“Legacy” by Alan Lawson, ArtsWave “Truth & Healing” Artist 

“With music, you can bridge everyone together.”

Alan Lawson

2023 ArtsWave Black and Brown Artists Program

Creativity Squared is proud to support and partner with ArtsWave and to bring you this special interview series featuring the phenomenal artists and grant recipients selected for this year’s ArtsWave Black and Brown Artists Program.

Alan is a 2023 ArtsWave Black and Brown Artists Program Grant Recipient and “Truth & Healing” Artist.

The intention of these interviews is to give these talented and deserving artists another platform to share their art and truth expressed through it, as you never know what ripples will turn into waves. If you’re interested in working with, featuring, or supporting these artists, please don’t be shy about it.

We’ll be hearing from these artists whose films were shown in the ArtsWave “Truth & Healing” Showcase and Film Festivals. Part one of this series features the artists whose work is in the exhibition that is available for visiting at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH, through September 10. 

This year’s theme is “Truth & Healing” and Creativity Squared host Helen Todd had the great honor of interviewing the artists during the opening showcase to learn more about their work and what truth and healing means to them.

Meet Alan Lawson

Alan Lawson is a musician and composer from Cincinnati, Ohio. At the age of four, he began playing the violin and soon after, started writing down the music that he heard in his head. Over the years he’s won multiple awards including 2nd place in the NAACP National Act-So competition for contemporary music in 2008 and 1st place at the local level for classical music, contemporary music and music composition in 2008-10. His love of music has also led him to perform in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, the White House and Cincinnati’s own Music Hall. 

“Legacy”

“Legacy” is an original music composition for full orchestra (strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion), written to honor those who have fought for marginalized poeple’s rights throughout history. Celebrating MLK’s march on Washington, the piece encompasses the feelings of strength, determination and unity, telling an inspirational story through the universal language of music. 

ArtsWave 2023 Black and Brown Artists Program Cohort

This year’s Black and Brown Artists Program cohort reflects a vibrant collection of diverse art forms created by an equally diverse group of 18 artists. Their mediums include couture fashion, painting, and sculpture — along with film, musical composition, podcasts, theater, dance, and multidisciplinary works.

The projects not only represent the African American experience, but also the experiences of those with Mexican, Lebanese, Somali, Argentinian, Zimbabwean, Guatemalan, and Indigenous heritage.

Listen to the accompanying podcast episode which features Alan:

Connect with Alan

To stay in touch with Alan and up to date on his work, connect with him on LinkedIn.

Learn more about ArtsWave and why we proudly support the organization in episode 9 “Art Bridges Cultural Divides” with Janice Liebenberg, VP of Equitable Arts Advancement at ArtsWave: https://bit.ly/Ep9JaniceLiebenberg.

Creativity Squared is a proud partner of ArtsWave and because it’s important to support artists like Michael, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave and directly supports the Black and Brown Artists Program.

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