Join us for an opening reception at Miller Hall for the ISM's new art exhibit, Take Me As I Am: Redemption and Grace for the Discarded, featuring appearances by exhibit artist Lance Flowers along with exhibit curator Robert Hodge and panelist Jason Woods (aka Flash Gordon Parks). Reception begins at 5 p.m and panel discussion begins at 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibit curated by Robert Hodge.

This event will be livestreamed. Registration is required for livestream access, but is not required for in-person attendance.

Take Me As I Am will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from October 24-December 5 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m., except for Thursday, November 28 when the ISM is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Exhibit is free and open to the public. View the exhibit's website for full details.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Robert Hodge is a multidisciplinary artist and curator based in Houston, Texas. His oeuvre celebrates resilience and reclamation through poignant commemorations of African American cultural icons, firmly rooted in the extensive continuum of African American history and cultural expression. Hodge’s collage-based creations skillfully juxtapose urban detritus and found objects with cut-out images, lyrics, and other signifiers of the African American experience. This synthesis generates a duality of meaning, transforming fragments of everyday life into potent conduits of artistic expression. His innovative techniques—cutting, sewing, scorching, and painting—dissolve the boundaries between his reclaimed materials and the traditions he evokes, suggesting alternative pathways through the intricate “layer cake” of African American history.

Hodge’s work has been showcased in numerous prestigious galleries and museums both nationally and internationally, including the SCHIRN in Frankfurt, Germany, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Presently, Hodge’s artwork is featured in the exhibition “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” at the Cincinnati Museum of Art.

Jason Woods aka Flash Gordon Parks is an ethnomusicologist from the city of Houston, TX. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Photography at Sam Houston State University in 2001.

In 2005 Flash Gordon Parks published a book of photography and poetry called The Beautiful Side of Ugly with Eric Blaylock. TBSOU combined the poetic words of Blaylock with the striking images of FGP to document the beauty of urban areas of Houston, Texas.

He’s also maintained several DJ residencies which range from Blues to Jazz to Soul/Funk to Hip Hop since 2004. Events such as Motown On Mondays, A Fistful Of Soul, Easin’ In and Straight No Chaser. As a DJ, he strives to educate the audience through carefully thought out selections. Flash Gordon Parks often collects, documents and lectures on the importance of Houston’s Rich Music History. He has lectured at such institutions as Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Rice University, Art League Houston and more.

In 2015 Flash Gordon Parks directed the documentary “This Thing We Do (Houston DJ Culture Revealed) which is an introduction to the world of Deejaying in the City of Houston. In 2019 he directed the documentary “Archie Bell” celebrating the achievements of Soul Music Icon Mr. Tighten Up (Archie Bell). In 2021 he partnered with the owners of Houston Sauce Co. to create the concept restaurant Mo’ Better Brews. He curates the vinyl shop, local Houston Music Ephemera, and music performances.

In 2022 Flash Gordon Parks was appointed Chairman of the Houston Music Advisory Board through the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.