Juneteenth, also known as African American Independence Day and Freedom Day, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. Across the country, the day is marked with events and parades. The holiday recognizes the date, June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger brought notice of freedom for all enslaved people to Galveston, Texas, the farthest outpost of slavery in the United States. This occurred more than two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln. Upon the issuing of General Order #3 by General Granger, formerly enslaved citizens celebrated joyfully, establishing America's second Independence Day Celebration and the oldest African American holiday observance in the US. In 2020, New York State Gov. Cuomo made Juneteenth an observed state holiday.
2024 JUNETEENTH
The Schweinfurth Art Center hosted two Juneteenth events this year: a performance by artist and storyteller Vanessa Johnson and an exhibit of portraits of Black and multiracial children and young adults taken by artist Ellen M. Blalock.
Johnson performed Resist! Stories of African American Struggle and Resistance as part of Auburn's post-parade activities at Booker T. Washington Community Center. Watch a video of her performance below.
Tour Faces of Tomorrow at Booker T. Washington Community Center beginning June 15. The exhibit of large portraits of Auburn's Black and biracial children, young adults, and families were created by Schweinfurth artist-in-residence Ellen M. Blalock. Many of the people Blalock photographed are descendants of Harriet Tubman’s brothers, whom she guided to freedom. The exhibit will be on display at least through July 15, The community center's hours are 8 am to 5 pm Mondays through Fridays.
2021 ARTIST TALKS
All talks and storytelling sessions were virtual via Zoom. Click on the link by each entry to view a recording.
Our 2021 Juneteenth celebration is sponsored by the City of Auburn, the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, and the Skaneateles Area Arts Council.
Lecture by Terry Plater on her solo exhibition Harriet's Legacy
Friday, June 18, 2021, at 6 pm
Terry's commentary on the exhibit:
"The idea for this show came together for me in an iterative fashion as I contemplated three things: the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans in the now United States, the release of the film Harriet which so richly conveyed the life, struggles and triumphs of Harriet Tubman, and an ongoing project I have been undertaking -- painting from old family photos to better come to know and honor the history of my own family in Maryland and Virginia. My exhibit links these discreet endeavors in a single narrative, one that imagines, represents, and celebrates family history and 19th- 20th century public life -- specifically here in upstate NY -- as emblematic. The title is meant to convey several things: the intergenerational history, value, and ownership of our collective American story as embodied in slavery and emancipation, the acknowledgement of Harriet Tubman as a local figure and national treasure."
Harriet's Legacy is on view at Schweinfurth Art Center and Cayuga Museum of History & Art June 12 to August 7, 2021
Modern Quilts from My Grandmothers, a lecture by Sarah Bond about her exhibition Threads Across Time
Saturday June 19, 6pm
Sarah Bond is a modern quiltmaker who takes her inspiration from traditional quilts and quiltmakers. Much of her recent work uses her practice to respond to quilts made by her foremothers who she has traced back to her great great grandmother Jane Arthur Bond and her great grandmother Louvinia Clarkson Cleckley, both of whom spent a period of their lives enslaved. Bond's research leads her to the descendants of those who owned her family and a trove of antique quilts- prompting poignant questions of ownership, legally and ethically, of the labor of her foremothers. As an artist, her quilts are sparked by and evolved from the work of her Grandmothers, women whose determination and creativity reached across generations.
Threads Across Time is on view at the Schweinfurth Art Center June 12 to August 7, 2021
YOUTH EVENTS
Story teller Vanessa Johnson will perform two stories for children and teens.
Oh, Freedom! June 19, 11:00-11:45 am, for ages 6-10
African Tales, African American Folklore, and Songs of Peace and Justice! Lift up your voice and join storyteller Vanessa Johnson in telling and singing these Freedom tales!
Marching on to Freedom Land! June 19, 12:30-1:30 pm, for ages 11+
Hear the stories of children that helped to free the enslaved on the Underground Railroad, marched during the Civil Rights Movement, and of those who fight for Peace and Justice today!