3rd Annual Juneteenth Public Performances
JUN 14—19, 2022
“Juneteenth is a day of celebration and a day of remembrance of freedom, freedom to be who you are, to love, dance, sing, create, enjoy and live your best life in no one’s shadow. I can think of no better way to mark the occasion than with the work of these Black Artists…!” —Nona Hendryx
SCHEDULE
Wednesday, June 14th | 7:00pm
The Juneteenth Public Performance Symposium
The Flea, 20 Thomas Street
Please join moderator Monique Martin and commissioned artists Jack Fuller, Shelley Nicole, Trebien Pollard, and Niegel Smith for a deeper exploration of each artist’s unique approach to Juneteenth as a prompt for their creative work. Come hear about the creative process, the intersection of performance and public life, and all the ways liberation can play out street by street in our beautiful city.
Saturday, June 17th | 11:30am & 4:00pm
The Worthy
The African Burial Ground Monument
Join an afro-futuristic griot (Niegel Smith) on a Juneteenth walk exploring our city through the lens of black love and queer liberation. Co-led by Talu Green with his commanding Djembe drumming, The Worthy is a performance that will take you through the African Burial Ground National Monument, past civic buildings, and through the streets of lower Manhattan as we celebrate the intrinsic worth of Queer Black folks. The walk will conclude at The Flea.
Friday, June 16th | 5:00pm
Moving stories of liberation and truth…
McCarren Park, corner of Nassau Avenue and Lorimer Street
there are so many stories to be told. so many stories to unfold the mysteries of life and death as they live in the thriving and writhing lives of dying stories. stories that pierce the heart while also tearing the soul apart. stories that disappear and stories that get caught in fear.
What does it mean to reclaim language and discover the words one does not have? This new dance by Trebien Pollard and featuring Dr. Gaynell Sherrod is in dialogue with Audre Lorde’s essays, “The Transformation of Silence into Language” and “Action and Poetry is Not a Luxury.”
Sunday, June 18th | 3:00pm
Thoughts and Involuntary Mantras (Stripped)
Open Streets NYC, 584 Vanderbilt Ave.
Join icon Jack Fuller through a musical feast. This epic new work is the story of the inner life of a black queer overthinker's first time falling in love. This public act of singing, music, and action takes you on a trip into the ways the self internalizes love, or struggles to do so.
Monday, June 19th | 11:00am
Freedom is Free: Rest, Restoration, Remembering and Restitution
Brower Park, Brooklyn Avenue & Prospect Place Entrance
This commission focuses on rest, restoration, remembering, and restitution in the spirit of sankofa, “go back and get it!” On this day Shelley Nicole will offer a space of intentional breathing, gentle movement, calling in of ancestors, speaking love (self and community) into the circle, and lifting voices in song. Participants will create a community altar to celebrate those who chose to survive and ultimately made it possible for us to be here today.
Shelley asks “folks to wear white or light colors, bring a blanket or something to sit on, items to place on the community altar (photos, flowers, crystals, candles, etc.), a water bottle, and an open heart.”
