Monday, July 23, 2012

Jerry Pinkney Celebrity Children's Book Fair: @TheWrightMuseum's Weekly Update July 23 - 29


» Call for African World Festival Memorabilia 1983 - 2012
» SATURDAY: Jerry Pinkney Celebrity Children's Book Fair
» SATURDAY: FunkJazz Kafé: Diary of A Decade ($)
» SUNDAY: Jerry Pinkney Celebrity Children's Book Fair
» SUNDAY: Hustle for History ($)
» Current Exhibitions
» You May Have Missed...
» Become a Member Today!

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Call for AWF Memorabilia 1983 - 2012
Get ready for a proud new tradition this year as the 30th anniversary African World Festival is held on the grounds of The Wright Museum Friday through Sunday, August 17 - 19.  Help make this year special: do you have AWF posters, T-shirts, photos or other keepsakes from past African World Festivals?  If so, please contact the AWF office and let us know how we can showcase your souvenirs!  Call the festival office at (313) 494-5824 or emailawf@chwmuseum.org.
Jerry Pinkney Celebrity Children's Book Fair
Saturday & Sunday 7/28 - 29
The Art of Jerry Pinkney comes alive this July at this fantastic, fun-filled weekend event!  Meet and hear from the award-winning, critically and popularly acclaimed children's book illustrator, Jerry Pinkney, his wife and noted storyteller and writer Gloria Jean Pinkney, and local authors including Andre Batts, Ronnie Boggess, Karen Dabney, Anita Gibbs, Phyllis Gilmore, and David Watkins.  Over 2,200 books giveaways will take place, courtesy of First Book.  Don't miss this FREE weekend of activities!

Saturday 7/28 from 9 am - 5 pm:
10:00 am Gallery Talk with Jerry Pinkney in the Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney exhibit (requires museum admission)  
11:00 am Living Arts Detroit (performance) 
11:30 am Detroit Windsor Dance Company featuring Miss Black Michigan Alescia Hollowell 
12:00 pm Thiosane Performing Arts Company of Nsoroma Institute 
1:00 pm Storytelling with Gloria Jean Pinkney 
1:45 pm Gallery Talk with Jerry Pinkney in the Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney exhibit (requires museum admission) 
3:30 pm Storytelling with Gloria Jean Pinkney 

Face painting by Sandra Epps begins at 11 am.  Children's workshops take place every hour from 10 am – 4 pm.  Jerry Pinkney will be signing books throughout the day.  

Sunday 7/29 from 1 - 5 pm:
1 – 3 pm Jerry Pinkney Meet and Greet and Book Signing 
1 – 5 pm Face painting & children's workshops 
2:30 pm Detroit Windsor Dance Company featuring Miss Black Michigan Alescia Hollowell
3:00 pm Thiosane Performing Arts Company of Nsoroma Institute

This event is made possible by support from Ford Motor Company and the General Motors Foundation.
Click Here for more information
FunkJazz Kafé: Diary of A Decade ($)
Saturday 7/28 @ 7 pm in the General Motors Theater
Narrated by Chuck D (Public Enemy) and featuring interviews and performances by the likes of Erykah Badu, Cornel West, George Clinton, and Common, this film chronicles the history of the Funk Jazz Kafé and highlights the underground African American arts and entertainment scene in Atlanta from 1994 - 2007.  It delves deep into the fabric of soul music - its definitions, pioneers, and movements - and explores the non-existence of live soul bands in the commercial music landscape of the 21st century.  Produced, written and directed by Jason Orr.  
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by clicking here.
Click Here for more information
Hustle for History Weekly Dance Lessons ($)
Sunday 7/29 @ 5 pm in the Ford Freedom Rotunda
Get your groove on with our weekly hustle lessons, taught by instructor Thomasenia Johnson of Two Left Feet.  Free for Members, $7 for non-members. Purchase 5 lessons and receive a complimentary museum membership, making your next 12 months of hustle lessons FREE! For more information, please call (313) 494-5800.
Click Here for more information

Current Exhibitions

Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney
Through September 9,
 2012
This retrospective exhibition traces illustrator Jerry Pinkney's 50-year career producing some of the most highly acclaimed children's books of our time.  A popular and critically acclaimed artist, Jerry Pinkney was recently presented with the prestigious Caldecott Medal, awarded to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children that year.  The recipient of five Caldecott Honor Medals, five Coretta Scott King Awards, four Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, and a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Illustrators in New York, the artist has also served on the Board of the National Endowment for the Arts, and on the National Postal Service's Citizen Stamp Advisory Council.  "Witness: The Art of Jerry Pinkney" has been organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. 
Click here to learn more...

Moving to His Own Beat - Fela: The Man, The Movement, The Music
Through November, 2012
Created in partnership with Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, this exhibit examines the life of Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti in the realms of music, culture, and politics, and preludes the arrival of the off-Broadway smash musical, Fela!, in February, 2012.  Fela's undying passion for African peoples, understanding of the power of art and politics, and unyielding struggle against the colonial forces in Nigeria during the 1950s and 1960s, solidified his legacy as a shimmering agent of change against the status quo.  He spoke out against the ruling government, returned to African traditions that had been interrupted during Colonialism, and brilliantly used his music as a medium for social change.  Always pushing the envelope, Fela infused traditional African highlife music with classical jazz and funk, which evolved into a unique sound that he called, "Afrobeat."  The powerful music and social commentary found throughout his vast catalogue of recordings is indicative of his desire to help end oppression among African peoples everywhere.  Click here to learn more...

The Chris Webber Collection: Exceptional People During Extraordinary Times, 1755 - Present 
Through November, 2012
Chris Webber, Detroit native, National Basketball Association All-Star player (retired) and NBA announcer, collects rare artifacts that illuminate the lives and legacies of African American greats such as Phillis Wheatley, the first African American author; Rosa Parks , mother of the modern civil rights movement; civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many others.  Viewers get a glimpse of their heritage and learn about a different facet of Chris Webber, basketball player, philanthropist, and collector of African American history.  Click here to learn more...

Great American Artists - Part II: The Branches
Through September 2, 2012
This yearlong exhibition features the works of a consortium of Detroit artists in a three-part series subtitled, "Roots, Branches, and Seeds." During the past several years, each artist has collaborated to complete a portrait of a group member and to document each other's studio processes, techniques and themes. This cooperative provides the group a means of documenting and preserving each artist's image and their careers.  Exhibiting second are Christopher Batten, Halima Cassels and Senghor Reid who form the "Branches" of the group. They have used inspiration derived from the "Roots" to create murals, installations and large figurative works worldwide. Their work explores environmental issues and the communities in which they live.  Click here to learn more...


You May Have Missed...

Voices of the Civil War Episode 6 "Overwhelming Numbers and Resources"

arts of citizenship, "Interning at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, MI Summer 2012"

The Michigan Citizen, "Welcome to the Motor City"

President's Message, July 2012



Become a Member Today!

Members of the The Wright Museum enjoy benefits such as:
• Free admission to the museum
• Free guest pass(es)
• Invitations to Members' Only previews
• Free subscription to the quarterly membership newsletter, The Wright Times
• 10% discount in the museum store
• Special pricing on select museum events
• 20% off meals at 
Union Street Restaurant

Unless otherwise noted with ($), all events are FREE and open to the public.
HOURS
Tuesday - Saturday, 9 am - 5 pm
Sunday, 1 - 5 pm
Closed Mondays 
ADMISSION
Adults (13 - 61) $8
Seniors (62 +) & Youth (3 - 12) $5
Free for members & children under 3

Click Here for Current Exhibitions

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
315 East Warren Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48201-1443
Click here for a Google Map

General Info - (313) 494-5800
Group Tours and Reservations - (313) 494-5808
Facility Rental - (313) 494-5801

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The Wright Museum™ | TheWright.org


Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History | 315 East Warren Avenue | Detroit | MI | 48201

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