Clemmons Family Farm joyfully presents
Passports Through Time: 
Exploring Our Civil Rights of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
​2024 CELEBRATION

Visit five time capsules to learn about some of the important civil rights milestones
​and artists of different eras, get your special MLK Day passport stamped, co-create art,
and participate in virtual community murals.
​​Monday, January 15 | 10 am – 5 pm | Free Admission for all at the ECHO Center in Burlington
Our participatory wellness arts programs feature ten of Clemmons Family Farm's fantastic collaborating artists who will co-create art with you in a way that intentionally helps you experience joy, unity, inspiration, and hope-- all of which are important resilience skills for young and for old.

Engage in art that will help you feel stronger and more optimistic for our collective future while you also learn history that is sometimes "hard" yet always inspiring.  
Learn more about our MLK Day 2024 Time Capsule Artists below!
All of the artists are proud members of the Vermont African-American/African Diaspora Artists Network (VAAADAN).

Time Capsule 1: Reconstructing Our Rights
Civil Rights Yesterday- The Reconstruction Era: (1865 - 1909)

Paint, take home stencil art, and create a community mural of hands clasped in unity with Mr. Desmont and Ms. Jackson!
Julio Desmont.
​Julio is an abstract visual artist. He often paints with acrylic or oil paints, and sometimes uses mixed media including spray paint. Influenced by his Haitian culture, Julio’s artwork is vibrant and has lots of movement. He chooses to radiate happiness in his work, which balances chaos with stability.
Kya Jackson.
Kya is a visual artist who enjoys acrylic painting, digital art, marker, watercolor, colored pencil, oil pastel, chalk pastel, printmaking, gouache and crochet. Much of their work explores themes pertaining to their self-identity, emotion, and memory through depictions of extreme saturation expressing figure and foreground relationships.

Time Capsule 2: Reclaiming Our Rights
​Civil Rights Yesterday (1910 - 1949)

Learn some roller skating and belly dancing moves, and get inspired by some amazing Harlem Renaissance dances with Ms. Taylor and Ms. Sekhmet!
Alicia Taylor.
Alicia recently rediscovered her love of roller skating after a long 30-year hiatus and hasn't stopped dancing since! As the founder of Joy Riders VT BIPOC Skate Club, she is dedicated to spreading the joy and love of roller skating to as many people as possible and helping to nurture and grow the BIPOC skate community here in Vermont.
Sekhmet.
Yvonne, dancing under the stage name Sekhmet, can’t remember a time when she wasn’t listening to music. In the ’80’s  she began to study Raqs Sharqi (Egyptian Style Belly Dance), Classical Persian, Middle Eastern Folk dance and folk dances of Uzbekistan. She believes that her inspiration as a dancer truly emerged when she began to study Danse Orientale (Turkish Style belly dance) with acclaimed scholar and dancer Artemis Mourat. ​

Time Capsule 3: Rights Right On! 
​Civil Rights Yesterday (1950-1999)

Write and sing Freedom Songs with Ms. Emanuel-Dyke and Ms. Steinmetz!
​Judi Emanuel-Dyke.
Judi is an award-winning singer/songwriter and founder of Emanuel Road Records, born in Jamaica, now a Vermonter. Her biggest musical influence is her father, Jamaican Mento King, Count Owen, in whose footsteps she has been following since early childhood.
Ruth Michoma Steinmetz.
Ruth is a multifaceted designer, artist, and community organizer. Coming from a family of singers, Ruth sings in her church and is a background vocalist for local Afro-Jazz artist and her mom, KeruBo. Her educational background includes an MFA degree in Emergent Media and an undergraduate degree in Communication which she infuses into her work as a podcaster, content creator, interior decorator, and brand developer. Ruth is also passionate about helping her neighbors of color thrive in their communities in Vermont. 

Time Capsule 4: Rights Right Now
Civil Rights Today (2000 - 2024)

Create take-home textile art and a community quilt celebrating rights and unity with Ms. Chase and Ms. Tshilemba!
Josephine Chase.
Josephine is a painter, storyteller, landscaper, designer, and installation artist. She balances art historical research with work that explores color, textile, use, space, and land. Born in Burlington, Vermont to a Liberian mother and Irish-American father, she is influenced by West African folk art, as well as New England Americana.
Pamela Tshilemba.
Pamela is a fashion designer who has been in the industry for more than 15 years. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, her collection of original clothing designs are inspired by the traditional tribes and cultures of Africa juxtaposed with contemporary US culture and syyles. As a design artist specializing in textiles, Pamlea's objective is to continuously innovate new conepts by fusing African-American crafts, fabric and culture that break norms and blaze the trail for new fashion.

Time Capsule 5: Rights Ahead
​Civil Rights Tomorrow (2024-2044)

Imagine the future, create musical poetry, and write your own headlines for the future with Mr. Djeli and Mr. Walker!
​Roy Truth.
Roy holds a degree in Popular Music from Florida Memorial University- a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) that is home to the famous “Negro National Anthem” (written in 1900).  As a multi-disciplinary artist at Clemmons Family Farm, Roy extends his knowledge of musical structure and songwriting in a way that is collaborative and enjoyable.
Djeli.
Djeli is a story weaver who helps transform overwhelm to overjoy for people of all ages and backgrounds. He is a thought leader, life coach, mentor, public speaker, lifelong storyteller, and former Cirque du Soleil acrobat who has traveled the world collecting stories. 
Visit the ECHO website to see more events happening during the MLK Day Celebrations!