How Venus Williams Plans to Help Restore Nina Simone's Childhood Home in North Carolina

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Venus Williams is teaming up with artist Adam Pendleton to transform Nina Simone's childhood home.

The tennis star will raise money to renovate the late singer's childhood home in North Carolina — alongside the National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund — at a benefit gala hosted by Pace Gallery in New York on May 20, according to a press release.

Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in Tryon, North Carolina, in 1933, Simone earned a reputation as the voice of the civil rights movement as racial tensions reached a peak in the 1960s. She wrote and performed the activist song "Mississippi Goddam" during the historic Selma-to-Montgomery marches in 1965.

Courtesy The Nina Simone Project

"I'm so excited to be a part of this expansive project centering on the life and legacy of Nina Simone, who has been a huge inspiration for so many," Williams, 42, said in a statement.

The joint efforts to restore Simone's childhood home "brings to fruition an unprecedented collaboration across the worlds of art, philanthropy, and historic preservation," as Simone's "cultural legacy is of great personal significance to all the artists donating work," the press release stated.

"Each of the artists Adam and I have selected for the auction has a unique, powerful voice, and we've been moved by their generosity and enthusiasm for this important cause. It's been a privilege to collaborate with Adam in curating the auction," continued Williams.

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Nancy Pierce / National Trust for Historic Preservation

According to the release, Pendleton and fellow artists Ellen Gallagher, Rashid Johnson and Julie Mehretu purchased Simone's property in 2017. Their work will be featured at the event alongside the art of Mary Weatherford, Stanley Whitney, Robert Longo, Cecily Brown and more.

"Nina Simone is one of the most important musical artists of the twentieth century. I'm inspired to be able to protect her legacy by preserving her childhood home. Her music, her vision, cannot be forgotten," Pendleton said in a statement.

Nancy Pierce / National Trust for Historic Preservation

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"Nina Simone's childhood home provides a lens into the contours of her life growing up in the Jim Crow South," added Brent Leggs, executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and Senior VP of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"Our partnership with the artists, Venus Williams, and Pace Gallery is a powerful demonstration of how art and preservation practice can join forces to permanently preserve Simone's remarkable legacy," continued Leggs. "Together, we will secure the home's future and inspire a new generation of diverse leaders who will memorialize the places where Black history happened."

Nancy Pierce / National Trust for Historic Preservation

Charlie Stewart, CEO of Sotheby's, who is conducting the online auction of the artists' works, shared: "It is a privilege to work alongside Pace Gallery, Venus Williams, and a remarkable group of accomplished artists to preserve and celebrate Nina Simone's legacy."

Nancy Pierce / National Trust for Historic Preservation

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The public is able to bid in the online auction until May 22 at 3 p.m. EDT.

All artwork can be seen in person and online at Pace Gallery in New York until May 20.