fletcher’s blog

Juneteenth, Art, Archie Green memorial

Last weekend was pretty full. I went to the 6th Annual Juneteenth celebration in Richmond. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. The event in Richmond consists of a parade followed by a festival with booths and lots of entertainment. This is a low key event with a local flavor and it’s always nice to attend and see folks having a good time. The photographs below are from the staging of the parade and the parade.

(Click on images to see larger views.)
Mary Peace Head, one of the original Rosie the Riveters	Carribean dancer
Richmond Police Explorers

Later in the day was an opening for the art of Clayton and Betty Bailey and Kurt Wold at the Richmond Art Center. The opening was loads of fun and included free form jazz by Annelise Zamula and Bill Noertker.

On Sunday I attended a memorial for Archie Green who passed away earlier this year. Archie was a renowned folklorist, scholar, labor historian, activist, and much much more. Archie was a mentor of mine at the University of Illinois in the early 60’s who inculcated in me many of the Progressive beliefs which I hold today.

I will be in a show, “Our Town”, at the Eclectix Gallery in El Cerrito opening July 3, running through Aug 16. I’ll have two pieces, Little Coquette, and Slave, in this show, and I hope you’ll be able to make it to the opening.

Don’t forget my BIG show opening the following week, July 10. I will be showing 40 (yes, 40) new works at the Glenn Custom Framing and Gallery of Art.  The show is entitled “Visualizing Richmond in El Cerrito” and will include images from Richmond only, that were done in the last two years. It will be mostly straight ahead photography, both color and B&W, with a selection of mandalas.