With a year of events planned, The Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater kicks off its 40thAnniversary with the Visions of Our 44th President Barack Obama exhibition. The exhibit displays realistic, life-sized busts designed, painted, and/or embellished by forty-four contemporary African American artists from across the country. Visions will open to a private all black cocktail opening reception on November 30, 2016 featuring guest performing artists Dru Hill, and to the general public on December 1, 2016. Visions will be on display at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex, 819 NW 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida 33136.
“Showcasing Visions in Miami not only highlights the historic term of our nation’s first African American president,“ said Timothy A. Barber, Black Archives Executive Director. “Through artistic expression, Visions celebrates the accomplishments we have been able to achieve together, as a community, over the past 8 years. Our goal is that this exhibit will extend beyond race, social status, or party affiliation, to highlight the common threads among us and inspire a continued togetherness as this country moves into its next chapter.”
Each artist started with the identical blank bust and were charged to fearlessly commemorate the historical significance of President Barack Obama. For the forty-four contemporary African American artists, this exhibition fosters self-expression. For the visitors, the goal is to spark dialogue and generate conversation to foster humanities. The exhibit is organized by the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, MI and was curated by Peter Kaplan of Our World, LLC.
Opening reception admission for November 30th is $100 Black Archives Member Donation and $250 Non-Member Donation. General Public exhibition admission on December 1st is $20; $15 Seniors 62+; $15 Students with ID; Free Admission for Black Archives Members, Active US Military with ID and Children age 6 and under. For more information packages please visit www.BAHLT.org. To purchase tickets for the private reception, please visit VisionsOpening.eventbrite.com.
ABOUT: The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida is a photographic and manuscript archival research repository dedicated to documenting the history of people of the African Diaspora in Miami-Dade County from 1896 to the present. Founded in 1977 by Dr. Dorothy Jenkins Fields, the Black Archives became one to the largest repositories for the history of Blacks in Miami-Dade County. The non-profit organization is housed at the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex, a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places built in 1913.
