Urban Word Presents September Performance Series of Poetry, Music, and Movement as Part of Rashid Johnson Exhibition

The Guggenheim New York’s acclaimed rotunda exhibition Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers includes weekly live performances. For the month of September, Guggenheim community partner Urban Word presents Poetry at Play, a month-long series on Rotunda Stage, the museum’s interactive performance space. The program reflects Urban Word’s long-standing mission of empowering youth to reshape narratives. Urban Word will bring together poetry, music, and movement through spoken word, DJ sets, wellness and astrology readings, as well as other live art expressions.  

Additional programming highlights include the New York Black and African Literature Festival R.A.P. Party; Late Shift with Kai Diata Giovanni, 2024–25 New York City Youth Poet Laureate, and Mahogany L. Browne, inaugural Lincoln Center Poet-in-Residence; and a book launch event for Architecture, Not Architecture: Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Elizabeth Diller and Paola Antonelli on the occasion of Archtober.

September programming highlights include:  

New York Black and African Literature Festival R.A.P. (Rhythm and Poetry) Party  

Saturday, September 6, 3–5 pm 

Free with admission 

The inaugural New York Black and African Literature Festival (September 5–7) will present the first New York edition of the R.A.P. Party on Rotunda Stage. Launched in 2010 by British-Nigerian poet and artist Inua Ellams, R.A.P. Party is a no-clutter, no-fuss event featuring poetry inspired by hip-hop and DJ set by JIVE Poetic.  

Learn more about the festival.

Teen Tuesday 

Tuesday, September 16, 4–5:30 pm  

Free with admission 

Urban Word will host a poetry reading on Rotunda Stage and a teen-focused museum tour led by Kai Diata Giovanni, 2024–25 New York City Youth Poet Laureate. 

Late Shift  

Thursday, September 18, 5:30–8 pm 

Reserve tickets 

Taking place every third Thursday, Late Shift invites visitors to explore the galleries, participate in curated artful experiences, and enjoy refreshments at a cash bar in Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic rotunda after-hours.  

September’s edition features Kai Diata Giovanni, 2024–25 New York City Youth Poet Laureate, and Mahogany L. Browne, inaugural Lincoln Center Poet-in-Residence, in conversation. This participatory dialogue, titled Poetry as a Service, will be moderated by Eboni Hogan, Urban Word program director, poet, and artist. Following the discussion, DJ Luna Ròsa will spin a set blending classics with poetic verses from the panelists, as well as from celebrated poets and writers, encouraging dance and collective energy in the space.

An Evening with Elizabeth Diller and Paola Antonelli 

Tuesday, September 30, 6:30 pm –8:30 pm 

Reserve Tickets 

Join Elizabeth Diller and Paola Antonelli for the launch of Architecture, Not Architecture: Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the first comprehensive monograph on the New York–based studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R), published by Phaidon.  

In this exclusive conversation, Diller and Antonelli will explore the remarkable stories behind some of the world’s most revered civic spaces and cultural institutions designed by DS+R—from the High Line and the recently opened V&A East Storehouse in London to some of DS+R’s earliest projects, like the Blur building designed for the 2002 Swiss Expo. A book signing will follow the program.

A Poem for Deep Thinkers September public performance series highlights: 

Live performances take place Mondays at 4 pm and Saturdays at 1 pm on Rotunda Stage. Performances range from 15 to 40 minutes.  

Monday, September 1, 4 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word student Sharjah M’Bodji launches The UbuntuHarlem Magazine, a publication for young deep thinkers.

Saturday, September 6, 1 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word students Braylon Byrd and Ari Newman perform tracks from their upcoming mixtape mixed with call-and-response poems. 

Monday, September 8, 4 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word student Cora Jade performs slam poetry. 

Saturday, September 13, 1 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word student Myleah Solis performs slam poetry.

Monday, September 15, 4 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Ziedah Diata and Natali Nicole present Wish Me Well: Wellness for Deep Thinkers, a meditation on astrology and somatic healing. 

Saturday, September 20, 1 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word alum Kayan James leads Movement for Deep Thinkers, a dance class powered by live music.

Monday, September 22, 4 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word student Ayonna leads A Party for Deep Thinkers, a dance workshop inspired by the legacy of New York dance movements.

Monday, September 29, 4 pm 

Rotunda Stage 

Urban Word program manager Janine Simon curates a day party filled with poetry and backed by DJ Luna. 

All performances require a general admission ticket to the museum.   

Performances and events related to the exhibition will be announced monthly; please visit guggenheim.org/calendar for additional information and updates. Event details are subject to change. 

Sponsors 

Lead support for Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers is provided by Ford Foundation. 

Visionary support is provided by A4 Arts Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Edlis-Neeson Foundation, and Daniel Xu and Flora Huang. Major support is provided by Neuberger Berman. The Leadership Committee for this exhibition is gratefully acknowledged for its generosity, with special thanks to Hauser & Wirth, David Kordansky Gallery, Madeleine Arison, Heather and Felix Baker, Justin Bayless, Marie-Josée Coutu, Nancy and Steve Crown, Natasha and François-Xavier de Mallmann, The George Economou Collection, Anton J. Levy, Jennifer and Alec Litowitz, and David Shuman. 

Additional leadership funding is provided by Candace and Michael Barasch, Allison and Larry Berg, Mahshid and Jamshid Ehsani, Alex and Greg Mondre, Dr. Daniel S. Berger Charitable Giving Fund, Tiqui Atencio Demirdjian and Ago Demirdjian, Nicola Erni Collection, Katherine Farley and Jerry I. Speyer, The Forman Family Collection, Paul and Dedrea Gray, John and Amy Griffin Foundation, Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia, Kathy and Mitchell Jacobson, Judelson Family Foundation, LaVon Kellner and Tom Roush, Amanda Precourt, Gary Steele and Steven Rice, George Wells and Manfred Rantner, Debi and Steven Wisch, Marilyn and Larry Fields, Bernard I. Lumpkin and Carmine D. Boccuzzi, Jessica and Brian Robinson, Carol and Lawrence Saper, Ann and Mel Schaffer, The Sherman Family Foundation, Barbara and Bruce Berger, Lizzie and Steven Blatt, and those who wish to remain anonymous.  

Support is also generously provided by The Kate Cassidy Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, and The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Guggenheim New York’s 2024 International Director’s Council. Yamaha Piano provided by Yamaha Artist Services New York.

About the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation 

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937 and is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The international constellation of museums includes the Guggenheim New York; the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; the Guggenheim Bilbao; and the future Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. A “temple of spirit” where radical art and architecture meet, the Guggenheim New York is among a group of eight Frank Lloyd Wright structures in the United States designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. To learn more about the Guggenheim New York and the Guggenheim’s activities around the world, visit guggenheim.org.   

@Guggenheim 

For more information and requests: 

Guggenheim Press Office  

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation  

pressoffice@guggenheim.org