UnderWater, UnderGround Artist Talk with AJ Justice and Julio Desmont

Join Clemmons Family Farm artists-in-residence Julio Desmont and AJ Justice on Saturday, July 5 from 2 - 3:30 pm for their first Artist Talk in our UnderWater, UnderGround: Black/Indigenous Creatives Historize Charlotte, Vermont’s Sea Change program.

Each artist will talk about their usual creative process, show examples of their artwork, and discuss some of their creative inspirations from their field trips in the Lake Champlain Basin area to research the history of the Beluga whale, the underground railroad, and the Clemmons farm. The presentation will be followed by an informal meet and greet reception and a Q&A session.

The purpose of the UnderWater, UnderGround artist residency program is to creatively lift up the past, present, and future voices and experiences of the peoples of the African diaspora who reside or resided in the Lake Champlain Basin area (parts of Vermont, New York, and Quebec). The program supports the two artists to research, learn about, collaborate, and create new works about some of the untold history, cultures, and geography of the area.

AJ Justice, is a Vermont multidisciplinary artist creating work primarily in clay. First and foremost they identify as a storyteller, using any medium that curiosity and functionality leads them to.

Their work largely features motifs of nature and nostalgia, marrying images of flora and fauna that fascinates them.

AJ Justice's Instagram Page:

Julio Desmont, is a Vermont visual artist whose journey began in his early childhood in Haiti, where he was inspired by the vibrant imagery of trogon birds and the colorful, decorative public transportation known as Taptaps. He typically paints with acrylic or oil paints, and sometimes use mixed media including spray paint. Influenced by his Haitian culture, Julio’s artwork is vibrant and has a lot of movement. He chooses to radiate and reflect happiness in my work, which balances chaos with stability.

Influenced by renowned artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Pablo Picasso, and Georgia O’Keeffe, Desmont has developed a unique modernist style that employs deep, vibrant colors lines and shapes. His artwork is often mesmerizing, evoking a sense of joy and quickening in the hearts and bodies of those who experience it.

In addition to his artistic pursuits, Desmont is passionate about education and community engagement. Desmont collaborates with Clemmons Family Farm on a variety of community arts programs for children, families, the senior citizens. His workshops and activities designed specifically for elderly audiences combine his knack for storytelling with his vibrant and joyful art to bring comfort, engagement, and inspiration to their lives. His ability to create inclusive and uplifting artistic experiences makes him a cherished figure in educational and elder communities.

Julio Desmont 's website:

During the residency program, which will run between May and December 2025, each artist will conduct research and creative work on the Clemmons Farm and in various locations around the Lake Champlain Basin to develop multi-media art about the area's ecological, geological, and cultural histories. The artists will also engage with visitors to the farm and with surrounding communities. One of the subjects of the artists’ research will be the 11,500-year-old skeleton of a Beluga whale, which was discovered in 1849, ten feet underground and just two miles south of what is now known as the Clemmons farm.

The artists will make field trips to the Beluga Whale Historic Marker in Charlotte, the Perkins Musuem at the University of Vermont in Burlington where the Charlotte Beluga whale skeleton is on exhibit, and Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, where they will see live Beluga whales. Justice and Desmont will also research the history of the Underground Railroad in the Lake Champlain Basin area by visiting the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont.

Creative outputs of Desmont and Justice’s artist residencies will include works-in-progress, artist talks and presentations, and co-creation art workshops for surrounding communities and visitors to the Clemmons farm. An multimedia art exhibit created by the two artists will be installed at the Clemmons farm and open to the public in Fall 2025.

Clemmons Family Farm’s UnderWater, UnderGround artist-in-residence program is funded in part by an agreement awarded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) to the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), and in part a grant from from the Vermont Arts Council.

Advance registration is required for admission, with one ticket per person. Your name must be on the list. If you have more than one person in your party, you must register the name of each person in order to receive an admission ticket.

MAIN PARKING: 2213 GREENBUSH ROAD, CHARLOTTE VT 05445.

Our greeters and guard service will direct you to the venues located on the west side of Greenbush Road (the side where you can see the Adirondack Mountains).

Advance registration is required and your name must be on the registration list in order to be admitted. One ticket per person. If you have more than one person in your party, you'll need to register for each person.

Only 25 attendees will be admitted to enable us to offer quality interactions and a safe, low-key, and family-friendly environment. Clemmons Family Farm reserves the right to refuse admission or eject, at our sole discretion, any person behaving dangerously or inappropriately, or for safety, health, or any other reasons.

By attending this Event, You agree that visual/audio recordings of the Event, including your voice and likeness, may be used for any purpose on a worldwide basis, in perpetuity, without any compensation to You.

Clemmons Family Farm shall not be responsible or liable for any loss, damage, cost, or injury that arises from, or in connection with, Your attendance at this Event.

**Note: Please do not explore other venues on the farm that are closed to the public.

The Clemmons farm is a smoke-free, vapor-free environment- both indoors and outdoors.

No alcoholic beverages are permitted during the Juneteenth 2023 programs at the Clemmons farm.

The safety and well-being of our visitors, artists, and staff are of the utmost importance. To ensure a safe venue for all, the possession of firearms, fireworks, explosives, incendiary devices, knives, or weapons of any kind is prohibited on the Clemmons farm property and in the farm's facilities, except those carried by law enforcement officers who are on duty. All visitors to the farm, and their belongings, such as bags or purses, are subject to search and enforcement, and anyone found in violation will be asked to secure the weapon inside their vehicle or at home or leave the property immediately.

1. The program is indoors. If you are ill, not feeling well, have a fever or a cough, please stay home and take care of yourself!

2. Maximum participants: 25

1. A relaxed and curious attitude- this program is low-key and intriguing.

Parking is located on the lawns right at the entrance of 2213 Greenbush Road- you will see "Event Parking" signs indicating the areas where you can park. You will then cross the road and walk north to the Barn House which is located down the hill at 2122 Greenbush Road (Adirondack Mountain side).

Please let us know if you have difficulty walking- we are reserving parking for you right in front of the Barn House at 2122 Greenbush Road. Accessibility parking is also available in front of the other event venues on the farm. Email [email protected] or call (765) 560-5445 and leave a message if you will need assistance for accessibility parking.

Young children are allowed, but they may not enjoy this program. They will need to be supervised by an adult at all times. Teenagers and young adults will more likely enjoy this program.

This program is an indoor program at the Barn House located at 2122 Greenbush Road. Please follow the directions of our staff and greeters who will help direct you to the venue.

Please DO NOT explore other parts of the property without being accompanied by a Clemmons Family Farm team member. The other buildings or outdoor areas of the Farm are off-limits.

Please check for information on how to donate to the 501c3 nonprofit organization Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. that stewards the historic Clemmons farm. You may also send a donation to Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. through Venmo.

Please contact us if you have any questions about the event. Email [email protected] or call (765) 560-5445 and leave a message.

Located in Charlotte near beautiful Lake Champlain, the historic Clemmons farm includes 6 historic buildings (circa late 1700s-1800s) and 138 acres of prime farmland and forests, ponds and streams abundant with wildlife.

The elders Jackson and Lydia Clemmons purchased their beloved historic farm in 1962 for $35,000- an astronomical amount of money for a young African-American couple just starting their careers- under a 30-year mortgage. For 60 consecutive years, they never sold a single acre due to their firm belief in land as an important asset for African-Americans to build equity and legacy.

In 2019, a group of Clemmons family members, friends and advisers co-founded the 501c3 nonprofit organization- Clemmons Family Farm, Inc.- to preserve and steward the farm under a 20-year lease and to continue the community-building work, farming, and celebration of African-American history, art and culture, that Jack and Lydia led on their farm for nearly 60 years.

In 2023, through a private fundraising campaign, Clemmons Family Farm, Inc. purchased the historic Clemmons farm from the Clemmons elders when they were 100 years old. The Farm was purchased at its appraised fair market value and we conserved 122 acres under a land conservation easement to protect the beautiful land and natural resources, and to build a community around cherishing a remarkable African American legacy.

Our What's Blooming? pop up community program is closely tied to our organizational mission to:

• PRESERVE the 138-acre Clemmons farm as an African-American land and cultural heritage asset and a historic site of national importance.

• EMPOWER a growing network of Vermont's Black artists and culture bearers with opportunities for professional development, advocacy, visibility, networking, paid engagements, collective healing, and a safe haven for creativity that helps them to thrive.

• BUILD a loving multicultural community around African-American/African diaspora history, arts and culture.

The kind donations we receive from the general public help us steward the Clemmons Farm and make it available for free community programs like this one.

Host or Publisher The Clemmons Family Farm