Saya Woolfalk.

As part of the program, Marques Redd will present a talk entitled “Walking Through Worlds: Cosmology, Collage, and the Black Archive,” offering insights into his work. In conjunction with his talk, a photograph by Rainbow Serpent entitled The Four World Ages (III) will also be on display.

These “object lessons” invite participants to explore how the artworks activate a tangle of thoughts, memories, sensations, hopes, and frustrations. Visitors will be welcomed into the fold of Villalongo’s community of appreciators and encouraged to chart their own paths through themes of deep time, the contemporary moment, and possible futures held within the work.

Organized by William Villalongo and Sasha-Mae Eccelston, this program is free with museum admission and takes place at the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building at PAFA.

Rainbow Serpent is proud to celebrate our co-founder Marques Redd, one of the 2025 inductees into Macon Pride’s Pioneers & Trailblazers LGBTQ+ History Exhibit. This annual showcase honors 22 iconic LGBTQ+ figures from Georgia whose artistry, activism, and courage have shaped the cultural landscape.

This year’s edition deepens its impact through a collaboration with Storytellers Macon Live and the Tubman African American Museum, featuring recorded oral histories and live storytelling performances. Marques will not only be featured in the exhibit but will also share his story during the live event—uplifting the past, illuminating the present, and inspiring the future of queer Southern legacy.

On view April 18, 2025, at the Tubman African American Museum, Miracles celebrates the depth and diversity of Black artistic expression. More than an exhibition, it honors survival, resilience, and revival, paying tribute to the legacy of Miracles Fine Art Gallery and the Redd family’s longstanding dedication to preserving Black culture.

The Redd Family Collection of Black Art is one of the largest of its kind in the Southeast and includes over 800 works by renowned artists such as Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Ernie Barnes, William Tolliver, and Kathleen Wilson.

In 1990, Melgenia and Vernon Redd opened Miracles Fine Art Gallery, Macon’s first gallery dedicated to Black art. After closing in 1996, the collection remained in storage for decades. Now, in a long-awaited revival, this exhibition brings these works back into public view, reaffirming the Redd family’s commitment to preserving Black cultural heritage.

Rainbow Serpent is proud to present a photo collage featuring images from Opening the Mouth, Myth-Science of the Gatekeepers, Obi Mbu (The Primordial House), Prayers Answered, and more. It also marks the premiere exhibition of photography from The Four World Ages series.

Join us for the opening reception on Sunday, May 4, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Tubman African American Museum. Admission is free for museum members and $5 for the general public.

The show will be on view through June 28, 2025.

For more information about the exhibition contact the Tubman Museum at (478) 743-8544.

Rainbow Serpent is grateful to be part of this year’s Seattle Black Film Festival (SBFF) at the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. For over twenty years, SBFF has been a space for deep reflection, creative exchange, and celebration of Black storytelling in all its forms.

On the final day of the festival, we will present a program titled "A Journey Through the African Cosmos," featuring two of our core film works: Blackstar Sanctuary and Obi Mbu (The Primordial House). These films emerge from our ongoing exploration of African cosmologies, ancestral memory, and speculative Black futures through multimedia storytelling.

Obi Mbu (The Primordial House) and Blackstar Sanctuary have screened at art institutions and festivals in the United States and abroad, including New York, California, Sweden, and Pennsylvania. This will be our first showing in Seattle.

Following the screening, Rainbow Serpent co-founder Marques Redd will offer reflections on the creative process and the cultural frameworks that shape our work.

For more than 30 years, London-based artist Ajamu X has unapologetically celebrated Black queer bodies, the erotic sense, and pleasure as activism. He has been at the forefront of genderqueer photography, challenging dominant ideas around masculinity, gender, sexuality, and the representation of Black LGBTQ+ people.

Ajamu’s evocative photographs present the lives and experiences of himself and those around him. From charged self-portraits to tender depictions of lovers, spirited images of friends to objects that his sitters use, The Patron Saint of Darkrooms foregrounds community through embracing a politics of pleasure.

In this event, Marques Redd and Mikael Owunna, co-founders of Rainbow Serpent will facilitate a conversation with Ajamu about sensuality and desire as a creative practice.

Join us on March 27, 2025, at Indiana University for a special screening of two Rainbow Serpent films: Blackstar Sanctuary, a virtual reality journey through an ancient Egyptian temple, and Obi Mbu (The Primordial House), a dance performance portraying a Nigerian myth of creation. At the event, Marques Redd will discuss filmmaking as a sacred ritual alongside Dr. Elena Herminia Guzman and Dr. Maria Hamilton Abegunde. As depictions of Black spiritual practices continue to evolve on-screen, this conversation will examine how reverence and creativity shape representations beyond Western religious traditions.

Location: Indiana University BFCA Phyllis Klotman Classroom / Wells Library 044B

Join us for an exploration of Sun Ra's cosmic legacy through the lens of "Astro-Black mythology," led by Rainbow Serpent co-founder, Dr. Marques Redd. This event will delve into the visionary jazz musician's fusion of Egyptology, musicology, religion, and cosmic philosophy, revealing how Sun Ra's persona as a being from Saturn challenged conventional narratives about race and identity. Dr. Redd will guide participants through Sun Ra's elaborate mythologies and offer insights into how his work sought to reconnect humanity with the cosmos.

As a multidisciplinary artist and scholar, Dr. Redd brings a wealth of expertise to this event. His work with Rainbow Serpent integrates traditional African cosmologies, multimedia art, and innovative healing practices. From experimental films to immersive VR experiences, Dr. Redd's contributions to advancing Black LGBTQ+ culture have been celebrated across the country. This event is a rare opportunity to engage with his unique perspective and explore the transformative potential of Sun Ra's cosmic vision.

Allegheny County, with support from Shiftworks Community + Public Arts, commissioned Marques Redd, Mikael Owunna, and Rainbow Serpent to highlight the iconic Pittsburgh bridges with a light show this winter. The Rachel Carson, Andy Warhol, and Roberto Clemente Bridges, known as the Sister Bridges, will display their installation The Three Sisters from November 23, 2024, through December 31, 2024.

To many indigenous peoples from North and Central America, the Three Sisters refers to their main crops of squash, maize (corn), and beans, which flourish when grown in close proximity. From Nigeria to Brazil and Cuba, the Three Sisters are associated with the Yoruba goddesses Oya, Oshun, and Yemaya. The Three Sisters fuses these narratives, with each bridge representing one crop and one goddess.

This winter, Fotografiska invites visitors to embark on an extraordinary artistic voyage with Space A Visual Journey. Featuring the work of 13 acclaimed artists, the exhibition explores the vastness of space through a fusion of art, science, astrology, and philosophy. It offers a chance to delve into the cosmos, encouraging reflection on humanity's eternal questions of identity and existence. Among the participating artists is Rainbow Serpent co-founder Mikael Owunna, a multidisciplinary artist and engineer whose work uniquely bridges science, art, and African cosmologies. Owunna will exhibit pieces from his photography series Infinite Essence and showcase the film Obi Mbu (The Primordial House), which he co-directed with Marques Redd.

Join us for Owunna’s artist talk, moderated by Marques Redd, where they will discuss their artistic processes and inspirations. The talk will take place in Fotografiska’s largest venue, Annie, located on the entrance level in the east wing of Fotografiska.

Join us for the UK premiere of Sky in a Small Cage, a compelling new opera commissioned by Mahogany Opera, with music by Rolf Hind and poetry by Dante Micheaux, a distinguished member of the Rainbow Serpent Collective. This work offers a poetic reflection on the life of Sufi poet Rumi, centering on his deep, transformative relationship with Shams, his master and muse, whose tragic death profoundly shaped Rumi’s life and work.

Dante Micheaux’s powerful poetry, interwoven with Rumi’s verses, is brought to life through a multi-disciplinary performance of song, music, and dance, under the direction of Frederic Wake-Walker. This premiere at the Barbican Concert Hall in London on September 8, 2024, promises to be an unforgettable evening of artistic and emotional depth, inviting audiences to explore the intense and enduring themes of love, loss, and spiritual transformation.

Experience the world premiere of Sky in a Small Cage, an evocative new opera commissioned by Mahogany Opera and composed by Rolf Hind, with poetry by Dante Micheaux, a prominent member of the Rainbow Serpent Collective. This opera delves into the life of Sufi poet Rumi, exploring his profound relationship with Shams, his master and beloved, whose mysterious death is central to Rumi’s story.

Dante Micheaux's poignant words, paired with Rumi's poetry, create a rich tapestry of emotion, brought to life by a multi-disciplinary cast through song, music, and dance. Directed by Frederic Wake-Walker, this premiere promises to be an unforgettable fusion of art and storytelling.

Join us for this powerful debut on August 25, 2024, at the Danish Academy Concert Hall in Copenhagen, as part of the Copenhagen Opera Festival.