A Classically Black Arts Salon: Beauty Found in the Cracks
Honeysuckle
631 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19123
Classically Black and Opera Philadelphia invite you to an elegant evening of music, art, and conversation at A Classically Black Arts Salon: Beauty Found in the Cracks, an experience at the intersection of operatic voices, visual art, and Afro-diasporic cultural reclamation. Guests will enjoy passed appetizers alongside a curated selection of wine and cocktails featuring exceptional Black-owned wines and spirits.
Featuring performances by soprano Michelle Johnson and baritone Brian Major, artwork by visual artist, art historian, curator, and author Lavett Ballard and Philadelphia-based African-American folk artist Susan Ragland, with food courtesy of chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude‑Tate of Michelin-recommended restaurant Honeysuckle.
Honeysuckle
| Mon, Dec 1 | 6:30 p.m. |
Duration is 2 hours 30 minutes.
VIP tickets include an additional 30 minute artist reception and exhibit walkthrough with Lavett Ballard & Ashley James at 6:00 p.m.
Tickets:
General Admission: $100
VIP: $150 (includes 6:00 p.m. artist reception and exhibit walkthrough with Lavett Ballard & Ashley James)
Event Flow
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6:00pm: VIP TICKETS ONLY Artist Reception & Exhibit Walk-through with Lavett Ballard & Ashley James
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6:30pm: Arrival & Welcome Reception (cocktails/ hors d’oeuvres)
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Live Performances by Michelle Johnson & Brian Major
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Closing remarks & mingling
About Classically Black
Classically Black strives to create bespoke and immersive experiences highlighting the prodigious amount of talent and achievement within the Black community. Each experience is unique and eye-opening. Inspired by music, elevated with the taste and smell of vittles, grounded in the fine arts and Black-owned luxury.
Special Performances by Operatic Voices
Audiences can expect a breathtaking musical experience as baritone Brian Major and soprano Michelle Johnson take the stage. Together, these two powerhouse vocalists bring a dynamic blend of warmth, virtuosity, and emotional depth. Johnson’s soaring, velvety soprano—praised for its captivating richness—pairs beautifully with Major’s commanding, resonant baritone to create unforgettable musical moments. Their performances will guide listeners through stories of passion, resilience, and beauty, offering an intimate showcase of world-class artistry.
Featured Artists
We are honored to exhibit the work of visual artist, art historian, curator and author Lavett Ballard. She holds a dual B.A. in Studio Art & Art History (minor in Museum Studies) from Rutgers and an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia.
Her art—often mixed media collages on reclaimed wood fences—is a powerful visual narrative of people of African descent. She has been commissioned for covers for Time magazine (March 2020 & February 2023), and her work is held in public and private institutional collections.
At this salon, her recent body of work situates itself beautifully within the theme of “Beauty Found in the Cracks,” acknowledging both rupture and resilience within histories and visual identity.
We are also proud to showcase the work of Susan Ragland, a Philadelphia-based African-American folk artist whose creative voice was shaped in the 1970s—dancing to funk music and absorbing the vibrant legacy of Harlem Renaissance masters. Drawing from these influences and her own lived experience, Ragland’s work explores the humanity of Black subjects as they move through familiar, comforting spaces. Her paintings are marked by humor, stylized forms, intentional imprecision, and explosive color, creating a universe alive with motion and spirit. By using bold hues to elevate the everyday, she invites viewers to see the mundane as majestic—because, in her words, “we bring the funk.”
** All artwork is for sale **
About the Venue
Honeysuckle is more than a restaurant; it is a cultural project rooted in the values of ancestry, nourishment, and reclamation. Founded by chefs Omar Tate and Cybille St. Aude‑Tate, the space is designed as a third-space of creativity where Black food traditions are elevated and reframed. Located in North Broad area of Philadelphia, Honeysuckle offers a refined setting that melds intimate dining with a living-room, cultural-lab atmosphere—making it the perfect backdrop for our salon’s conversation around art, identity and resilience.