Musicians of Color highlight Queens Museum artists-in-residence program

Artists including tap dancer/choreographer Lisa La Touche and jazz saxophonist/composer Immanuel Wilkins will be working with the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) until October, as they are a part of the 2024 cohort of the museum’s Armstrong Now Artist-in-Residence program, announced last month.  

This comes as the museum’s Center celebrates one year of being opened in Queens. The Museum has also recently won the IMLS National Medal for Museums, which was accepted by its Executive Director Regina Bain in Washington, D.C. on July 30. 

Bain states, “This tremendous new class of Armstrong Now Artists joins a deepening community of creative individuals who believe in legacy and have the power to innovate, creating thrilling experiences for audiences worldwide.” 

Following last year’s residencies and inspired works from Esperanza Spalding, Amyra León and Antonio Brown, the artists will dig deep into the treasures of the Armstrong archival collection to find inspiration for new works that fuse music, dance, spoken word, and various visual and performing arts. At the end of their residency, artists will present a public performance of the work at the Museum and additional performances may premiere in collaboration with partners throughout New York and beyond.

“Archives are important. It’s a rare opportunity to comb through a jazz musician’s traces that was so aware of what he was leaving behind for many generations after him,” Wilkins said. 

La Touche and Wilkins, along with fellow artists Steven Salcedo and Soul Science Lab, a music and multimedia duo powered by emcee/songwriter Chen Lo and composer/producer Asante Amin, also shared how much being part of the residency means to them.

Salcedo said, “Like Louis, I strive to bring people from different walks of life together through the universal language of music. Digging deep into his archives, I’m looking forward to seeing where our paths intersect on a deeper level, and hope to continue in his footsteps providing an artistic statement that will help carry on his legacy.” 

She calls this opportunity the “call and response of a lifetime! One of spirit filled proportion, held with the anticipation of great honor and gratitude.”

Soul Science Lab shared a similar sentiment with La Touche, saying, “Louis Armstrong’s contribution is vital not only to Black music but also to American music in ways that are indescribable. We’re excited to peel back the layers and create something groundbreaking in response to what we discover and learn at the Armstrong House archives.”

To stay updated on the work of these artists and their work in the residency, those interested can follow the Museum on its social media platforms which can be found here: https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/

Those interested can also find the ways to support the museum here: https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/support/.