Arts Ob We People: Winter Exhibit and Sale
Now through March 4 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Daily
Art League of Hilton Head Gallery
14 Shelter Cove Lane, Hilton Head Island
This free exhibit displays original work by emerging and leading artists who represent the life of Gullah people on Hilton Head Island and the surrounding community. Artists will be onsite at various times throughout the exhibit. Check for exact schedules at gullahcelebration.com. Private tours are available by appointment only.
Tag Archives: Gullah
Experience the 27th Annual Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration
Posted in Art, Events, Hilton Head Essentials
Tagged art, black history, Gullah, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Hilton Head Island Honors and Embraces
Black History Month with Cultural Celebrations
February is Black History Month, a month honoring the shared stories and contributions of African Americans who have shaped our nation and also Hilton Head Island.
During this month-long celebration, the Town of Hilton Head Island encourages you to take advantage of the many incredible events being hosted to highlight the Island’s Gullah Geechee culture and other significant contributions of local African Americans. Experience live musical performances, special gatherings, art gallery shows, festivals and more. These wonderful celebrations are fun and educational opportunities for the whole family to enjoy.
Freedom Day Celebration Hosted by Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
Saturday, February 4 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
40 Harriet Tubman Way, Hilton Head Island
This free program explores black resistance in the fight for freedom and honors the life and legacy of Robert Smalls, who was born into slavery in Beaufort, South Carolina. Smalls later won freedom for himself and his family, and became a prominent leader in the community during the Reconstruction era, including service in both the state and national legislature. Special guests include Michael Boulware Moore, the great-great grandson of Robert Smalls; Gullah artist Quentin Smalls and the Claflin University Concert Choir. Visit exploremitchelville.org for more info.
Family and Friends Day
Tuesday, February 7 at 7 p.m.
Historic First African Baptist Church
70 Beach City Road, Hilton Head Island
Cost: Free
Join the Historic First African Baptist Church for its annual family and friends program, featuring traditional and contemporary Gullah songs and samples of authentic Gullah food! Visit gullahcelebration.com for details.
Gullah Celebration’s Patrons and Friends Party
Wednesday, February 8 from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Art League Gallery
14 Shelter Cove Lane Hilton Head Island
Cost: Free
Spend the evening with the 2023 featured artist Lisa Rivers and many other exhibiting artists at the Hilton Head Island Gullah Celebration’s Patrons and Friends Party. Complimentary food and beverages. Visit gullahcelebration.com for more details.
A Taste of Gullah
Saturday, February 11 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Art League Gallery
14 Shelter Cove Lane Hilton Head Island
An afternoon filled with gumbo, conch stew, fried fish and shrimp dusted in traditional Gullah seasonings and more favorites, storytelling, music, and other activities. Free admission but food is available for purchase. Visit gullahcelebration.com for more details.
Gullah Market and Block Party: An Arts, Crafts and Food Expo
Saturday, February 18 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Historic Honey Horn
70 Honey Horn Drive, Hilton Head Island
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Children 5 and under admitted for free.
An all-access experience to Gullah culture featuring Gullah and African crafts and food, traditional storytelling, music entertainment, and more. Events will proceed rain or shine. Visit gullahcelebration.com for more details and tickets.
Celebration of African American Authors
Saturday, February 25 from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Rotary Community Center
11 Recreation Drive, Bluffton
An afternoon experience that shines the light on African American authors and the important narratives revealed in their latest publications. The featured guest author is former NFL player Aaron Maybin. A complimentary lunch will be provided at this free event.
For more information on local events celebrating Black History, visit the websites for the following organizations:
Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park
Native Islander Business & Community Affairs Association’s Gullah Celebration
Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra
Posted in Events, Hilton Head Essentials
Tagged black history, events, Gullah, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Plan Now for Holiday Sea Island Gullah Celebration
Holiday Sea Island Gullah Celebration
Date: December 4, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EST
Production by Anita Singleton-Prather and The Gullah Kinfolk in historic Beaufort, South Carolina, at the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus Center for the Arts. The evening includes a taste of Gullah soul food buffet, artist showcase and marketplace, full stage musical with Aunt Pearlie Sue and Gullah Kinfolk: Christmas Wish Freedom Coming.
Freedom Coming is a significant performance that shares the Sea Island Gullah tradition with audiences in a new way, performed by Anita Singleton-Prather and her singing ensemble The Gullah Kinfolk from Beaufort, South Carolina.
It is Christmas 1860, the last Christmas before the Civil War begins. The scene is a Sea Island slave cabin where enslaved Africans are anticipating Christmas day and talking about freedom. Gullah songs and storytelling include everything from spirituals, work songs and play songs to rhythmic, foot stomping ring shout songs that are unique to the Gullah praise house traditions.
original art by Diane Britton Dunham
Meet Diane Britton Dunham and many more featured artists exhibiting before the show. Sample local Gullah foods and mingle with local chefs.
Book tickets at this link or call the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce 843-986-1102 to reserve your tickets for the Gullah performance, feast and art show or to arrange a weekend tour including history, culture and entertainment. Tickets are $35 at the door, $30 advance and $10 for children. Special group rates are available.
Posted in Events, Hilton Head Essentials
Tagged art, Beaufort, events, food, Gullah, historic, holiday, South Carolina
Brookgreen Gardens Opens Gullah Pictorial Exhibit
Sandy Islanders: A People of the Land, a traveling pictorial exhibit from McKissick Museum of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, will be installed in the Brookgreen Gardens Lowcountry Center from January 12 – March 22, 2015. It will be on display daily from 12 noon – 4:30 p.m. and is free with garden admission.
Curated by photo documentarian Vennie Deas Moore, the exhibit takes the viewer on a journey into the lives of individuals and families on Sandy Island, SC, one of three Gullah Geechee communities that remain accessible only by boat. The photographic collection, created in 1997, offers new interpretive text and historical artifacts that present an “insider’s” unromantic view of a place and people seldom seen. It portrays the interconnectedness of culture, the value of work, a sense of stewardship of the land, and the symbiotic relation between the long time black and white cultures.
“The exhibit documents an important story of our region,” said Bob Jewell, president and CEO. “It provides a captivating snapshot of an aspect of the living culture of Gullah Geechee people.”
Vennie Deas Moore will present a lecture about the exhibit on Saturday, January 24, at 1 p.m. The presentation, “Returning to Sandy Island: 20 years Later”, is free with garden admission and includes a guided tour of the exhibit.
Brookgreen Gardens is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and display American sculpture and regional plants, animals, and history. It is located on U.S. 17 between Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island, South Carolina.
photo credit Vennie Deas Moore
Posted in Attractions, Myrtle Beach's Best
Tagged Brookgreen Gardens, events, Gullah, Myrtle Beach area, South Carolina