Black History Month events at MPAC
Legendary Motown singers…West African acrobatics…a joyful youth chorus. From the Temptations and The Four Tops to MPAC’s visual art exhibit by Art in the Atrium, MPAC has a variety of events celebrating excellence in black artistic achievement during Black History Month.
Visual Art:
Art in the Atrium presents Visual Voices. The exhibit runs from January 16 through March 2.
“Visual Voices” refers to raising voices artistically which resonate to project a goal or an idea visually. Understanding sight as the eyes’ ability to discern, and vision as the brain’s ability to process and interpret, the art created will combine meaningful mental and visual imagery. These together will comprise an expressive voice. Aristotle saw the voice as the art of bringing thoughts to light, connecting the inner world with the outside. The artwork that is created through foresight and imagination will visually perpetuate and give rise to our voices through the arts, as Art in The Atrium has always done.
Concerts:
The Temptations and The Four Tops
Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Two legendary supergroups – together again! From “Baby, I Need Your Loving” to “My Girl,” enjoy an evening full of your favorite Motown memories from two classic hitmakers.
LIMITED TICKETS
Friday, February 13, 2026 at 8 pm
Cirque Kalabante (Afrique en Cirque) showcases the beauty and artistry of African culture, inspired by daily life in Guinea. A colorful show beyond its scenery, costumes and staging, Cirque Kalabante represents the strength, agility and life’s joys of young Africans, as acrobats execute gravity-defying moves to the contemporary sounds of live Afro-Jazz, percussion and kora.
Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 7:30 pm
As seen on America’s Got Talent! South Africa’s Ndlovu Youth Choir has become one of the world’s most treasured groups. Their unique musical arrangements and powerhouse vocals, irresistibly combined with mesmerizing choreography and infectious energy, have inspired millions across the globe. “If I could bottle your energy, I’d drink it every day,”– Simon Cowell
School In-Theatre Field trip Events:
Cirque Kalabante
Friday, February 13, 2026 at 11 am
Curriculum: Dance, music, world cultures, Black History Month (Grades 2 and up)
Cirque Kalabante (Afrique en Cirque) showcases the beauty and artistry of African culture, inspired by daily life in Guinea. A colorful show beyond its scenery, costumes and staging, Cirque Kalabante represents the strength, agility and life’s joys of young Africans as acrobats execute gravity-defying moves to the contemporary sounds of live Afro-Jazz, percussion and kora.
Hero: The Boy from Troy: A New Musical about the Young John Lewis
Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 10 am and 12:15 pm
Curriculum: History, Civil Rights, Character Building (Grades 3-6)
Stuck in detention and forced to read a book about Congressman John Lewis, Jayden thinks that history has nothing to teach him. Go on a musical journey through the decades to learn how the heroes in the Civil Rights movement inspired young John Lewis to protest injustice and get into “good trouble.” As John meets Rosa Parks and Dr. King and ultimately becomes a leader and American hero himself, Jayden learns how he too can take a stand.
Jazz Reach presents: Stolen Moments: The First 100 Years of Jazz
Monday, March 9, 2026 at 10:30 am
Curriculum: Music, History, African-American studies
Grades: 4-High school
Stolen Moments is a thoroughly captivating and informative program that introduces audiences to jazz music’s rich history and to the names, faces and music of some of its many masters, as well as the ways in which jazz has acted as a unifying force, bridging cultural, ethnic and economic differences both in the U.S. and abroad.
