Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers Closing Celebration
Celebrate the closing weekend of Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers with free gallery admission all weekend—plus tours, films, performances, and more!
Weekend Schedule
Friday, September 25
Magnolia at the Modern film:I Love Boosters
2, 4, and 8 pm
Like Rashid Johnson, film director Boots Riley explores Black identity and community agency in his work, exploring the emotional and psychological toll of navigating modern identity with humor and pathos. Riley’s I Love Boosters is an absurdist crime comedy starring Naomi Ackie, Keke Palmer, and Taylour Paige as a crew of professional shoplifters who steal high-end clothes to sell at a steep discount, viewing their work as community service.
Rashid Johnson, Antoine’s Organ piano performance
5:30 pm
At the heart of Rashid Johnson’s installation work, Antoine’s Organ, 2016/2026, is the piano. When activated through performance, the piano underscores music’s life-giving capacity to convey narrative and communal connection, particularly within Black communities. Join us for the final Antoine’s Organ performances of the exhibition’s run!
A Poem for Deep Thinkers Open Mic Hosted by Black Ceasar
6 pm
Join us for an open mic night hosted by Emmy Award–winning artist Black Ceasar, inspired by the special exhibition Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers. This special event invites community voices to share work that reflects creativity, reflection, and bold expression. A night of art, energy, and deep thinking.
Saturday, September 26
A Response to Rashid Johnson, Stage, by TeeDee Simons
Noon
Performance artist, choreographer, and producer TeeDee Simons’s response to Rashid Johnson’s Stage, 2026, is a duet that explores the vesica piscis motif—a symbol dating back to Byzantine iconography that often appears in Rashid Johnson’s work. This performance finds inspiration in the symbol as a source for movement-making. The choreography continually returns the two dancers to their inhabited circles, each in conversation with the other. By exploring the spatial possibilities within the geometry of the intersecting shapes, a game emerges between the dancers as they inhabit the liminal space between their bodies and the geometry of the vesica piscis.
Public Tour: Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers
Noon and 2 pm
Enjoy a special tour of the exhibition guided by one of the Modern's expert docents.
Rashid Johnson, Stage performance by Trio Glossía
4 pm
Trio Glossía, formed in late 2022, is a Denton- and Dallas-based jazz ensemble. Steeped in the traditions of original composition as well as free improvisation, their sound draws on influences including avant-garde/free jazz, harmolodic funk, rock in opposition, chamber music, and hard bop. Free wheeling jazz collides with angular melodies, medications on dark and light, primal screams, and a relentless swing—a musical approach both visceral and meticulously crafted. Featuring Stefan González on vibraphone and drums, Matthew Frerck on bass and guitar, and Joshua Cañate on tenor saxophone and drums.
Magnolia at the Modern film: I Love Boosters
5 pm
Sunday, September 27
Magnolia at the Modern: I Love Boosters
11:30 am, 2 pm, and 4:30 pm
Rashid Johnson, Antoine’s Organ piano performance
Noon–5pm
Family Tour: Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers
The Modern invites families with children to join us for a special tour for our younger visitors. This tour visits a few works on view and includes a family activity focusing on a highlighted work from the Museum's collection.
2 pm
Family Zine-Making Activity
2–4 pm
Join us in the galleries for a family-friendly, collaborative zine-making project that explores literary themes and redacted poetry.