Afro-American Cultural Center Inc

THE HARVEY B. GANTT CENTER FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN ARTS AND CULTURE (FORMERLY THE CHARLOTTE MECKLENBURG AFRO-AMERICAN CULTURAL AND SERVICE CENTER) PRESENTS EXCEPTIONAL EXHIBITS AND ENGAGING, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS THAT CELEBRATE THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN STORY.

INSTITUTIONAL FOCUSAS A REGIONAL DESTINATION AND RESOURCE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART, HISTORY AND CULTURE, THE GANTT CENTER IS A LEADER AMONG THE NATION'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. WE CONTINUOUSLY LOOK BEYOND THE SCOPE OF HOW CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS AND MUSEUMS TRADITIONALLY OPERATE AND HAVE REACHED BROADLY TO BUILD AWARENESS ABOUT SOCIETAL INEQUITIES THROUGH OUR EXHIBITIONS, PROGRAMS AND OFFERINGS. OUR CREDIBILITY AS AN INDUSTRY LEADER IS EXEMPLIFIED BY OUR ABILITY TO BUILD WIDER AUDIENCES AND EXPAND OUR FOOTPRINT THROUGH OUR VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING AND COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER ARTS, HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONSINCLUDING THE REGION'S COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.INITIATIVE FOR EQUITY + INNOVATIONIN FALL 2018, THE GANTT CENTER LAUNCHED ITS INITIATIVE FOR EQUITY AND INNOVATION OR IEI, AS A STRATEGIC AND PERMANENT RESPONSE TO THE NATIONALLY VIEWED RIOTS THAT ENSUED IN 2016 AS A RESULT OF THE SHOOTING OF KEITH LAMONT SCOTTA BLACK MAN KILLED BY CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG POLICE. OUR STRATEGY IS TO BE PROACTIVE RATHER THAN REACTIVE IN OUR APPROACHES TO EFFECT CHANGE. THROUGH IEI WE CREATE CULTURAL EXPERIENCES AND ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN CONVERSATIONS THAT BUILD AWARENESS ABOUT THE SYSTEMATIC OPPRESSION THAT HAS LONG AFFECTED BLACK PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. ALTHOUGH HISTORICAL CONTEXTS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE ARE EXPLORED, THE PREMISE OF IEI IS PRIMARILY SOLUTION BASED. OUR STRATEGY TO IMPLEMENT THE INITIATIVE WAS FURTHER SHAPED BY HARVARD'S CHETTY STUDY WHICH RANKED CHARLOTTE 50 OUT OF 50 IN ECONOMIC MOBILITY AMONG THE NATION'S LARGEST CITIES. THE CHETTY STUDY, ALONG WITH THE 2016 "UPRISING" PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON LONGSTANDING RACIAL DIVIDES AND UNDENIABLE BARRIERS TO ECONOMIC MOBILITY, QUALITY EDUCATION AND FAIR ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITY.WE ARE CHARLOTTE'S LARGEST AND MOST PROMINENT BLACK-LED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION AND ONE OF THE REGION'S MAJOR ARTS INSTITUTIONS. THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT (35%) OF OUR CITY'S POPULATION IDENTIFIES AS BLACK AND THEY, DISPROPORTIONATELY, BEAR THE INTERGENERATIONAL IMPACT OF INEQUITIES. OUR GOAL WAS TO CREATE A PERMANENT INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO ADAPT TO THE SYSTEMIC NEEDS OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY. THE INITIATIVE ENCOURAGES ALL OF US TO ANSWER THE TOUGH QUESTIONS AND TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTIONS THAT PROMOTE A MORE JUST SOCIETY FOR BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA. IEI IS THEREFORE BUILT UPON SIX PILLARS:1. LEVERAGE THE ARTS TO EXPLORE SOCIAL ISSUES, DIFFUSE TENSIONS AND INTRODUCE CREATIVE RESPONSES2. HEIGHTEN PUBLIC AWARENESS ON ISSUES OF OPPORTUNITY, FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE;3. ENGAGE THE PUBLIC ON TIMELY TOPICS AND COMMUNITY CONCERNS4. DEEPEN CAPACITY FOR UNDERSTANDING AND NAVIGATING DIFFERENCE5. EQUIP THE NEXT GENERATION WITH KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS6. EMPOWER A BROAD RANGE OF PARTNERS, ACROSS DISCIPLINES, TO FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY AS ALLIESCHANGE IS UNACHIEVABLE IF MEMBERS OF THE CHARLOTTE COMMUNITY ARE ILL-INFORMED OR UNEDUCATED ABOUT: 1) THE SOCIETAL PROBLEMS THAT THWART MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND 2) THE RESOURCES AND APPROACHES THAT CAN EFFECT CHANGE. WITH IEI, THE GANTT CENTER IS STEPPING UP IN BOLD WAYS TO ADDRESS ISSUES OF RACIAL EQUITY AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH VARIOUS AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART FORMS AND WITH CREATIVE EXPERIENCES THAT EDUCATE BY CHALLENGING BIASES, REGRESSIVE IDEAS AND RIGID MINDSETS. IEI HAS PRODUCED MANY OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO CONNECT WITH DIVERSE AUDIENCES REGIONALLY IN A DEEPER WAY. WITH THE LAUNCH OF IEI WE CONTINUE TO OFFER EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING SESSIONS TO CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY GROUPSROOTED IN OUR EXHIBITIONS AND FOCUSED ON EQUITY AND UNCONSCIOUS BIASES. THESE LEARNING SESSIONS INCLUDE INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES, GUIDED TOURS, Q & A SESSIONS, AND MORE. AN ARRAY OF PROFESSIONAL, COMMUNITY AND CORPORATE GROUPS SUCH AS NASCAR, LEADERSHIP CHARLOTTE, TURNER CONSTRUCTION, YMCA, CRVA, CHARLOTTE RESCUE MISSION AND CITY OF CHARLOTTE'S CITIZEN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY HAVE PARTICIPATED.EXHIBITIONSTHE GANTT CENTER'S ARTISTIC VISION EXEMPLIFIES THE USE OF "ARTS AS ACTIVISM" WHILE ALSO EMBRACING INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL THOUGHTESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS TO FULFILLING THE CRITICAL NEED FOR A MORE VIBRANT CHARLOTTE. AS AN INNOVATIVE INSTITUTION THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON THE QUALITY OF ARTISTIC WORKS AND PROGRAMS PRESENTED TO THE COMMUNITY, THE FOUNDATION OF OUR VISION LIES ON THE PREMISE THAT AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART AND CULTURE, ALTHOUGH UNDERREPRESENTED AND DRASTICALLY UNDER-FUNDED, MUST CLAIM AND OWN ITS PLACE AMONG MAINSTREAM CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS. THE GANTT'S IEI FOCUSES DIRECTLY ON ISSUES OF ACCESS, INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN THE COMMUNITY, WHICH HAS SERVED TO HEIGHTEN OUR AWARENESS, INTERNALLY, AND SHIFTED OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES. WE ENSURE THAT OUR EXHIBITIONS ALIGN WITH THE MOST PRESSING NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS, PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR EDUCATION THROUGH THE LENS OF ARTISTS AS SEEN IN EXHIBITIONS SUCH AS CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON, VISUAL VANGUARD, WELCOME TO BROOKHILL, JAMEL SHABAZZ: REFLECTIONS OF A PEOPLE AND VISIBLE MAN: ART AND BLACK MALE SUBJECTIVITY."UNMASKED" SERIESON APRIL 14, 2020, TO FURTHER THE WORK OF OUR INITIATIVE FOR EQUITY + INNOVATION, WE LAUNCHED AN IMPACTFUL VIRTUAL SERIES TITLED, "UNMASKED" WHICH FOCUSES ON THE HEIGHTENED DISPARITIES THAT BLACK COMMUNITIES ARE FACING AS A RESULT OF COVID-19 AND MARGINALIZATION. THE SERIES BEGAN BY SHINING LIGHT ON THE INCREASED NUMBER OF AFRICAN- AMERICANS THAT HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH OR LOST THEIR LIVES TO COVID-19 IN COMPARISON TO OTHER ETHNICITIES NATIONWIDE AND RECOGNIZING THAT THE DEEP ROOTS OF SYSTEMIC INEQUITIES IN AMERICA ARE THE PRIMARY CAUSE.FAMILY FIRSTTHE GANTT CENTER OFFERS EDUCATIONAL AND ARTISTIC PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS AND SCHOOL CHILDREN OF ALL AGES. OUR FAMILY FIRST PROGRAM, SPONSORED BY NOVANT HEALTH HAS AFFORDED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN PROGRAMS PRIMARILY FOR STUDENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 5 AND 13. ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH, CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE ABLE TO ENGAGE IN ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND WORKSHOPS THAT MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE. PAST FAMILY FIRST ACTIVITIES HAVE INCLUDED, THEATRE ARTS, DANCE, MASK MAKING, MUSIC MAKING, SPOKEN WORD, POETRY, PAINTING, COLLAGE-MAKING AND VARIOUS OTHER ART FORMS.K-12 STUDENTS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMINGAT THE CORE OF OUR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING IS THE NEWLY DEVELOPED ENVISION ME PROGRAM, WHICH LAUNCHED IN FALL 2020 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS. THE OBJECTIVE OF ENVISION ME IS TO REACH MORE STUDENTS AND PROVIDE ACCESS TO HIGH QUALITY CREATIVE EXPERIENCES FOR TITLE 1 SCHOOL STUDENTS. THIS PROGRAM WILL PROVIDE ACCESS TO INSIGHTFUL EXPERIENCES WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT THAT UTILIZES THE ARTS AS A TOOL TO BUILD CONFIDENCE, IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING, AND ULTIMATELY IGNITE STUDENTS' PASSION FOR LEARNING ACROSS MULTIPLE SUBJECT AREAS. STUDENTS WILL ENGAGE IN EIGHT (12) WORKSHOPS WITH A SELECTED ARTIST IN RESIDENCE.GANTT TEACHER INSTITUTE: BUILDING EQUITABLE CLASSROOMSIN PARTNERSHIP WITH CHARLOTTE-MECKLENBURG SCHOOLS, THE GANTT CENTER'S TEACHER INSTITUTE IS A ONE-DAY VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE DESIGNED TO HELP TEACHERS BUILD MORE EQUITABLE CLASSROOMS. RECENTLY, AS A FOUNDATION FOR CULTURAL PROFICIENCY LEARNING, THE GANTT COMMISSIONED A SERIES OF PIECES BY PHOTOGRAPHER AND IMAGE ACTIVIST ALVIN C. JACOBS CALLED WELCOME TO BROOKHILL. THROUGH THIS AND OTHER THOUGHT-PROVOKING EXHIBITION PROJECTS LIKE QUESTION BRIDGE, TEACHERS EXPLORE THEMES SUCH AS RACISM, GENTRIFICATION, HEALTH, WEALTH, AND EDUCATION TO HELP THEM IDENTIFY THEIR OWN BIASES. THIS PROCESS OF SELF-DISCOVERY SUPPORTS BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUES MARGINALIZED STUDENTS OF COLOR COPE WITH OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM, AND HOW THOSE ISSUES CAN IMPACT LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR WITHIN THE CLASSROOM. GANTT TEACHER INSTITUTE SESSIONS LEVERAGE EXHIBITIONS TO INCREASE ENGAGEMENT AND DISCOURSE BETWEEN EDUCATORS TO DEEPEN THEIR CAPACITY FOR UNDERSTANDING AND NAVIGATING DIFFERENCES IN THE CLASSROOM.