Artist Nandi Jordan’s work “It Ain’t Magic, Sis” is part of a new exhibit at 411 Gallery.
Photo provided
Music, food and visual art will come together for a free Juneteenth-oriented arts event from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Sixth Street Arts Alley in downtown Columbus between Washington and Franklin streets.
The nonprofit Columbus Area Arts Council is presenting the gathering.
Jazz keyboardist Christopher Pitts, who has earned a local following via two previous performances in Columbus, will perform with his trio. That will include percussionist Kenny Phelps, who recently sold out a jazz show in the Jazz at Helen’s local series.
The 411 Gallery exhibit, “Undercurrents” will open on the alley. Work by artists Tasanee Durret, India Hines and Nandi Jordan is being guest-curated by One Drop, an Indianapolis-based artist collective uplifting artists of color. The agency consists of three artists, including Columbus native Alyse Tucker Bounds.
The exhibition opens Thursday and runs through Aug. 23.
Food on Friday will include a food truck by Theo’s Brunchfast, and drinks by Elev8 Events. The event is one of eight local events this month to celebrate Juneteenth, which marks the official end of slavery in the United States.
After the event, the public may visit the gallery at 411 Sixth Street during open hours from noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
The exhibition centers on “exploring the intricate currents of heritage and the evolving future,” according to a news release.
Fittingly, the artwork “utilizes vibrant cultural aesthetics, revealing narratives often silenced by mainstream discourse, as the arts council describes it.
One Drop was formed amid the global pandemic in 2021 when Hannah Paz-Westbrook (Herron School of Art + Design, bachelor of fine arts), Alyse Tucker Bounds (Herron School of Art + Design, bachelor of fine arts), and Caleb Davis-Barney (Pratt Institute, master’s of fine arts) noticed the lack of minority cultural representation in the local and international art world.
So they decided to utilize their resources to create a space that allows for artists and the community to come together for one common cause: “amplifying the voices of historically marginalized communities through vibrant creativity,” as they put it.
Since then, they’ve completed numerous art exhibitions across the United States, partnering with city planners, artist-run spaces, galleries and more. They are in their third year partnering with organizations in Columbus to curate art exhibitions surrounding Juneteenth. And they have earned an Innovation Award from the city of Bloomington after repurposing a vacant storefront into a public exhibition, worked as stage designers with global force Midwest Fashion Week, and acted as the official install team for GangGang to design and execute the exhibition “Butter: At Indy’s Home Court” during NBA All-Star 2024 in the Indianapolis Arts Garden.
