A Weekend of Cultural Elevation, two days of free and ticketed events focused on Black storytelling, performance, and community, will kick off Saturday at the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center, and continue with programs at The Church in Sag Harbor, EHP Resort and Marina in Springs, and Guild Hall.
The weekend has been put together by the Apollo Theater, Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA), The Church in partnership with the Celebrating Creatives of Color Committee, Evidence Dance Company, and National Black Theatre.
Saturday's program at the Bridgehampton Child Care and Recreational Center will start at 10 a.m. with a vocal master class conducted by Angela Renee Simpson, a soprano and educator whose career spans international opera stages and arts institutions,
The free class, provided by CAAPA, will enable aspiring artists and community members to connect with an acclaimed performer and educator in an intimate environment.
Also at the recreational center, at 1 p.m., Ron Brown and Arcell Cabuag of Evidence Dance Company will lead a community dance workshop. Also free, the class is open to the public and will invite participants of all ages to explore movement, creativity, and self-expression through dance.
The Church’s program, the sixth annual Celebrating Creatives of Color, will happen tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and include an art sale, art show, book signing, and a conversation between Eddie S. Glaude Jr., a scholar and writer, and Linsey Davis, an ABC News anchor.
The 10:30 program will feature Harriette Cole, a writer, Muriel Monik Johnson, a storyteller and artist, and ReShonda Tate, the author of “The Queen of Sugar Hill” and “With Love From Harlem.” Their books will be available for purchase and signing after the writers’ remarks.
The artist Nanette Carter will receive the Living Legend Award, and be followed by the conversation between Glaude and Davis. Tickets for the 10:30 program are $10, free for members, who are required to R.S.V.P.
The art show, sale, and book signing will continue from 11 to 5 and are free, with a suggested donation of $5 at the door. Among the 21 visual artists with work on view are Patrick Earl-Barnes,
Karim Chambers, Jeremy Dennis, Faith Evans, Beverly Granger, and Judith Henriques-Adams. All artworks and books will be for sale; artists will donate 10 percent of their sales to support the recreational center and The Church.
The action will move to EHP Resort and Marina in Springs where Apollo in the Hamptons will happen on Saturday with a cocktail hour at 6, followed by dinner and dancing. The party will feature live performances by Brownstone, Estelle, and D.J. Aktive. Tickets, which start at $2,500, will support the Apollo’s mission of championing Black artists and culture.
The weekend will conclude Sunday afternoon from 2 to 4 at Guild Hall with “On Our Toes in the Hamptons: Building Our Heaven,” an interdisciplinary performance exploring the spiritual and artistic evolution of Black classical music.
Co-presented by CAAPA and National Black Theatre, the performance features Damien Sneed, a composer and pianist, with musicians from the Orchestra for Tomorrow, as well as Simpson, Solomon Howard, a bass, Mahogany L. Browne, a poet, and Evidence Dance Company. The program runs the gamut from classical repertoire to African-American sacred traditions, jazz influences, and poetry.
Tickets are $92 to $263.
