Black Watermen of the Chesapeake Public Viewing and Quilting Session

Come join the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither, and the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation for two public quilting sessions surrounding the Black Watermen of the Chesapeake quilt. Dates, times, and locations may be found to the right of this posting. The quilt documents the lives of people living and working on the Chesapeake Bay. The sessions this weekend are a follow up to two very popular sessions held last weekend in Annapolis. A total of 180 people came out last weekend to participate and we anticipate even larger crowds this weekend.

To learn more about the Black Watermen of the Chesapeake quilt or Dr. Gaither and her other works, please visit http://www.joangaither.com/.

The Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library Celebrates Its 2nd Anniversary

On Saturday, November 7, 2009, the staff of the Banneker-Douglass Museum, along with business and community leaders, and members of the Annapolis community came together to celebrate the 2nd Anniversary of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library. The program began with a prayer by Rev. Hunt, the founder and pastor of the Grace of God Outreach Ministries in Baltimore, Maryland. Following the invocation, the audience, led by Denise Strothers, a recording artist, sang Lift Every Voice and Sing, the African American National Anthem. The staff of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library dedicated a poem, My First Memory (of Librarians), written by Nikki Giovanni, to the library's namesake, Sylvia Gaither Garrison. Then, the business and community leaders dramatically read the writings of such literary giants as Frederick Douglass, Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, Robert Hayden, Dudley Randall, Margaret Walker, Benjamin Banneker, and others. Betty Coleman, president of Friends of the Banneker-Douglass Museum and a board member of the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation, ended the event with a stirring reading of a poem entitled Harriet Tubman, written by Margaret Walker.

African Art

AFRICAN ART COLLECTION, Late 19th and 20th Century

Collection includes tools, ceremonial objects, textiles, weapons, personal items, and cooking implements. Artifacts were acquired by purchase and donation from African Art dealers. Objects are representative of the major cultural groups among enslaved Africans in the Chesapeake region. Ceremonial objects include masks worn during initiation rites from Guro, Senufo, and Buale peoples of the Ivory Coast. There are Granary doors from Dogon, and Yakuba or Dan rice spoons. Textiles include kente cloth, mud cloth, and indigo dyed cloth. Decorated tools and personal items include an Ashanti or Buale cosmetic pouch, weaving pulleys, combs, and utility stools.

Wood Ceremonial Doll with leather and beading
1991.01.0003

Holiday Partying at the BDM

Planning a party this holiday season? Why not consider holding your event at the Banneker-Douglass Museum? The BDM can hold 300 people for a standing reception and 150 for theater-style seating. And, of course, the grand historic atmosphere comes free of charge. If you are interested, please contact Jeffrey Greene, Chief of Operations: (410) 216-6180

Public quilting sessions

Beginning next week, Dr. Joan Gaither, the creator of the Journey to the White House quilt that was on display at BDM from January through September of this year, will take her latest quilt on the road inviting anyone interested to add stitches and messages to the quilt.

The quilt, entitled Black Watermen of the Chesapeake, documents African American life on the Chesapeake Bay through images and text. It highlights the men and women who dedicate themselves to the Chesapeake Bay whether it be through working as watermen, living in communities that support activities attached to the Bay, environmental issues, and much much more. While titled Black Watermen of the Chesapeake, the quilt is not only for and/or about the black watermen. It is for anyone and everyone who has had an experience on the Chesapeake Bay.

Dr. Gaither is inviting the public to come and share their Chesapeake Bay experiences on this quilt as a way to help document the many stories of life on the Chesapeake. People may participate by adding stitches and messages to the quilt, sharing stories on video or writing them down, helping identify people important to African American life on the Chesapeake Bay, or bringing photographs of their experiences of the Chesapeake Bay for possible inclusion on the quilt.

If you would like to participate in this project, check out the dates of the public quilting sessions to the right of this posting. For more information, contact the Banneker-Douglass Museum Education Department at 410.216.6180 or email BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

For more information on Dr. Gaither's work, please visit http://obamacommunityquilt.blogspot.com/.

For more information on the African American life on the Chesapeake, please visit http://blackschesapeake.org/

Joan Gaither Public Quilting Sessions

In 2008, Dr. Joan Gaither created the quilt Journey to the White House (J2WH), chronicling President Obama's life story and rise to the White House. The fifth installment of her My American Series, J2WH garnered much attention when she opened up the quilt to members of the public to come and add their own messages and images to the border of the quilt.

Dr. Gaither is now working on the latest quilt in the American Series entitled "Black Watermen of the Chesapeake." The quilt documents the lives of the many African American men and women living and working on the Chesapeake. As part of this quilt, Dr. Gaither is once again inviting the public to come out and add their own stories to the quilt. People are invited to come add a message to the quilt, bring family photos which may be scanned and added to the quilt, and tell their story or that of their family in oral history interviews that will be conducted on site.

Quilting and sewing experience are not required. Registration is not required. This program is free to the public. For more information, contact us at 410.216.6186 or at BDMPrograms@goci.state.md.us.

The public quilting sessions will take place four times at various locations in November. The dates, times, and locations are listed below.

November 12, 2009
10:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Bates Legacy Center
1101 Smithville St.
Annapolis, MD 21401

November 14, 2009
10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
84 Franklin St.
Annapolis, MD 21401

November 20, 2009
2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Meredith's Seafood and Carry Out
3227 Main Street.
Grasonville, MD 21638

November 21, 2009
Captain Salem Avery Museum
1418 East West Shady Side Rd.
Shady Side, MD 20764

HIDDEN TREASURES UNCOVERED

25th Anniversary Exhibit Artifact Highlight
Artist: JOYCE SCOTT, 1948 -

Joyce J. Scott, one of the most significant artists living and working in Baltimore today, was born in Baltimore and still lives in the Baltimore neighborhood where she was raised. A sculptor, jeweler, printmaker, installation artist, performance artist, and educator, Joyce J. Scott draws from influences as wide-ranging as her media: from African and Native American experiences to comic books, television, popular American culture sources and the contemporary culture as it exists on the streets of her urban Baltimore neighborhood. For more than three decades, this multi-talented artist and provocateur has created objects of exceptional skill and beauty while offering her own distinctive commentary on social issues such as stereotyping, violence, and other forms of social injustice. Joyce Scott specializes in weaving, quilting, beadwork and glass. Scott received a B.F.A. degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a M.F.A. in crafts from Institute Allende in Mexico, with further study at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. -Maryland ArtSource

The Making of an Artist

From Dr. Joni Jones:

Last night, Genevieve Kaplan and I attended the 1st Annual Performing and Visual Arts Gala at the Wiley H. Bates Middle School & MD Hall Integrated Arts Campus. This evening of students and the arts marked the re-opening of the site as an arts magnet school. Their performing and visual arts magnet program with focus on three areas: dance, visual arts and music. In addition to the arts-integrated core classes, there will be artists-in-residence to work with the students.

After the opening remarks, remarks by dignitaries (who were primarily introduced by the BMS students—a job well done, I might add), and ribbon cutting, the large crowd was treated to performances, art installations, and talks throughout the integrated campus. Genevieve and I focused on the African drumming, the string ensemble, and then the works by Paint Annapolis. The Commission and the BDM will definitely work to partner with this campus, so stay tuned.

Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture Annual Meeting

Interested in learning more about Maryland's African American history and culture? Want to be a part of the effort to better preserve and share that history and culture? Then come to the Maryland Commision on African American History and Culture's Annual Meeting to find out how you can get involved!

Thursday, October 15, 2009
10:00 a.m.
Wiley H. Bates Legacy Center
1101 Smithville St.
Annapolis, MD 21401
Free
Registration not required.

Field Trips

Remember when you were in school and how exciting it was when the class got to go on a field trip? One of the great things about my job is that not only do I to get to host several field trips every year, but I am also still able to go on on field trips. The only difference is that field trips are now called "professional development days." During professional development days, we visit museums in the area and learn about how and why these museums do what they do and see if we can use this information in our institution. This is pretty much like professional development days for anyone else, however given the nature of what we do, our trips are always to museums.

Last week, the entire staff of the Banneker-Douglass Museum went on a professional development day trip to two museums in Washington, DC - the Newseum and the National Museum of American History. We went to the Newseum to look at their temporary exhibit G-Men and Journalists in order to get ideas for two exhibitions we will install in 2010 on law enforcement themes. While there, we received a great tour of the museum from Patty Rhule, a Project Editor at the Newseum and one of the writers for the G-Men exhibit. She walked us through the exhibit pointing out some of the key artifacts and giving us an insider perspective on how the exhibit was put together. I would definitely encourage people to go check this exhibition out. It is on temporary display at the museum through the end of 2009.

While at the National Museum of American History, the staff saw the The Scurlock Studio and Black Washington: Picturing the Promise in the National Museum of African American History and Culture Gallery on the second floor of the museum. The tour was led by exhibition co-curators Michelle Delaney, associate curator of the Photographic History Collection at the National Museum of American History and Paul Gardullo of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. This exhibition was a collaborative effort between two museums to display images of black Washington, DC during the 20th century from the Skurlock Studio. After the tour, the BDM staff met with Deborra Richardson, David Haberstich, and Vanessa Broussard Simmons from the Archives Center at the museum and talked about the exhibition and how they process their collections. This exhibit will be on display at the National Museum of American History through 28 February 2010.

Quite a field trip, er, professional development day, if I do say so myself.

Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library News

Hello, everyone! My name is Lynn Waller, and I am the Archivist for the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library (SGGL) at the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM). I received my BS degree in Psychology from Howard University, and a Master’s of Library Science degree from the University of Maryland.

This summer the SGGL at the BDM provided an opportunity for two IMPART interns. Kristin Wisor and Nicole Hill served as the SGGL at the BDM’s IMPART interns for this past summer. IMPART consists of an assortment of private and public organizations that provide training opportunities for young professionals with the hope that they will seek employment within Maryland’s tourism industry. BDM is a proud partner of IMPART.

Kristin attends Salisbury University, where she majors in Education and minors in Math. This semester she plans to intern, as a student teacher, at Berlin Intermediate School and Wicomico Middle School. Once she graduates from college, she desires to teach Math to middle school students. Kristin loves the hit comedy, The Office, and hopes to watch every episode this season. Additionally, Kristin sings, writes, and records her own pop and country music.

During the summer, Kristin served as the Paper Archives Assistant. In that capacity, she created the finding aids for the BDM Archives, the BDM Photo Archives, the Wayne Clark Collection, and the Dr. Herbert M. Frisby Collection. She also assisted me with the organization of the Steven C. Newsome Collection. She helped Dr. Jones and I further organize the Maryland Repository of African American Heritage, discovering an issue of the Maryland Journal--which was published on August 20, 1773--in the process. She also aided me in processing some of the vertical files, including the research regarding the Banneker-Douglass Museum’s 25th Anniversary documentary: From Cause to Reality: The Story of the Banneker-Douglass Museum.

Nicole Hill attends the University of Maryland at Eastern Shore (UMES), where she studies Criminal Justice. As for her future plans, she is contemplating attending law school. At UMES, she plays three positions on the softball team for the Lady Hawks: catcher, third baseman, and shortstop. In her spare time, she enjoys playing softball and reading romance and teen novels.

Throughout this past summer, she served us as the Photo Archives Assistant. In that position, she organized all of the photographs within the BDM Photo Archives, by putting them in the proper binders. In addition, she also created an inventory, where she entered all of the metadata of the photographs: the name of the people within the photograph, the name of the photographer, and the size of the picture.

In addition to their duties as IMPART interns, Kristin and Nicole also volunteered to assist Genevieve Kaplan, BDM’s Education & Public Programs Manager, with the Underground Railroad Conductor, a summer program hosted by the museum. While attending the program, participants received the opportunity to learn about the lives of Marylanders of African descent. At the beginning of the program, Genevieve taught the participants some of the language and secret messages conductors and passengers used to communicate along the Underground Railroad. Then, she asked the participants to form groups. Once they formed groups, she assigned each group the task of developing a message, using the language of the Underground Railroad. After each group created a message, one after another, they sought to convey it to the other groups. After every group attempted to convey their message to the other groups, they wrote about the experience on a worksheet. When the participants came across difficulty in expressing their thoughts regarding their experience, Kristin and Nicole assisted them, using their college training in Grammar and Literature.

As you can see, it was a productive summer for the IMPART interns at BDM. Kristin and Nicole are both wonderful young women. We wish them great success in their future endeavors!

Frisby Collection

HERBERT M. FRISBY COLLECTION, ca. 1890 – 1980

Herbert Frisby (1886-1983) pursued knowledge, traveled widely, and educated others through his writings and lectures. A young Frisby became fascinated by Matthew Henson, the first African American to explore the North Pole. As one of the first African American war correspondents, Frisby covered the construction of the Alcan Highway, connecting Alaska with Canada. Frisby made twenty-six trips to the Arctic regions, culminating in 1957 with his fly over of the North Pole to deposit a memorial to his childhood hero, Matthew Henson.

Frisby filled his home, which he dubbed “The Igloo,” with geological specimens, animal furs, photos, and audio tapes, souvenirs collected during his Arctic trips. The entire collection was donated to BDM in 1979 and also includes family history, documentation of his teaching, speaking, and military careers.

Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture

Let me introduce myself: I am Joni Jones, executive director of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture (MCAAHC). MCAAHC’s mission is to preserve, promote and interpret Maryland’s African American Heritage. We are administered by the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives. For more information on us, check out our website: http://www.africanamerican.maryland.gov/

The MCAAHC also operates the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM)—the State’s official repository of African American history and culture. The BDM offers compelling exhibits and programs, and it collects art objects, memorabilia, manuscripts, photographs, and other articles of significance to MD’s African American history and culture. We hope this blog provides you with timely information about our exhibits, programs, and services. After you’ve checked us out online, we hope you’ll attend a MCAAHC-sponsored event and visit the BDM.

Fall Programs

Be sure to be on the lookout for the latest additions to the Banneker-Douglass Museum's upcoming fall program calendar. We have some great offerings this fall including a quilting workshop led by Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither, the creator of the Journey to the White House quilt, a hands on workshop on Geochaching a new way of scavenger hunting using GPS systems that is fun for the entire family, an oral history workshop on preserving your family's history, and the annual Benjamin Banneker Birthday Party which will be an evening of learning about Banneker's life as an astronomer while exploring the stars with the Anne Arundel Community College Astronomy Club.

We will also be offering talks on photography to go along with our newest exhibition, which will debut later this month. More details to come on the workshops and the exhibition.

Make sure to mark your calendars for this year's annual Sylvia Gaither Garrison Day, honoring the namesake of the museum's library. The event this year will take place on November 7. Information on this program will be coming out soon.

A full calendar of the museum's fall events will be available here, at the museum, and on our website in a few weeks. In the meantime, keep your eyes on this space for individual program announcements.

Museum Hours

I wanted to post a quick note to say that the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be closed over the Labor Day holiday starting on Friday, September 4 running through Monday, September 7. We will reopen on Tuesday, September 8 at 10:00 a.m.

In addition the museum will return to its regular operating hours of Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.