For the 4th Year Epicenter Community formally Future Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts have come together to create a night of live art and performance in honor and celebration of Juneteenth — the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. See works by local visual, fashion, and performance artists; join a tour or talk to learn about works acquired through the MFA’s Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection; and catch a screening from this year’s Roxbury Int...
For the 4th Year Epicenter Community formally Future Boston and the Museum of Fine Arts have come together to create a night of live art and performance in honor and celebration of Juneteenth — the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. See works by local visual, fashion, and performance artists; join a tour or talk to learn about works acquired through the MFA’s Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection; and catch a screening from this year’s Roxbury International Film Festival—the largest New England film festival dedicated to celebrating films by, for, and about people of color.
Last year we brought over 2,200 community members and residents to the Museum of Fine Arts to continue the celebration for Freedom & this year is promised to be a night of exquisite aesthetics, sound, and performance.
This Year's Community Partners Include:
The Bay State Banner, MALC, Mass Humanities, NU Crossing, LACED, Kickback Boston, Haley House Bakery Cafe, Outside The Box Agency, Killer BoomBox, CLLCTV, Dudley Dough, Grub Street, Company One, City Awake, B.R.E.A.D, Whole U, VENT, Socializing for Justice (SoJust), Boston Naturals, BeautyLynk, Exquisite Design Concepts, Kelley Chunn & Associates, Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism (BINJ), The Fab Empire, Franklin Park Art Grove, & Resilient Coders.
Artists | Designers | Panelists & Programming to be announced!
This Event is Free & Open to the Public | Youth & Families are Encouraged to Attend
EVENT SCHEDULE LISTED BELOW:
WELCOME
6:30–7 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard Welcome from Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Epicenter Community; and Roxbury International Film Festival Remarks by Barry Gaither, director National Center of Afro-American Artists Performance by Zimbabwean American performance artist U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo Fashion
SPECIAL EVENTS
Graffiti Art | 5–8 pm | Calderwood Courtyard Join artists Geo Rodriguez and MerkThose in the Courtyard and watch their work come to life. Cancelled in inclement weather.
7–9 pm | Shapiro Family Courtyard View collections by local designers and fashion artists Lana Muse Designs, Lynda Hester Kush Groove, Marcus Johnson-Smith Kreyol, Joelle Jean-Fontaine Blur Visuals, Marco Laurent Diaspora Neckwear, Alua Aumade Music by YNVG PAVL
TOURS AND TALKS
City Talks: Activate | 7–8 pm | Edward H. Linde Gallery, 168 Join Boston-area leading thinkers, activists, city officials, and artists to explore global issues of migration, consumption, sustainability, and cultural heritage in relation to Boston’s growing population and ongoing development.
Tonight, explore how artists use protest as a means for survival and inspiration.
MODERATOR: Valerie Stephens, performing artist and arts educator
PANELISTS: EdoG, hip hop artist | Obehi Janice, actress, writer, comedian | Kenneth Bailey, principal sector strategy at Design Studio for Social Intervention (DS4SI)
Talk: Public Sculpture with Barry Gaither | 8–8:30 pm | Riley Seminar Room, 156 Join Barry Gaither, director and curator of the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, for an engaging talk about Boston’s four Emancipation-related public sculptures.
Highlight Tours: 6, 7, and 8 pm | Meet at Sharf Visitor Center. Visit a selection of works made primarily by African American and Afro-Cuban artists on this one-hour tour for adults.
ROXBURY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Juneteenth Shorts Remis Auditorium Part of the 18th Annual Roxbury International Film Festival (June 22–July 1), which gives voice to diverse cultures both local and worldwide.
Remixing Colorblind | 5:30 pm (30 min.) Critique and examine the ways today’s educational system has shaped the nuances of race relations— including notions of implicit bias, individual racism, institutional racism, and reverse racism. By Sheena C. Howard (USA, 2016).
The Bay State Banner: Unity, Progress and 50 Years of Advocating Change | 6:30 pm (25 min.) The Bay State Banner is an independent newspaper that has served Boston’s African American community for more than 50 years. See Boston through the eyes of its African American community. Produced and directed by Tracy Strain and Randall McCrory. (USA, 2015).
An Unexpected History: The Story of Hennessy and African Americans | 7:30 pm (50 min.) Q and A with director to follow. Aside from being the hottest cognac on the hip-hop scene, Hennessy also has a long history of involvement in African American culture and social activism. Interviews, dramatic reenactments, and an original jazz score tell the hidden story of one of pop culture’s best-known brands. By Llew Smith (USA, 2015).
Free film tickets are available at Remis Auditorium Box Office starting 30 minutes before show times. First come, first served; limited availability. Free ticket required for entry.
MORE TO DO
Drawing in the Galleries: 6–9 pm | Gallery 268
Learn drawing tips and techniques while sketching a live model. All ages and abilities are welcome!
MFA Guide: Available at all ticket desks, Sharf Visitor Center, and the Gund Gallery (LG31) Rent a mobile MFA Guide to explore the Museum’s collections.
Members $5; nonmembers $6; kids 17 and under $4.
Free for visitors who are Deaf or blind.
Drawing in the Galleries made possible by The Lowell Institute. The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Film Program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is funded by the Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation. MFA Film is sponsored by Bank of America. Media sponsor of MFA Film is The Boston Globe.
Also made possible with endowment support from the Katharine Stone White Film Fund, the Museum Film Program Endowment Fund, the Dean W. Freed Fund, the Marilyn and Selwyn Kudisch Endowed Fund for the Benefit of the Film Program, the MFA Associates and MFA Senior Associates Fund for Film and Video, and the Margaret L. Hargrove Fund. A gift from an anonymous Friend of Film makes program notes for select events possible.
Visits by film and video artists are made possible by the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation Fund and by The Lowell Institute. MFA Guide: Art of the Americas content is made possible through the generous support of the John W. Henry Family Foundation; Art of Ancient Greece and Rome content is made possible through the generous support of The Barrington Foundation, Inc.; and Musical Instruments content is generously provided by the MFA Visiting Committee for Musical Instruments and the David L. Fishman Fund.
Front: Kehinde Wiley, John, 1st Baron Byron (detail), 2013. Oil on canvas. Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection, The Heritage Fund for a Diverse Collection and funds donated by Stephen Borkowski in honor of Jason Collins. © Kehinde Wiley Studio. All other images © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, unless otherwise noted. © 2016 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
