Romare Bearden: Beat of a Different Drum Exhibit Kicks Off Black History Month Celebration in Fayetteville, NC

Romare Bearden: Beat of a Different Drum Exhibit Kicks Off Black History Month Celebration in Fayetteville, NC

by 01/22/2016

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Watercolors from noted artist Romare Bearden’s only published children’s book “Li’l Dan, The Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story” are a featured component of the next show at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County.  The exhibition includes 26 original watercolors from the book and text panels with audio narration by Maya Angelou.  

“Li’l Dan, The Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story” was published posthumously in September of 2003. The book tells the story of Li’l Dan, a slave on a Southern plantation. He loves to play his drum. When a company of Union soldiers announces the slaves have been set free, Dan has no place to go, so he follows the soldiers, who make him their mascot. When Confederate soldiers attack, Dan discovers that he is the only one that can save his friends.

The free exhibition
is open from January 22 through March 5, 2016 during regular gallery hours. An array of dynamic programming is planned around this exhibit, including a lecture by Diedra Harris-Kelly, Co-Director of the Romare Bearden Foundation in New York City, performance of an original play entitled The Color of Courage, lectures and music programs from the Fayetteville State University Fine Arts Department and a drum workshop for youth. Several historical components will be included in the display, including an original Civil War drum, a reproduction Union Soldier’s Uniform, a southern Civil War-era female outfit, a bayonet and an original painting of the Fayetteville arsenal before it was destroyed in 1865. 

“This exhibition and related programming offers a fitting celebration of  an artist hailed as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden,” says Mary Kinney, Director of Marketing at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. “Additionally, we’re proud that the exhibit ties together many cultural components – Civil War and African-American history, visual arts and theater.” 

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County is located at 301 Hay Street. www.TheArtsCouncil.com

Other Black History Month Events:

Jan. 23 – Discussion on collecting African-American art, facilitated by special guest Diedra Harris-Kelly. Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. 11 a.m. Free Admission. www.TheArtsCouncil.com

January 29 – The original play, The Color of Courage  will be performed by Mitch Capel and Sonny Kelly. Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. 7 p.m. Free Admission.  www.TheArtsCouncil.com 

February 1 – Black History in Fayetteville – Fred Whitted, author of the books Fayetteville: Profiled in Black and Fayetteville: Profiled in Black – Volume Two, takes a look at Fayetteville’s key communities and discover little-known black history facts. Bordeaux Branch, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center. 7 p.m.. Free Admission. (910) 424-4008     www.cumberland.lib.nc.us

February 4 – Fayetteville’s African American Heroes – Two Fayetteville State University professors  present a look at the lives of six African-American men of distinction: Isaac Hammond, Omar Ibn Said, Lewis Leary, Hiram Revels, Charles Chesnutt and Dr. Ezekiel Ezra Smith. Headquarters Branch, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center. 6:30 p.m.. Free Admission (910) 483-7727 www.cumberland.lib.nc.us

February 5 – Friends of Music Guest Artist Series: Trineice Robinson-Martin- The “Friends of Music” presents Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin, an accomplished performer, teacher, and scholar who has traveled and taught students from all over the world . Hensdale Chapel, Methodist University. 7:30  p.m. Free Admission. (910)630-7100.www.Methodist.edu

February 6 – Dancing Stories with April C. Turner -Ms. Turner uses dances, stories, and songs from traditional West African culture to affirm community-building concepts, such as working together, integrity, and perseverance. Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex. 2 p.m. Free Admission. (910)486-1330. www.MuseumoftheCapeFear.ncdcr.gov

February 13 – Lectures and music programs from Fayetteville State University support the Romare Bearden exhibit at the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County. Also includes a youth workshop on drumming by Alex Weis. Free Admission. 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.  www.TheArtsCouncil.com

February 27 – Celebrate African-American Dance – The Dance Ensemble of Fayetteville State University lends their expertise in teaching the dynamic, soulful and rhythmic moves unique to black culture.  Registration is required. Cliffdale Branch, Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center. Free Admission. 11:30 a.m. (910) 864-3800.

March 5–April 1 – Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas – This unique exhibit traces the graphic art made by Emory Douglas while he worked as Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, from 1967 until its discontinuation in the early 1980’s.  Rosenthal Art Gallery, Fayetteville State University. Free Admission. (910 )672-1571   www.cumberland.lib.nc.us

About Romare Bearden

Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, to (Richard) Howard and Bessye Bearden in Charlotte, North Carolina, and died in New York City on March 12, 1988, at the age of 76. His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. Bearden’s work is included in many important public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. He has had retrospectives at the Mint Museum of Art (1980), the Detroit Institute of the Arts (1986), as well as numerous posthumous retrospectives, including The Studio Museum in Harlem (1991) and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (2003).•

About The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County

The Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County was founded in 1973. As a link between artists, arts and cultural organizations and the community, the nonprofit agency administers programs in partnership with a variety of local agencies to stimulate community development through the arts. The Arts Council supports individual creativity, cultural preservation, economic development and lifelong learning through the arts.

About the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, not-for-profit organization responsible for positioning Fayetteville/Cumberland County as a destination for conventions, sporting events and individual travel. For additional information, visit  www.visitfayettevillenc.com or call 1-800-255-8217.

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