Black History Month Programming

BRAHM partners with Small and Mighty Acts for Black History Month programs and the Altar for Black Lives exhibition

​Over the next five weeks, Blowing Rock Art and History Museum will celebrate Black History Month and explore the intersections between social justice and creative expression. The program series has been organized around the current exhibition, Small and Mighty Acts Altar for Black Lives. Link to exhibit: blowingrockmuseum.org/see/altar

Small and Mighty Acts serves as a platform to bolster the High Country of North Carolina and beyond toward a more peaceful, just and productive future. 
The murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 sparked a global outcry and a resurgence of interest in the Black Lives Matter Movement. In response to the murders, Small and Mighty Acts constructed The Altar for Black Lives as a call to action and place for our community to come together, grieve and co-create an equitable future. The Altar for Black Lives is a recognition of the power in ritual in socio-political turmoil. Social change is not only a matter of policy- it is a matter of imagination and spirit. 

BRAHM is hosting The Altar for Black Lives in the Alexander Community Gallery until March 27. We have photographed every piece of the altar. Additionally, we have created a web page for the exhibit featuring additional information and images of every piece on the altar. Many of the pieces were made anonymously. If anyone sees their work and would like to claim it, there is a form on the exhibit web page for you to do so. 

UPCOMING BLACK LIVES MATTER PROGRAMMING: 

Thursday February 11th at 6 p.m. we will premiere “Songs of Freedom” with Boone based artist, Melissa Edd. This program will explore songs from the civil rights movement and tell you stories behind the lyrics and the people named in them.

February 17th and 24th at 6 p.m: We hope you will join us for Writing on Justice, a two-part workshop on back-to-back Wednesday's, February 17th and 24th at 6 p.m., inviting participants to engage in a creative writing practice around concepts and themes related to BLM. Pieces created in this workshop will be included in a community exhibition booklet for the Small and Mighty Acts, Altar for Black Lives exhibition (not mandatory for participating in the workshop). The workshop will be led by Small and Mighty Acts founder, Cara Hagan. Link to the program: https://youtu.be/EA6t4DMugs. 

February 21-28: BRAHM is hosting a virtual screening of the documentary Wilmington On Fire and a discussion with the film’s director, Christopher Everett. The film will be available for viewing through BRAHM’s website for 1 week from Feb 21-28, and on Thursday the 25th at 6 pm we will host the discussion. Link to the program: https://zoom.us/j/95917762436

March 4th: BRAHM is hosting “Pivot Step: Black Choreographers and the Intersection of Dance Arts and Social Justice.” This event will feature a discussion between Tamara Williams, dance professor and UNC Charlotte, Cara Hagan dance professor at Appalachian State University, and Dr. Julie B. Johnson, professor at Spelman college. Link to the program: https://zoom.us/j/97242717937

All of these events are free and open to the public. They were made possible by the hard work of Small and Mighty Acts, and by financial support from the North Carolina Humanities Council and the Watauga Arts Council. 

If you are not able to make any of these programs, don’t worry - they will be recorded and posted to our YouTube page! Just make sure to subscribe to stay up to date. All of this and more can be delivered to your inbox when you subscribe to our weekly e-news letter or follow us on social media @brmuseum

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