Opening for Maya Freelon Art Exhibition: Whippersnappers

On opening day the installation will have extended viewing hours from 10 am to 3 pm; Freelon will be on-site from noon to 3 pm for an artist roundtable. The public is invited to this free day of activities:

10:00 am: Whippersnappers opens for self-guided visits through 3 pm, with Historic Stagville guides and volunteers available to facilitate visitors’ experience. In addition to the primary installation in the 1799 Bennehan House, opening day visitors will experience a motion-activated soundscape inside Stagville’s massive barn built in 1860 by enslaved artisans and the largest stable in what was, at that time, Orange County. Calling In the Children was created by seven-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Nnenna Freelon and sound artist, scholar, and ethnomusicologist Dr. Allie Martin of Dartmouth College and the Black Sound Lab. The collaboration blends archival sounds, call and response, and jazz music recorded in the space during a pre-opening consecration of the grounds.

12:00 to 1:30 pm: Roundtable discussion with artist Maya Freelon, Director of North Carolina State Historic Sites, Michelle Lanier, and Curator-at-Large, Johnica Rivers. Refreshments will be served.