SF Museum of the African Diaspora Receives Grant From Irvine Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to a generous multi-year grant by The James Irvine Foundation's Exploring Engagement Fund, the Museum of the African Diaspora (www.moadsf.org) in San Francisco is pleased to present I've Known Rivers: MoAD Stories Project – Crossing Fences: Conversations & Stories with African American Men Across the Generations on February 27.

"We are grateful for the support of The James Irvine Foundation which allows us to present this remarkable project and engage new audiences," said Linda Harrison, Executive Director of MoAD. "Crossing Fences, inspired by August Wilson's landmark play, Fences, is a unique two-year collection of important and impactful stories from local men of color that spans generations."

Crossing Fences is the latest in the two-volume collection of stories that enhance the museum's digital archive I've Known Rivers Project. The first-voice stories are those of a dozen multi-generational men of African descent who live in Oakland. Their previously untold experiences capture the essence of what it means to be Black and male in America. The conversations and storytelling have been adapted for the stage and will be performed in faith-based organizations.

"This is undoubtedly the most ambitious and exciting volume of I've Known Rivers stories we've ever produced," said Cheo Tyehimba-Taylor, Founder and Project Director of the Stories Project. "We're using Irvine's Exploring Engagement Fund to connect and interact with new audiences to record, commission-for-performance and theatrically present these meaningful stories that rarely get told."

The James Irving Foundation is a philanthropic nonprofit organization to benefit Californains by promoting social equity and enriching the cultural and civic life through grants in the arts, youth and education, and state governance and civic engagement.

About the Museum of the African Diaspora
The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) showcases the history, art and cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the world, with innovative and engaging exhibitions, education and public programs. MoAD opened in 2005 as a cornerstone to the revitalization of downtown San Francisco on the ground floor of the St. Regis Hotel and Residences at 685 Mission Street. As a nonprofit organization, the museum's operations and programs are supported by grants and contributions from public and private sources. Visit www.moadsf.org.

CONTACT: Karen Monroe
Karen Monroe Public Relations
[email protected] 
415.819.7986

SOURCE Museum of the African Diaspora