Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend
CMTM is honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a three-day celebration of Black arts and expression. Connect with, and be inspired by, Black creators from Maine and beyond!
This multi-day celebration begins on Saturday, January 14, and runs through Monday, January 16. CMTM will be open to all visitors from 9 am - 4 pm on Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Day (01.16.23). Member Monday will resume on Monday, January 23. Programming will vary from day to day, and will focus on hands-on projects and art exploration within the Beautiful Blackbird exhibit. All programs are included with admission.
A child works on an Adinkra art project in the CMTM MakerSpace.
As part of the festivities, on Sunday, January 15, and Monday, January 16, acclaimed artist Ebenezer Akakpo will host an Adinkra art project in the MakerSpace. Ebenezer is well-known for his jewelry making and metalsmithing and incorporates his Ghanaian culture into his works. Children are invited to create artwork featuring Adinkra, Ghanaian symbols representing traditional knowledge, ways of living, and the environment.
A full schedule of events is available below:
Saturday, January 14
Blackbird Exhibit - Illustration Investigation
10 am & 1:30 pm
Dive deep into the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine’s Beautiful Blackbird gallery for Illustration Investigation, an interactive program where visitors become storytellers and art comes to life! Prompts will guide visitors through the exhibit as they study the works of art and draw the clues they find hiding.
Black is a Rainbow Color & I AM LOVED Activities
10:30 am
2 pm
The MakerSpace will host art activities celebrating the poem I AM LOVED by Nikki Giovanni and Black is a Rainbow Color, a book by Angela Joy. Visitors are invited to make their own collages inspired by Black artists and poets as we continue to celebrate the weekend.
Sunday, January 15
Ebenezer Akakpo Adinkra Art Project
10:30 am
Acclaimed artist Ebenezer Akakpo will be in the MakerSpace hosting an adinkra art project. Makers will work with cutouts of adinkra symbols to create their very own sculptural pieces to take home. Adinkra is a wide-spanning set of symbols coming from Ghanaian traditions. These symbols represent traditional knowledge, ways of living, and land/environment.
Black is a Rainbow Color & I AM LOVED Art Activities
2 pm
The MakerSpace will host art activities celebrating the poem I AM LOVED by Nikki Giovanni and Black is a Rainbow Color, a book by Angela Joy. Visitors are invited to make their own collages inspired by Black artists and poets as we continue to celebrate the weekend.
Beautiful Blackbird - Illustration Investigation
10 am
1:30 pm
Dive deep into the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine’s Beautiful Blackbird gallery for Illustration Investigation, an interactive program where visitors become storytellers and art comes to life! Prompts will guide visitors through the exhibit as they study the works of art and draw the clues they find hiding.
Monday, January 16
Ebenezer Akakpo Adinkra Art Project
10:30 am
Acclaimed artist Ebenezer Akakpo will be in the MakerSpace hosting an adinkra art project. Makers will work with cutouts of adinkra symbols to create their very own sculptural pieces to take home. Adinkra is a wide-spanning set of symbols coming from Ghanaian traditions. These symbols represent traditional knowledge, ways of living, and land/environment.
Black is a Rainbow Color & I AM LOVED Art Activities
2 pm
The MakerSpace will host art activities celebrating the poem I AM LOVED by Nikki Giovanni and Black is a Rainbow Color, a book by Angela Joy. Visitors are invited to make their own collages inspired by Black artists and poets as we continue to celebrate the weekend.
Beautiful Blackbird - Illustration Investigation
10 am
1:30 pm
Dive deep into the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine’s Beautiful Blackbird gallery for Illustration Investigation, an interactive program where visitors become storytellers and art comes to life! Prompts will guide visitors through the exhibit as they study the works of art and draw the clues they find hiding.
This celebratory weekend will kick off a series of Black arts-focused programs that will run throughout Black History Month. Watch the Events and Programs calendar for upcoming activities (coming soon) in the month of February.
The Beautiful Blackbird exhibit allows CMTM visitors to engage with Black arts and expression year-round. This interactive gallery is designed to captivate diverse audiences, explore the perspective that “black is beautiful” and “difference is beautiful,” encourage creative self-expression, foster listening to others, and enable the sharing of stories visually and verbally.
Learn more about the Beautiful Blackbird exhibit here:
https://www.kitetails.org/beautiful-blackbird
CMTM extends a special thank you to the Ashley Bryan Center and Indigo Arts Alliance for their contributions to the Beautiful Blackbird Exhibit.