Watoto wa Utamaduni Lab
child focused cultural lab offering interactive activities, storytelling, and community led learning in Swahili and English to celebrate local and ancestral cultures, inviting families to participate at YMI Cultural Center.
Similar Events
Casual midday brunch with facilitated conversation on heritage preservation and cultural memory at the YMI Cultural Center, blending community storytelling, archival context, and practical strategies for collective resistance.
Casual midday brunch with facilitated conversation on heritage preservation and cultural memory at the YMI Cultural Center, blending community storytelling, archival context, and practical strategies for collective resistance.
Casual midday brunch with facilitated conversation on heritage preservation and cultural memory at the YMI Cultural Center, blending community storytelling, archival context, and practical strategies for collective resistance.

Closing reception for a multidisciplinary exhibition that probes race, space, and faith through collaborative artworks, archival materials, and artist and theologian dialogue; an intimate community gathering reflecting history, belief, imagination, and sense of place.

Closing reception for a multidisciplinary exhibition that probes race, space, and faith through collaborative artworks, archival materials, and artist and theologian dialogue; an intimate community gathering reflecting history, belief, imagination, and sense of place.
Closing reception for a multidisciplinary exhibition that probes race, space, and faith through collaborative artworks, archival materials, and artist and theologian dialogue; an intimate community gathering reflecting history, belief, imagination, and sense of place.
Hands on spring planting of native seeds and seedlings to restore a neighborhood garden, combining community volunteerism with family friendly outdoor education and skill sharing at the Verner Center for Early Learning.
Hands on spring planting of native seeds and seedlings to restore a neighborhood garden, combining community volunteerism with family friendly outdoor education and skill sharing at the Verner Center for Early Learning.
Hands on spring planting of native seeds and seedlings to restore a neighborhood garden, combining community volunteerism with family friendly outdoor education and skill sharing at the Verner Center for Early Learning.

Soulful jazz sets featuring banjo, blending African diasporic rhythms with American jazz traditions at the historic YMI Cultural Center, an intimate concert series highlighting vocalist Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project.

Soulful jazz sets featuring banjo, blending African diasporic rhythms with American jazz traditions at the historic YMI Cultural Center, an intimate concert series highlighting vocalist Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project.
Soulful jazz sets featuring banjo, blending African diasporic rhythms with American jazz traditions at the historic YMI Cultural Center, an intimate concert series highlighting vocalist Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project.

Hands-on embroidery and experimental stitching sessions guide participants to craft a community quilt of images and words that explores home, preserves place, and fosters healing through shared craft knowledge.

Hands-on embroidery and experimental stitching sessions guide participants to craft a community quilt of images and words that explores home, preserves place, and fosters healing through shared craft knowledge.
Hands-on embroidery and experimental stitching sessions guide participants to craft a community quilt of images and words that explores home, preserves place, and fosters healing through shared craft knowledge.

Hands-on coloring workshop for kids surrounded by resident friendly cats at the House of Black Cat Magic, blending crafty creativity with gentle feline interaction in a cozy, family friendly gallery setting.

Hands-on coloring workshop for kids surrounded by resident friendly cats at the House of Black Cat Magic, blending crafty creativity with gentle feline interaction in a cozy, family friendly gallery setting.
Hands-on coloring workshop for kids surrounded by resident friendly cats at the House of Black Cat Magic, blending crafty creativity with gentle feline interaction in a cozy, family friendly gallery setting.

Children curl up in a cozy cat lounge to hear cat centric picture books as resident panthers meander nearby, creating a relaxed, sensory friendly story time for kids ages 7 and under.

Children curl up in a cozy cat lounge to hear cat centric picture books as resident panthers meander nearby, creating a relaxed, sensory friendly story time for kids ages 7 and under.
Children curl up in a cozy cat lounge to hear cat centric picture books as resident panthers meander nearby, creating a relaxed, sensory friendly story time for kids ages 7 and under.

Sultry jazz and deep soul grooves anchored by expressive vocals and a warm rhythm section, offering an intimate late evening concert atmosphere that invites both seated listening and relaxed social dancing in a historic space.

Sultry jazz and deep soul grooves anchored by expressive vocals and a warm rhythm section, offering an intimate late evening concert atmosphere that invites both seated listening and relaxed social dancing in a historic space.
Sultry jazz and deep soul grooves anchored by expressive vocals and a warm rhythm section, offering an intimate late evening concert atmosphere that invites both seated listening and relaxed social dancing in a historic space.

Bustling outdoor marketplace celebrating Black owned vendors and artisan makers, with handmade goods, food stalls, live community conversation, and family-friendly activities in a daytime public market focused on cooperative economics and local entrepreneurship.

Bustling outdoor marketplace celebrating Black owned vendors and artisan makers, with handmade goods, food stalls, live community conversation, and family-friendly activities in a daytime public market focused on cooperative economics and local entrepreneurship.
Bustling outdoor marketplace celebrating Black owned vendors and artisan makers, with handmade goods, food stalls, live community conversation, and family-friendly activities in a daytime public market focused on cooperative economics and local entrepreneurship.

Roaring Twenties inspired cocktail attire and a sumptuous dinner set the mood as Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd perform live. The evening honors Black History Month trailblazers and unveils Kujichagulia and Kuumba residencies.

Roaring Twenties inspired cocktail attire and a sumptuous dinner set the mood as Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd perform live. The evening honors Black History Month trailblazers and unveils Kujichagulia and Kuumba residencies.
Roaring Twenties inspired cocktail attire and a sumptuous dinner set the mood as Kelle Jolly and Will Boyd perform live. The evening honors Black History Month trailblazers and unveils Kujichagulia and Kuumba residencies.

Cozy after school story time in a cat lounge where children under 8 hear cat-centric books while socializing with resident panthers; tickets cover one child plus one adult, with a two-child maximum.

Cozy after school story time in a cat lounge where children under 8 hear cat-centric books while socializing with resident panthers; tickets cover one child plus one adult, with a two-child maximum.
Cozy after school story time in a cat lounge where children under 8 hear cat-centric books while socializing with resident panthers; tickets cover one child plus one adult, with a two-child maximum.

Warm, late-night jazz and soul sets led by husband-and-wife Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project, backed by a full band in YMI Cultural Center’s historic arts hub; recurring 4th Friday/Saturday residency.

Warm, late-night jazz and soul sets led by husband-and-wife Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project, backed by a full band in YMI Cultural Center’s historic arts hub; recurring 4th Friday/Saturday residency.
Warm, late-night jazz and soul sets led by husband-and-wife Kelle Jolly and the Will Boyd Project, backed by a full band in YMI Cultural Center’s historic arts hub; recurring 4th Friday/Saturday residency.

Interactive lap-sit story time for babies ages 4 to 18 months focusing on language enrichment through songs, rhymes, and board books. Caregivers remain engaged throughout; drop-offs are not permitted.

Interactive lap-sit story time for babies ages 4 to 18 months focusing on language enrichment through songs, rhymes, and board books. Caregivers remain engaged throughout; drop-offs are not permitted.
Interactive lap-sit story time for babies ages 4 to 18 months focusing on language enrichment through songs, rhymes, and board books. Caregivers remain engaged throughout; drop-offs are not permitted.

Lively, lap-sit story time of rhythmic rhymes, fingerplays, and board books for 4–18-month-olds that boosts early vocabulary through repetition and gentle movement. Caregiver participation is required; no drop-offs.

Lively, lap-sit story time of rhythmic rhymes, fingerplays, and board books for 4–18-month-olds that boosts early vocabulary through repetition and gentle movement. Caregiver participation is required; no drop-offs.
Lively, lap-sit story time of rhythmic rhymes, fingerplays, and board books for 4–18-month-olds that boosts early vocabulary through repetition and gentle movement. Caregiver participation is required; no drop-offs.

Fast paced improvisational games and ensemble scene work sharpen listening, spontaneity, and character choices in a playful workshop series; ideal for beginners and seasoned players seeking skill-building, confidence, and community connection.

Fast paced improvisational games and ensemble scene work sharpen listening, spontaneity, and character choices in a playful workshop series; ideal for beginners and seasoned players seeking skill-building, confidence, and community connection.
Fast paced improvisational games and ensemble scene work sharpen listening, spontaneity, and character choices in a playful workshop series; ideal for beginners and seasoned players seeking skill-building, confidence, and community connection.

Read aloud picture books, sing-along songs, nursery rhymes, and simple hands-on activities for children and caregivers create an energetic, inclusive morning story time designed for families with kids of all ages.

Read aloud picture books, sing-along songs, nursery rhymes, and simple hands-on activities for children and caregivers create an energetic, inclusive morning story time designed for families with kids of all ages.
Read aloud picture books, sing-along songs, nursery rhymes, and simple hands-on activities for children and caregivers create an energetic, inclusive morning story time designed for families with kids of all ages.

Interactive story and song circle for toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years, using board books, rhymes, and movement to build early literacy and social skills in a welcoming library setting.

Interactive story and song circle for toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years, using board books, rhymes, and movement to build early literacy and social skills in a welcoming library setting.
Interactive story and song circle for toddlers ages 18 months to 3 years, using board books, rhymes, and movement to build early literacy and social skills in a welcoming library setting.
Hands on stream ecology workshop with live demos of macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality testing, and simple habitat assessments; participants practice field techniques and species identification for local freshwater invertebrates and watershed stewardship.
Hands on stream ecology workshop with live demos of macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality testing, and simple habitat assessments; participants practice field techniques and species identification for local freshwater invertebrates and watershed stewardship.
Hands on stream ecology workshop with live demos of macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality testing, and simple habitat assessments; participants practice field techniques and species identification for local freshwater invertebrates and watershed stewardship.

Community-centered literary discussions dive into Black voices, histories, and futures across the African Diaspora, with guided conversation led by Alexandria Ravenel and Buncombe County Public Libraries emphasizing historical and contemporary perspectives.

Community-centered literary discussions dive into Black voices, histories, and futures across the African Diaspora, with guided conversation led by Alexandria Ravenel and Buncombe County Public Libraries emphasizing historical and contemporary perspectives.
Community-centered literary discussions dive into Black voices, histories, and futures across the African Diaspora, with guided conversation led by Alexandria Ravenel and Buncombe County Public Libraries emphasizing historical and contemporary perspectives.

Interactive bilingual story time with Spanish and English books, rhymes, and songs for kids and caregivers, fostering early literacy and playful language development in the library community room.

Interactive bilingual story time with Spanish and English books, rhymes, and songs for kids and caregivers, fostering early literacy and playful language development in the library community room.
Interactive bilingual story time with Spanish and English books, rhymes, and songs for kids and caregivers, fostering early literacy and playful language development in the library community room.