Opening this weekend at Kennedy Heights Arts Center with a reception from 6-8 pm is the exhibit BEYOND EMANCIPATION. Described as “an exploration of African-American culture and recent history through contemporary art”, the exhibit is presented in partnership with Juneteenth Cincinnati.

Work by Jimi Jones, Robert Harris, Michael Todd, Kelly & Kyle Phelps, Melvin Grier, Jymi Bolden, Terrance Hammonds and Thom Shaw.

One of the photographs I selected for the exhibit is of two men dressed up for the Jazz Festival during it’s tenure at the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. From it’s early days at Carthage Fair Grounds where the music was Jazz in it’s pure form, the musicians and their music went through a process that saw it become more expansive in the genres presented to embrace the more popular acts that eventually supplanted the straight ahead jazz musicians.

For a number of years I photographed the acts at Riverfront for both my newspaper The Cincinnati Post and the Santangelo organization that produced the concerts. Since the annual event opened on Friday evening and the paper had a earlier than usual deadline for the Saturday edition there was not much time to shoot. Normally I would do a combination of attendees and performers. In some instances I found the former more interesting.

Beyond Emancipation will be at Kennedy Heights Arts Center from January 14 to February 25. KHAC is located at 6546 Montgomery Road, 513-631-4278.