‘Workshop’ in Chester SC unites historic Black school, Gullah-Geechee arts and culture
More than 150 years ago, African American children -- descendants of enslaved people -- studied at Brainerd Institute in Chester where they learned about culture and the arts.
Less than 200 miles away in Beaufort, descendants of enslaved people from Africa held to a rich culture replete with music, art and storytelling.
On Saturday, the cultural and historical significance of both — the Gullah Geechee people and the Brainerd Institute — will merge for Vivian Ayer’s “Workshops in Open Fields.”
Ayers created “Workshops in Open Fields” in the 1970s in Houston, Tx., when she served on the board for the National Endowment for the Arts.
But she also may be familiar because she is the mother of Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, award-winning Broadway and screen actresses, dancers, directors and producers.
Ayers, 99, is a Chester native, and was in the last class to graduate from Brainerd Institute in 1939.
She wanted to bring “Workshops” back to Chester and started the program in 2017 to promote preschool literacy.
Rashad purchased Brainerd Institute in 1999. All but one of the original buildings is still standing.
This year’s “Workshops” theme is “Literacy Through the Arts.”
The event will feature artists and performers of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. The Gullah Geechee people developed their unique culture while working on plantations on isolated sea islands in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.
“The Gullah Geechee is kind of a keeper of African Heritage,” said Pete Stone, a program volunteer and spokesperson for Ayers.
Having a large population of African Americans in South Carolina is “really a part of our culture and heritage as a state and realizing the story didn’t just start with slavery, but goes back beyond that to the richness of the traditions from Africa that came to South Carolina,” Stone said. “So having that in Chester kind of spreads that wealth and that richness and those roots to honor those traditions.”
There is no admission charge for the event, which will be outdoors on the Brainerd campus. The 14-acre campus opened in 1866 to serve local children of freed slaves.
The event will include Ghanaian art, performances by the Gullah Family Slide Dancers, storytelling, a community mural, sweetgrass art, musicians and interactive performances by internationally-recognized artists.
The goal is to teach youth literacy through the arts, Stone said. The event is open to people of all ages, though it is geared to children, he said.
Want to go?
Vivian Ayers’ Workshops in Open Fields “Literacy Through the Arts” will be 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Brainerd Institute, 115 Marquis Street, Chester.
The event is open to the public. There is no admission charge.
Juneteenth events in the region
Rock Hill
‘Juneteenth Rock Hill 2022’ is Friday through Sunday in Rock Hill. Events include:
* Friday: Food Truck Friday at Fountain Park in downtown Rock Hill Friday starting at 6 p.m.
* Saturday: Freedom Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mount Prospect Baptist Church, 339 Black St.
* Sunday: Worship, 11:15 a.m. at Mount Prospect Baptist Church.
Lancaster
Juneteenth Freedom Festival is Saturday from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Main Street in Lancaster. Events include music, vendors, food trucks, and fireworks.
Chester
Chester Juneteenth 2022 event Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 9;15 .p.m at Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 182 York St. Events include poetry, story time, entertainment, art gallery and other events for adults and children.
.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 3:19 PM with the headline "‘Workshop’ in Chester SC unites historic Black school, Gullah-Geechee arts and culture."
