Indë presents “Unamericana” at Memorial Hall

Artist and educator Indë presents Unamericana on March 7-9th at Memorial Hall in Northampton. This art installation and its musical performances are free and public. Learn more at artbyinde.com/unamericana

Unamericana is a three-day public art installation by Indë, a queer Black artivist born, raised, and residing in Northampton, MA. As a free & public facet of the Back Porch Fest, Unamericana will be housed at 240 Main St from March 7-9th. Indë’s interactive musical performances and large paintings of queer and trans Black figures will bring marginalized legacies to life at the heart of Northampton’s Memorial Hall.

“My would-be role models are buried: Marsha P., Marlon Riggs, and Malcom X…. Since I grew up without people who looked and identified the way I do, I’ve had to become my own role model.”

Indë makes his Back Porch Fest debut with Unamericana, and offers a public workshop for those who like to sing! The “Freedom Songs” workshop held on Sunday, March 9th, at 1pm will explore the use of call & response as an integral part of American culture, particularly in times of civil unrest. Participants of all experience levels are welcome, and are encouraged to stay and sing backup for Indë’s 3pm set! If you can’t make it on Sunday afternoon, Indë will also be playing a full set at Memorial Hall at 7pm on Friday, and opening for New Dangerfield at the Academy of Music at 2pm on Saturday (Ramble Passes are required for all Academy concerts, and are available at backporchfest.com).

“The paintings presented in Mirror, Mirror depict the role models I wish I’d had,” Indë says. Their sentiments echo a quote of the late filmmaker Marlon Riggs’s, “It is necessary to constantly remind ourselves we are not an abomination.” Unamericana is a celebration of artists, activists and abolitionists who have dedicated and given their lives to create a healthier and more equitable culture in their communities.

“Both unapologetic and welcoming, Indë is offering a much needed ‘role model’ to all of us,” says Kathy Couch, Co-Director/Steward at A.P.E. Ltd, whose gallery on Main Street has just booked the artist for exhibition in mid July.

About Indë
Indë (they/he) is an artist-scholar whose work is rooted in a love of creative problem-solving and an uncompromising commitment to advancing equity and media literacy. They contend with American imperial systems of division, using multimedia compositions to combat the lynching, disenfranchisement, and misrepresentation of queer people of color. Since completing their undergraduate studies at MassArt and Berklee in Boston, Indë has served as a member of the Northampton Arts Council, and Media Manager at the Northampton Community Music Center.

Unamericana is made possible by The Parlor Room Collective’s Uplifting Queer Voices program and a Local Cultural Council grant from the Northampton Arts Council. Uplifting Queer Voices is a community program made possible by the Live Music Society’s Music In Action Grant, dedicated to empowering and amplifying voices of local LGBTQIA+ musicians and industry professionals with an emphasis on QTBIPOC led affinity spaces. Indë is also a recipient of the Passim Iguana Music Fund, Mass Cultural Council’s Grants for Creative Individuals, the CFWM ValleyCreates Artist Capacity-Building Grant, and earned Academic and Departmental Honors from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

About The Parlor Room Collective and The Back Porch Festival
The Parlor Room Collective is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to art, artists, education and community in Western Massachusetts. The Parlor Room Collective's mission is to enhance the health and vitality of our community through music. The Parlor Room Collective is home to The Parlor Room and The Iron Horse in Northampton, MA.

The Back Porch Festival was founded by Signature Sounds in 2014 as a one day event at the Academy Of Music Theater in Northampton. It has since grown to a multi-venue event featuring the best in American roots music that features 60 bands at 10 venues over 3 days in downtown Northampton, MA. In 2025 The Parlor Room Collective joined Signature Sounds as a co-presenter. Every year, the festival includes a live broadcast of the Back Porch Radio Show before a live audience.