Family Day part of Christmas marketplace

By Taylor Mayad

Celebrating Black artists and businesses, the annual “Christmas Music Under the Dome and Christmas Marketplace” will take place Saturday, Dec. 10, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the African American Museum, Dallas. The Museum is located at 3536 Grand Ave., Dallas, 75210, in historic Fair Park. 

Free and open to the public, the holiday extravaganza will offer visitors a variety of unique “shop local” gifts, including handcrafted jewelry, accessories and more, plus performances by North Texas musicians. In addition, the Dallas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority will showcase 16 authors who will be on hand for book signings.

From 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 10, guests can enjoy “Family Day,” featuring workshops with local artists, feature films on African American folk artists and guided tours by Museum Assistant Curator Gerald Leavell and Guest Curator Philip E. Collins. There will also be a conversation with former students from The Hockaday School and St. Mark’s School of Texas, who were students during Mr. Imagination’s school residencies held several decades ago. And, inspired by the “Fire” exhibition, artist Vet of Artcycle Texas, in East Dallas, will present workshops where participants can create their own repurposed work of art from discarded items from 1-3 p.m.

At 1 p.m., in partnership with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, guests can engage in a panel discussion on “The Legacy of the 1968 Kerner Commission Report” and hear from community leaders on the civil disorders that occurred in the U.S. from 1965-1967. Speakers will include James Hawthorne, chief of police for the Cedar Hill Independent School District; John Fullinwider, educator and community organizer with more than 40 years’ experience working on a wide range of issues from lead pollution to homelessness in Dallas; and Classi Nance, a Dallas-based artist, photographer and organizer exploring untold histories of space, place and people of the region. Moderator will be Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, acting deputy director and chief operations officer for the African American Museum. 

The event also provides a last-chance opportunity to view “Fire! The Resurrection of Mr. Imagination,” an exhibition featuring approximately 80 works by the late artist known as Mr. Imagination. Open through Jan. 7, 2023, “Fire” sheds light on Mr. Imagination’s extraordinary career and triumph over destruction and the tragedy of fire, with works composed of the detritus of everyday life. Also on view is “Best in Show — Carroll Harris Simms National Black Art Competition and Exhibition” featuring a selection of 24 works from a national biennial juried competition that launched in 1976. 

Beginning Dec. 27, “Best in Show” will be updated to include the 2022 winner’s work of art.

Season sponsors of the African American Museum, Dallas, are Atmos, Eugene McDermott Foundation, Fair Park First and Spectra Venue Management, Friendship West Baptist Church, Oncor, State Fair of Texas and the City of Dallas’ Office of Arts and Culture. 

The African American Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Free self-parking is available in nearby lots. For more information, go to aamdallas.org or call 214-565-9026 ext. 312.