At the May 6 grand opening of the Center for Black Excellence and Culture, Tanika Apaloo took in the moment as a proud Black community member and mom.
Apaloo works for the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the assistant director-UW South Madison Partnership, and her son, Amadou Kromah, is among the artists whose work is prominently featured in the Center’s art gallery, unveiled for the first time on Wednesday.
His photograph, “Catching the Wind,” depicts the joy of a young girl running with a kite.
Kromah is an award-winning photographer who over the past decade has become well-known on the Madison art scene. Last year, an exhibition at the Common Wealth Gallery downtown highlighted his work.
“I’m emotional as I stand here today,” said Apaloo. “I’m proud as a mom, obviously, of … all the hard work (Kromah) has put in — all the long nights of editing and running here and there on photoshoots. … I feel as if he’s in a position where he’s really launching as an artist, and I couldn’t feel any happier … for him.”
According to the Center, more than 1,000 people turned out for the opening. Looking around at the crowd gathered, Apaloo said a space like this has been a long time coming.
“Speaking as a Black woman, now we have a space where we’re going to be able to hold our precious arts, and our culture — where we can come and socialize,” she said. “The last few years have really sparked this artists’ renaissance and this overall Black cultural renaissance in Madison. I look forward to seeing what this space continues to bring.”
Nearly two years after its groundbreaking, the $32 million, 37,000-square-foot facility opened debt-free this week thanks to over 1,200 donors, including many local businesses and individuals.
The first building of its kind in Madison, the Center was envisioned by co-founders Rev. Alexander Gee and his sister, Lilada Gee, as a place to celebrate Madison’s flourishing Black community and bolster Black community wellness.
Crowds lined up down the block on Badger Road Wednesday afternoon and into the evening, waiting to get a glimpse of the new space. Inside, attendees were invited to tour the building and treated to musical entertainment, bar service and free ice cream from the Chocolate Shoppe in one of its event areas.
“It’s very exciting — the energy from all the people (from the community) who have been a part of this … to see this come to fruition,” said Jason Fields, the Center’s chief strategy officer. “You feed off of that. I’m very humbled, honored and thankful that everybody came out and supported something that this community wanted. We knew it would be busy but (when) you see the line (outside) — you’re like, ‘Whoa!’”
Denzel Bibbs, a project manager with the Center’s building partner, Findorff, said it was great to see the space finished after being onsite every day throughout the construction process.
“(After) collaborating with the designers and envisioning how the space was going to be used, how people were going to flow, how people were going to interact and mingle — seeing that vision come to life is just incredible,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite things about today.”
Among the event’s other attendees was Jason Ilstrup, president of Downtown Madison Inc., who shared in the excitement at seeing the Gees’ vision realized.
“This space is absolutely stunning,” he said. “(Alex Gee) has been working so hard, along with so many others in the community to make this happen. To see everyone’s reactions to this — to walk around — people are just awed by what’s happening here. It’s an amazing new attribute to our community.”
The open house welcomed attendees into areas designed to accommodate the Center’s wide range of programming — including the Black Renaissance Theatre for films and performances; a senior center with games and tables for gathering; youth classrooms for leadership development, meeting rooms for local organizations, a recording studio, an art gallery, a maker space, a women’s center and a children’s reading room.
Alex Gee’s daughter, Lexi Gee, who previously worked for Dane County Library Services, will lead literacy-based programming in the latter space. She said the grand opening felt almost “unreal.”
“Seeing people lining up outside the building has been crazy — we were not expecting that,” she said. “We’ve been doing a lot of work and a lot of planning to get ready for today. I’m so grateful and so excited to be a part of this.
“I’m really looking forward to … helping our kids improve their literacy skills and learn to love reading. It’s been so formative for me, so I just want to pay it forward.”
Fundraising for the Center’s programming is still underway, and donations can be made online.
