WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute presents the first in a series of free outdoor concerts with thematic connections to the Ground/work 2025 exhibition with a performance by Balla Kouyaté on Wednesday, July 2 at 6 pm on the Reflecting Pool Lawn.

 

According to a press release: 

 

Balla Kouyaté's lineage goes back more than 800 years to Balla Faséké, the first of an unbroken line of djelis in the Kouyaté clan. The word "djeli" derives from the Mandinka language, meaning the oral historians, musicians, and performers who celebrate the history of the Mandé people of Mali, Guinea, and other West African countries. Kouyaté's musical virtuosity on the balafon (the West African antecedent of the xylophone) brings the sounds of West Africa to Williamstown, honoring the roots of Ground/work 2025 artist Aboubakar Fofana.

 

Free. Bring a picnic and your own seating. Inclement weather moves events to the Manton Research Center auditorium. For accessibility questions, call 413 458 0524.