Aug 22, 2002

This week’s buzzword is variety. There was a great film playing at the Carolina Theatre in Durham. In Chapel Hill, a musical written by a senior at Chapel Hill High School filled the air with music. And finally, I returned to Durham to attend an art exhibition celebrating the blues.

Art exhibit pays tribute to black art and music

This was an exciting event scheduled weeks before the Bull Durham Blues Festival, which starts Sept. 5. When I arrived at Hayti Heritage Center on Aug. 18, I saw a busy staff preparing last minute details. Independent curator and art dealer Cheryl Sutton, who showed me around and pointed out some of the artists who were on hand for the afternoon, curated the show.

The exhibition is a tribute to the past, present and future of black art and music in the Triangle. Some of the exhibit highlights commissioned works and images for the festival during the past 15 years.

"The St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center’s patronage of blues has become well known, at the same time their vision and commitment has nurtured the visual arts. This vision has resulted in successful collaborations which include N.C. Central University, The Smithsonian, The African American Quilt Circle, CIAA, The National Black Arts Festival, Durham Public Schools, Afro American Cultural Center in Charlotte, The Martin Luther King Complex in Columbus Ohio, and many others," said Sutton.

There was blues music performed by a young artist named Daniel "Slick" Ballenger, who is a winner of the Triangle Blues Society Award. The award afforded him the opportunity to travel throughout the summer to meet and even live with some of the greatest blues legends.

Ballenger was excited as he spoke of his recent trip to Mississippi where he learned some techniques and even some new songs. He belted out a few lines while stomping his foot to the beat of his strumming guitar. What a treat!

Keep his name in mind because before long he will be a headliner at a festival soon.