Gwendolyn Black Announces Visual Arts and Jazzfest 2012

Artist and curator Gwendolyn Black will once again present her highly anticipated cultural event: Visual Arts and Jazzfest 2012. This year marks the 10th Anniversary and the celebration continues with an Outdoor Art Fair on Saturday, July 14th, 11 am – 7 pm, at the beautiful Jackie Robinson Park Band Shell, 147th Street and Bradhurst Avenue in Harlem. Activities will include an art sale, arts and crafts, food, health and wellness information, video presentations and music performances.

The event presents and celebrates jazz through the visual arts and gives the public an opportunity to connect with the visual artists, gain further insight about jazz, its history and its important legacy. Some of today's contemporary artists who continue in the tradition of preserving jazz through their work, as set by noted artists such as Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis, and Langston Hughes, are Emmett Wigglesworth, Joan Chiverton, Otto Neals, Norman Messiah, Denzil Belise, Sadikisha Collier, Sonia Barnett, Jody Richardson, Renaldo Davidson, and many others.

Special guests will include Anthony Thompson, AKA Adeagbo Mudo, who will perform an excerpt from his "Blues and Jazz of Jesse B. Simple," an adaptation of Langston Hughes Simples TaleS. Thompson's work was recently featured at Jazz at Lincoln Center In April 2009 where he collaborated with trombonist Vincent Gardner. Thompson has been receiving great reviews for his work and was honored as Humanist, Artist and Steward of The Langston Hughes Legacy, presented by The Langston Hughes Society Award in 2010 at the Seventieth Annual College Language Association Convention in Brooklyn, New York.

Additional events happening during the month of July include an exhibition of works on jazz featuring a 20ft long mural dedicated to the hit tune "A Night in Tunisia," at the Countee Cullen Library Gallery, 104 W. 136th Street between Lenox and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd from July 9th – July 30th.

The mural, which was worked on for over a year, was created by AHRC program individuals, who are mentally and physically challenged, along with professional artists, community youth, parents, and individuals. The mural uses a mixture of drawings, illustrations, and photographs highlighting who's who in jazz and the historic significance of where jazz music was played yesterday and today and how the music has been celebrated through a variety of art disciplines including visual arts, dance, and poetry. "A Night in Tunisia," which was written by Dizzy Gillespie and Frank Paparelli, "still ranks among the most popular jazz standards around." The mural is beautifully rendered and will appeal to all audiences" states Gwen Black, who is the founder and producer of Visual Arts and Jazzfest.

"The AHRC program individuals and our community residents have worked very, very hard on the mural and have done an excellent job. This project has opened the door for this population (persons with disabilities) and our community residents to learn about jazz, engage in the music and learn about its history and legacy. During the project, many of the AHRC program individuals have shown exceptional talent and have excelled in so many areas. They have been so eager to learn and now they thoroughly love and appreciate the music. I am so proud of them for that" adds Ms. Black.

Visual Arts and Jazzfest, now celebrating its 10th Anniversary, will run during the months of June - September 2012. The festival was developed to further bring to the public's eye visual artists and their works dedicated to jazz and "bring together diversified audiences in diversified spaces." The festival is highlighted with special events in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Sponsors include the Citibank Financial Center and K&R Realty.