At 5:30 p.m. on Friday, June 22, the Ashé Cultural Arts Center is teaming up with Concordia to throw a party to reveal the Center’s latest renovations to the general public.

The party will include a drum and dance performance from Bamboula 2000, a production from students at the Kuumba Institute and a live set from a DJ. Food and drinks, including champagne, beer, sparkling water, watermelon and more, will also be provided.

Since last October, Ashé’s venue on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard has been closed for business due to construction. The completed renovations will include a new community nursing lounge (made possible by the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation), new bathroom facilities and expanded exhibit and program space.

The new renovations will aid an organization that has used art to help spur human and economic development in the city’s African-American community since 1998. The Ashé Cultural Arts Center started out as an initiative from Efforts of Grace, an organization named after a 1993 art installation aimed to combat negative and stereotypical images of African Americans in contemporary art exhibits.

Today, the Center helps to provide opportunities for artist presentations, community development, artist support and the creation of partnerships that amplify outreach and support efforts. According to the Center’s website, all of its current endeavors are designed to foster human development, civic engagement and economic justice in the African-American community.

The event is free and open to the public.