For Which it Stands: A Virtual Town Hall

What defines the American experience? What makes a community? Inspired by the exhibition Building a Legacy: The Vibrant Vision Collection of Jonathan Green and Richard Weedman, this three part series invites participants to a town hall-style Zoom with local artists and community stakeholders where we'll address these and other questions as we grapple with the effects of a global pandemic and a renewed reckoning with racial injustice.

Art and Agriculture: Black Farming and Foodways, September 26, 12noon

From the legacy of West African rice cultivation to addressing disparities in food access through present-day community farming initiatives, communities of African descent have a long and rich history of agricultural innovation. We’ll explore these traditions through art, and discuss the present-day concerns of Black farmers.

This event is free and open to the public, but requires registration. It will take place on Zoom. Registrants will receive the link to the Zoom webinar one day prior to the event.

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED.

This virtual program is made possible by the generous support of Art Bridges.

About Our Speakers

DR. KIM CLIETT LONG

An educator, distance learning expert, and avid art collector, Dr. Long represents the Lowcountry Rice Culture Project whose mission is to discover and revive the significance of rice cultivation and its legacies. Serving as a clearing house and partnership builder for activities that explore, reveal, and reclaim the shared cultural inheritance of the southeastern Lowcountry rice industry, the Lowcountry Rice Culture Project, examines the cultural legacy of rice cultivation through oral history projects, and other research and educational initiatives.

ANTWON FORD

Current Gibbes Museum Visiting Artist, Antwon Ford, began learning the art of sweetgrass basketry at the age of four by watching his grandmother in her kitchen in Mt. Pleasant, SC. At seven years old, he sold his first basket to a family member for $5, and was hooked. He now pushes the tradition of sweetgrass basketry in bold, new directions with his dynamic, highly sculptural sweetgrass creations. He’ll discuss the role of the sweetgrass basket as an agricultural tool, his process, and present-day challenges to harvesting sweetgrass.

BONITA CLEMONS

Founder of FarmaSIS, a 11-member group of Black women farmers in Columbia, South Carolina working to build community and address gender disparities in farming, Bonita Clemons has over 20 years of experience in integrative health. Receiving her Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of South Carolina, she is also the owner of Bonita’s Tea and the visionary behind youtube channel Dianne’s Call: Natural Living Lifestyle.