This weekend is the final one for the National Black Arts Festival, and Centennial Olympic Park should be abuzz with free activities. The 11-day fest concludes Sunday. Here are the remaining highlights:
Performances
- DanceAfrica! Atlanta, 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, features South African contemporary dancer-choreographer Vincent Mantsoe; traditional South African gumboot dancing from Lesoles Dance Project; Atlanta's Giwayen Mata dance troupe; and master kora player and griot Diali Keba Cissokho. $25. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St., Atlanta.
- The O'Jays, standouts in last year's multi-artist tribute concert to Curtis Mayfield, return for the 2011 Legends Celebration, 8 p.m. Friday in Symphony Hall. $35-$65. Symphony Hall.
- The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra plays its annual festival-closing concert at Ebenezer Baptist Church at 7 p.m. Sunday. Free. 407 Auburn Ave., Atlanta.
In Centennial Olympic Park
- The International Marketplace, through Sunday, will feature more than 100 vendors and artists peddling carved-wood sculptures, handmade jewelry, colorful woven fabrics, clothing and more. 10 p.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Free.
- On the Main Stage, through Sunday, the musical menu covers gospel, the blues, jazz, world music and more. Artists include Sandra Hall, Río Negro, Joyce Cândido, Nanny Assis, Orquesta MaCuba, Donnie, Kathleen Bertrand, Gregory Porter and Omar Sosa, and there will be a tribute to Gil Scott-Heron featuring Malcom Jamal-Warner, Joi and Jessica Care Moore (at 1:45 p.m. Sunday). 5-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, noon-8 p.m. Sunday. Free.
- The Children's Education Village features a variety of hands-on experiences for ages 5-12, including a visit to a kid-sized version of Martin Luther King Jr.'s boyhood home and a hands-on African village. Noon-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free.
Exhibits
- "Inside & Out," sculptures by Melvin Edwards and works on paper by Peter Saul, opens with an 8-10 p.m. reception Friday at Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Through Sept. 18. 535 Means St., Atlanta.
- Atlanta photographer Sue Ross' "Sankofa, Looking Back to Move Forward," opening Friday at the Rialto Center for Performing Arts, explores the evolution of the NBAF from 1988 to 2010. Opening reception and artist talk, 6 p.m. Through Aug. 26.
- ZuCot Gallery in conjunction with Premier Art presents "Views, Moods, Attitudes: Life Perspectives from Acclaimed Atlanta Artists," showcasing works by Aaron F. Henderson, Alfred Conteh, Charlotte Riley-Webb, Patricia Bohannon and Reginald Laurent. Opening reception, 6-10 p.m. Friday. Artists talk, 7 p.m. Through Aug. 14. 100 Centennial Olympic Park Drive South, Atlanta.
- Large-format photographic portraits by Jason Florio from his "Silafando" and "Makasutu" series, taken during a dozen years in Gambia, opens Friday at Hagedorn Foundation Gallery. Reception, 5:30-9 p.m. Friday. Artist's talk, 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Through Aug. 27. 425 Peachtree Hills Ave., Atlanta.
- "Works on Paper: Freddie Styles and Lynn Marshall Linnemeier" opens Saturday at Avisca Fine Art. A reception for the two long-time Atlanta artists – Styles is an abstractionist; Linnemeier a self-described "visual mythologist" – will be held 6-9 p.m. Saturday. Through July 30. 507 Roswell St., Marietta.
Event preview
National Black Arts Festival
Through Sunday at various locations. www.nbaf.org.
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