Now through May 30, the Dorchester Center for the Arts is presenting its annual Young People’s Art Show. This exhibit features arts works from children in kindergarten through high school in Dorchester County Schools.

A kid-friendly Artists’ Reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday from 5 – 7:30 pm, with live music performances and light refreshments. Music will be provided by the students of Anne Watts.

Robbins Foundation Concert

Series returns Daryl Davis June 6

Daryl Davis, author, actor, international recording artist, and award-winning race relations expert returns to the Dorchester Center for the Arts on June 6 for a concert and lecture. This event is sponsored by Pauline F. and W. David Robbins Foundation Trust, as is the first of the Robbins Foundation Concert Series.

Daryl is not white. He’s not even light-skinned. Yet, Klan-Destine relationships author, Daryl Davis has come in closer contact with members of the Ku Klux Klan than most whites. He continues to do so, making him one of the most unique lecturers on the speaking circuit today.

Over the past two decades, Daryl Davis walked on the edge with one foot dangling over the precipice. His nonfiction stories of setting up surprise meetings with Klan leaders who were unaware of his skin color, and attending Klan rallies, has the suspense of Hitchcock, keeping audiences riveted to their seats in disbelief.

On a quest to do nothing more than explore racism and gather information for his book, Klan-Destine Relationships, Daryl Davis eventually became the recipient of numerous robes and hoods given to him by KKK members who rescinded their beliefs after coming to know him. He had inadvertently stumbled upon a successful method of forming friendships between sworn enemies. His methods have made him the center of controversy in some circles where he is considered “politically incorrect,” but after proving his methods work, he has made supporters out of his detractors.

As a race relations expert, Daryl Davis has received acclaim for his book, Klan-Destine

Relationships, and his work in race relations from many respected sources including CNN, NBC, Good Morning America, The Learning Channel, National Public Radio, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun and many others. He is also the recipient of numerous awards including the highly prestigious Elliott-Black Award and the Bridge Builder Award presented by the American Ethical Union and Washington Ethical Society respectively, to name a few.

Filled with exciting encounters and sometimes amusing anecdotes, Daryl Davis’ impassioned lectures leave an audience feeling empowered to confront their own prejudices and overcome their fears, seeking to build a bridge and forge peace with their most unlikely adversaries.

In addition to the lecture, Daryl will present a concert of rock -n- roll, country,     rocka-billy and blues music at 8 that evening.

Daryl Davis is a Chicago native who graduated from Howard University with a degree in Jazz. He was mentored by legendary pianists Pinetop Perkins and Johnnie Johnson, who both claimed him as their godson and praised his ability to master a piano style that was popular long before he was born. In addition to being a musician, Daryl is an actor, author and lecturer, who now resides in Maryland.

Apart from the Daryl Davis Band, he has worked with Elvis Presley’s Jordanaires, Chuck Berry, The Legendary Blues Band, Percy Sledge, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Coasters, The Platters, The Drifters and others. Daryl’s CD’s American Roots and Alternate Routes, received rave reviews from leading music magazines and he has won several awards for Best Artist in the Roots and Blues categories. He tours both nationally and internationally.

Tickets are $20 for DCA members; $25 for non-members and seating is limited. For more information, call 410-228-7782.

Inaugural DCA Plein Air Golf

tournament rescheduled

Registration is being accepted for golf teams and artists for the Dorchester Center for the Arts Plein Air Golf Tournament and Cocktail Party which has been rescheduled at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort for June 7. The event is sponsored by PNC Wealth Management. Proceeds from this event benefit DCA programs and services.

This tournament is suitable for recreational golfers, who can enjoy a social day that combines golf and the arts, plus benefits art programs in this community. DCA is seeking golf teams and Plein Art Artists to participate, and all are included in the post event cocktail party. Costs are $70 per person and include green fees, cart and the cocktail party for golfers.

For artists who wish to participate, there is no fee, and artists will enjoy the post event cocktail party, plus people will be bidding in a silent auction for the paintings. Proceeds from paintings sold will be divided 65 percent - 35 percent between the artist and DCA.

Check in is at 1 p.m. A shot gun start scramble as well as the artists will begin at 2 p.m. The cocktail party will be at 4:30 p.m. All teams will be in a drawing for a prize, and there will be giveaways, plus great food from the Hyatt Chesapeake. For the artists, there will be a $100 cash prize for the Judges’ Choice selection. If not an artist or golfer, tickets to the cocktail party are just $25 and provide the opportunity to bid on the wet paint sale.

For more information, call 410-228-7782 or visit dorchesterarts.org.

Editor’s note: Spectrum is the weekly column of the Dorchester Arts Center. It is written by Mickey Love, executive director.