Muhammad School of Language and Martial Arts

Muhammad School of Language & Martial Arts, October 25, 2015 – February 28, 2016
Installation/ Social Practice project at Project Rowhouses in Houston,TX

Installation includes a looping documentary about Sister Clara Muhammad Schools – a network of several dozen independent schools founded in the early 1930s United States by Black Muslims, original signage (outdoor and indoor), a martial arts dojo, a library specializing in books Knight collected from Black Muslims in Houston, a workshop space, and a “Black Conscious Space” of prayer, meditation and contemplation.

Knight collaborated with Five Elements Kung Fu Wu Su – a martial arts dojo owned by a Black Muslim family in Houston’s 3rd Ward, to teach weekly martial arts classes to the public throughout 4-month project.

Muhammad School of Language and Martial Arts: Bilalian Night at the Museum

5Bilal Hassan guiding a tour through the archive during Bilalian Night at the Museum, Queens Museum, September 23rd, 2023

6 Bilal Hassan guiding a tour through the archive during Bilalian Night at the Museum, Queens Museum, September 23rd, 2023

Bilalian Night at the Museum X Queens Museum_Guided Tour 2

Bilalian Night at the Museum X Queens Museum_Guided Tour

4 Bilal Hassan guiding a tour through the archive during Bilalian Night at the Museum, Queens Museum, September 23rd, 2023

2 Bilal Hassan guiding a tour through the archive during Bilalian Night at the Museum, Queens Museum, September 23rd, 2023

1 Bilal Hassan guiding a tour through the archive during Bilalian Night at the Museum, Queens Museum, September 23rd, 2023

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Bilalian Night at the Museum was an evening focused on preserving the Black Muslim legacy. Organized as part of In Situ artist fellow Nsenga Knight’s social practice project Muhammad School of Language and Martial Arts.

The Bilalian Night at the Museum showcases an archive that preserves and safeguards an African American Muslim community’s 90+ year history and culture. It is an initiative under The WDM Collective (Cultural Heritage Preservation Project). The exhibition will include photographs, books and records that demonstrate the evolution of this community–from the Nation of Islam (under Hon. Elijah Muhammad) through its transition with Imam W.D. Mohammed. This project is curated by Bilal Hassan, a local Queens community organizer who will lead a guided tour through this unique archive. 

If you’re a business or an institution and you’d like to support events such as this and help me bring my vision into reality, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on studio@nsengaknight.com.