WILMINGTON, DE – The Delaware Art Museum, in partnership with the Delaware Africa Caribbean Coalition, is hosting the Museum’s first-ever African & Caribbean Festival on Saturday, August 3 from 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. The free outdoor festival will include live music by Zfinity, delicious Caribbean food for purchase, and a fashion show of traditional African and Caribbean clothing. The Festival was created to coincide with the Museum’s exhibition Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago, which is on view through September 8. On Festival day the Museum will offer guided tours of the exhibition in Haitian Creole at 3:30 p.m., in Spanish at 4:30 p.m., and in English at 5:00 p.m.
“Caribbean communities are an important part of Delaware’s diverse population,” says Sam Sweet, Executive Director and CEO of the Delaware Art Museum. “The goal for this festival, which complements our dynamic Caribbean exhibition, is to bring those communities together to both learn from them and celebrate alongside them.”
Thomas Grant, Vice President of the Delaware Africa Caribbean Coalition, agrees, saying “the Festival will be a display of Delaware’s diverse cultural heritage.”
Sponsors: The African & Caribbean Festival is sponsored by the Arsht-Cannon Fund. Additional support was provided, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.
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~ Delaware Art Museum
About the Exhibition
Curated by Tatiana Flores and organized by the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, California, Relational Undercurrents: Contemporary Art of the Caribbean Archipelago presents 21st-century art by artists with roots in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, St. Martin, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, and St. Vincent. Acknowledging the great diversity represented by these various countries, the exhibition explores thematic continuities found among the region. Relational Undercurrents features contemporary painting, installation art, sculpture, photography, video, and performance by over 50 artists from the islands of the Caribbean.
About the Delaware Africa Caribbean Coalition
The Delaware Africa Caribbean Coalition (DACC) was founded in 2016 to bring all Africans in Diaspora together in an effort to advance their interests in the State of Delaware and beyond. Learn more at daccde.org.
About the Delaware Art Museum
For over 100 years, the Museum has served as a primary arts and cultural institution in Delaware. It is alive with experiences, discoveries, and activities to connect people with art and with each other. Originally created in 1912 to honor the renowned illustrator and Wilmington-native, Howard Pyle, the Museum’s collection has grown to over 12,000 works of art in our building and sculpture garden. Also recognized for British Pre-Raphaelite art, the Museum is home to the largest and most important Pre-Raphaelite collection outside of the United Kingdom and a growing collection of significant contemporary art.
Under the leadership of our Board of Trustees, the Delaware Art Museum is implementing a comprehensive approach to community and civic engagement. This exciting new strategic direction requires that we increase our value and relevance to all audiences. Visit delart.org to for the latest exhibitions, programs, and performances or connect with us via social media.