Kianga Ford — 34 x 52 x 40, The Story of this Place: Winston Salem
Opening Event: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Garage (110 West 7th Street)
Free, Open to the Public
Questions: 336.397.2107
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — As part of its 2009 public art program Inside Out: Artists in the Community II, the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA) is proud to sponsor the free opening of Kianga Ford’s 34 x 52 x 40 on Wednesday, Aug. 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Garage (110 West 7th St.).
In the next chapter of Ford’s ongoing The Story of this Place series, the title of this project refers to Forsyth County as the 34th District of North Carolina (in slang, the “Tres-Fo”) and its evolving relationship with the major North/South Highway 52 and the major East/West highway (Interstate 40) of Winston-Salem.
In conjunction with the National Black Theatre Festival (NBTF), and in ongoing partnership with the Delta Arts Center, the special Aug. 5th launch event will celebrate the work’s provocative marriage of theatre, music, and spoken word. For the past six months, Ford has explored Winston-Salem to research its history, speak with members of the community, walk its neighborhoods, and imagine lives shaped by the city’s patterns of settlement, desegregation, and industrialization. She will shape this material into a series of audio-guided routes/walks, and on Wednesday night audiences can hear a selection of these narratives set to musical accompaniment.
As part of 34 x 52 x 40, Ford has collaborated with the experimental, North Carolina-based band The Turbo Pro Project. Their innovative fusion of Americana, Bluegrass Banjo, Hip Hop and R&B will provide the platform for Ford’s spoken word, as she introduces a project that will inspire people to see our city anew.
This project is supported by a grant from The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art, and by a program grant provided by the James G. Hanes Foundation. In-kind support is provided by Sundance Plaza Hotel, Spa and Wellness Center, AdColor and Moore’s Self Storage.
SECCA is designed to involve audiences in the art of our time. SECCA is an operating entity of the North Carolina Museum of Art, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. SECCA is also a funded partner of The Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.