The National Juneteenth Museum hasn’t broken ground in Fort Worth yet, but that’s not stopping the organization from debuting its first exhibition.
“Declarations of Freedom,” curated by Lauren Cross and Christopher Blay, celebrates the “ever-continuing process of freedom” with historical artifacts and photos alongside contemporary artworks.
The exhibition opens June 12, a week before the museum’s inaugural Freedom Vibes festival, which will include concerts, a block party and a gospel experience at multiple venues across Fort Worth June 19-22.
“Art allows us to talk about history in new ways,” Cross, an executive strategist and curatorial consultant for the museum, said.
Pieces of history, including photos from Juneteenth celebrations in the ’70s and ’80s, will be on view along with contemporary works from North Texas artists such as Vicki Meek, Spencer Evans, Sedrick Huckaby and Letitia Huckaby.
“We felt it was important to continue the story of Juneteenth as not only a static historical event, but something that artists and citizens engage with every day,” said Blay, an artist and the museum’s director of public programs.
State legislators banded together to allocate $10 million in funding for the museum in the Legislature’s most recent budget.
“The story of Juneteenth is not a partisan story,” said Jarred Howard, the museum’s CEO. ”It celebrates freedom, which, as we all know, is the bedrock of America. And so as a consequence, the story itself is compelling without regard to where a person might sit in terms of the political aisle.”
Barring a veto, the funding will put the museum over two-thirds of the way to its $70 million goal.
“Our story is not a Black story or a white story,” Howard said. “It’s an American story.”
In addition to the art show, the Freedom Vibes festival will also include:
- The next installment in the museum’s speaker series with Civil Rights leader Ambassador Andrew Young on June 19
- Performances by Orchestra Noir on June 19 and the O’Jays with the Whispers on June 20
- A block party on Evans Avenue on June 21
- A gospel program at the Potter’s House of Fort Worth on June 22
“Declarations of Freedom” will be on view June 12 through July 19 at Fort Works Art, 2100 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. The Freedom Vibes festival will be June 19-22 at multiple venues across Fort Worth. More information here.
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