Durham, NC – On the occasion of Juneteenth 2021, The Festivals of Art, Thought, and Culture and The Fruit will present the 1st Annual Juneteenth Jubilee Golf Tournament, Art Exhibition & Reception. All events will be held on Friday, June 18th in Durham, NC. The golf tournament takes place at The Crossings Golf Club starting at 10 am. The evening will culminate with a First Look Black Art Exhibition and Reception experience, hosted by The Fruit. The Fruit is located at 305 S Dillard Street.

The 1st Annual Juneteenth Jubilee Golf Tournament celebrates Juneteenth and serves as the kickoff event for four additional festivals to occur this year. The general public, local business owners, faith leaders, and community-based organizations focused on health disparities are establishing a field of play to acknowledge and celebrate Juneteenth while recognizing that conversations regarding people of color need to continue.

Later that evening, bikers from 11 Black motorcycle clubs from the Durham Community and the surrounding areas parade to the food truck-lined parking lot at The Fruit to kick off the Black Art Exhibition and Reception. The art experience allows the greater Durham community to have a first look at a four-week visual art exposé featuring Black artists. Some of the works are by internationally acclaimed artists including Zanele Muholi and Nick Cave. Our regional bests such as Andre Léon Gray and William Paul Thomas will also present selected works. The art will be displayed side-by-side with pieces from emerging Black artists from the Triangle area whose works will be available for purchase. The purchases are on a zero-commission basis, meaning 100% of the sale price goes to the artist. The program includes a fashion exhibit curated by AMP Studios, readings, and pop-up performances organized by Culture Power Hour Extended.

The Black Art Exhibition is free with registration. To register or to learn more about the Festivals of Art, Thought, and Culture or Juneteenth Jubilee, please follow this link: https://www.atcfestivals.com/

Juneteenth is a holiday celebrated on 19 June to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the US. The holiday was first celebrated in Texas, where on that date in 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War, slaves were declared free under the terms of the 1862 Emancipation Proclamation.
Juneteenth Jubilee is organized by The Festivals of Art, Thought, and Culture and The Fruit. Multiple community partners add to the experience. The first festival is scheduled for August 19-21, 2021. The festivals, which are birthed in Durham and designed for the Greater Durham Community, are an extension of Third Friday Durham’s monthly art walk and gallery crawl. The Festivals’ three-day weekend experiences are themed and integrate music, art, dance, dialogue, education, social causes, business, fashion, empowerment, and entertainment all into one social stream of consciousness branded as THE CULTURE. The visual artwork within the gallery of The Fruit will rotate according to the theme of the festivals. This will be a forum for local visual artists to show off their works, increasing the likelihood of a sale.

On the Saturday of each festival, the gravel parking lot next to the Fruit will be deemed as the Community Lot. Several community-based organizations that align with the Festival’s mission will rotate the use of the space to raise awareness and education about health disparities and local community issues. Attendance to all of the events in the Community Lot is free. The indoor festival events have a base cost of $29 to attend all three days with wrist band-controlled entry. All Festivals will be held in Downtown Durham, NC at The Fruit, a trusted partner, and home of The Festivals of Art, Thought, and Culture. All are welcome to join in and participate.