October 2023 Third Friday at the DAC
Friday, October 20th, 2023
6-8pm at the Durham Arts Council
Bull City Riders: Portraits of a Brotherhood By Freeman Long: These are portraits of the Bull City Riders, the oldest chartered Black motorcycle club in North Carolina. The club, founded in 1977, broke the tradition of motorcycle clubs as white centered spaces during a time when racial inequities undermined the Black community. With its history of adventures on two wheels and community service, the BCR exemplifies Black men’s foundational role in building Durham. Photographer Freeman Long is a DAC instructor and filmmaker whose work includes portraits, fashion editorial and documentary images. This exhibit was funded by Snapdragon Fund/VAE Raleigh.
Inked By Titus Brooks Heagins: “I began documenting Black bodies with ink in 2008. That same year I wandered into The Inkwell in Durham. My interest lay in the connection between African scarification and its modern illustrations throughout the diaspora of the Americas. The deep-rooted practice of permanently embedding symbols that have cultural significance represents rites of passage, remembrances of kinship, as well as friendships, and spiritual rituals. They may also signify purity, messaged to others who silently observe, but acknowledge in understanding and agreement. For millennia Africans have used tattoos to protect against spirits, cure diseases, provide tactile signifiers of courage, and to denote social status. For me, tattoos were a path to an unexplored linkage to a past denied by centuries of involuntary servitude and the destruction of memories of ancestral practices. I am drawn to the sensuality of dark ink on even darker skin. For my eye, the beauty of Blackness is not only layered, but multiplied. Wearing a tattoo marks a change, a willingness, no, a drive, or desire to mark a transformation in life. In our lives, no matter the condition, there are symbols we place in our hearts, and sometimes on our skin. They remind us of our obligations and bind us in community that reminds us that we are not alone in this world. They help us to hold on to ourselves, reclaim lost spirits, most of all, they return us to love. Titus Brooks Heagins, MFA”
In addition to this opening, the Durham Art Guild will unveil their 69th Annual Juried Exhibition in the Trusit Gallery
And don’t miss the music of Leia Sadiku who will be performing in the DAC’s pavilion.
See you at the DAC for October Third Friday!
Masks are recommended to enter the Durham Arts Council building. This event is free and open to the public. There will be light food provided.