The Academy Art Museum and the Frederick Douglass Honor Society are hosting the 5th annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, MD. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Celebrating Our Heritage in Art and Stories.”
Juneteenth, one of the most important African American holidays in the country, marks the abolition of slavery. The Celebration will commemorate Emancipation Day, celebrate the significant contributions of African Americans in our country, and reflect on the common values that we share as a community.
This year’s program will include a variety of free events. First, the exhibition, Ruth Starr Rose (1887 – 1965): Revelations of African American Life in Maryland and the World, will be on view in the Waterfowl Building in Easton throughout the Juneteenth Celebration. This comprehensive exhibition offers a rare glimpse into African American life at the turn of the century on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Many of the subjects are descendants of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Ross Tubman. Second, the exhibition, Ernie Satchell: A Few of MY Favorite Things (June 17 – August 7, 2016) features the ceramics of artist Ernest Satchell, a native of the Eastern Shore and retired professor from UMES.
Finally, on Saturday there will be a keynote talk at 12:45 by Carole Boston Weatherford, Professor and Director of the Professional Writing Program at Fayetteville State University in Fayetteville, NC, and author of the award winning children’s book, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.
Entertainment for the day includes the Christ Church Choir, Scotts United Methodist Church Praise Dance Team, Katelyn Cherry from St. Michaels High School, United Voices- from St. Stephens AME, St. Matthew UMC and Union Baptist Church, Voices of Worship from Union Baptist Church, and a Drummer’s Parade. Other activities include the acknowledgement at 12 noon of 2016 Juneteenth Honorees Jeffery Moaney, Barbara Paca, and St. Matthew United Methodist Church. At 12:10 p.m. Professor Dale Green from Morgan State University to introduce the Maryland Lt. Governor Boyde K. Rutherford. There will be art projects for children and families, craft displays, food, and a knowledge village in the block of South Street between the Museum and the Waterfowl Building. In addition, throughout the day, there will be an open house at the Asbury UM Church archeological site on The Hill.
The program is free and open to the entire community. For further information, visit academyartmuseum.org or call 410-822-2787.
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