Southampton Cultural Center celebrates Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, the Southampton Cultural Center has woven together a vibrant tapestry of artistic festivities. Scheduled events get under way on Monday, February 15, and run through the end of the month, incorporating visual and performing arts, including a variety of vocal and instrumental music performances and lectures on art and America’s civil rights movement.

Since the Levitas Center for the Arts opened at the center, diversification of programming has become an increasingly important goal of the center’s board of directors and its executive director, Kirsten Lonnie. In this year’s inaugural Black History Month celebration, directors are looking to establish another stepping-stone toward that goal.

“We have a jewel of a place at the end of Pond Lane,” explained Sandra Klemuk of the SCC. “But there are so many Southampton residents who don’t know we exist. We’re the best kept secret, but we don’t want to be a secret. Our community is very diverse, and we need to appeal to all members of the community.”

Available for viewing throughout the celebration will be an art exhibit organized by Arlene Bujese, featuring contemporary black artists, all of whom hail from New York State. East End-based artists whose works will be exhibited include Reynold Ruffins of Sag Harbor and Rosa Scott of East Hampton. Paintings will remain on display throughout the month, and Ms. Bujese will offer a gallery lecture on Sunday, February 21, at 1:30 p.m.

Above the Guinea Sea, a quartet led by drummer, percussionist and composer Henning Stumm, will open the series of live performances at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 19, with a repertoire of West African-inspired songs. The ensemble’s name refers to an African-based religion practiced throughout the Caribbean islands and on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, one of whose tenets is that ancestral spirits inhabit the Atlantic Ocean between Guinea and United States because of the many lives lost during voyages by slave traders.

The show will shift to choral music and dance when the Freedom Choir, led by Rosa Palmore, and the African Dancers of the First Baptist Church of Riverhead, led by Wayne Edwards, take the stage the following day, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 20.

On the last two Saturdays of the month, February 20 and 27, at 11 a.m., Kimble Humiston will present a free multimedia presentation, “An Overview of the Civil Rights Movement in America, with particular attention to the influence of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.” Dr. Humiston will incorporate musical excerpts from the 1960s and review significant speeches by Dr. King, Malcolm X and President John F. Kennedy.

Nnenna Ogwo, an American pianist of Caribbean and African descent, will round out the February 20 weekend by playing a medley of classical and cabaret songs on the piano at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 21.

“At first I had thought to play a program that was quite ‘serious,’” Ms. Ogwo explained, “but then after realizing the nature of the series, I decided to have a bit more fun with my programming and I have come up with a wide variety of composers that I am certain the audience will enjoy.”

Ms. Ogwo will play a piece by Ludwig van Beethoven, nicknamed “Rage over a Lost Penny,” which she described as having “all of the mock fury of a tempest in a teapot.” She will also perform some short preludes by the Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin. “When I say short, I mean, really short,” she said. “Each is just a one-page gem, exquisite unto itself.” Her program will also include some preludes by George Gershwin, a waltz by Oscar Peterson and a song by

William Grant Still. Ms. Ogwo will display her versatility by tossing in a couple of tangos by Astor Piazzolla.

The final weekend of Black History Month will kick-off with saxophonist Shenole Latimer and his quartet, who will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 26. The Shenole Latimer quartet will perform a mélange of material from modern jazz musicians such as Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker and Kenny Garrett, a handful of classic tunes by jazz icons such as John Coltrane, as well as a selection of Mr. Latimer’s original compositions. One of the surprise elements will be the debut of one or two compositions that will appear on Mr. Latimer’s next album.

“My rhythm section and I don’t spare the horses,” Mr. Latimer warned. “Each member of my group believes that a concert should be an exciting experience with highs and lows, and not just a bunch of guys standing around and playing some songs. With that said, the audience shouldn’t be surprised if they find seat belts on their chairs, because we’re going to take them for a real ride.”

The observance of Black History Month will begin to wind down with a special event for a newly formed group, Helping Young People Excel (HYPE), which will anchor the center’s lineup by honoring trailblazers in the community at 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 27. Organized by Natasha Jeffries, a teaching assistant at Southampton High School, HYPE seeks to inspire youth, particularly minority youths, to excel. A law enforcement officer from Detroit is expected to give an inspirational speech. Proceeds from this event, Ms. Jeffries explained, are to go toward a new scholarship program for students in the Southampton School District.

On the final day of Black History Month, Mr. Latimer will lead audience members through a tour down jazz’s memory lane in “Our Music, Our Culture—A Journey Through Jazz History” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 28.

“I have always believed that Black History Month is not only a time to reflect on past struggles while acknowledging the challenges that still lie ahead,” said Mr. Latimer, “but it is also a chance to celebrate how the African-American community has helped enrich the American culture as a whole. What better way to both celebrate our triumphs and acknowledge the struggles of the past than to provide the sort of programming that the cultural center has taken the care to put together for all to enjoy?”

The Southampton Cultural Center’s first annual Black History Month Celebration will run from February 15 to February 28 at the Levitas Center for the Arts at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton. Art exhibit, lectures and workshop will be offered at no charge. General admission for all live performances is $15; seniors and students, $10. Admission to the HYPE special event is $25; students under 18 may enter for free. For more information, visit www.southamptonculturalcenter.org or call 631-287-4377.