Dreaming Black Art: Gateways to a New Awareness
June 7, 13, & 19
The celebration includes an artist reception, an In-debt Conversation, a live concert, a children's drumming workshop, African drumming, and more.
Masculinity and manhood are hot topics in the United States today. Debates over the correct role of men in society fill our political and social discussions. Some men feel that they are under attack just for performing their male role in “traditional” ways, while others (men and women) assert it is precisely those traditions – rooted in patriarchy – that are causing harm to men and to society writ large. As is often the case, these discussions take place in an environment infused with racial stereotypes that demonize Black masculinity.
Art by and about Black men offers the possibility of a different conversation. This year’s Juneteenth programs will peel back the layers of the complex representation of Black men in our country to open gateways to a new awareness and understanding. We will celebrate the depth and lived experience of Black men in our midst. Artists and creatives whose work aims to dismantle harmful stereotypes and expectations imposed on Black men will guide and inspire us.
What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is the oldest known nationally celebrated event commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves of the states in rebellion against the Union “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” However, it was not until June 19th, 1865, two years later, when the U.S. Army took possession of Galveston Island in Texas and began a campaign against the defenders of slavery, that the enslaved people in Galveston could begin their journey towards freedom.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, June 7 | 5:00 PM | BHTNH Headquarters | Portsmouth | FREE EVENT
ARTIST RECEPTION FEATURING NADROJ NINA HOLMES
In his New Hampshire debut, rising artist Nadroj Holmes will showcase work rooted in the living history of Black liberation movements and their cultural and folkloric expressions. Some pieces showcase the Black body with heavy suppositions that inspire liberatory thought. Holmes's works are amalgams of past and future, facts and imaginings, trauma and transformation.
In this exhibit, the historical figure Gordon, also known as Whipped Peter, is presented in a transformative light. Holmes, known for his ability to reimagine familiar images, has turned Gordon's depiction from a symbol of America's history of chattel slavery into a representation that encapsulates present-day public discourse. This intriguing transformation invites you to see Gordon in a new and thought-provoking way.
In this particular reworking, the countless scars on Gordon's back are removed. In their place is something bizarre, amorphous, and difficult to describe. The interactive piece 'Delusions & Context' invites you to explore and interpret these changes, amalgamating the past and present to shape future discourse. This unique interactive experience promises to engage and challenge your perceptions.
The opening reception begins at 5:00 pm. The Artist Talk will begin at 5:30 pm.
Artist’s Statement
A Massachusetts College of Art and Design graduate, Holmes also attained a minor in Africana Studies through Simmons and Wheelock Colleges.
My work is rooted in research, specifically the living history of Black Liberation Movements and Decolonization Theory. Projects showcase both the Black Body and heavy suppositions to inspire liberatory thought. Cultural artifacts are often paired with pop culture practices to create works that question notions of linear social progress typically used to veneer societal traditions that perpetuate racial inequity. Works critically analyze the normalization of oppression commonly found in anti-Black narratives while providing the Black Body a stage from which counter-narratives of resistance can be developed and popularized.
Animation. Installation. Nomenclature. Performance. Photo. Sociology of Language. Video. Sound.
Thursday, June 13 | In-Depth Conversation | 6:00 PM | Currier Museum of Art | Manchester | FREE
A SOFTER SIDE: RE-CONSIDERING BLACK MASCULINITY
“When we forge a new path where tenderness is valued, love is essential, and our friendships are deep and meaningful, society will be forced to recognize the importance of a more inclusive and positive representation of Black masculinity.” Shaka Senghor
Society has long held a warped definition of Black masculinity, forcing Black men into a never-ending cycle of excessive toughness and limited vulnerability. These perceptions significantly impact Black men's relationships with their children, their partners, the world, and themselves. This conversation will feature Black men showing authentic, vulnerable, and non-conforming masculine behavior that brings this complexity into focus.
The event kicks off with a reception in the Winter Garden from 5:30-6:00 pm. This is a perfect opportunity for our guests to connect with each other and our presenters, fostering a sense of community and engagement. Guests are also invited to explore Raphael Barontini’s exhibit during this time.
Presenters:
- Jason Cruz (Art Therapist, RAW Arts Lynn, MA)
- Dwight Davis (Owner of Senior Helpers of Southern New Hampshire, Retired Professional Athlete)
- Mark McClary (Global Trade Operations Analyst at Fidelity Investments & Coach)
- Christopher Michael (Poet and Co-Founder of Killeen Poetry Slam)
- Kevin Pajaro-Marinez (Assistant Director of Equity and Inclusion at Phillips Exeter Academy)
- Anthony Payton (Founder of Anthony Payton Media, Motivational Speaker, Formerly Incarcerated)
- Lionel Loveless (Owner and Designer at Officially Knotted Bowties)
Moderator: Anthony Poore (President and CEO, New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity)
This event is brought to you in partnership with the Currier Museum of Art
Suggested Reading
Wednesday, June 19 | 7:30 PM | Concert Presented by Moxie Events | The Music Hall | $
THE MAGIC OF MOTOWN
Don’t miss this fantastic journey through all of the hits! Hailed by audiences as “THE BEST MOTOWN SHOW IN THE COUNTRY,” the show will dazzle you for over two hours! This cast of 18 people EMBODY the BEST OF MOTOWN, delivering all the hits from The Temptations, The Jackson Five, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Four Tops, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson, and more!
The show’s pitch-perfect harmonies, dynamic choreography, & costuming perfectly capture the sights & sounds of Motown.
This program is brought to you by The Music Hall
Wednesday, June 19 | 9:30 AM | Community Walk | FREE
JUNETEENTH FREEDOM WALK
Celebrate Juneteenth side-by-side with others of goodwill by walking from Kittery, Maine, to the African Burying Ground in Portsmouth, New Hampshire!
Meet at John Paul Jones Memorial Park on the Kittery side of the Route 1 Memorial Bridge. Wakers will gather by 9:00 AM and begin the 0.8-mile walk at 9:30 AM to the Burying Ground at 386 State Street, Portsmouth, NH, led by The Leftist Marching Band.
Parking for those participating in the walk is available at Kittery Walk-in Care, 35 Walker Street, and wheelchair-accessible parking spots across Hunter Ave by the Warren’s Lobster sign.
BRING a Sign! Bring a tambourine. Help celebrate African American Freedom!
This walk is hosted by The Seacoast African American Cultural Center, Green Acre Baha’i Center of Learning, and Seacoast NAACP.
Wednesday, June 19 | 11:00 AM | African Drumming | African Burying Ground | FREE
A TIME TO PRAISE, A TIME TO HONOR, A TIME TO HEAL
Traditionally the drum was the heartbeat and soul of African communities, thus holding deep historic and symbolic significance. The drums herald political and social events and ceremonies of birth, death, and marriage. They spark courtships, home-coming and going, and accompany religious rites and rituals that call up ancestral spirits while creating an atmosphere that promotes healing and social resilience.
This commemorative event, live streaming from the Portsmouth African Burying Ground, is a celebration of Black Joy that pays homage to the ancestors. The healing beat of the drums provided by Akwaaba Ensemble, an African drumming and dance group and a ceremony by Rev. Robert Thompson will honor the ancestors who survived upon these shores.
African Touch
African Drumming Workshop | 10:30 AM | Prior to African Drumming Ceremony
Theo Martey, Director of The Akwaaba Ensemble, will lead the "African Touch" drumming workshop for kids and parents as we connect with our ancestors to celebrate Juneteenth through rhythms, dances, and songs.
Presenter Biographies
Nadroj Nina Holmes is based in Boston Massachusetts. He spent the majority of his youth in both Albany, New York and Cleveland, Ohio. Shortly after graduating from high school he moved to Boston to begin his journey in higher education. While enrolled at Massachusetts College of Art and Design he (re)founded the Black Artists Union (BAU) for the third time in the institution’s history. To support the existence of the BAU he worked with alumni of previous iterations of the group to develop intergenerational gatherings.
He co-hosted multiple lectures for the Tyrone Maurice Adderley Series before eventually earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a focus in Studio for Interrelated Media. Upon graduating in Spring of 2017, he became the first student in the history of the college to earn a minor in Africana Studies through the Consortium of Fenway Colleges.
Upon graduating he received his first major arts award from The CreateWell Fund (CWF). In 2018 he began volunteering with CWF to devise an award application that was more accessible to a larger and more diverse group of potential applicants.
He attended his first artist residency at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoCA) in 2020 and in 2021 he worked with a cohort of other artists of the African Diaspora to design and coordinate the Converging Liberations Residency, MassMoCA’s first residency exclusively for Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color.
In 2023 the African-American Master Artists-in-Residence Program invited him to present work in their highly anticipated show “Resurgence”.
He offers his deepest and most sincere gratitude to Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire, as this marks his first solo exhibition.
Jason Cruz, known to many as a reclusive artist and wild-eyed frontman, is a California native and has been writing, painting and performing just about all his life. At the age of 17, he would walk away from an art scholarship to form Strung Out, the band he would spend the next 25 years writing, performing, and traveling the world with. Jason's visual art knows no medium and no set style. One day, you're looking at the nude, inviting pose of a female produced with oils; the next, you could be flying into a futuristic living room scene, with retro furniture and an unsettling uncertainty hanging in the air. Yet somehow, you know it's all his work. The mark of a true artist.
Dwight Davis is the owner and operator of Senior Helpers of Southern New Hampshire which provides non-medical in-home care. Senior Helpers is a franchise brand name that operates over 360 franchises
in the US, Canada, England, and Australia. Dwight serves as CEO of Davis Care Group, LLC which has other business interests. Among his notable achievements are Distinguished Alum Award at the
University of Houston, University of Houston Hall of Honor for Basketball, New Hampshire’s Most
Influential Leaders 2022, New Hampshire Business Excellence Award 2022 (small Business), NBA Third Player Selected 1972 and Rookie of the Year Senior Helpers Franchise 2015.
His passion is working to make New Hampshire and its communities more inclusive and diverse in order that the state all its inhabitants will become more resilient and prosperous. Board work includes Board Chair of New Hampshire Center for Justice and Equity. Founding and Board Member of Business Alliance for People of Color NH. Other board service includes but is not limited to the Black Heritage Trail New Hampshire, Cambridge Trust Bank Advisory Board, NH Workforce Investment Board, The Foundation for the Community Colleges of NH Board and the board of Cultivate.
Lionel Loveless, also known as Mr. Bowtie Daily, is a business owner on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. He and his husband own 3 Antique shops, and Lionel is the owner and designer of Officially Knotted Bowties. He is also a board member and one of the founders of BAPOC-NH. As a transplant to New Hampshire, he is thrilled to promote and see the impact that the BIPOC community had and continues to have on the Granite State.
Mark McClary, based in Derry, New Hampshire, United States, is currently a Global Trade Operations Analyst at Fidelity Investments, bringing experience from previous roles at Fidelity Investments, Exeter Health Resources Inc., and Exeter Hospital. Mark McClary holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Administration and Management, General concentration in finance, 3.62 at Southern New Hampshire University. With a robust skill set that includes Finance, Fund Accounting, Leadership, Microsoft Office, Fundraising, and more, Mark McClary contributes valuable insights to the industry. Mark is a Certified Personal Trainer and Head Coach of New Hampshire Roller Derby, and one of the Head Coaches for his children’s juniors league, New England Junior Roller Derby.
Christopher Michael has served the Texas poetry community since 1999. In 2005, he co-founded Killeen Poetry Slam, is the Director of Austin NeoSoul, is on the board of Austin Poetry Slam, was Executive Director of They Speak Austin (2011 to 2015), and President of Poetry Slam Inc, a national non-profit arts organization from 2014. He all organizations promote poet and freedom of speech while assisting local poetry artists to travel and market themselves. He has been instrumental in representing Texas to the nation, leading over 15 youth and adult poetry teams to competitions all over the country. He is the 2005, 2006 Austin Poetry Champion, 2006 Austin International Poetry Festival Champion, 2008 Killeen, and 2011 Arkansas Grand Slam Champion. In 2015 2016, he ranked top ten in the Individual World Poetry Slam. His various CDs and books, "Persona Non-Grata" and "Nuclear Orange," were published by 310 Brown Street, a company he established in 2016 to help performance poets transition into literary art. Both books have received rave reviews. He is frequently sought out to write original poems for organizations and individuals. In recognition of Christopher Michael's accomplishments and contributions to the community, Mayor Steve Adler declared June 23rd, 2016, "Christopher Michael Day."
Kevin Pajaro-Mariñez (Pah-ha-row | Mah-ree-nies) is a first-generation, Black Latino with Colombian and Dominican roots. He was raised in the wonderful city of Providence, Rhode Island. He joins the Phillips Exeter Academy community from the University of Michigan where he served as a Hall Director for first and second-year students. Mr. Pajaro-Mariñez has facilitated various diversity, equity, and inclusion dialogues in K-12, higher education, and professional contexts. Additionally, he founded the Black Men's Reading and Reflection Group (BMRRG). BMRRG is a cohort-based, community-oriented group where Black men come together to think expansively about masculinity. Mr. Pajaro-Mariñez is committed to cultivating spaces that demand critical reflection, deep relationship-building, and develop capacity for difficult conversations around power, privilege, and oppression.
Anthony Payton, a Brooklyn-born visionary now living in New Hampshire, spearheads Nashua Digital, a Nashua-based online news outlet. Founder of Anthony Payton Media, L.L.C., his dedication extends to impactful work with Granite State News Collaborative and The Fitz Center. As a versatile award-winning columnist, journalist, and podcast host, his work, including [The Common Ground Initiative], covers topics from patriotism to mental health. Recently selected as a TEDx speaker, Anthony’s commitment to media innovation and community service shines through. Deeply involved in advisory boards, he actively supports at-risk youth and those affected by incarceration, aiming to foster positive change at both individual and community levels.
Anthony Poore has worked in support of transformative systems change and equitable and sustainable communities for more than 30 years as a community organizer and economic development practitioner, academic, workforce housing and public health advocate, policy analyst, researcher and executive addressing the needs of New Hampshire’s urban and rural low-and moderate-income communities. He launched AP Consulting Group in 2021, working with traditional and non-traditional financial institutions and community-based organizations to identify and develop mutually beneficial public-private community economic development projects. From 2018 to January 2021, Poore served as the Executive Director of New Hampshire Humanities, an affiliated organization of the National Endowment for the Humanities. From 2010 – 2018, Poore worked with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in a variety of leadership roles, directing research and policy initiatives of the Boston Fed’s Regional and Community Outreach Department. Prior to that, Poore served as the Assistant Dean for Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Economic Development. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and Walden Mutual Bank.
Theo Martey & The Akwaaba Ensemble’s energetic and engaging performances are a reflection of their name, which means ‘welcome’ in the Twi language of the Ashanti tribe of Ghana. At each performance, the Ensemble brings Highlife music, West African drumming, and dance to vivid life. Theo was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, West Africa. He is a songwriter, recording artist, producer, performer, teaching artist, and recipient of the 2019 Governor’s Arts Award for Arts Education. He was featured on New Hampshire Magazine “Who’s It for 2019?” list. Other members of the Akwaaba Ensemble include Namory Keita– Master Djembe Fola – kpanlogo drums and backing vocals from Guinea West Africa. Josh Williams – Djun Djun Drummer, hand percussion and backing vocal. Michael Osendah – Dancer, backing vocal and lite percussion from Ghana, West Africa. Monique Williams – Dancer, singer, and lite percussion.
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