DiasporaDNA Program Constellation

DiasporaDNA’s program season runs from May through October, offering a dynamic blend of live and digital events designed to engage and inspire the community.

Our program constellation works to unify the connection between global majority diasporas and our shared humanity; fortifying our stories, across a spectrum of cultural forms and creative formats. Book your program today by emailing us: info@diasporadna.org.

Signature Programs:

1. Edify (Montgomery Collection)

2. Storify (Exhibits × Performances)

3. Amplify (Creative Support × Advocacy)

4. Identify (Ancestry × Kinkeeping)

5. Beautify (Art Therapy × Mindfulness

6. Testify (Education, Presentation, × Media Justice)

During this six-month period, participants can experience a variety of workshops, performances, and educational initiatives, both in person and online. The season reifies opportunities for connection, inclusion and access across the city.

Our active season affords intentional rest, reset, research, international travel and reflection among our team, which emboldens us to push the work forward.

Whether attending in person or virtually, audiences can expect a rich array of programming tailored to diverse interests, piqued curiosities and community needs.

Edify (Montgomery Collection)

Explore the art, history, and lives of the global majority through curated selections of rare archival collectibles in the Montgomery Collection, which serves as a valuable teaching tool for conscious-raising education.

[Edify - Instruction encouraging intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement; Deep Dive into Archives!]

*Popup Instillation: Archives & Vibes

*Book ReRelease: Collecting African American History

*Education: Junior Archivst Camp

Amplify (Creative Support × Advocacy)

We provide tools, techniques, and training for the makers and minds in this generation to be inspired by the continuum of time. We invite cultural producers, fans and audiences to take a deep dive into the archives, and share their inspirational stories with us to be documented, recorded and podcasted as advocacy points, everyone can learn from. We offer a culturally conscious space to build connections, receive professional development and make history together.

[Amplify - Making something larger, louder, or stronger. Adding articulation and urgency to concepts. Inviting cultural producers, talent, fans and audiences to share inspirational stories and advocate, cross pollinate to; Make history together!]

*Event Series: Philly Festival Mixer & Think Tank

*Gifting Artwork: Institutional Art Loan Program. Aimed at raising awareness about global majority artists, art forms, ceremonies and healing practices.

*Podcast: Meeting of the Griots

*Tours & Time Capsules: Diaspora Thrives. Engage with 'archival narratives' as we utilize multimedia to capture oral histories, creating a living archive and digital time capsule for the future.

Identify (Ancestry × Kinkeeping)

Delve into genealogy, kin-keeping resources, along with creative writing focused on self, society, and identity. Connect with echoes of the past and uplift the voices of future generations.

[Identify - Establishing who someone is, assigning characteristics and associating them through strong links to a place, space or culture; Explore Roots & Wings!]

*Broadcast Storytelling: Kinkeeping Summit

*Creative Writing: Family Tree & Memoirs

*Creative Writing: Lifelines & Obituary

*Genealogy Assistance: Ancestry Tracing

*Ancestor Tribute Altar Building: Promise. Witness. Remembrance.

Beautify (Art Therapy × Mindfulness)

Participate in creative art therapy (CAT) art making and mindful activities, in a trauma-informed environment intended for adults. This program aims to promote healing and address issues plaguing urban communities, offering psychological safety utilizing creative wellness and evidence based mental health approaches.

[Beautify - Improving the appearance, reality and feeling of ourselves and space; ART'ventures!]

*Festival: InnerGlow Creative Wellness Fest

*Group Session: InnerGlow: Affirmation Lab

*Group Session: Collage & Calm (CAT)

*Thought Leadership: CAT x Community Wellness

Storify (Exhibits × Performances)

Experience storytelling and performance that shares testimonies and triumphs from diverse diasporas, near and far. Visualize universal human themes through the lens of the 'first voice', from our archive. Our vibrant live shows, displays and experiences invite participants and interactivity from all backgrounds.

[Storify - Engaging with peoples lived experiences, recounted through a lens of multimedia and creativity; Passing the torch of story!]

*Pop Up Exhibit: Global Liberation Timeline

*Popup Instillation: City of Festivals

*Popup Exhibit: SurName Origination of our Identity

*Popup Performance: Meeting of the Griots

Testify (Education, Presentation, × Media Justice)

Exploring ecologies of promise for community to elevate people, their stories, and experiences as the core of everything we do. Our work is driven by cultural elevation, an understanding that audiences seek spaces where they can feel heard, seen, and affirmed, and that these connections are essential to a deeper sense of belonging.

[Testify - Bearing witness; Teaching, based on knowledge, belief or regard; Affirm & Enrich!]

*Consulting: Community Engagement

*Public Speaking: Urban Momentum