Filmmaker Byron Hurt to Speak at MassMu Brown Bag Lunch
Documentary filmmaker Byron Hurt will present “Soul Food Junkies” at the Massillon Museum’s Brown Bag Lunch program on Tuesday, February 28, beginning at 12:10 p.m. It will conclude about 12:50 p.m. to accommodate those who attend on their lunch hours.
The program complements The Art and History of Soul Food, a student photography exhibition in MassMu’s Fred F. Silk Community Room Gallery.
Byron Hurt is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, a published writer, and a respected anti-sexist activist. His most popular documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was later broadcast on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, drawing an audience of more than 1.3 million viewers.
Hurt’s father relished soul food’s fatty, salty flavors. His diet led to obesity and may have contributed to terminal pancreatic cancer. Hurt grew up enjoying that same traditional African American fare that signified home and family, but as a young man, he questioned food’s role in his father’s illness. He began to choose a more healthy diet for himself and to look into the “food justice” movement.
The Brown Bag Lunch series is free and open to everyone. Guests may bring lunch or purchase sandwiches, salad, and smoothies at Greatness Cafe in the Museum lobby. MassMu provides complimentary cookies and coffee to all attendees.
The Massillon Museum is grateful for operating support from the Ohio Arts Council, ArtsinStark, and the citizens of Massillon, as well as marketing support from Visit Canton. The Brown Bag Lunch series is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Ohio Humanities, and the Kent Area Chapter of The Links, Inc..
MassMu is located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. A visit is always free and everyone is welcome. Free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots. For more information, call 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.
Media Contacts:
Alexandra Nicholis Coon, Massillon Museum Executive Director – 330-833-4061 x111
Margy Vogt, Massillon Museum Public Relations Coordinator – 330-844-1525
