Norton Celebrates the Art and Cultural Histories of Black Floridians June 4 – 25.
Featuring a Juneteenth Summer Festival at the Museum on June 19.
The Norton announces the launch of Celebrating Black Florida, a month-long tribute to the art and cultural histories of Black Floridians with live performances, virtual programs, art workshops, and more. The series will commence on June 4 with a special Art After Dark Jazz Friday, with Women in Jazz South Florida presenting Dottie Kelly and Rock the House Blues Band and guest Sabrena Rich.
On Saturday, June 19, the Norton will commemorate Juneteenth with a summer festival. Hosted by MC Wayne “Mister Trombone” Perry, the event will celebrate freedom and the African American experience with live music, museum tours, African Dance and Drum workshops, storytelling sessions, and a creative community art project with fiber mixed media artist Gillian Kennedy Wright. The series concludes on June 25 with a performance by Hued Songs, Dark Like Me, an interdisciplinary performance inspired by the works of Langston Hughes exploring the intersection of Blackness and Queerness.
For the complete schedule and registrations, both on-site and online throughout June, visit norton.org starting June 1. Free admission for residents of Palm Beach County. Programs are general admission unless noted.
In accordance with recommendations by the CDC, the Museum is maintaining limited capacity and requiring visitors to wear masks, have their temperatures taken upon arrival, and reserve advanced, timed tickets. For full details on the Museum’s health and safety protocols, please visit Norton.org/visit.
Series Schedule:
Art After Dark: Jazz Friday
Friday, June 4, 2021 / 5 and 6 pm
Two 30-minute sets live in the Norton’s Sculpture Garden. Free with Museum admission.
Women in Jazz South Florida presents Dottie Kelly and Rock the House Blues Band with guest Sabrena Rich. Dottie Kelly, a powerhouse blues singer with over 20 years of performing experience, is joined by the Rock the House Blues Band and special guest Sabrena Rich, a singer-songwriter known for her sultry sounds.
Family Studio: Afrofuturism
Saturday, June 5, 2021 / 10:30 am-Noon
Live in the sculpture garden. $3 per family. Limited to 5 families. Pre-registration required.
Afrofuturism looks towards a future with no boundaries! Join us for futuristic fun as your family dives into the past and learn more about the Black visionaries whose imagination redesigns the future. In this studio design super cool goggles that give you astronomical vision!
Family Studio invites children ages 5-12, and their accompanying grown-ups, participate in a gallery experience, followed by a related art workshop. Art-making portion of the program will be held outdoors, in the Museum’s Sculpture Garden.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Catherine Lowe
Wednesday, June 9, 2021 / 6 – 7 pm
Live on the Norton’s YouTube Channel. Free.
Dr. Catherine Lowe gives a keynote address on the culture and history of Black Floridians and how Juneteenth and Florida’s emancipation relates to the arts. Dr. Lowe is a Board Certified-Ophthalmologist with a strong commitment to community service and the arts. She is one of the four Chair Emeriti of the Palm Beach Cultural Council, she has served at the state level on the Florida Arts Council, and she is a founder of Artists Showcase of the Palm Beaches, a community-based arts organization.
Bike, Art, and Beer
Thursday, June 10, 2021 / 6 – 8 pm
Bike tour starts at the Norton. Free. Pre- Registration required.
Join Juan Orellana, from UpCycle, to tour murals by Black artists and public works of art celebrating Black history and culture around downtown West Palm Beach. Enjoy a leisurely bike ride while learning about the artists and stories behind each public art project. The tour concludes in a nearby brewery in West Palm Beach.
Mini Book + Art
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 / 10 am
Premieres on the Norton’s YouTube Channel. Free.
Enjoy a bilingual story time reading of Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora followed by a discussion about Super Blue Omo, 2016, a mixed media painting by artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Participants can reserve a copy of the featured book at any Palm Beach County Library System location or at www.pbclibrary.org. This program is offered in English, Spanish, and interpreted in American Sign Language.
Blues Women: The First Civil Rights Workers
Friday, June 18, 2021 / 5 – 6 pm
Premieres on the Norton’s YouTube Channel. Free.
Retired Jazz and Blues vocalist and composer Dr. Joan Cartwright discusses how Black singers in the United States of America emerged from Spirituals and Blues to develop Jazz. Their free-spirited songs delivered messages of liberation, signaling to Africans in America that they could be free. This lecture features songs performed by vocalists Dottie Kelly and Sabrena Rich. This program is presented as part of Art After Dark.
Art After Dark: What’s the Story?
Friday, June 18, 2021 / 6 – 7 pm
Live on the Norton’s YouTube Channel. Free.
Alisha R. Winn, Ph.D., Applied Cultural Anthropologist, discusses the iconic jazz venue, the Sunset Lounge, and highlights the rich history of the predominantly African American community of the Northwest District. What’s the Story? invites neighboring cultural and community organizations to share their distinguished histories as part of the Norton’s 80th year anniversary celebration.
Wayne Mister Trombone Perry
Juneteenth Summer Festival
Saturday, June 19, 2021 / 10 am – 2 pm
Live in the Norton’s gardens. Free admission for residents of Palm Beach County.
MC Wayne “Mister Trombone” Perry kicks off the event at the Norton’s historic 1941 East Entrance. Anthony Burks, Sr. and Cynthia Simmons create and share their work in the garden throughout the day. Artists Gillian Kennedy Wright and Jill Lavetsky each lead a hands-on art activity under the Colonnade. Join Dancing the Rhythm: African Dance and Drumming, a movement workshop presented in partnership with The Natural Movers Foundation and Livin the Rhythm. Explore sculptures in the Garden with Museum docents. The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County presents an inspiring story of determination and perseverance reflective of the African American Experience.
Art Workshop: Shawn Henderson
Thursday, June 24, 2021 / 10 am – 12 pm
Live at the Norton. $5 Member, $10 Non-Member.
Shawn Henderson, Florida artist and educator, leads a found object assemblage project based on Alison Saar’s Rio Dulce, 1993.
Art After Dark: Dark Like Me presented by Hued Songs
Friday, June 25, 2021 / 5 – 7 pm
Live at the Norton. Free with museum admission.
Celebrate the closing of the Celebrating Black Florida series at Art After Dark. Hued Songs presents Dark Like Me, an interdisciplinary performance inspired by the works of Langston Hughes exploring the intersection of Blackness & Queerness through classical and contemporary music, dance, and spoken word.
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For more information, please contact:
Hilary Greene
Norton Museum of Art
greeneh@norton.org
(561) 504-3465
