Nashville, TN (TN Tribune) Cheekwood will debut its inaugural African American Cultural Family Celebration, featuring a weekend of activities highlighting the visual and performing arts. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy activities throughout Cheekwood’s gardens on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15.
During this weekend-long event, attendees will have the opportunity to learn about Nashville’s esteemed William Edmondson, with special lectures and curator-led tours, enjoy music from local Black musicians, and sample tasty fare from local food trucks. Cheekwood will also host an array of unique wellness programs that encompass the mind, body and spirit.
The African American Cultural Family Celebration will feature art activities, local food trucks and bar stations. It will also feature live musical performances by Brassville, Jason Eskridge, Lauren McClinton and Bryant Taylorr, which Cheekwood secured in partnership with Lovenoise. In the Museum, visitors will learn about the renowned Nashville artist and first Black artist to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, William Edmondson, with special tours and panel discussions on the exhibition The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments and Stonework.
“I am thrilled that Cheekwood is making an intentional effort to engage and welcome Nashville’s Black community,” say Rita Mitchell, co-chair of the event’s advisory committee. “It is our hope that the African American Cultural Family Celebration will become a legacy event and introduce a more diverse audience to Cheekwood while sharing pieces of the African American experience with all who visit.”
The African American Cultural Family Celebration advisory committee includes prominent community members and Black leaders including Brenda Corbin (Co-Chair), Rita Mitchell (Co-Chair), Harry Allen (Studio Bank), Grace Awh (Community Volunteer), Michael Gray (Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum), Barbara Higgins-Bond (Award-Winning Illustrator), Lagra Newman (Purpose Prep Academy), Monique Odom (Nashville Metro Parks), Ronald Roberts (Finn Partners, DVL Seigenthaler), Billye Sanders (Marian Dockery & Associates), Mark Schlicher (Sun Porch Media), Jamaal Sheats (Fisk University), Tamar Smithers (National Museum of African American Music), Michelle Steele (Lipscomb University), David Swett III (Swett’s Restaurant), Lolita Toney (Dismas House) and Carolyn Waller (Zeitlin’s Sotheby’s).
See Below for Event Schedule.
Schedule
Saturday, August 14
Main Stage – Arboretum Lawn
10:00 AM – 10:45 AM | Lauren McClinton
11:15 AM – 12:00 PM | Jason Eskridge
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM | Bryant Taylorr
Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden Stage
10:00 AM | Barbara Higgins-Bond reads Lorraine: The Girl Who Sang the Storm Away and discusses her illustration process
11:00 AM | Storytime
12:00 PM | Spoken Word with Southern Word
1:30 PM | Spoken Word with Southern Word
Massey Auditorium
10:30 AM | Panel Discussion: William Edmondson’s Nashville
Moderated by Marin Sullivan, Featuring Prof. Learotha Williams (Tennessee State University), Maria Magdalena Campos Pons (Vanderbilt University), and Jamaal Sheats (Fisk University)
Frist Learning Center Great Hall
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Spoken Art with Rita and Brittany Mitchell,
Affirmation Stations in Great Hall, video in Hill Room
Frist Learning Center Bradford Room
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Portrait Photography with DaShawn Lewis and Kim Manson *Advance registration required
Frist Learning Center Crumbo Studios
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Block Printing with Ashley Seay
*Advance registration required
Beer Garden
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Mural Painting Community Project & Model Magic Garden Creatures
Food Trucks – Lot B
That’s My Dawg, The Tasty Wheel, The Radical Rabbit
Bar Stations
Perfectly Cordial signature cocktails and mocktails
Sunday, August 15
In the Galleries
9:30 AM | Sound Bath Meditation with Jo-Jo Jackson
*Advance registration required
11:00 AM | Docent-led Tours of The Sculpture of William Edmondson: Tombstones, Garden Ornaments, and Stonework
Main Stage – Arboretum Lawn
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM | Larysa Jaye
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM | Mike Hicks
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Mr. Talk Box
2:25 PM – 2:45 PM | African Drumming
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Brassville
Massey Auditorium
1:30 PM | Panel Discussion
Frist Learning Center Great Hall
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Spoken Art with Rita and Brittany Mitchell,
Affirmation Stations in Great Hall, video in Hill Room
Beer Garden
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Creative Girls Rock, flower head bands, hands-on activities, & Model Magic Garden Creatures
Food Trucks – Lot B
That’s My Dawg, The Tasty Wheel, The Radical Rabbit, Rolled 4Ever, Cupcake Collection
Bar Stations
Perfectly Cordial signature cocktails and mocktails
For more information on the African American Cultural Family Celebration please visit cheekwood.org.
