A free Meet-the-Artist event with Howell, presented in cooperation with the Madison County Arts Council, will take place on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 6 p.m. at The Arts Center, 90 South Main Street in Marshall. RSVP for the Meet-the-Artist Event at info@trilliumartsnc.org.
Tickets are available at TrilliumArtsNC.org/events.
$15 advance sales; $20 at the door; $10 elders, students, children 16 years and younger; $7 groups of six or more. Capacity is limited.
A Celebration of Black Music and Dance
On Friday & Saturday, June 16 & 17, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. Trillium Arts will present the premiere of Asheville-based choreographer and director Melvin AC Howell’s multidisciplinary performance, MOVE;MEANT A.R.T. EXPO – JUNETEENTH at Marshall High Studios, 115 Blannahassett Island Road in Marshall, NC.
Melvin AC Howell’s MOVE;MEANT A.R.T EXPOs are immersive dance theatre explorations of issues related to Black history and contemporary Black culture. In addition to a live performance integrating dance, music and theatrical elements, EXPOs include a visual arts installation that creates a setting for the performance and organically submerges the audience in the environment.
JUNETEENTH, the newest in Howell’s MOVE;MEANT A.R.T EXPO series, is inspired by the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that enslaved people of Texas, then the most remote region of the Confederacy, finally learned slavery had been abolished and that they were free.
The performance is a structured series of dance theater vignettes while the audience is lead through the venue’s expansive, nontheatrical space. Musical selections include popular recordings by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Robert Glasper, Lionel Louke and TroyBoi. A collection of visual art works by Asheville artist Jenny Pickens, creates the environment for JUNETEENTH’s immersive experience.
In Howell’s words, “JUNETEENTH is a celebration of the enormous impact of Black dance and music on American culture. It is created to spread positive messages regarding race, class and Black history across Western North Carolina, thereby knitting our communities closer together.”
JUNETEETH was created during a series of three residencies at Trillium Arts in May 2021, with Howell and co-director/choreographer Amanda Hoyte. Heather Hartley, co-founder of Trillium Arts, states, “Trillium Arts is committed to providing a diverse array of local, national and international artists with time and space to create their next great work. This multiyear partnership with Melvin exemplifies Trillium’s core values and our dedication to enhancing the performing arts in Western NC. We are delighted to have the opportunity to present Melvin’s celebratory work to audiences in our region.”
Marshall High Studios and the Madison County Arts Council’s Art Center are accessible to people with disabilities.
