Tupac Amaru Shakur (aka 2Pac) became a cultural icon worthy of being immortalized in an art installation. The Tupac Shakur Wake Me When I’m Free exhibit showcases the late emcee/actor/activist’s music, poetry, and never-before-seen artifacts.
The Shakur Estate-sanctioned Wake Me When I’m Free launched in January. WMWIF planned to end its run in Los Angeles on May 1. However, organizers extended the “sensory experience” inside a 20,000-square-foot space until July 4.
Additionally, WMWIF offers free tickets to public school groups and their chaperones. Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho recently visited the exhibition with more than 70 students from across the L.A. district.
“Inspired, powerful, meaningful: These are just a few of the words our students used to describe the exhibit Tupac Shakur Wake Me When I’m Free after our visit,” states Superintendent Carvalho. “These students joined our test pilot for the Los Angeles Unified Cultural Arts Passport, a new program to provide all students with access to arts and cultural enrichment.”
The 2014 American Association of School Administrators National Superintendent Of The Year also added, “I’m thrilled that the exhibit will extend its offer of free tickets to all public school student groups to visit and learn about Tupac Shakur’s life and legacy.”
Before his death in September 1996, 2Pac released the classic hip Hop albums Me Against the World in 1995 and All Eyez on Me in 1996. The posthumous The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory dropped in 1996 as well. Pac was just 25 years old at the time of his passing. His murder is still unsolved.
Round Room Live, CAA, Universal Music Group, and Kinfolk Management + Media partnered together to produce Tupac Shakur Wake Me When I’m Free. Nwaka Onwusa and Jeremy Hodges collaborated on curating WMWIF.
Jeremy Hodges also serves as Project Art Collective’s Creative Director. Nwaka Onwusa is the Chief Curator & Vice President of Curatorial Affairs at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For more information about the Tupac Shakur Wake Me When I’m Free exhibit, visit wakemewhenimfree.com.
Photo Credit: Jeffrey Newbury