The Carr Center Kicks Off 30th Anniversary Year of Visual and Performing Arts Events In Detroit

The Carr Center, the premiere Black arts educational resource and presenter based in the City of Detroit, has announced its 30th anniversary year of exciting events. Under the direction of Oliver Ragsdale, Jr., President and CEO; and Artistic Director, three-time Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and educator Terri Lyne Carrington. The Carr Center's schedule begins in October and includes its first LIVE concert event in more than a year. The season also marks the opening of the Center's brand-new space, The Carr Center Performance Studio, located in the Detroit cultural center's historic Park Shelton.

The Carr Center's commitment to the arts and to the communities it serves has been evident even throughout the pandemic, during which it produced and presented many new virtual programs. Among a varied schedule for 2020-2021 are several events that were previously canceled and/or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As The Carr Center opens its doors to in-person live events, the safety of the patrons, artists, and staff are of utmost importance. The Carr Center has adopted several policies to keep everyone safe. LIVE events from The Carr Center will require proof of vaccination. Mask wearing and social distancing will also be observed. For further details go to www.thecarrcenter.org.

A return to LIVE events is important, says Ragsdale. "Art happens when there is communication and engagement between artists and audience," explains Ragsdale. "You can be standing in front of a piece of art, or you can sit and watch a film on television, but when you are in a theater and you feel that energy emanating from the stage reach out and touch you, when your own in-person energy and excitement flows back to the artist, that is when communication happens... that is when the magic happens."