Second Annual #LONGLIVEARTS Festival to bring free performances, Museum access

Mint, Bechtler, Gantt Center, Knight Theater invite the public to free event

The public is invited to Levine Center for the Arts on Saturday, June 3, 2017. African dancing. A portrait paint-off. Drums. Art-making. Aerial dancing. Jazz. Food trucks. T-shirt screen printing. Hip Hop Orchestrated. Cuban dance. And FREE museum access all day.

The arts come alive at the second annual #LongLiveArts Festival, hosted by the four member institutions of Levine Center for the Arts – the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the John S. and James L. Knight Theater, the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Mint Museum Uptown. The public is invited to the 500 block of South Tryon Street between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. for the festival. Interactive art-making workshops for all ages begin on Saturday morning at 11 a.m., with a main stage set up on Levine Avenue of the Arts and emceed by Emmy Award-winning poet and author Boris “Bluz” Rogers.

Community artists are invited to join a #LongLiveArts Festival Multi-Artist Paint-Off, sponsored by Binders Art Supplies and Frames, where local artists compete in a live painting competition. The artwork will then be auctioned off with proceeds going to support the Levine Center for the Arts.

Other performers and activities scheduled as part of Saturday’s activities include Caroline Calouche’s aerial dancers; Drums4Life; Cuban Jazz by Charlotte Repertory Dance Theatre; Roving Puppetry by Drew Nowlins; an art class with Cathay Dawkins; salsa dancing demonstration, as well as interactive art-making activities led by the education staffs of the three member museums. Docents from the three museums will lead free 30-minute “ArtBreak” tours inside each museum at noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m.

For a complete schedule, click here or visit our facebook page.

WHAT: #LongLiveArts Community Festival

WHEN: Saturday, June 3

11 a.m.-4 p.m.

WHERE: Levine Center for the Arts, 500 block of South Tryon Street, including Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, and Mint Museum Uptown

 

ABOUT LEVINE CENTER FOR THE ARTS

Levine Center for the Arts is one of Charlotte’s major cultural destinations, home to Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, John S. and James L. Knight Theater, and Mint Museum Uptown. The Center was made possible through the support of the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, Campaign for Cultural Facilities, and The Leon Levine Foundation, one of the country’s largest and most impactful philanthropic organizations, along with the generosity of Bank of America Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, and Duke Energy Foundation, among many others.

A generous grant from the THRIVE Fund is enabling the four institutions to work more closely together than ever before to increase visibility and access to the unified center. The $250,000 award from the THRIVE Fund over two years is making possible the center’s first-ever joint marketing campaign, as well as free monthly lunchtime tours and a free community festival. The THRIVE Fund was established in 2013 to provide financial stability for Charlotte’s cultural sector under the leadership of Hugh McColl, former Bank of America chairman and CEO, and is currently administered by the Foundation For The Carolinas. The Mint Museum spearheaded the grant and is managing the project in collaboration with the other institutions. More information at levinecenterarts.org.