First Thursdays are back, and we’re launching our fall season with one of our biggest lineups yet. Headlining the event: #AGO1st is thrilled to welcome hip-hop legend DMC of Run-DMC. The night also features local artists who break boundaries and challenge borders, inspired by the exhibition Every.Now.Then: Reframing Nationhood.

Co-founder of the groundbreaking group Run-DMC, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels is a legendary music icon who changed the course and the visibility of the hip hop genre. Run-DMC was the first rap group to grace the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine and the first to appear on MTV. They changed music, culture, fashion, language and made history. DMC has always paved his own path, crossing genres between hip-hop and rock, rap and comics, and has been a life-long advocate for kids in foster care as well as many other social causes. In 2009, Run-DMC became only the second hip-hop act to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2016 he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Leading up to DMC’s 10 pm performance in Walker Court, a dynamic lineup of artists will create performances and installations throughout the Gallery. Maria Qamar, a.k.a. HATECOPY, depicts the life and times of first generation South Asians living in the west through an immersive pop-art installation. RUDE Collective (Real Unapologetic Diverse Expression) reclaims space, highlighting racialized queer artists and artwork with music, visuals and interactive projects. And 2Spirit/Queer, Métis/Saultreaux/Polish visual artist Dayna Danger explores the line between empowerment and objectification with feminist BDSM imagery. Dayna will be collaborating with Kandace Price for the performance.

The event will also feature pop-up talks with local artists and makers, our monthly Out of the Vaults pop-up exhibition, and interactive activations. And, as always, you can expect delicious food and drinks courtesy of AGO Kitchens in the AGO’s Night Market.

For all the latest details on First Thursdays, follow #AGO1st onTwitter and Instagram.

Information on Darryl “DMC” McDaniels visit: www.thekingdmc.com