The Jazz Heritage Center will have a range of educational programs for the community, particularly youth, so that visitors of all ages will have access to the history of San Francisco jazz from its earliest origins through the booming and vibrant heyday of the Fillmore jazz era, and into the present “Rebirth of the Cool" in the Fillmore. In addition, the JHC will offer lectures and talks about different aspects of jazz history and culture locally and worldwide, as well as educational events focused on the diverse history of the Fillmore District, including stories of the African-Americans, Jews, and Asians that have called it home over the past one hundred years. Already, these programs include:
Black History Month 2012
Jazz Heritage Center Exhibit Salutes Bay Area Black Musicians
Exhibit Open February 1-March 4
Artists and Opening Reception, February 2
The Jazz Heritage Center (JHC) will highlight the works of three prominent Bay Area artists in a Black History Month salute to African American musicians and their contributions to the Bay Area. The featured artists are fine artist/illustrator James Gayles and photographers James Knox and Jim Dennis.
The Artists
James Gayles studied at Pratt Institute and established himself as an Emmy Award winning illustrator and fine artist before coming to Northern California. His work spans thirty years, and art critics have described his use of color as “stunning." Mr. Gayles has exhibited in numerous galleries, received commissions including from the City of Oakland and Alameda County, and he continues to work as an illustrator for the Bay Area Newspaper Group.
James Knox has been photographing and writing about the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene for ten years. His photographs have appeared in numerous online and print publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle and The Wall Street Journal Weekend. Mr. Knox is a contributing photographer for Cuisine Noir Magazine and SFJAZZ, and his writing has been featured online on Jazz Review and Blogcritics.
Jim Dennis is a native of San Francisco who also has the distinction of being the first African American photographer to be hired by Eastman Kodak in 1969. Mr. Dennis's stint with Kodak took him around the world to create exhibits for Kodak ranging from a cattle roundup in Wyoming to the Taj Mahal in India and cultural portraits in Turkey. He returned to the Bay Area more than thirty years ago to a career as a professional photographer and has continued to add to his impressive collection of musicians' images performing locally going back fifty years.
FEBRUARY 2 EVENTS
February 2, 7-9:00 PM
Jazz Heritage Center's Lush Life Gallery, 1320 Fillmore Street @Eddy
Opening Reception
Featuring Calvin Keys on guitar and Michael Jones on bass
The exhibit runs from February 1 to March 4. Gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 4-8 PM, and 3-9PM on Friday and Saturday.
For more information please contact: JHC at [email protected]
Jazz Heritage Center
1320 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115
