Easton, MD – Rich with history and tales of new and old, Easton is the perfect place to dive into African-American History month and is the location of several educational and significant events in February.
Family Art Day: Black History Month
January 27, 10 am – 1 pm
Family Art Days are free, fun art making programs for people of all ages! For Black History Month, make paper pots in the style of David Drake, known as Dave the Potter, and Thomas Commeraw. Dave the Potter was an enslaved master craftsman who made exquisite ceramic pots and ceramist Thomas Commeraw was born a slave but freed when still a young boy. We will celebrate both men and the artistic legacy they left.
There is no cost to participate in Family Art Days, but please let us know if you are coming, as it will help us plan. Contact Constance Del Nero at cdelnero@academyartmuseum.org if you have any questions.
Frederick Douglass Parade
February 17, 2024, Washington Street
Celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglass with a homecoming parade in Easton, MD. Sponsored by the Bailey-Groce Foundation. fdhill.org
Celebrating Frederick Douglass: 206 Birthday Celebration
February 17, 2024, 3 PM, Avalon Theatre
February is not only Black History Month. It’s also the birthday of famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass. To honor Douglass’s life and legacy, the Bailey-Groce Family Foundation will host a 206th birthday celebration on February 17, 2024, in Easton, Maryland, featuring live performances, music, and art.
Tickets: https://www.avalonfoundation.org/event/frederick-douglass-206th-birthday-celebration
King: A Filmed Record
February 17, 2024
The event is free but registration is suggested: www.artacademy-org
“Conversation and Homecoming”
February 24, 2024, 2 PM, Avalon Theatre
Spend the afternoon with Carole Boston Weatherford and Jeffrey Weatherford, author and illustrator of the newly released “Kin,” a book that tells the story of their ancestors in Talbot County, MD through poems and stunning illustrations.
The event is free. For more information, visit Avalon Foundation box office here: https://avalonfoundation.org/event/conversation-and-homecoming-carole-and-jeffery-boston-weatherford
“A Fire That No Water Can Put Out”
November 3 , 2023- March 10, 2024
The Academy Art Museum is showcasing “A Fire that No Water can Put Out.” Taking its title from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final speech before his assassination in 1968, “A Fire That No Water Could Put Out: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement.” Historical works of iconic moments from the movement by Gordon Parks, Danny Lyon, Doris Derby, Ernest Withers, and others are juxtaposed with contemporary photographs by Dawoud Bey, Sheila Pree Bright, Matthew Brandt, and others that speak to the past’s reverberations into the present and future. These artworks demonstrate the wide range of artistic responses to the movement, from photo-journalism to conceptualism, from tender portraits to charged landscapes.
A Fire That No Water Could Put Out: Civil Rights Photography is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, in collaboration with the Academy Art Museum. info: academyartmuseum.org
Hill Community Walking Tour
Ongoing: Explore Easton’s Hill Community on a self-guided walking tour. The Hill has been home to free African Americans since the 1780s and is considered one of the oldest communities of this nature, perhaps surpassing New Orlean’s famed Treme in age and significance. The tour is at your own pace, generally about an hour of walking time. Tour maps can be found at the Easton Visitor’s Center, 11 S. Harrison St, Easton, MD.
For more information on these events, please visit https://discovereaston.com/blackhistorymonth/
About Easton EDC: The Easton Economic Development Corporation was launched in 2013 to drive economic vitality, smart redevelopment, and business creation in the historic Town of Easton, Maryland to foster a healthy quality of life for all generations. The EEDC works to catalyze Greater Easton’s continued prosperity as a diverse and healthy “smart town,” leading innovation where the land and water meet. www.DiscoverEaston.com
