Richard Ahlborn discusses his involvement in the founding of the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum), where he assisted with planning, examining the Carver Theater site, and working on early exhibits. He describes how the relationship between the museum and the Smithsonian Institution has evolved over time, and the impact the museum had on his life, and on the Anacostia neighborhood.
The interview was conducted by Erin Miller on November 5, 1991. The audio quality is clear with some background static throughout the recording.
Exhibition mentioned: Blacks in the Westward Movement.
Biographical / Historical:
Richard Ahlborn (1933-2015) earned a BA in Studio and Art History from the University of Colorado, graduating with honors and Phi Beta Kappa. He won a Henri DuPont Wintearthur Museum Fellowship at the University of Delaware, where he earned an MA in American Studies. He wrote more than fifty books and monographs and specialized in Spanish American history and arts research. He served as Curator at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska. He worked for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History from 1964 to 2002 and retired as Curator Emeritus.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, which includes approximately 100 interviews of residents and influential people of the Anacostia area of Washington, DC.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Genre/Form:
Oral histories (document genres)
Collection Citation:
ACM 25th Anniversary Oral History Project, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
