EAR TO THE GROUND: Tubman Museum's Motown Night to engage community through music
The Tubman Museum is dedicated to educating people about African-American history, art and culture. Now in a new facility, the museum continues its efforts to create programming that will engage the community with its mission.
One method that's always popular -- a great party. Hence, the upcoming Motown Night at the Tubman Museum on Saturday. Ken Trimmins and Drew Smith are among the featured musicians and singers who will bring the music of Motown to life on stage. In addition to the concert, AJ the DJ will spin a playlist of Motown hits, accompanied by music videos on big screens in the museum's Peyton Anderson Rotunda.
During the night, members of the audience will have a chance to participate in a karaoke set of Motown songs.
At the height of the civil rights movement, Motown was a driving force in bringing together members of the black and white communities for music and concerts, and some of that racial healing may continue to be necessary today.
With its various projects and developments, Macon-Bibb County also is attracting people from all around the globe -- something that is helping the current community grow in many different ways.
"Georgia Traveler," a television show that airs on Georgia Public Broadcasting, will be filming footage of Motown Night for one of its upcoming episodes. This show was designed to give people ideas of the many things to do while in Georgia, and the hosts of the show help the viewers understand the dynamics of every attraction they visit.
Motown Night also will serve as a mechanism to inform the community and surrounding areas about a permanent music exhibit that's coming soon to the Tubman.
The working title of the exhibit is "Macon Music: the Soul of Rock 'n' Roll," and the projected cost to roll out such an interactive and informative display is about $800,000.
This exhibit will not be limited to the history of individual artists. It will highlight radio stations, studios and venues that catered to the local artists who made music in Macon. Consider Motown Night a primer.
Tickets to Motown Night are $25 and available online at www.tubmanmuseum.com. For more information, call 478-743-8544.
Yolanda "Y-O" Latimore is founder of Poetic Peace Arts and director of Like Water Publicity, a media and booking agency. Contact her at ylatimore@gmail.com.
This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 7:54 PM with the headline "EAR TO THE GROUND: Tubman Museum's Motown Night to engage community through music ."