Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Releases BAPTISM (OF THE SHARECROPPER'S SON & THE BOY FROM BOONVILLE)

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts today released Baptism (of The Sharecropper's Son & The Boy From Boonville), a three-part tribute poem inspired by the legacies of civil rights leaders John Lewis and C.T. Vivian by award-winning poet and artist Carl Hancock Rux. The Lincoln Center commission has been crafted into an 11-minute short abstract film, The Baptism, directed by MacArthur Fellowship-winning artist Carrie Mae Weems.

The tribute is now available to view for free at TheBaptismPoem.org. Semi-permanent installations and special screenings in New York City and beyond to be announced in the coming months.

Lincoln Center continues to commission artists to create new works of art that respond to our current moment, and reimagine the use of its digital and public spaces to better support our communities through the arts and civic engagement. In addition to the release of The Baptism - with its themes of the importance of engaging in the democratic process - Lincoln Center joins cultural organizations around the country in presenting Carrie Mae Weems' large-scale, outdoor installation of Resist COVID/Take 6!, a public art campaign seeking to raise awareness about measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus within Black, Latinx, and Native American communities. Resist COVID/Take 6! will be on display as Lincoln Center serves as a polling site during early voting and on election day this November and beyond.

"When I was asked by Lincoln Center to write a poetic tribute to John Lewis and C.T. Vivian, I could only realize that as a Black man in America, I owed a great 'thank you' to the many men and women who had already confronted the world, and did something in order to change it," said poet and artist Carl Hancock Rux. "Some of them simply sang a song. Some preached a sermon. Some marched. Some organized protests and some gave themselves willingly to insurrection. These two men did all of the above so that I could inherit my own survival in the constant narrative of a turbulent world. Being asked to do the work of writing and performing poetry that somehow paid tribute to these men was more than a commission. It was actually a nudge to remind me of who we, African American people, really are."

The Baptism pays homage to the monumental impact of the late statesman John Lewis and minister C.T. Vivian, two towering figures of the Civil Rights Movement who stood at the front lines of the battle for racial justice in the 1960s. In addition to the full film, audiences can view an intimate interview with Rux conducted by Carrie Mae Weems, available at TheBaptismPoem.org. In this telling conversation, Rux shares the profound and pivotal moments of his life that shaped him as a person, activist, and artist who grew to find inspiration in leaders like Lewis, who "found a tongue, a language, a means of articulation, a way of speaking to the universe and through time."

"We are so touched by this powerful tribute to John Lewis and C.T. Vivian. Carl's poetry captures the enduring influence of these two iconic men and calls us all to think about how we are part of a larger community," said Jordana Leigh, Director, David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. "The film was made with the deepest admiration for John Lewis and C.T. Vivian, which can be seen both through Carl's words and Carrie's compelling visuals and direction. This dream-team of artists have stirred my soul and I hope the film does the same for our viewers."