Tendani Mpulubusi El is a multi-disciplined artist, filmmaker, musician and teacher who has used his talents to give voice to his community for more than seven years. He gained much experience early on in his youth as an intern at National Geographic Society’s film department and went on to receive audio visual production and editing certification at local DCTV, apprentice with the Corcoran College/Gallery of Arts, and serve as Arts Commissioner for the District’s Ward 8. His work has been featured in many news publications and television broadcasts such as the Washington Post and Fox 5 News.
In addition to his work as an artist, he actively engages his community in his roles as founder of the People Past & Present Project, founder of EastoftheRiverArts.com, and lead creative consultant to the Pearl Coalition. He also works with local government to connect District residents with opportunities for advancement.
Tendani discovered his passion for film at the Matthew Henson Conservation Center where he served more than 1,700 community service hours working to restore the Anacostia River. He and an associate were asked to produce a PSA about the Anacostia River and the spark was lit.
After returning to the Henson Center as Americorps alum, he became motivated to capture environmental and social issues on film and to mentor and empower other young people. While mentoring and volunteering to teach youth art at the Barry Farm Resident Council Community Center, Tendani discovered a piece of little known American history. He picked up and read a pamphlet that explained how the community of Barry Farm was originally founded. He soon learned that the community in which he had lived for the past six years was the first freedman’s community established after emancipation and was founded by African American men and women who worked all day and built their homes at night under candle light.
Inspired by the story, he set out to learn as much about the founding of this community as possible. When discussing the story with other community members and professionals, he deemed it unacceptable that so few people were aware of such an amazing local history with national impact. After consulting with Patsy Fletcher and the DC Office of Historic Preservation, he was introduced to Kalfani Ture, a professor of anthropology who became the lead researcher for his project. Tendani began conducting some personal research and on camera interviews with local historians and members of the community to capture an oral history supported with scholarship and professional research.
The project gained support from the grassroots community, the Barry Farm Resident Council, Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry, Ward 8 Youth Leadership Council, Humanities Council of Washington DC, The Pearl Coalition, and many others along the way. The film was originally entitled Barry Farm: Past & Present and later was changed to People Past & Present: Hillsdale to be more inclusive of the entire historic community, not just the Barry Farm Housing Projects.
Since the premiere screening at the Historical Society of Washington, the film has been screened at a variety of theatres, colleges and government agencies throughout the city and has aired on Comcast and Verizon cable networks during black history month and beyond. Tendani has been invited as a guest to lead discussions at numerous events and roundtables that focus on issues addressed in his documentary. According to the Historic Society of Washington, the film is “a riveting documentary of a former prominent community east of the river that’s weathering a storm of socioeconomic challenges.”
In 2008, Tendani Mpulubusi El became the youngest board member in the District of Columbia serving as the Ward 8 Commissioner of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH). After discovering the disparities in resources distributed to his constituency, he coordinated an East of the River arts tour to reintroduce board members to underserved communities and dispel any misconceptions and stereotypes about the artists in those communities. He also wanted to show local artists how the commission was there to support them. Tendani worked with the commission on producing a commercial that would educate the public about DCCAH grants and how to apply for them step by step. The commercial was aired on TV One and CW 50 for months and received positive feedback from the arts community.
While trying to get more people in east of the Anacostia to use the commissions resources, he next spearheaded EastoftheRiverArts.com, an online social network set up to give artists in underserved communities more visibility to the world and interaction with each other. The site features an online directory of local artists, arts organizations and arts resources, along with videos Tendani produced and edited featuring artists east of the Anacostia.
Shortly after his first local tour of the People Past and Present: Hillsdale documentary, Tendani founded the People Past and Present Project, an initiative dedicated to capturing and sharing community legacies locally and internationally. While there is new energy and financing needed for the EastOftheRiverArts.com network, he is working to promote the initiative and artists by airing the feature videos and recruiting volunteers to assist with development.
Tendani is currently providing artistic direction for The Pearl Coalition, founded by his grandfather Lloyd D. Smith, a pioneer in the socioeconomic development of some the District’s underserved communities. Lloyd’s work was honored by a number of U.S. Presidents and Queen Elizabeth of England. Tendani will be scheduling interviews with people to give testament to the legacy of Lloyd D. Smith in the coming spring of 2012.
Tendani is planning to produce an art exhibit that tells the story of Hillsdale, developing an Aboriginal Mask collection, painting murals in local schools, and looking to do mosaic designs in restaurants and retail venues. He continues to work as a liaison between the local government and grassroots community to educate his community about government initiatives and development projects while using his facilitation methods, graphic design and marketing expertise to enhance communications efforts.
Tendani’s next appearance will be at Whoolly Mammoth Theatre on August 6th 2011, leading an audience exchange after a live performance of the dynamic 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winning play Clyborne Park, which explores the evolution of race relations and urban development in a “post-racial” society.
Stay tuned for more summer and fall screenings of People Past and Present: Hillsdale at nearby universities, community centers and theatres, and a DVD of the documentary that is now available.
For more for info visit:
www.peoplepastandpresent.org
www.tendaniart.com
For press inquiries and bookings contact:
Tendani Mpulubusi El
[email protected]
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