409 Schenectady St. Schenectady, NY, USA
About Hamilton Hill Arts Center
Join Hamilton Hill Arts Center at Proctors Theater for KUUMBA, a celebration of Black arts and film on February 16, 2026 (11 AM–8 PM). This free event is open to everyone and features musical performances, dance, movies, live music, an art exhibit, hands-on activities, food, vendors, and a Kid Zone (11 AM–2 PM) showcasing young artists. KUUMBA is a chance to learn, inspire the next generation of creators, and strengthen our community through arts and storytelling. Save the date, we can’t wait to see you there!
The Kids Zone 11-2
The Kids Zone is a fun, family-friendly space featuring the youth film “Your Legacy,” story time with civil rights hero Mikki Conn, and a Q&A open to all ages. Kids can also enjoy hands-on crafts, face painting, and engaging performances.
Our Mission
CALL FOR ARTISTS
Subject: Call for Artists: Poetry in Revolution Exhibit at Proctors — Feb 16, 2026
The Hamilton Hill Arts Center is excited to invite you to participate in the 2026 Kuumba Black Arts & Film Festival Pop‑Up Art Exhibit, taking place February 16, 2026, from 11 AM–7 PM at Proctors Theater in Schenectady.
This year’s theme, Poetry in Revolution, celebrates the power of visual art as testimony, resistance, healing, and imagination. We welcome work that speaks to transformation, truth‑telling, cultural memory, liberation, and the many ways creativity becomes a revolutionary act.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Artists of all ages and experience levels are encouraged to submit. Youth artists (ages 8–18) are welcome with guardian permission.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Artists may submit up to 5 pieces.
Please include the following with your submission:
- Artist biography
- Artist photo
- Clear, labeled photos of each artwork
- Indicate whether each piece is for sale and include pricing
Display Info:
- 2D works: up to 24×30, displayed on standing easels
- 3D works: displayed on provided folding tables
FEES
- Free to exhibit if you are not selling artwork
- $50 vendor fee
HOW TO SUBMIT
Please send all submission materials to:
ed@hamiltonhillartscenter.org
12:30 pm A love letter to Brian, Lesley, and Michelle Produced by: Create A Space NOW
Creators:
Hettie Barnhill- Filmmaker, Director, Writer, and Choreographer,
Robert Gertler - Filmmaker, Sound Designer
A Love Letter to BLM is the result of human beings coming together, diverse in age, sexuality, race, and gender, talking with their bodies, minds, and souls, about Black lives. An interactive and experimental commentary that leaves the viewers looking inward, seeking justice from within. This is a film, a play, an experience, a concert dance, a work of art, a self-reflection, a protest.
1:30 pm A love letter to Brian, Lesley, and Michelle Produced by: Create A Space NOW
Presentation Information
Bodies in Action: Black History, Culture & Resistance Through Movement
Join the Barnhill Movement Collective for an engaging talk and movement workshop led by Artistic Director Hettie Barnhill, followed by powerful repertory excerpts that honor Black history, culture, and resistance, inviting audiences into reflection, dialogue, and embodied expression.
The Barnhill Movement Collective (BMC) is a professional contemporary and physical theater dance company based in New York’s Capital Region, operating under Create A Space NOW, a performing arts, education, and social justice platform, founded by Broadway performer, educator, and activist Hettie Barnhill. BMC creates movement work rooted in human connection, transforming performance into dialogue and dance into a tool for social change. The repertoire draws from a wide range of dance and movement traditions, including contemporary, African, modern, and hip-hop techniques, and often incorporates elements of physical theater and storytelling.
2 pm Love Jones
Darius Lovehall is a young black poet in Chicago who starts dating Nina Mosley, a beautiful and talented photographer. While trying to figure out if they've got a "love thing" or are just "kicking it," they hang out with their friend, talking about love and sex. Then Nina tests the strength of Darius' feelings and sets a chain of romantic complications into motion. —Jesse Garon IMDB
5 pm-7pm Love Beats Rhymes
When struggling rapper Coco (Azealia Banks) enrolls in a poetry class, she thinks her rhymes will impress her teacher, Professor Dixon (Jill Scott). Instead, Dixon challenges Coco to seek real meaning in her lyrics, setting her on a journey of discovery that takes her through rap clubs and poetry slams, leading her to find her true voice - and true love - in this uplifting movie costarring Lucien Laviscount. —IMDB
Doc Horton the Jay Street Band 7pm- 8pm Robb Alley
Come experience Doc Horton and The Jay Street Band live, and let the Motown an pop Funk music, take you back while pushing the party forward! Bring your friends, your dancing shoes, and enjoy the groove!