Jessye Norman, a five-time Grammy Award winner, National Medal of Arts recipient, Kennedy Center Honoree, and Howard University Grad from Augusta, Georgia, is the subject of an exhibition curated by artist Kenneth Green. Green is known for an exhibition entitled Clothes Story about the personal clothing of Black Women. The exhibition is at the Southwest Arts Center through November 8th located at 915 New Hope Rd, South Fulton, GA 30331
We are joined by Russell Joel Brown (The Lion King, Broadway) and Cassi Davis Patton (NAACP award winner, and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne) to speak about the exhibition and an upcoming production entitled An Evening For Jessye - An Evening of Great Performances that features talents from dance and more on Friday, October 23rd at 7:30PM.
I asked Brown how the exhibition came into being. He speaks about the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in Augusta. They offer an after-school arts program that encompasses song, acting, dance, visual arts, and more. He speaks to Jessye Norman being a patron of the arts. Her reach extended beyond music, including her work with The Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Brown speaks about Norman making her debut in Europe as a mezzo-soprano in the 1960s, where she became a superstar before making her debut in the 1980s in the United States.
Cassie Davis Patton is a narrator, and I asked her about the gowns and how it feels to be around the clothing and costumes that Norman may have worn. She speaks about a red, white, and blue gown and shares how it feels to be around the costumes.