Juneteenth, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in June 1865 and more generally the emancipation of African American slaves throughout the Confederate South.

During the American Civil War President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863. It declared all slaves to be freed in the Confederate States of America in rebellion and not in Union hands (this excluded Maryland, Delaware, Tennessee, "West" and Southeast Virginia and lower Louisiana, which were occupied by the Union).

 

Opening in June is an exhibition in collaboration with the Community Music Center of Houston for Black Music Month.  The reception at The Collective is Wednesday, June 22, from 6 to 8 p.m.  In addition, a concert will be held in the TSU/Rhinehart Auditorium, date and time to be announced.

"Master your instrument, master the music and then forget all that bullshit and just play."  Charlie Parker 

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Self-Made Karissa Lindsay is the Boss

 

By Holly Charles

 

Spring has begun, and budding trees line the streets in front of Houston's Sundance Cinema, welcoming the buzzing group of eclectic guests into the artsy theater. The red carpet affair is set to begin, and the sun shines brightly, as if in celebration of the few shining stars of The Boss Awards (the night's event held in conjunction with the film The Boss, starring Melissa McCarthy); more particularly, it shines as if in desperate competition with one of the night's honorees, clothing designer Karissa Lindsay. She struts in, as the event suggests, like a Boss, but not in the way you'd expect. Yes, the Houston-based designer is fabulously chic in her own design, the top-selling Von Me dress in vibrant Ankara print, but the fashionista herself has an understated, less brazen aura surrounding her. The juxtaposed combination of humility and pure, unadulterated fierceness is undoubtedly the reason why African American women are drawn to her designs and loyal to the movement and company that is A Leap of Style.

 

 In a deeply moving and candid interview, the designer admits that "The woman (she) design(s) for (now) is not (her)." She humbly confesses, "The A Leap of Style woman is who I used to aspire to be." In retrospect, it makes sense that a young girl from small-town America would rage against the machine to transcend not only her city limits, but the intangible limitations of her Midwest town of Mansfield, Ohio, as well. The imaginative mind of Karissa Lindsay is bursting at the seams (pun intended), and her dreams have literally come true in the form of beautiful, unorthodox women who pose in textured turbans, cultural accessories and, of course, her multi-print combinations on her website (www.aleapofstyle.com).

A self-motivator with a very specific aesthetic, Lindsay even honed her photography skills just to shoot her own sessions and ensure that her vision would not be compromised. And, if you think that's admirable, keep in mind that that was only after taking her own personal Leap to dump her 9 to 5 and kick start her own clothing line before the age of 30, truly making Lindsay a Boss.  (continue reading)

   

Art Education Activities

 

  The Collective's students at the Academy of Accelerated Learning displayed their creations for family and friends at the end of the school year.  We love their creative energy and talent!      


                                                                                                                     

Painting an crafting at the 37th annual PanAfrican Cultural Festival at SHAPE Community Center.