The National Black Arts Festival will showcase many artists from the African Diaspora. Enjoy the best in artist markets, gallery crawls, music, leisure, theater and film.
2011 Festival Highlights
Legends Celebration: The O’Jays
Sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company
The O’Jays are honored as the 2011 Legends. After a string of hits over more than 50 years, the O’Jays give the world one of the most anticipated performances of their career.
July 15, 2011, 8:00 PM, Atlanta Symphony Hall
Interpretations: Black Visual Art – Past, Present, Future
Sponsored by Bank of America
Interpretations: Black Visual Art – Past, Present and Future remembers Romare Bearden on the 100th Anniversary of his birth and honors master artists; Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis, Betye Saar, Richard Mayhew, Thornton Dial and David Driskell. July 14, 2011, 8:00 PM, Symphony Hall
DanceAfrica Atlanta!
Sponsored by Macy’s, Chevron and South Arts
NBAF presents DanceAfrica Atlanta! Curated by Chuck Davis, Founder and Artistic Director of the African American Dance Ensemble. DanceAfrica is a celebration of the movement, spirit and energy of cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora. Features Lesolés Dance Project, Vincent Mantsoe, Giwayen Mata and Diali Keba Cissohko.
July 16 &17, 2010, Saturday, 8:00 PM, Sun 3 PM, Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University
SNEAK PEEK SCREENING - FunkJazz Kafé: Diary Of A Decade
Diary of a Decade is a full-length documentary film on the FunkJazz Kafé, a music and arts movement born of Atlanta’s diverse musical heritage. Directed by Jason Orr.
Wednesday, July 13, 7:00 PM Red Carpet and Doors
PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL AT THE NATIONAL BLACK ARTS FESTIVAL
The National Black Arts Festival welcomes the curatorial expertise of long-time partners, the Pan African Film Festival again this year to present a diverse slate of films from throughout the African Diaspora. The Pan African Film Festival presents the most provocative films created by filmmakers of color throughout Africa and the African Diaspora.
July 13 & July 14, Wednesday, 10 AM – 6:30 PM; Thursday, 2:30 AM – 9:00 PM. Rialto Center for the Arts
Brunch and Gallery Tour with Radcliffe Bailey (sold out)
Join NBAF at Table 1280 for an intimate lunch conversation with Radcliffe Bailey prior to touring his exhibition Memory as Medicine at the High Museum of Art.
July 17, 2011, 1:00 PM, Table 1280, Woodruff Arts Center
NBAF Gala: A Gathering of Colors- Salute to the Silver Screen (sold out)
Sponsored by The Coca Cola Company and UPS
Discover why Atlanta is dubbed the “Hollywood of the South” as you stroll down memory lane at NBAF’s 2011 Gala: A Salute to the Silver Screen which pays homage to the achievements to African Americans in the film industry.
July 16th, 7 p.m. July 16, 2010, 7:00 PM, Ritz-Carlton Buckhead
International Marketplace at Centennial Olympic Park
Sponsored by American Family Insurance
From paintings, beautifully woven fabrics and clothing to skillfully handcrafted jewelry and wood carved sculptures, artists from around the world showcase their best in the Marketplace. Features: Publix Healthy Cooking Pavilion, African Ancestry, Senegalese Village and Ghanaian Trade Fair.
July 14-July 17. Thurs 5 PM-9 PM, Fri-Sat 10 AM-9 PM, Sun 12 PM-8 PM, Centennial Olympic Park
The Main Stage at Centennial Olympic Park
Three days of jazz, reggae, blues, soul and African rhythms! Featuring Orquesta Macuba, Rio Negro, Ras Kofi, Frankie’s Blues Mission, Chicago Bob Nelson, Sandra Hall The Empress of the Blues, Donnie, Julie Dexter, The Chronicle, Tribute to Gil Scott Heron, Kathleen Bertrand, Gregory Porter and Omar Sosa. The full line up is available at NBAF.org.
July 15-July 17, Fri 5 PM-9 PM, Sat 12 PM- 9 PM, Sun 12 PM-8 PM., Centennial Olympic Park
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Ebenezer
The National Black Arts Festival and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra continue their annual partnership to present a community concert at Ebenezer Baptist Church on historic Auburn Avenue.
July 17, 2010, 7 PM, Ebenezer Baptist Church
Visual Arts Highlights
ACA Gallery of SCAD – Trenton Doyle Hancock – We Done All We Could and None Of It’s Good
Avisca Fine Art – Works on Paper: Freddie Styles and Lynn Marshall Linnemeier Catherine Kelleghan Gallery – A Diversity of Colors, Group Show
Chastain Arts Center – Home, curated by Fahamu Pecou
Gems of Africa Gallery – Contemporary Africa
Hagedorn Gallery – True Hip Hop – Mike Schreiber
Hagedorn Gallery – John Florio
Hammonds House Museum – Equal Rights: The Art of Michael D. Harris High Museum of Art – Memory as Medicine – Radcliffe Bailey
Mercer University – Lynn Linnemeier: Douglass’ Douglasville: A Journey Project
Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University – Susan J. Ross, Sankofa
Zucot Gallery/Premier Art – Views, Moods, Attitudes: Life Perspectives from Acclaimed Atlanta Artists
Times and dates vary
The Publix Healthy Cooking Pavilion at Centennial Park
Sponsored by Publix
Get on the right track to a healthier and happier you by participating in healthy cooking demonstrations, tastings and learning new cooking ideas at the Healthy Cooking Pavilion sponsored by Publix.
July 14-July 17, 2011 Thursday, 6 PM-8 PM, Fri-Sat 12 PM-8 PM, Sun 12 PM-6 PM, Centennial Olympic Park
Children’s Education Village
This year’s Children's Education Village features five distinct destinations with a variety of hands on experiences designed for children aged 5-12: The Boyhood Home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.(Growing the Dream); an African hands-on village (Destination Afrika); an urban ecological experience for children (Black and Green!); Partners’ Row featuring the best of Atlanta for children; and the Family Stage.
Friday, July 15, 10 AM – 4 PM, Camps and Groups by Reservation Only (Pre-registration is required). Family Days - Saturday, July 16, Noon – 4 PM, Sunday, July 17, Noon - 4 PM, Centennial Olympic Park
NBAF in the Community
NBAF in the Community showcases local talent to children, families, seniors and other Fulton County Residents. Artists include the James Patterson Sextet, Río Negro, Kuumba Storytellers, Kevin Spears and Marcus Hopkins-Turner. More information is available at NBAF.org.
Monday – Saturday, July 6-9, 2011
Jazz Around Town
Jazz at the Southwest Arts Center featuring Avery Sunshine.
Monday, July 11 at 7:30 pm, Southwest Arts Center
Dance Master Class
Atlanta area dancers participate in a Community Master Dance Class with choreographers Vincent Mantsoe and Lesolé Maine. Pre-registration is required. Space is limited and reserved on a first –come-first-served basis.
Saturday, July 15, 2011, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM, Ballethnic Dance Studio
Coretta Scott King Book Fair: Beautiful Blackbird
Presented in partnership with the Children's Department of the Atlanta Fulton Public Library System
Event includes storytelling, hands on activities, and youth workshops. This year’s featured award winning author is Ashley Bryan. The featured award winning illustrator is Bryan Collier. The Coretta Scott King Book Awards honor Mrs. King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood. Children presenting a public library card can select a FREE Coretta Scott King Award-winning book. This event is Free, but reservations are required, please call 404 224-3464.
Wednesday, July 6, 2010, 10 AM- 2 PM, Atlanta Fulton County Public Library- Children’s Department, One Margaret Mitchell Square
NBAF Summer Institute
World renowned artists and scholars provide participants with an up-close and personal experience with art and culture which is supported by a selection of performances and gallery tours. Conducted in partnership with the Hammonds House Museum, will guide participants through the Contemporary Arts of the African Diaspora. Pre-registration is required, register at NBAF.org.
July 12-16, 2010, 9 AM-12 PM, Hammonds House Galleries
The Life and Times of Congressman Robert Smalls” Exhibition and Educator Workshop
Presented in Partnership with the Auburn Avenue Research Library and Museum
Traveling exhibition includes visual displays, three-dimensional artifacts, pictures and other memorabilia of Civil War hero, Robert Smalls, his life and his family.
July 5, 2011 – September 19, 2011, Auburn Avenue Research Library. Conducted in partnership with Auburn Avenue Research Library.
First Glance: Fresh Perspectives from Young Artists
Sponsored by Turner Voices, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
High school students compete against one another to win the top prize in spoken word, visual arts and film. Who will take home the honors? Come out and see for yourself.
July 14, 2011, 12:00 PM, Rialto Center for the Arts at Georgia State University.
Race, Diversity & Performance Series: The Conversations
African American Art in the 21st Century with Halima Taha and Michael Harris
A conversation between Halima Taha, author of “Collecting African American Art: Works on Canvas and Paper” and visual artist Michael Harris, about African American Visual Art in the 21st century. Facilitated by visual arts curator Karen Comer Lowe.
Wednesday, July 13, 2010, Hammonds House, 1 PM
Race, Diversity and Performance: African American Music in the 21st Century
Join Dr. Dwight Andrews as he considers the challenges and the possibilities of African American Music in the 21st Century.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011, 4 p.m, Hammonds House Museum
The O’Jays: In Context
Dr. Portia K. Maultsby, Professor of Ethnomusicology at Indiana University explores the music of The O’Jays and contextualizes this legendary musical phenomenon.
Thursday, July 14, 2011, 1 PM, Hammonds House Museum
African Americans and the African Renaissance: A Forum on the 3rd World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, Dakar, Senegal, 2010
Reports from the 3rd edition of the World Festival of Black Arts and Cultures in Dakar, Senegal where thousands of people from Africa and the Black Diaspora engaged a new vision of the African Diaspora.
Saturday, July 16, 2011, 10 AM, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American
Three Sistahs
Presented in Partnership with Horizon Theatre Company
This blues & pop musical set in 1969 is about three who gather for the third year in a row for a funeral. When they return to pack up the family home, sparks fly as they share wine, memories, dreams and secrets. Story by Janet Pryce, Book & Lyrics by Thomas W. Jones II, Music by William Hubbard, Directed by Thomas W. Jones II.
July 15 – August 28, Wed-Fri 8 PM, Sat 3 PM & 8:30 PM, Sun 5 PM, Horizon Theatre Company
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