SCFTA HONORS FREEDOM DURING FIRST JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION

Segerstrom Center for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Black Intellectual Innovation at California State University, Fullerton is holding its first Juneteenth Celebration – Freedom in Full Bloom – on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza, Saturday, June 19 from 3-7 pm. The afternoon will include interactive activities and artistic performances that celebrate Black innovation and resilience, including a poetry reading hosted by bridgette bianca; a creative gardening workshop with KayJo Creatives; as well as music and food vendors.

Juneteenth has become a day to commemorate the freedom of African Americans from slavery. On June 19,1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas to inform enslaved people about President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued on January 1, 1863. The news didn’t reach Texas until two years later, and this discrepancy has been part of the ongoing conversation about what it means to be free in the United States. Juneteenth is an important opportunity to gain a better understanding of the impact of racial slavery in the United States.

The activities on the Argyros Plaza are being curated by Dr. Natalie Graham, Director of the Institute of Black Intellectual Innovation at CSUF, along with historical consultation by Dr. Jamila Moore Pewu, Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities and New Media in History at CSUF. Dr Moore Pewu will share additional educational resources for community members through the Center’s social media channels.

Tickets to Freedom in Full Bloom: Juneteenth Celebration are $10 per pod, with each pod accommodating up to six people.

KEEPING YOU SAFE AT THE CENTER

The Center’s outdoor presentations on the Argyros Plaza comply with government recommendations for Orange County’s current tier status. Masks must be worn by all guests upon check-in and until they arrive at their assigned space. Contactless check-in will include wellness and touchless temperature checks. Hand sanitizer stations will be accessible throughout the Argyros Plaza.

The safety and confidence of patrons, artists and crews, volunteers and staff are among our primary concerns. Guided by the Board of Directors’ ad hoc Re-opening and Medical Advisory committees and members of senior leadership, the Center has engaged in exhaustive research, focusing on a strategy and operational plans that would allow it to welcome the community back as soon as state and local governments gave the green light.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds its corporate partner, United Airlines, Official Airline.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance as well as a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County’s largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D: Arts School for All (previously named School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities).

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, featuring international ballet and dance companies, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, and free performances on its plaza, such as outdoor movie screenings, concerts, community and cultural festivals.

Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation’s performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center’s programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. The CDI supports flagship artistic programming and a wide range of projects that celebrate innovation, nurture creativity and engage audiences of the future. The Center Without Boundaries develops partnerships with non-cultural organizations to help them in their own efforts to respond to the ever-changing needs of the community.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale. Each contributes greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons performed at the Center.

In addition to Segerstrom Center for the Arts as a presenting and producing institution, it also identifies the beautiful 14-acre campus that embraces the Center’s own facilities as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award^®-winning South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Museum of Art.