Juneteenth Celebration: Elements of Freedom

Let's celebrate the reason for the Juneteenth season at the Gantt with an afternoon of music, conversation, and creative expression for all. Check out the line-up of fun, engaging, and interactive events trumpeting the elements of freedom.

Upon arrival, please check in at the Museum Store or 2nd floor Visitor Experience desk to receive free admission to our Juneteenth programs.

Schedule

12:30 pm - 2 pm
Family Drop-In Art Workshop: Creative Freedom

• Colorful hands-on art experience with writer and visual artist, Dakotah Carter
• Carter will lead participants in an activity with oil pastels, combining themes of beauty and power with the Black fist over a floral pattern
• Explore how expression is a form of freedom

2:30 pm - 4 pm
Community Conversation: What is Freedom to You?

• This conversation will prioritize the voices of the community and what freedom means in our modern era
• A discussion of historical elements surrounding Juneteenth - participants will reflect on the importance of never forgetting the past, and celebrating how far our community and culture have advanced

4 pm - 5 pm
Live Musical Performance: Sounds of Freedom

• Enjoy the music of Quentin Talley and The Soul Providers as we close the day and rejoice in the vibrant sounds of freedom

Dakotah Carter is a Charlotte native who turned her hobby into a passion-filled career. She has been featured in popular publications and has participated in national museum competitions. Being led completely by faith, she gleans inspiration from the world around her, hoping that people will relate to her work.

An accomplished poet, actor, director, and producer, Quentin Talley is founder and artistic director of OnQ Performing Arts. Talley is a 2012 recipient of the inaugural Leadership U Fellowship, administered by Theater Communications Group and a BA in Theatre Performance, Winthrop University. As a poet, he has appeared in the Borders Open-Door Poetry Series and Turner South network, as well as shared the stage with such luminaries as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka, MC Lyte, Sonia Sanchez, and Tavis Smiley. As an actor, he has worked professionally with Children’s Theater of Charlotte, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, Winston Salem Arts Council, and New River Dramatist. OnQ, which has been in residence at Blumenthal Performing Arts for several years, started in 2006 with a mission to educate and produce classic, contemporary, and original performance works that reflect the Black experience.