{"id":8837,"date":"2021-02-04T12:59:13","date_gmt":"2021-02-04T12:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/media-archive.blackartinamerica.com\/?p=8837"},"modified":"2021-02-05T01:10:45","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T01:10:45","slug":"private-photos-from-a-beautiful-moment-in-the-life-of-cicely-tyson-and-the-work-of-art-that-filled-her-eyes-with-tears-of-joy-including-tribute-by-debra-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthexhibitions.org\/media-archive\/?p=8837","title":{"rendered":"A Beautiful Moment in the Life of Cicely Tyson"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPrivate Photos from a Beautiful Moment in the Life of Cicely Tyson, and the Work-of-Art that Filled her Eyes with Tears of Joy\u201d including Tribute by Debra Hand<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 06: Cicely Tyson at the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Denzel Washington at Dolby Theatre on June 06, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Erik Voake\/Getty Images for WarnerMedia) 610530<\/p><\/div>\n

Our beautiful Queen Mother, Cicely Tyson, brilliantly gave her artistry to us for almost a century.\u00a0 She is our family.\u00a0 We love her as our own.\u00a0 Through her art, she fought for us.\u00a0 Now it is our turn to preserve her legacy.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today as we try to comfort each other through the sharing of stories and photos, I would like to share a personal moment from her life with our community of readers. Cicely Tyson gave and gave her art for us, but one day I was honored to be there for a special moment where she was the receiver of art.\u00a0 She allowed no photos except for the ones you\u2019ll see here.\u00a0 They are from my private mementos.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was brought into this moment by the Chicago Sinfoniette Orchestra.\u00a0 Cicely Tyson was scheduled to perform a narration with the orchestra.\u00a0 After the performance, a private reception was planned during which Maestro Paul Freeman would surprise Cicely Tyson with a sculpture I\u2019d created.\u00a0 I was asked to write a few words to say at the unveiling, something about how her art has inspired me.\u00a0 I want to share what I said to her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But, first, let me briefly put this moment into its proper historical context:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maestro Paul Freeman was a world-famous African American maestro who was admired world-wide.\u00a0 He used his artistry and power in classical music to expand its landscape and to enrich it with diversity.\u00a0 Maestro Freeman was the one who gave the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma his first chance to perform with a professional orchestra.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the 1960\u2019s when Martin Luther King, Jr. learned that Paul Freeman had been chosen to lead the Atlanta Symphony, he told Freeman that he\u2019d broken down the final barrier\u2026\u201cthe last bastions of elitism.\u201d\u00a0 Freeman succeeded greatly in his goal to diversify the field of classical music, across the world.\u00a0 He conducted hundreds of orchestras around the world.\u00a0 Finally, in 1987, Maestro Freeman founded the world famous Chicago Sinfionetta Orchestra.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Cicely Tyson was scheduled to accompany the orchestra.\u00a0 It was 2003.\u00a0 Maestro Freeman would personally conduct as his friend, the great Cicely Tyson would perform a powerful narration.\u00a0 It was a Black-tie affair.\u00a0 The auditorium was packed with Chicago\u2019s who\u2019s who.\u00a0 Everyone was so excited to witness her artistry in person.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The lights dimmed and Cicely Tyson in all her majesty and regal-ness, arrived on-stage\u00a0 to the deafening cheers and applause of a standing ovation.\u00a0 She took her place in the spotlight and performed flawlessly before a spellbound crowd.\u00a0 The orchestra was superb.\u00a0 \u00a0 When her performance was over, Cicely Tyson bid the crowd farewell and exited the stage to even louder cheers and standing O\u2019s.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a short time, she was escorted into the private reception where she was greeted with more fanfare from the waiting VIP guests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the context of the room\u2026 a private reception where one legendary juggernaut in the arts, Paul Freeman, was about to surprise his dear friend, Cicely Tyson, another legendary juggernaut in the arts, with the gift of a work-of-art.\u00a0 And now it was time for me to speak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shakily, with a nervously unfolded letter in hand, I proceeded to the podium and said these words to her.<\/span>\"\" <\/span>Dear Cicely,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for the greatest gift you could ever have given me.\u00a0 Thank you for giving me \u201csomething in myself.\u201d\u00a0 Thank you for the gift of cultural pride and dignity, and for the lessons of self-worth reinforced over and over by the strength of the characters YOU brought to life so that I could see, hear, learn, and feel the passions of the ancestors who M-A-D-E us survive.\u00a0 Thank you for breathing life into proud characters that denied me the \u201cright\u201d to fail when faced with those who sought to deny me the right to succeed.\u00a0 Thank you, Jane!\u00a0 Thank you, Harriet!\u00a0 Thank you, Rosa, Coretta, Marva!\u00a0 Thank you, Cicely!\u00a0 Thank you for using your artistic prowess to honor and cultivate the dignity of — not just women; not just African Americans; but the dignity of the entire human race.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I am so honored to be able to present you with one of my sculptures.\u00a0 I am so proud to say to you, through my own work, that your work has so greatly mattered to me and my family.\u00a0 With my deepest appreciation, respect and love, Debra Hand \/9\/20\/2003\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the moment Paul Freeman unveiled the piece.\u00a0 Here is Cicely Tyson\u2019s reaction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" <\/span> \"\"<\/span>Cicely Tyson will always be one of the greatest artists to emerge from the profession of acting.\u00a0 I\u2019m referring to the whole entire history of acting.\u00a0 She was a master at resurrecting the lives of our ancestors so that we, the audience, could spend time with them and learn at their knee.\u00a0 Shakespeare would have given his writing arm for such a star.\u00a0 Instead, the treasure was given to us.\u00a0 We got her.\u00a0 The twentieth century got her.\u00a0 America got her.\u00a0 The African-American culture that she so elegantly represented on the highest level\u2026we got her.\u00a0 We all get to say we lived in the same world, in real time, with such an extraordinary artist.\u00a0 We are the witnesses; the ones who will now pass down her legacy to younger generations.\u00a0 She has left standards to us to uphold as she carved her unforgettable mark upon the arts and humanity.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cicely Tyson passed away at the age of 96.\u00a0 Paul Freeman passed away in June of 1987 at the age of 92.\u00a0 These artists changed the world through their art.\u00a0 With great perseverance and vision, even when confronted by non-stop systems of injustice, they plowed through every barrier.\u00a0 They cemented new pathways and opened doors for future generations, all through the power of their art.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Less known about Cicely Tyson is her ground-breaking impact on the profession of classical and modern dance.\u00a0 It was Cicely Tyson who helped to found the renowned Dance Theater of Harlem.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to the unveiling, I\u2019d learned this fact.\u00a0 This was the reason a dance sculpture had been chosen for her gift.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cicely shares the story of co-founding the school with her beloved friend, Arthur Mitchel, when she spoke at his memorial service.\u00a0 Arthur Mitchel, who was the founder of the Dance Theater of Harlem, was also a legend in his field.\u00a0 In fact, he made history when he became the first African-American principal dancer at the New York City Ballet.\u00a0 As for founding the dance theater, Cicely Tyson gave this account: On the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, Arthur Mitchell and Cicely Tyson walked down the street together in stunned silence.\u00a0 Almost immediately after getting home, Arthur called Cicely and said, \u201cI want to do something.\u00a0 We have to do something.\u00a0 We can\u2019t let his life go like this.\u201d\u00a0 The next day Mitchell called Cicely again to say he\u2019d decided to form a dance company and he wanted Cicely with him.\u00a0 It was 1:30 in the morning.\u00a0 Cicely immediately took a cab to where Mitchell was.\u00a0 The two of them then went to wake up the actor Brock Peters.\u00a0 The three returned to Mitchel\u2019s apartment, sat on the floor, and brainstormed for hours.\u00a0 It was then and there that the Harlem Dance Theater was born:\u00a0 the founding of the first Black ballet company.<\/span><\/p>\n

She was also heavily involved in the development and ongoing operation of a school named in her honor, the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts. \u201cI didn\u2019t want my name to be a decoration on the building,\u201d she said.\u00a0 On that note,\u00a0 she remained involved at the school, just as she remained on the board of the Dance Theater of Harlem.\u00a0 Art was her weapon, her tool kit, her barometer.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t just survive the world for 96 years, she repaired and reshaped it at every point she touched.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had the honor of seeing Cicely Tyson on a couple of occasions after the Chicago Sinfonietta unveiling.\u00a0 Each time I saw her I would humbly mention that I\u2019d created the dance sculpture, and each time she would immediately raise her arms to form a circle above her head, and then kick up one heel to mimic the sculpture\u2019s pose.\u00a0 She\u2019d laugh heartily and give me the most loving hug.\u00a0 She\u2019d graciously take the time to make me feel appreciated for creating that piece.\u00a0 My sculpture had served as a conduit for a special moment between her and her friend, the great Maestro Paul Freeman.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/span>This underscores the enduring power of art.\u00a0 It can transmit sentiments between people that goes beyond the limit and power of words.\u00a0 The sculpture connected Cicely Tyson and Maestro Freeman on an even more profound personal level because it symbolized his high regard for her, her life, and honored her great contribution to humanity in an area where she deserves to be celebrated for her groundbreaking contribution.\u00a0 Beyond that, the sculpture represented, for both of them, a beautiful moment in their friendship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All artwork has the power to carry stories and messages from one generation to the next, for as long as that work survives.\u00a0 Those who become the caretakers of artwork also inherit the stories and history of the work.\u00a0 They get to feel that much closer to the memories of their loved one because they have become the caretaker of their loved one\u2019s prized possessions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cicely Tyson\u2019s body of work and the great collection of performances where she gave her heart and soul to reach artistic perfection for us — this is the prized possession that has just been handed down to all of us from her.\u00a0 As we watch her films, they will keep us closely connected to her life, her journey, and her contributions to this earth.\u00a0 And they will continue to strengthen new generations with stories and messages of cultural pride, determination, and purpose.\u00a0 We have all become the caretakers of her legacy, and it is up to us to insure that her name and work reign atop the highest pinnacles of the performing arts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rest in Power, Queen Mother Cicely Tyson.\u00a0 Thank you for using your brilliant artistry to serve humanity.\u00a0 We will remember and cherish you forever more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To our readers: As always, please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Also, a very special \u201cThank You\u201d to my cousin Joan Boston for capturing the unveiling photos, and to the late Kim Jeff for bringing my name to the table for this great honor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>