The 2008 Denver Black Arts Festival Inc. presents “A Vivid View”. Like the azure blue sky and the majestic mountains of the Rockies, we present an array of exciting African-American Arts and Cultural Delights. The setting is Denver’s City Park July 10th thru 13th a span of visual feasts with color that will adorn the grounds, music from the people of African decent will give way to a memorable weekend of celebrating our rich heritage. The Denver Black Arts Festival rivals any major arts and cultural festivals with its contents of programs that cover all the mediums of the art realm.
An African-American Visual Arts Experience will showcase local and national visual artists showing their works of paintings, collages, sculpture, photography, fiber, glass, and relief woodcarvings. Special Exhibition and Performances are planned to pay homage to our accomplished local artist who have made sacrifices and contributions to our Festival in years past. Those honored are Cleo Parker Robinson Dancer Choreographer, Joe Keel Pianist, Roxanne Brown Jazz Vocalist, Baba Adetunji Joda African Drummer and Dancer, Oyedele Oginga festival co-founder and Visual Artist plus many more.
The tens of thousands of festival goers look forward to some of our exciting programs that involve total community participation. They are as follows: Community Mural Painting and Sculpture Garden Project, Children’s Pavilion, Drum and Drill Team competition, and the favorite Boogaloo Celebration Parade’08. Gear up for the expanded and improved African-American Visual Arts Pavilion, The Watu Sokoni (peoples market place) will offer a chance to catch up with friends and family to shop and browse for vital information on health, educational opportunities, housing, and more.
Festival ’08 will pay special attention to it’s overall physical attraction and present the community with a beautiful colorful experience so we appeal to all to come and volunteer your time and participate in the various projects and programs that make up the Community that we call home.
FRIDAY: YOUTH DAY
Presented by Hip Hop Community Organization “Represent Represent”
Our youth take center stage expressing views in music, dance, spoken word and the visual arts. The history and future of hip hop will be explored through their lyrics and interpretation of
what’s Going On’ Appearing for the first time a national hip hop Artist TBA
AFRICAN AMERICAN VISUAL ARTS PAVILION
The African American Visual Arts Pavilion spearheaded by the Sankofa Arts Alliance who will assemble local and national visual artists to exhibit and sell their work.
Media will include Paintings, Collage, Photography, Glass, Fiber and Sculpture.
MARKETPLACE
The Watu Sokoni (peoples market place) everyone looks forward to this market filled with hard to find afro-centric goods, i.e. clothing, oils, incense, artifacts to adorn ourselves, home or office. In the Health and Help pavilion Non-Profit Organizations and Socio-Civic Groups will provide helpful information on adoption, disease prevention, and healthy choices for living.
COMMUNITY ARTS PROJECTS SCULPTURE GARDEN Hands on Art experience Sculpture Garden project “Spirit House”. An interactive activity that involves the public in helping to assemble objects found throughout the community such as paper, wood, metals, glass, and fiber.An experienced sculpture will conduct this project, then completed work will find a public home post festival.
COMMUNTIY MURAL PROJECT
Festival 08 will feature Mr. Rick Hamilton accomplished spray artist and Mr. Robert Dacus, airbrush artist, to paint a mural. The mural a‘4x32 foot panel reflecting the Festival theme, “A Vivid View”.
SATURDAY JULY 12th 11:00AM BOOGALOO CELEBRATION PARADE “VIBE” This annual spectacle is a festival favorite where thousands gather to view what the community has to offer, festive and elaborate themed floats, marching bands, drum and drill teams, step teams, celebrity guest, march through the tree lined streets of Denver’s City Park. Pre festival preparations will involve local schools and youth organizations to help design and create themed floats and costumes that depict the four Performing Arts stages presented in Festival 08.A new feature for Festival 08, “March of the African Nations” local African organizations will march in their traditional dress and carry banners and flags that represent their country of origin.
CHILDREN’S PAVILION
“Learnavation” children will explore and express
their art abilities with color, texture and form.
A hands on art making project for kids 5 to 12 years, “Storyville” is a place to gather the little one and share the African and African-American stories in the oral traditions. Stories will be read
or told by local storytellers and leading members of the community.
Special exhibits for our Children’s Pavilion will be presented by the Denver Zoo, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Art Museum, Denver’s Children’s Museum, Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Colorado Historical Museum, The Black American West Museum and Heritage Center, The Blair Caldwell African American Research Library
and the Stiles African American Heritage Center.
TRIBUTE TO OUR LEGACY
The Louise Duncan Award For Excellence in the Arts a photo and artifact exhibit housed in an enclosed structure, is an opportunity for the community to be educated on who’s who in the African-American arts and culture, musician, visual artist, authors, architecture, educators and dancers. The recipient for 2008 is Cleo Parker Robinson founder and Director for the Cleo Parker Robinson New Dance Theatre. The 2nd Annual Artist tribute is Carmen Toure, founder and choreographer for Heritage Drum & Dance Ensemble.
THE PERFORMING ARTS
KUUMBA STAGE SATURDAY JULY 12th
The Kuumba Stage Festival Main Stage of creativity. The day begins with opening ceremony hosted by a special guest kicking off with Mood Indigo” a blues experience, presenting Denver’s blues legends to TBA. With America’s true art form Jazz, gracing the stage is the Silky voice of Roxanne Brown and powerhouse Ed Battle accompanied
by the Denver Black Arts Festival Jazz All Stars.
SUNDAY JULY 13th
Kuumba stage “ Soul to Soul “ Black Swan Productions presents Denver’s Best R&B artist in an all day Jam session, featuring Sheryl Renee, Hazel Miller, and more in conjunction with City Park Jazz.
JODA VILLAGE STAGE
SATURDAY JULY 12thSUNDAY JULY 13th This stage is named in honor of Mr. Adetunj Joda, drummer and dancer, also the founder of the Irepo drummers and dancers and Joda and Friends dance Company. Taking the stage are local and national dance companies performing modern, tap, traditional West African and interpretive dance. Special feature are Drums of Thunder African brothers from the continent who performs ancient rhythms that conjure up the spirit from our ancestors. Music will be featured from around the African diaspora. African world beat, Reggae, and Salsa. To round out the performances Denver Black Arts Festival present “Words that Speak” poets and storytellers bringing the spoken word.Festival 08 will also present “African Nations”, a cultural exchange. Special invitations are extended to local African organizations from the African continent to share in cultural traditions such as music, dance, language, dress, food and more.This stage will also feature a life exhibit of African culture that includes replicas of huts, functional artifacts that illustrates the daily life of a traditional African village.
THE PERFORMING ARTS
F. COSMO HARRIS GOSPEL STAGE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY JULY 12th 13th “Higher Ground”, local church choirs, ensemble, quartets, soloist and musician take us higher with traditional and contemporary gospel music, a hallelujah good time. Festival ’08 presents for the first time the Colorado Mass Choir in a special performance Sunday July 13thAdditional features for the Gospel stage are as follows: “Song Birds of the Rockies” a collection of local accomplished female gospel soloist “Praise Dance” local companies, a special tribute to our local oldest historical churches Shorter AME and Zion Baptist church.
The setting for Gospel Stage Festival 08 is the City Park Band shell.
HIP HOP STAGE
SATURDAY & SUNDAY JULY 12-13th
“Beat Street” Presented by Represent Represent “Hip Hop Don’t Stop” youth empowerment through hip hop education.For the second year the hip-hop community presents this 2 days of performances in music, dance and spoken word.The visual arts will include graffiti art, hip-hop fashion and design.
