https://www.dallasnews.com/arts-entertainment/2023/05/22/dallas-artist-niki-dionne-uses-wool-whimsy-to-spotlight-black-women/
April 7 – May 27 | Opening Reception: Friday, April 7 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. | South Dallas Cultural Center
Actual Footage of Me is a vibrant and playful collection that features some of the most beloved artworks by Dallas-based Illustrator and Fiber Artist Niki Dionne. The exhibition showcases Niki’s unique artistic vision and explores themes of self-discovery and identity as a black woman.
As visitors enter the show, they will be immediately drawn into Niki’s world, where they will encounter a variety of faceless black women brought to life through different mediums such as fiber, oil pastels, and digital illustration. The exhibition space will be filled with Niki’s signature illustration style and textures that create a captivating visual experience.
This exhibition is free and open for public viewing from April 7 – May 27, 2023. An opening reception will be held Friday, April 7 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the South Dallas Cultural Center.
]]>
The 1300 sq. ft. one-story frame house was the home of Juanita J. Craft, one of Dallas´ most significant civil rights figures and the second African American woman to serve on the Dallas City Council. Programming at the Juanita Craft Civil Rights House is coordinated by the South Dallas Cultural Center of the City of Dallas’ Office of Cultural Affairs.
In 1935, Craft joined the NAACP, and in the years that followed, she started 182 rural NAACP chapters.Craft joined demonstrations against the segregated University of Texas Law School and North Texas State University, each resulting in successful lawsuits in 1950 and 1955. Afterwards, she opened a dropout preparation program in Dallas. Craft also served as a delegate to the White House Conference on Children and Youth, and as a member of the Governor’s Human Relations Committee. In 1975, at the age of 73, she was elected to the Dallas City Council, where she spent two terms working to improve the status of Hispanic and Native Americans.
Click here to learn more about the Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House and Museum
]]>From the City of Dallas Arts & Culture website:
“City Manager T.C. Broadnax appointed Martine Elyse Philippe as the Director of the Office of Arts & Culture, effective December 5, 2022.
With over 15 years of experience in arts administration, Martine comes to Dallas having served as the National Community Art Manager for A Window Between Worlds based in Los Angeles, CA and as the Chair for District 12 Arts Task Force for the Atlanta City Council. In her role with AWBW she is the national creative strategist for the development of art- based leadership and resources to transform trauma and create community-based methods of change and social justice through art.
Martine’s art administration experience spans across city government and the non-profit sector. As a trained dancer, she began her arts administration career with the City of Atlanta whereby she developed dance curriculum and then went on to become the Cultural Affairs Project Coordinator for the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs. She has served in several executive roles, such as the Executive Director of Atlanta’s Resource for Entertainment & Arts.
Martine has a Master of Arts in Education Leadership from Argosy University and a BA in African American Studies from the University of Georgia. Martine is devoted to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every facet of art and culture. She has a desire to utilize the breadth of her experiences to make a tremendous impact in the City of Dallas.”
Click here for more content on our Black Culture Celebrated blog
]]>
About the artist: Inyang Essien is a Nigerian-American photographer and visual artist from Dallas, TX. Her work is based in photography, cultural textiles, video installations, and generative art to explore identity through culture, sexuality, and personal transformation. In 2021, she was a recipient in the inaugural cohort of the Juanita J. Craft Artist Residency and was a recipient of both the Nasher Artist Grant and Cedars Union Art & Equity Scholarship.
]]>
Two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official January 1, 1863, Major General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston with news that the war had ended and that slaves were free. Because of the small amount of Union troops in the South, many states did little to enforce the executive order. With the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865 and the arrival of General Granger’s forces, they were finally able to influence and overcome the resistance.
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
Major General Gordon Granger
On January 1, 1980, Juneteenth became an official state holiday through the efforts of Al Edwards, an African American state legislator. On June 17th, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
The observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the U.S. as cities and organizations come together in appreciation, reconciliation and commemoration. Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom, emphasizes on education and achievement, and encourages continuous self-development. It is a day, a week, and in some areas, a month marked with celebrations, community, food, and family gatherings.
Here at the South Dallas Cultural Center, we celebrate Juneteenth and the freedom of African Americans daily. SDCC seeks to promote a more equitable, cooperative, and empathetic community by engaging the public with art and cultural experiences influenced by the African Diaspora.
Official Juneteenth Poem:
We Rose From Africa’s heart, we rose Already a people, our faces ebon, our bodies lean, We rose Skills of art, life, beauty and family Crushed by forces we knew nothing of, we rose Survive we must, we did, We rose We rose to be you, we rose to be me, Above everything expected, we rose To become the knowledge we never knew, We rose Dream, we did Act we must - "We Rose" poem by Kristina Kay, 1996
Learn more about Juneteenth and its origins by visiting Juneteenth.com
Want to test your knowledge? Join SDCC for our Juneteenth Trivia Night Friday, July 17
]]>George Eastman, the founder of Kodak, coined the advertising slogan, “You push the button, and we’ll do the rest.” With this workshop and photo walk, DCP is adopting the same philosophy. The Brownie Hawkeye camera is stylish, easy to use for all ages, and simply fun to shoot with. It was introduced in 1949 during the golden age of photography.
We first met with Whitney and the attendees online via Zoom for a short class to go over the joys and challenges of shooting with such a Brownie and the process of loading film. A few days later, we met on location in Downtown Dallas with refurbished Brownie Hawkeye and specially modified rolls of 120 film provided by DCP. With only 12 photos per roll, attendees had to be resourceful and get creative with their shots. Afterwards, Whitney gathered everyone’s film to develop, sleeve, and scan the images in their darkroom. See below for some images from the photo walk:
About Dallas Center of Photography:
Dallas Center for Photography occupies a custom designed 6000 sq. ft. building near the Dallas Design District. It includes a dedicated 900 sq. ft. classroom, a large darkroom equipped for up to 10 people to print at once, an 1800 sq. ft. gallery, and shooting space. The mission behind DCP is to serve as a focal point for creators and appreciators of all forms of photography through education, mentorship, exhibitions, and community outreach.
]]>The Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce Annual Quest for Success Awards was established in 1985, under the leadership of Thomas L. Houston, to honor and recognize African entrepreneurs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who have made significant contributions to the business and civic communities. Over its 37-year history, the Quest for Success Awards has honored hundreds of Black-owned businesses across the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Small business owners, corporate partners, and community leaders will engage in discussions to elevate and strengthen Black businesses in Dallas/Fort Worth. The recipients are selected from nominations submitted by themselves or individuals in the community and business sector. Quest Award recipients represent diverse careers and industries and range from a variety of sizes of companies, firms, and the healthcare field.
About John Spriggins:
A native of Dallas, Spriggins has an extensive background as a visual artist and arts administrator. Most recently he was the Gallery Director for Richland College (Dallas County Community College District) and was a professor of Art and Humanities at campuses for the Tarrant County and Dallas County Community College Districts. Since 2012, Spriggins has been the Interim Curator for the African American Museum, Dallas and continues to work with the museum on special projects. He has served as a member of the Public Art Committee and the Cultural Affairs Commission for the City of Dallas. He has worked tirelessly with numerous organizations to bring arts awareness to the City of Dallas. Spriggins received his BFA from Texas A&M University – Commerce and his MFA in Humanities from the University of Texas, Dallas.
Click here to watch Spriggins’ interview with WFAA Good Morning Texas
]]>The day consisted of workshops hosted by a variety of artists and healers in the Dallas community, including A Cure for Paranoia, The Brown Sugah Lounge, Jess the Harpist, Volunteering While Black, Suits for Judah, Warrior Queen, Bandan Koro, Dallas Malandros, Redeemed Women of Dallas, Pure Essence Hair and Body, The Planted Seed, Joaquin Zihuatanejo, African Dance Dallas, and more.
2 Inspire Peace is a community-based organization that is committed to promoting compassion, mindfulness, meditation, and healing for the people of Dallas. They view healing and self-care as a revolutionary act, one, which can help all individuals lead a more productive and healthy life.
Dallas City Mayor Eric Johnson proclaimed May 1st as Art Inspired Healing Week.
Follow us on Instagram for more news and updates happening at SDCC
]]>(Pictured in photo from left to right: Rolando Medrano, Bessie Slider Moody, Diane Ragsdale, Pauline Medrano, Bob Lydia, Ricardo Medrano Sr., and Adam Medrano representing his Uncle, Pancho Medrano)
Juanita Craft as the NAACP Youth Council advisor for the Dallas branch, spearheaded a movement to end discrimination at the fair so that any person of any race could participate on any day they chose. Craft and members of the Youth Council decided to stage a boycott of the fair to draw attention to discriminatory practices. Teenagers, equipped with signs proclaiming “TODAY IS NEGRO APPEASEMENT DAY AT THE FAIR,” picketed the parade that began at the local black high school. While the Youth Council did not succeed in ending Negro Achievement Day, they were able to draw attention to the discrimination African Americans faced.
The Youth Council was given an award by the NAACP for their well organized and peaceful demonstration. In later years, adults took over picketing the fair. Achievement Day (fair planners dropped the “Negro” in 1957) officially ended in 1961, followed by the full desegregation of the fair later in the ’60s.
Learn more about the Juanita J. Craft Civil Rights House & Museum
]]>Craft was the first African American woman to vote in Dallas County in a public election and used millinery to support her activism. Instructor Cassie MacGregor from The House of MacGregor walked through the construction of feather flowers on a vine using glue, wire, and wooden beads. The workshop concluded with nice music, floral tea with sweet biscuits, and a fun photo op.
This class was part of SDCC’s New Years, New Skills creative workshop series.
]]>