The Academy Art Museum is pleased to announce the 11th Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday, June 18 from noon – 4 pm. Presented by AAM, Building African American Minds (BAAM), the Frederick Douglass Honor Society and the Talbot County Free Library, this special free celebration is an outdoor block party featuring a concert with exceptional musical talent from around the region including Dat Feel Good and Julie Outrage, an exhibition of the vibrant tapestries and paintings of Adrienne Elise Tarver and the stunning illustrations of children’s book author Bryan Collier, a hands-on art project for families and delicious food vendors including Danielle’s Pit Stop, Scottish Highland Creamery, and Gabee’s Icees.
The Academy Art Museum would like to thank Lead Sponsor Morgan Stanley for supporting this year’s celebration. Additional support for this event is provided by Talbot Arts, Maryland State Arts Council, Maryland Public Television, Easton Utilities and Paris Foods Corporation.
PERFORMANCES
Clarence Ward III and his band Dat Feel Good are one of the most sought-after neo-jazz bands based in the DC/MD areas. Ward III is a flugelhornist, saxophonist, and trumpeter whose lion’s heart style of playing positions him as the vanguard of reinforcing jazz music’s vital voice in these modern times. He has performed with a diverse range of artists including Gladys Knight, N’Dambi Blue, Robert Glasper, Nancy Wilson, Musiq Soulchild, Benny Golson, Aretha Franklin, and toured with R&B Soul Singer Ledisi. Music critics and fans alike say “[Clarence] is in a lane of his own,” when it comes to his flare and style of playing. He named his band Dat Feel Good because it is the way he wants listeners to feel when they leave his shows.
Julie O. aka Julie Outrage is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, filmmaker and producer with a style ranging from blues, rock, R&B, hip-hop, jazz and experimental. She was born in West Africa, spent several years living in Brooklyn and is based in Washington D.C. In 2014, Julie Outrage was named The Deli Magazine’s Best of NYC Emerging Artist. Her style has been called funk-rock with a jazz guitar influence, a feel encompassing hip hop inspired & spoken word lyrics. In January 2021, Julie Outrage released her 5th self-produced single, “Slow Down” arranged and mixed by Jaz Williams (credits: Mac Miller, Kap G, Bone Thugs) featuring the horn section from Washington D.C. band, Aztec Sun. Slow Down, is available on all streaming platforms.
ART
Enjoy the artwork of Adrienne Elise Tarver in the exhibition Manifesting Paradise. Her paintings and works on paper feature bold figures and botanical forms, brought to life by a warm palette rich with dynamic overtones and gradients. Encompassing multiple stages of Tarver’s prolific career, the work in the exhibition serves as a hopeful, beautiful projection in the face of the socioeconomic and cultural injustices Black people face in America.
Also on display is the exhibition Bryan Collier: Dream Walking. This exhibition features the stunning original artworks that illustrate Collier’s children’s books, By and By, about gospel composer Charles Albert Tindley, and We Shall Overcome, a celebration of the eponymous gospel anthem and Civil Rights protest song, plus his latest book Music is a Rainbow inspired by the childhoods of Maya Angelou and Quincy Jones. Collier is a Caldecott Honor recipient and a nine-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. His unique illustrations combine watercolor and collage to bring African American historical figures to life.
This year’s free family craft will be a colorful collage project inspired by Bryan Collier’s art.
About the Academy Art Museum
As the premier art museum on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Academy Art Museum presents high-quality exhibitions and a full range of art classes for visitors of all ages. Past exhibitions have featured artists such as James Turrell, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Pat Steir and Richard Diebenkorn. The permanent collection focuses on works on paper by American and European artists from four centuries including recent acquisitions by Graciela Iturbide and Zanele Muholi. Arts educational programs range from life drawing lessons to digital art instruction, and include lunchtime and cocktail hour concerts, lectures and special art events, as well as a Fall Craft Show. AAM also provides arts education to public and private school children from the region and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
Location: 106 South Street, Easton, Maryland
Summer Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday 10:00 am to 7:30 pm (free admission), Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. Closed Mondays and Federal holidays.
Admission: $3, children under 12 free, AAM members free.
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