Join Menil for an outdoor celebration, performance, and film. To complement the exhibition As Essential as Dreams: Self-Taught Artists from the Collection of Stephanie and John Smither, Discovery Green and the Menil Collection present an evening of visionary art and music.

7:30 pm Lonnie Holley Live

Alabama-born Lonnie Holley’s expressive art has been collected across the US for decades. Less well known was his music, until recently, when at aged 62, he began to perform live. The New York Times called his 2014 recording “one of the year’s best.” Joining Holley are musicians Steve Nistor, Dave Eggar, Kelly Pratt, and Marshall Ruffin.

9 pm Mr. Dial Has Something to Say
(Directed by Celia Carey, 2007, 100 minutes)

The documentary traces Thornton Dial’s path from rural Alabama to America’s most important museums, interweaving his story with those of other African American artists whose work was long under recognized.