2022 Schedule of Events Online at www.blackartsandideasfest.com
Chattanooga, TN: With a continued commitment to celebrating the extraordinary contributions of artists of African descent, the 5th Annual Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas will kick-off it’s Juneteenth Celebration on June 4th with its inaugural fundraiser the RBG Ball (Red, Black & Green) & Black Arts Awards. This black-tie affair will honor local artists in six disciplines. The program will include the introduction of three historical African princesses who will be available for public appearances, birthday parties and school visits throughout the year. The meal will be curated and prepared by celebrity chef, Kenyatta Ashford. Chef Ashford studied at the renowned Culinary Institute of America in New York.
In its fifth year (2022) the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas: Juneteenth Independence Day will run June 4th – June 26th. Events and activities will take place in varying locations throughout the city. Our goal for year five is to include with local artists, speaker and workshop leaders those that are more reginal, nationally and internationally recognized. For example, our events will include internationally recognized American Idol winner Ruben Studdard will perform on June 19th as part of the Juneteenth Ceremony; International spoken word artist & Las Vegas resident, Obbie West; jazz trumpeter Melvin Miller & Co from Atlanta; playwright E. Claudette Freeman’s from Fort Lauderdale; and internationally recognized West African drummer Obayana Ajanaku of Knoxville.
CFBA&I orbits around June 19th because Juneteenth represents an historic triumph of the human spirit. We honor our ancestors by holding this day in reverence and celebrating ourselves to celebrate them.
Wielding the transformative powers of the arts, our festivals are revolutionary acts of sankofa– retrieving that which was ours and had been forgotten. The arts delight, instruct, console, awaken, and refine us and if we let them, they restore our humanity. Our mission is to showcase emerging and established local artists of African descent who are creating, innovating and producing extraordinary work in the disciplines of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, film and literature.
2022 Schedule of Events Online at www.blackartsandideasfest.com