Black Excellence Awards recognizes the accomplishment of Black arts makers in Chicago
Artists Dwight Neal and Dawn Bless perform at the Black Excellence Awards in 2017. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLACK ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE OF CHICAGO.
By Tia Carol Jones
The Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago will host its annual Black Excellence Awards on Monday, Nov. 6th , at the Black Ensemble Theater, located at 4450 N. Clark St. This will be the 23rd annual award event.
This year’s event will feature performances by Sam Thousand and The Soul Vortex, Chicago Poet Laureate avery r. young, Perceptions Theatre, Forward Momentum Chicago and DJ Rae Chardonnay.
The Black Excellence Awards was started by the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago, which was the name of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago, when the event began. The event was an opportunity to be a place for Black artists to feel supported, seen, acknowledged and have the resources they needed. It is also an opportunity for Black artists to be nominated, honored and celebrated.
“The Black Excellence Awards was really an opportunity to say, this is a space for us to highlight, elevate and celebrate the Black art that is being made in Chicago,” said Charlique C. Rolle, President of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago.
In the same way, the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago represents multiple disciplines of art, during the Black Excellence Awards, the organization awards across different genres of arts making – dance, theater, film, digital media, visual arts, music and literature. During the awards ceremony, there is also recognition for genres, artists and advocates who aren’t specifically represented in those genres. The goal is to keep pointing out and highlighting the work of Black artists, and continuing to celebrate them.
This will be Rolle’s first awards as the President of the organization. Last year during the awards ceremony, it was announced that she was taking on the role of President. It is significant because the organization’s history, Black Ensemble Theater Founder Jackie Taylor had served as President.
Rolle said she has mixed feelings about it being her first award ceremony as President of the organization. She has been a part of production for the ceremony in previous years in the last two years. She is excited to lead and produce the ceremony. She sees it as a momentous occasion and feels honored to be in the position and to continue to celebrate through the awards.
New this year, the Black Excellence Awards will have an inaugural Chicago Black Arts Hall of Fame. The aim is to honor Black Chicago leaders in the arts and arts advocates who helped to shape and move things forward. The eight inductees are the four founders of Black Theatre Alliance and the four founders of the African American Arts Alliance.
Rolle hopes with the Chicago Black Arts Hall of Fame younger artists will get to know the founders and changemakers who laid the foundation for the arts in Chicago. She also hopes it will inspire the younger artists to keep going and show the efforts of artists in Chicago is not in vain.
The performers for the Black Excellence Awards were chosen to reflect all the artistic genres in the city of Chicago. avery r. young has also been commissioned to create a new piece for the Black Arts Hall of Fame and the Black Excellence Awards, as well as the new vision of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago.
“Having this broad spectrum of artists, not only across genres, but across generations. We’re really wanting to continue to celebrate young Black artists who can see what they could be, what they can aspire to as Black artists,” Rolle said.
The Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago has also been hosting convenings throughout the city as part of Black Arts Month. On Monday, Oct. 23rd, the organization hosted its West Side convening, which was hosted by Melissa Duprey.
Tickets for the Black Excellence Awards cost $50 to $100. For more information about the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago and to purchase tickets to the Black Excellence Awards, visit https://www.bacachi.org.
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