Miami – More than 725 attendees from Miami to Switzerland participated throughout the day as The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center (AHCAC) presented its second annual Art Blues Soul & BBQ Festival on Saturday, Dec. 1 on the AHCAC grounds at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Moonlight Way.
Celebrating the arts, sounds and flavors of Black Miami during Art Basel week, the festival featured a blues and soul music concert presented on an outdoor stage with a spectacularly lit LED background.
The visual art creations exhibited inside the center’s Amadlozi Gallery fascinated the steady flow of visitors. Mouth-watering BBQ, Caribbean and soul foods permeated the air with aromas sending attendees on repeated visits to the food court.
Legendary R&B artist Angela Winbush thrilled the audience with performances of her hits “Your Smile,” “You Don’t Have to Cry,” and “I’ll Be Good.”
Mojo Ike & Val Woods delivered the blues in their authentic sounds while A.
Randolph & The Smash Room Project awed the crowd with their unique contemporary music stylings and choreography.
The Harden Project and AHCAC Entourage Apprenticeship MVPs Wesley Wray and Chelsea Royal were also audience pleasers.
Emcees, “BET Comic View comedian” “Chello” Davis and “DJ Chico the Leo”
emerged into a dynamic duo that brought laughter, smiles and motivated spontaneous line dances throughout the day.
Art Basel’s Marina Mottin, regional head of VIP relations Europe and Annina Brunner, VIP manager Switzerland were among the notable visitors of the Amadlozi Gallery.
There, festival goers were inspired watching various artists sketching and painting live in the Voyage to Another World exhibition which will host the unique and brilliant visual art until the end of the year. The exhibition features pieces created by distinguished artists Addonis Parker, Robert McKnight, Ray Parris, Darryn Ferguson, Nana K. Blackman, Donald McKnight, Lucius King, Reedeema Reborn, Karla Cohen and Carla Jamieson.
Other renowned festival guests included Rodney Baltimore from HOT 105 and Ruban Roberts, president of the Miami-Dade NAACP.
The African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, part of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, was founded in 1975 to serve as the nesting ground for emerging talent in the performing and visual arts in the heart of Liberty City.
For more information about the festival contact Isis Roberts at (305) 638-6771, visit ahcacmiami.org or follow on social media @ahcacmiami, #AHCAC, #ArtBluesSoulBBQ, #ArtofBlackMiami
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