Artscape 2010 Baltimore

What a weekend I admit that when my Project Coordinator came to me with the idea of performing at Artscape it did not mean much to me at the time other than saying, go ahead and see what happens.

Being from the Baltimore area, she knew more than I when it came to events and festivals that where housed out of Baltimore. Later I found out that Artscape was the largest arts festival in the world. Then my mind began to play tricks on me and a thought ran across my mind in the form of “there is no way, a gdavisplays productions is going to be apart of this.”

Well a few weeks later, Carolyn sent me a text that stated “we are in Artscape” I was excited and honored at the thought of appearing in the most prestigious arts festival in the world.

Its been a week now and I am still processing the weekend that showcased my new show “Jessie & Lucy” at the Brown Center on the campus of Maryland Institute College of Art. This venue made an impression on me that I will never forget not for its unique architectural design but because it the only building in Baltimore that was named after an African American Family.

The Brown Center

I arrived in Baltimore Thursday to load in my set and the city was a buzz as early as 10am that morning with the anticipation of Artscape staring the next day.

In my former days as Program Director of Beasley Broadcasting I had plenty of experiences of working and with festivals such as the Dogwood Festival in Fayetteville and the Stone Cold Picnic that I started. However, I was not prepared for what I was about to see over the next days.

Getting back to the press about Artscape, I had heard of attendance reaching over 300,000 people over a 3 day period. I could not imagine that many people in downtown Baltimore.

The next day I got a chance to see first hand what I had only heard about in reference to Artscape. There seemed to be a vendor every 3 fee, there was plenty of food and all kinds of artwork. I was really impressed with what I had seen so far and I had only just begun to see all that was offered.

At 6:00pm I met the rest of the cast and crew to walk them down to the Brown Center. Normally the walk would have taken all of 10 minutes but due the fact that it was Saturday night and the biggest nigh of Artscape thee was easily 50,000 people already walking among the vendors and listening to various artist performing live on the Wachovia Main Stage. Well that walk took us 30 minutes.

I’ve been performing for over 16 years and I have never had the opportunity to perform in front of a predominately white audience. I have always wanted that opportunity and Artscsape gave me that opportunity. The show was great and I was very pleased at the response that we received.

After the show our cast and crew looked forward to getting back to our hotel that was across the street from the Inner Harbor. Remembe that walk that took us 30 minutes due to 50,000 people walking and enjoying artscape, well by the time we had packed up and finished striking the stage it was about 10pm I would learn later that there was over 100,000 people downtown at that time.

It seemed like we were the only ones walking in the direction towards our vehicle. It was amazing to see, the closest thing I had ever witnessed was having seats on the 50 yard line for a Monday Night Football Game that featured my Redskins at Fedex Field but that was only 90,000.

Back at the hotel the cast and crew felt like walking so we walked down to the Inner Harbor and took him some live Jazz and had fun at Hard Rock Cafe.

The next day Sunday my Aunt and I went to church with my cousin Anglea Foster White. Angela and graduated from Warren County together and she was a cheerleader while I was a basketball player. I went on to further my education at Fayetteville State while she attended UNC Chapel Hill.

We had not seen each other since graduation, so it was great to spend some quality time with her and her husband. Church service was great and I was impressed with the young adult choir and a young lady who worked for Morgan State Radio Station who had interviewed me earlier was there also man could she play the tambourine (please see video)

After church, we all went back down to the Inner Harbor to take in some good food, fun and laughs before we would head back to North Carolina. Well at least he cast and crew, Monty and I ended up going back to my Uncle house in Lanham, Maryland.

Uncle Norman & Gdavis

It was great spending time with Uncle Norman, Aunt Celster and my cousins Kim, Norman , Jr, Tony and Vincent. This was probably the best part of my trip, getting to meet and spend time with family.

I got a chance to hit some golf balls with Uncle Norman while enjoying the ride to the driving ranger in his 1971 Mercedes Benz. This was a very special weekend for me and I have been thinking about it ever since.

Over the last few weeks I have found a greater appreciation for family. I have learned to live in the now. I can’t change the pass nor can I feel too badly for what i have done or what others have done to me because its over and done with on so many account.

Uncle Norman's 1971 Benz

Kim & Gdavis

I have heard a saying that “Life is short, so live it” and until you experience things that make you take second look or a more serious look at life you never know what that really means.

Well I’m thankful that I know what it means and it was not too late for me to slow down from my busy life to take a minute to enjoy family.

Kim, Aunt Celester & Gdavis

Gdavis

Gdavisplays.com

There are days that I don’t get much rest. It seems like for the last year or so I’ve been getting about 4 hours a sleep a night. I don’t complain because that is a small price to pay when you are trying to do something that is going to have an impact on the world.

As always I’ve got may hands on several projects at once. I am one of those people that I am not happy if I don’t have a full load to pull.

In doing that recently, Walter Sturdivant has agreed to run the day to day operations of Gdavisplays.com so that I can have more time to spend with my wifey and family and from a company perspective, the creative side of Gdavisplays.com.

Currently I have partnered with North Carolina A&T State University to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s in the African American Community. It makes my heart feel good knowing that a group of African Americans who are considered experienced professionals in their respective areas can work together to make a difference not just in our community but in the world.

This is a very big project that we are working on called “Forget Me Not” that will consist of a celebrity Gala, the presentation of the stage play “Forget Me Not” various workshops, clinics and other events and programs designed to bring awareness to the disease that effects 1-5 adults over the age of 65.

Scene from Forget Me Not

It has been said and rumored and I have experienced that when it comes to a group of African American working together who all have major credentials behind their name that regardless of the project and how much potential it has it will never work due to the fact that someone no one in the group is willing to put themselves less to make the group more.

As I have stated I have seen and been apart of my share of groups like this that has made me alienate myself from certain groups but I can honestly say it feel very good being apart of the team that has been assembled for the Forget Me Not Project.

The players in this project include Dr. Goldie Byrd one of the leading Biologist in the country who has dedicated her life to finding a cure for this disease. Walter Sturdivant who has over 28 years of broadcast experience, Carolyn Ross-Holmes who brings 20 years of  experience in community outreach and activism, Hosea Productions 58 years of promoting some of the worlds largest entertainers. Milton Stewartwho has taken several of his artist who were struggling to make it in the cut throat industry of the music business all the way to the 2010 Grammy’s, and Carol “Monty” Davis, Assistant Superintendent of our school system.

With all of this so called power in one room one would think that it would be easy to spend a lot of time jocking for position.

Dr. Goldie Byrd

This is the furthest thing from the truth. There is one key denominator in all of this that I want those of you who are reading this to clearly digest The core of what this group is built on mutual respect and honesty for one another.

We have all made ourselves less in order that we might join forces together to make a difference in the lives of people all across America.  That is why it is so important to be honest and do what is right as oppose to doing things that will lead to self gratification.

Carolyn Ross-Holmes

It is also important to put a team around you that you can trust with your life. The core group of our team has become close over the last few months. It has taken time for us to get to this point but the bond and the relationships that have been built over these few months is proving to be priceless.

I don’t know what the future holds or where we are headed with this group but I truly believe that God has his hands on the direction and is ordering our steps.

So much has happened since we started working on this project that was in the background of another project that we were working on that has not become our lead project.

Through this journey I have learned and still learning to trust God and to be still until his WILL is clear for me.

Over the last couple of months I thought things were so clear on Project Bynum that I could see and taste it, however, things have come to a slow pace and waiting mode that the human nature side feels disappointment but its in Gods timing. I have learned to really believe that if something is not for me I DON”T WANT IT AT ALL, but if it is I believe in HIS timing it will all come to pass.

Bynum & Gdavis

Getting back to the point, we as a people can work together and we can make a difference and it does not have to be a big drag down fight getting there to the end. If we continue to TRUST and RESPECT one another and not try to micro-manage everyone else, its amazing how far a group can go and what they are capable of doing.

I can always depend on Walter to say something profound. Today he stated, “the feeling you get when you are excited about a project that has great potential is the same feeling you have when you make progress on a project, you have to make sure that you are excited about the progress and not the potential.”

How do you do that? You stay level headed and make sure you cross every (t) and dot every (i) there will be plenty of time to celebrate once WE all reach the finish line and have achieved all the goals that we set out from the  beginning.

So if you are involved or apart of a group that is working on a project make sure that it’s built on HONEST and RESPECT.If those 2 ingredients are not present, no matter how much potential the project has it will never reach its full potential or worse, it may never get off the ground and members will always refer to it as that projectthat could have made a difference in the community or even the world but because of somebody who was not a team player it never got off the ground.

Gdavis & Monty

Just think about how many lives could have been saved or changed but never will due the strong sense of self gratification that influenced the decision making versus what was best for the group.