The entire community is invited to Levine Center for the Arts to enjoy this special collaboration between the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, the John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and the Mint Museum Uptown. Now in its second year, the #LongLiveArts Free Community Festival is a family-friendly celebration of visual and performing arts that features regional artists, showcasing the diversity of Charlotte����s art community.
All three of the Levine Center for the Arts museums will open their galleries for FREE access during regular museum hours. Food trucks will be on-site during the festival for food and beverage purchases. So, plan to spend the day with us!
Free ArtBreak Tours * Live Entertainment * Food Trucks * Interactive Activities & Lots of Fun!
FESTIVAL HOURS
11:00am – 4:00pm
SCHEDULE (Subject to change)
11:00am:��Welcome to the Festival with�� Boris ����Bluz���� Rogers�� – Outdoor Artist Pavilion
Multitalented lyrical artist, Bluz will welcome guests to the #LongLiveArts Festival. An Emmy Award-winning Poet and Author, Boris ����Bluz���� Rogers shares his spoken word pieces around the country and can be found on the screens of the Spectrum Center and in commercials for the NCAA and NASCAR.
11:00am-3:00pm:��Hands-On Art Activities – Look for the CREATE signs
Grid Portrait Painting @ The Mint Museum Inspired by artist Carl Joe Williams’ painting, American Shotgun featured in our new State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now��exhibition, visitors can explore portraiture using mirrors, pencils, rulers, and paint in the Mint Museum Classroom.
����Hot off the Press���� A Screen Printing Workshop @ The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture Join local creative entrepreneur Ndelo outside under the outdoor CREATE Classroom Pavilion ��to turn something old into something new by creating your own work of art from an old t-shirt or tote bag, on a screen printing press. *Bring an old T-shirt or tote bag with you.
Firebird Collages & Mixed Media Nanas @ Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Outside under the Outdoor CREATE Classroom Pavilion visitors will create collages inspired by the iconic mosaic sculpture. Festival participants can also create colorful, mixed media Nanas based on the joyous figures of artist Niki de Saint Phalle in the Bechtler Museum Family Gallery (4th Floor).
11:00am- 3:00pm: Roving Interactive Puppetry w/ Drew Nowlins
Experience puppetry that����s interactive and fun! Drew and his larger than life puppets will mingle and engage with the crowd for a hilarious time both inside and outside.
11:15am-11:30am: Portrait Painting Demo with Bree Stallings – Outdoor Create Classroom Pavilion – Look for the CREATE sign
Meet local painter Bree Stallings who creates works on canvas as well as large scale murals. Watch and listen to her talk about her process and technique as she works from a live model.
11:30am-12:15pm: Portrait Paint-Off ���� Round One – Create Classroom Pavilion – Look for
the CREATE sign��
Bring YOUR favorite supplies – pencil, pastel, pen or brush – and join us for an all ages, all levels, all media��Paint-Off! Working from live volunteer models you have 45-minutes to create your masterpiece. A limited number of easels and stools, paper and pencils will be available. Judges will choose one Adult and one Youth winner for each Round. Prizes will be creatively cool swag from the Bechtler, Gantt Center and Mint Museum Gift Shops and will include a Levine Center for the Arts Guest Pass.
11:30am-12:30pm: Cuban Jazz Dance Class with Charlotte Repertory Dance Theater (CRDT) –��Gantt Center Grand Lobby – Look for the DANCE sign
Experience Cuban Jazz movement! Learn dance steps and perform with the members of the Charlotte Repertory Dance Theatre, a local contemporary dance company that performs in a variety of classical and cultural styles including Contemporary Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip Hop, Aerial, and Praise Dance. They present formal dance concerts and informal dance presentations throughout the community.
11:30am-12:30pm:��Drum Circle w/ Drums 4 Life – Outdoor Artist Pavilion – Look for
the EXPERIENCE sign
A drum circle is a group of people arranged in a circle experiencing the spontaneous creation of music on a variety of drums and percussion instruments. Because a circle has no beginning and no end, the agreement to connect in a circle allows energy to circulate from one person to the next. For over twenty years Kojo Bey, founder of Drums 4 Life, has been performing and teaching African drumming as a healing art around the world.
11:45am-12:45pm��Create Op Art Illustrations w/ Lila Leher – Gantt Center Classroom – Look for the CREATE sign
Join Lila Leher of Sarjan Studios for a demonstration of how she uses technology to create optical illusions and illustrations. Then using paper and other items, participants will create their own optical illusions.
12:00pm, 1:00pm, &��2:00pm:��Free ArtBreak Guided Tours – Look for the ARTBREAK signs
At the Bechtler, Gantt Center and Mint Museums experience docent-led tours. Meet at the Guest Services desk at each museum. ArtBreak tours assemble and leave on the hour.
12:00pm-1:00pm: Shefalee Patel and Dance Troupe – Bechtler Lobby – Look for
DANCE sign
Experience the folk dance from Gujrat, India known as Garba, followed by an interactive dance along featuring the audience!
12:15pm-12:30pm: Portrait Paint Demo with Gordon C. James – Bechtler Museum Classroom – Look for the CREATE sign
Meet illustrator, oil painter, and portrait artist Gordon C. James. Watch and listen to him talk about his process and technique as he works from a live model.
12:30pm-1:15pm: Portrait Paint-Off ���� Round Two –��Bechtler Museum Classroom –��Look
for the CREATE sign��
Bring YOUR favorite supplies – pencil, pastel, pen or brush – and join us for an all ages, all levels, all media��Paint-Off! Working from live volunteer models you have 45-minutes to create your masterpiece. A limited number of easels and stools, paper and pencils will be available. Judges will choose one Adult and one Youth winner for each Round. Prizes will be creatively cool swag from the Bechtler, Gantt Center and Mint Museum Gift Shops and will include a Levine Center for the Arts Guest Pass.
12:30pm-1:15pm: ����Dancing Stories���� by April C. Turner – Mint Museum Atrium – Look for
the EXPERIENCE sign ��
Join us for a fun, interactive journey through West African culture. April C. Turner performs stories from the African and African American tradition that affirm community building concepts, such as ����working together,” ����integrity���� and ����perseverance.����
1:15pm-2:00pm:��Jazz Vocalist Kenya Templeton – Bechtler Museum Sculpture Terrace – Look for the LISTEN sign.
Meet one of Charlotte����s most multifaceted artists, Kenya Templeton, who will introduce you to a brief history of jazz and scatting.
1:15pm-2:15pm:��Caroline Calouche & Company Aerial and Contemporary Dance – At the intersection of Levine Avenue of the Arts & South Tryon Street.�� Look for the EXPERIENCE DANCE sign.
Charlotte����s only aerial and contemporary dance company and school is dedicated to inspiring people of diverse backgrounds to explore beyond their boundaries through performance and education. A resident company of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, they are bringing inspirational, entertaining gravity-defying dance to the streets of Charlotte.
1:30pm-3:00pm:��Family Painting Workshop with Cathay Dawkins – Harvey B. Gantt Center Classroom – Look for the CREATE signs.
In this class everyone will receive step-by-step instruction from Certified Art Instructor, Cathay Dawkins. Beginners to experts of all ages are welcome to participate. Materials will be provided and space is limited to 30 participants.
2:15pm-3:00pm:��Hip Hop Orchestrated – Bechtler Museum Overhang – Look for
the LISTEN sign
Classical instruments and operatic vocals meet Hip Hop, Neo Soul, and 2 turntables. This passionate group of music makers blend Hip Hop and Orchestral music to connect people of different backgrounds with one another through their common love for music.
2:30pm-3:30pm: Ekphrastic Writing Workshop with the Charlotte Center for Literary Arts (Charlotte Lit) – Gantt Center Performance Suite – Look for the CREATE sign.
Writing that describes or speaks directly to a work of visual art is called Ekphrastic. Join Charlotte Lit co-founders Kathie Collins and Paul Reali for a workshop where you����ll explore a variety of ekphrastic forms and write your own creative response to one or more of the exhibits in Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture. We����ll provide the materials, instruction, and inspiration. All ages and experience levels welcome!
3:00pm-4:00pm:��Salsa Dancing w/ Rossano Fore- Bechtler Museum of Modern Art Lobby – Look for the DANCE sign.
Come learn the steps and start dancing with Rossano! Afro-Cuban, Salsa, Cha-Cha, Bachata and Merengue.
3:00pm- 4:00pm: Binders���� Multi-Artist Paint-Off – Outdoor Artist����s Pavilion – Look for
the EXPERIENCE ART signs
Watch some of Charlotte����s finest fine artists create their interpretations of a live model. The winner will be chosen by YOU, the audience and will receive a Binders���� Art Supplies and Framing prize pack. ��All of the artists���� pieces will be available for purchase. Credit/Debit Cards Only. Proceeds benefit the Artists and the Levine Center for the Arts.
FOOD TRUCKS
My Sausage Buddy, OooWee BBQ, Spice Street, and Sprinkles
The festival is made possible by the THRIVE Fund, administered by Foundation For The Carolinas.