Port of Harlem magazine is giving away six pairs of tickets (valued up to $24) to see the masterpiece of narrative painting, Jacob Lawrence's The Migration Series.  The unforgettable work portrays the 20th-century exodus of more than a million African Americans from the rural South to the industrial North.  Rarely seen in its entirety, the 60-panel cycle has been reunited for a limited time at The Phillips Collection in The Great American Epic: Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series.  The Great American Epic is presented exclusively at The Phillips Collection through Monday, Oct. 26, 2008.

One of the great storytellers of his generation, Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000) completed The Migration Series in 1941 at the age of 23.  Capturing racial ruptures of the day, Lawrence recorded the search of a people for greater economic and social justice.  His vision was completed in horizontal and vertical panels of the same small size, measuring only 12 inches by 18 inches. Like story boards for a film, they are numbered and sequenced by scene and accompanied by a carefully researched script.

Soon after its completion, The Migration Series was published in Fortune magazine and exhibited at the Downtown Gallery in New York. With this solo show Lawrence achieved instant recognition and became the first African American to be represented by a major New York commercial gallery. Shortly thereafter, interest in the series resulted in its split purchase by The Phillips Collection (odd-numbered panels) and The Museum of Modern Art (even-numbered panels).

The Phillips Collection is located in the heart of Dupont Circle neighborhood, at 1600 21st Street, NW, near the Dupont Circle Metro (Q Street exit). Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10a to 5p; Thursday Artful Evenings until 8:30p; Sunday from 11a to 6p.  Closed Mondays.




Give-A-Way Question: What is the name of the environmentalist on the cover of the current issue of Port of Harlem? Click Here to Enter the Drawing.

We will randomly select the winners from the entries with the correct answer.  If no entrant gives a correct answer, we will choose among the entrants with an incorrect or no answer, and announce the winners in the next issue of Snippets. 

Admission Prices: (Winner Passes, however, will be good at ALL times)
Now-May 25, June 21-Sept 7, and Oct 11-26: admission is always $12 for adults, $10 for students and visitors 62 and over, free for members and visitors 18 and under.

May 26-June 20 and Sept 8-Oct 10: WEEKEND admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, and free for members and visitors 18 and under; WEEKDAY admission is by donation only.



The Lost Supreme: The Life of Dreamgirl Florence Ballard (valued at $24.95)
Stephanie Banks - Ft. Washington, MD
Bridget Johnson - Jackson, MS

The New Whole Grains New Grain Cookbook (valued at $19.95)
Sheila Kitson - Rockville, MD
Joan Thornell - Washington, D.C.

Tickets to Dorothy Norwood and Albertina Walker in Concert (valued at $80)
Trent Tucker -  Washington, D.C.
Brenda Skillern - Laurel, MD

 
Home to the largest population of African immigrants in the United Sates, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area will host the 2nd annual Passport to Africa from Sunday May 18 to Sunday 25, 2008.
 
The week-long celebration is an opportunity for newly-arrived African-Americans to share their rich culture while guests discover various facets of the vast continent.  Events will feature the fashion, poetry, authentic cuisine, and music from various African countries. Many of the events are free. 

Port of Harlem is looking for you!  We are seeking short poems to publish in our August - October 2008 issue.  To submit a poem, click here.  If selected, we will also need a professional photo shot of the poet within seven days.

We are also seeking animal lovers for an upcoming issue. To be considered for inclusion in the story, you must send us a picture of you or you and members of your household with your pet or pets.  In addition, send a short note on how your pet is integrated into your household.  To submit a picture and short explanation, click here.

The University of Miami Libraries have acquired the Bob Simms Collection. The Collection documents the life and activities of  Simms in the Black communities in Coconut Grove and Miami, Florida.  Simms was born in Snow Hill, Alabama in 1927.  He moved to Florida in 1953 to join the faculty of the George Washington Carver schools in Coconut Grove.  With his late wife, Aubrey Watkins Simms, he was a founding member of the Church of the Open Door in Liberty City and is the proud father of the first Black woman to serve as a judge in Florida, Leah Simms. Mr. Simms is an Emeritus Member of the University of Miami, Board of Trustees.

Click here for an adaptation of the Bob Simms exhibit.

The Casa Frela Gallery is sponsoring several Uptown jazz concerts this summer.

Casa Frela Gallery
47 West 119th Street
New York, NY 10026

June 14, 2008
Sweet Plantain is a string quartet that specializes in genre-blurring, original compositions and arrangements as well as contemporary works by Latin American composers. Its unique style fuses Latin, classical, jazz, and improvisational forms.
8p - 10p

June 21, 2008
"There is something about rhythm and melody that can always find a smile, throw a head back with laughter, or even tears . . . it transcends language and breaks through cultural and racial barriers."
-Chanda Rule
8p - 10p