Summer at the Banneker-Douglass Museum

Summer is quickly approaching which means it is time for the Banneker-Douglass Museum to switch to summer hours. What does this mean? Beginning Tuesday, June 1, 2010, through Labor Day weekend, the museum will be open on Sundays from 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. and on Thursdays until 7:00 p.m. The museum will also close to the public on Tuesdays.

Also, the museum will be closed on Friday, May 28 and Saturday May 29 for Memorial Day.

Here is the summer hours schedule which will run from Tuesday, June 1, 2010 through September 5, 2010.

Sunday:            1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday:          CLOSED
Tuesday:          CLOSED
Wednesday:     10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thursday:         10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Friday:             10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday:         10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Carr's and Sparrow's Beach Images Needed!

The Banneker-Douglass Museum Education Department has worked with the Annapolis High School African American history classes and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation over the spring to document the people, places, and events connected to Carr's and Sparrow's Beaches on the Annapolis Neck Peninsula. Throughout the semester we have visited the former site of the beaches and interviewed attendees, performers, and employees of the beaches to uncover their history.

The result of our efforts will be a short documentary on the beaches told through the people who were there to the high school juniors and seniors. The documentary is in its final stages of production now and we need your help. We are looking for images from the beaches to be included in the documentary. The images can be of people, memorabilia, or location shots. The museum is more than happy to scan and/or photograph the objects if you can bring them to us.

We need the images very quickly - no later than this Thursday, May 27! If you have images and/or objects you are willing to share, please contact Genevieve Kaplan, Education & Public Programs Manager, at 410.216.6186 or at GKaplan@goci.state.md.us.

Thanks!

African American Heritage Preservation Grants Announced

Governor Martin O’Malley today signed into law a bill that establishes the African American Heritage Preservation Program to identify and preserve buildings, communities and sites of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland. The program will be administered as a joint partnership of the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC).

“The heritage preservation program will help restore a multi-cultural landscape while capturing the uniqueness of Maryland’s rich and diverse history and stimulating increased dialogue among individuals, groups, and sites,” said Commission Chair, Theodore Mack.

Governor O’Malley was joined at the bill signing ceremony by Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Speaker of the House Michael Busch and sponsor of the bill, Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller.

“This program provides us with a new opportunity to celebrate the diversity of the State's communities and to tell the story of the African American experience in Maryland for the benefit of residents and visitors alike,” said Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Richard E. Hall.

The African American Heritage Preservation Program also provides support for the acquisition, construction, and capital improvement of buildings and communities of importance to the history of African Americans in Maryland. This competitive program, offered once per year, is supported through an annual appropriation from the Maryland General Assembly. The legislation requires the Governor to include $1,000,000 in the annual capital budget submission for the program for specified fiscal years. Grant awards generally range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $100,000.

For assistance in the development of project scope and purpose, contact Dr. Joni Jones, (MCAAHC) at (410) 216-6180. For assistance with capital project and technical preservation issues, contact Michael Day (MHT) at (410) 514-7629.

Application materials for the upcoming grant round will be available in the coming weeks, pending the approval of the final program regulations.

The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture serves as the statewide clearinghouse for preserving evidence of and documenting the African American experience in Maryland. It specializes in the collection and preservation of historical materials: art objects, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, and other articles of significance to African American history and culture. For the community at large and Maryland educational systems and institutions, the Commission provides exhibits, programs, and resource materials.

The Maryland Historical Trust is a state agency dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland’s past. Through research, conservation and education, the Trust assists the people of Maryland in understanding their historical and cultural heritage. The Trust is an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning and serves as Maryland’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
 
Click here for more information including eligibility requirements, application process, and timelines.
 
Click here for information on available grants from the Maryland Historical Trust.