MINNEAPOLIS — On the corner of East 46th Street and 41st Avenue South in Minneapolis, there's an art studio that curators hope will be a second home to Black and brown creatives. Sarah "Fancy" Lanier-Duncan and her husband, Emmanuel "Envy" Duncan, of the hip-hop group iLLism, are the heads of this household: The Legacy Building.
"It’s like you’re walking in and you feel a big embrace… a big hug," Fancy said.
Last year, the couple transformed the former SolSta Records building into a creative space that serves as a recording studio, art gallery and rehearsal space. It's the culmination of their love for each other, as life partners and as artistic collaborators. Their goal is to break down barriers to access for Black creators in the Twin Cities, providing a place to start or continue growing their careers, as well as a venue to display and sell their work.
"I feel like hip hop and a lot of Black art is misunderstood, misinterpreted sometimes," Envy said. "I also think sometimes there’s some unnecessary hoops that people may have to jump through."
"Sometimes that translates into other forms of Black art, too, is a certain type of stigma or it’s only accepted or it’s only understood when it’s presented by white faces and spaces," Fancy said. "We’ve acquired all of this knowledge and all of these skills throughout our journey, and it’s time to put that back into our community."
Currently they are preparing for a showcase that takes place on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 5:00-9:00 p.m. "4DaLuv" is the second event in a series they call "Unseen Voices." This event's theme is about uplifting the message of love.
Along with Envy and Fancy, artist Dio Darlington serves as curator of the show.
"A lot of my artwork is centered on my experience as a creator, my experience as a Black man in this world," Darlington said. "I paint out of love, I paint out of the desire to understand the world around me, understand myself."
Guests at the event can expect to hear music, see visual art and documentary and participate in interactive activities, such as creating spices for recipes and making cards. There will also be art for purchase.
Darlington hopes the event draws people out of the suburbs and back into the city.
"As a whole, the city and community is still in a process of healing from a lot of the events of the past couple years with the murder of George Floyd, with the pandemic," he said. "It may seem like, oh, the Twin Cities are not the same anymore. But there are people here that are actively trying to rebuild, actively trying to grow to even better than what we once were. And there’s changes that are happening every day. Invest in that!"
Envy and Fancy hope overall, attendees take away an appreciation for their culture at its most beautiful.
"We’re here to continue to speak positively on the Black narrative. It isn’t this hardship," Fancy said. "It is truly a blessing to be Black, and that includes love of our art."
Envy added, "And love of each other and other people."
You can purchase tickets ahead of time here for $12, or for $24 at the door. Those who cannot make it to the event can also keep an eye out for The Legacy Building's Juneteenth event, "Soul of the Southside." That event features live music, speakers, poets, and food vendors.
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