Atlanta History Center Commemorates Juneteenth with a Free Weekend of Family Programming
This two-day family program focuses on the appreciation and commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
Guests explore the themes of freedom and family history through hands-on activities, and museum theatre performances. Don’t miss a special performance of The Order of Freedom, written by Atlanta History Center award-winning playwright, Addae Moon. This original production explores the impact of the issuance of General Order No. 3, by General Gordon Granger, on June 19, 1865, and the challenges faced by Cora and James Lewis as they begin their journey from slavery to citizenship.
WHAT: Juneteenth, Atlanta History Center annual family festival
WHEN: Saturday, June 20, 2014, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Sunday, June 21, 2014, Noon to 5:00 pm
WHERE: Atlanta History Center; 130 West Paces Ferry Road; Atlanta, GA
INFORMATION: 404.814.4000; AtlantaHistoryCenter.com/Family
ADMISSION: This is a free weekend at Atlanta History Center. Guests are invited to enjoy the festival, and if time permits, to continue their free day adventures with a variety of Atlanta History Center offerings from discoveries of signature and traveling exhibitions to historic house experiences and explorations of beautiful gardens and trails. Food and drinks are available for purchase.
SUPPORT: Funding for this program is provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of Fulton County Arts Council.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
McElreath Hall Activities
Storytelling, Mama Koku
Saturday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm
Enjoy hearing an energetic master storyteller share Southern folktales and learn about the history behind them.
Storytelling, Rob Cleveland
Sunday at 2:30 and 3:30 pm
Rob Cleveland, master storyteller, comedian, actor, and teacher, tells the folktale of High John the Conqueror’s journey from Africa, through the Middle Passage, and his experience in America.
Manga African Dance
Saturday at 1:00 and 3:00 pm
Manga’s high energy repertoire exhibits cultural traditions from Western, Central, and Southern Africa. Enjoy watching manga dance not only as entertainment, but also as a healing modality and educational platform to instruct audiences on the meaning and origins of indigenous African dances.
The African American Philharmonic
Sunday at 1:00 pm
Enjoy performances by four members of the AAPO that range from featured contemporary and classical to jazz and gospel works. Listen to vocalist Terry Harper on the piano, Dishaun Harper playing the string bass, percussionist Harris Parson on the drums and orchestra leader John Peek playing the trumpet.
Founded in 1988, the African American Philharmonic Jazz Orchestra (AAPO) was formed to provide a showcase for professional musicians and composers of African American descent in the Atlanta area. At the time the AAPO was founded, there were only four all black orchestras in the country. Listen to performances that range from featured contemporary and classical to jazz and gospel works.
Smith Family Farm Activities
The Order of Freedom
Saturday at Noon and 2:00 pm
Sunday at 12:30 and 2:00 pm
Written by Atlanta History Center award-winning playwright, Addae Moon, The Order of Freedom explores the impact of the issuance of General Order No. 3, by General Gordon Granger, on June 19, 1865, and the challenges faced by Cora and James Lewis as they begin their journey from slavery to citizenship.
Southern Foodway Traditions
Saturday and Sunday Ongoing
From Africa to the New World, learn how the enslaved community shaped Southern food traditions that we love today.
Mary Elizabeth Bowser, Meet the Past Museum Theatre Experience
Saturday at 11:30 am, 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm
Sunday at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, 4:00 pm
Meet Union spy Mary Bowser and become a trusted confidant working for the estate of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Listen as Bowser shares her struggles of living a double life, as an educated free woman pretending to be an unassuming servant in order to capture vital information for Union forces.
Atlanta History Museum Activities
Turning Point: The American Civil War
Saturday and Sunday Ongoing
Self-guided Audio Tours
At 9,200 square feet, Turning Point is the largest Civil War exhibition in the Southeast telling the story of the war from start to finish and beyond. Included are over 1,400 original Union and Confederate artifacts, plus photographs, dioramas, videos and interactive components covering the causes of the war, soldiers’ lives, wartime manufacturing, the home front and the bloody, decisive campaigns of 1864. A final section encourages guests to search for the consequences and meaning of the war, which claimed 670,000 American lives – more than the combined number of Americans killed in all other wars combined from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam. Audio tour headsets are available in exhibition hallway.
Food for Sale:
Jim ‘N Nicks BBQ
Available Saturday at 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Available Sunday at 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Coca-Cola Café – serving a limited Chick-fil-A menu
Available Saturday at Noon – 2:00 pm
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