TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR MEMORIAL [June 17th, 1971 – September 13th 1996]

Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts Peace Garden Grand Opens June 11, 2005

After many years of prayer and patience, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation hosted the Grand Opening of its Visitor centre and Peace Garden on June 11, 2005. This is the first phase of the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts (TASCA), in Stone Mountain, Georgia, including a performing arts theatre, museum, art gallery, community meeting space and classrooms. The Visitor Center consists of a display gallery, rehearsal space for the annual Summer Arts Camp students, gift shop and TASF’s offices. The general public are able to visit and view various exhibits (including personal items of Tupac and fan art work, among other pieces), as well as buy Tupac and TASF merchandise.

The Peace Garden is a beautiful landscaped 6-acre site designed as a place of reflection in honour of those who are no longer with us. A bronze statue of Tupac stands in the center of the Garden, inside a fountain in the shape of the gothic cross universally associated with 2Pac. The Garden also consists of a donor platform, wooden pavilions and a variety of other fountains spread throughout.

Ms. Afeni Shakur, mother of rap’s greatest icon, founded the TASF in November 1997 to carry on the legacy of Tupac’s creative talents. The aim of the Foundation is to provide top quality arts training to our youth from all backgrounds, primarily through its annual Summer Arts Camp. Students between ages 12–18 participate in intense training for 2–4 weeks under the direction of theatrical teachers and performers. TASCA has been designed as a way of maintaining that positive environment that allows students to gain an understanding of peer leadership, self-growth and discipline year-round.

The Grand Opening ceremony, itself, was held in the Center’s main parking lot at 5616 Memorial Drive. The momentous occasion consisted of speeches from a number of prominent community leaders, including special guest speaker Ms. Afeni Shakur. There was also a special performance of Family Tree by “Pac’s Kids,” the students of the Summer Arts Camp, along with Celina Nixon, an original camp student and current coordinator of the camp. This was followed by a the cutting of the ribbon at the Peace Garden by Ms. Shakur and a dedication of the Garden that will involve children planting a ceremonial tree. Guests were then be invited to explore the Visitor Center and Peace Garden and reflect amongst themselves.