An exhibition on 187 years of civil rights activism in Washington, DC. The show was created by the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum and exhibited there from January 1992 to July 1992. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit script, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
To achieve these rights: the struggle for equality and self-determination in the District of Columbia, 1791–1978 exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
21.6 Cubic feet (consisting of 17 cartons, 2 oversized boxes.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Transcripts
Color slides
Exhibition records
Exhibit scripts
Contact sheets
Photographic prints
Correspondence
Place:
Washington Metropolitan Area
Date:
1942-1998
Summary:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of an exhibition exploring the immigration of people of African descent from Central and South America and the Caribbean to the Washington Metropolitan Area. The show was organized and hosted by the Anacostia Museum from August 21, 1994 through August 7, 1995. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit script, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.
Scope and Contents:
The records of the Black Mosaic exhibition presented by the Anacostia Community Museum measure 21.6 cubic feet and date from 1942 to 1998, with the bulk of material dating from 1990 to 1995. The records include administrative records, publications, research files, floor plans, exhibit text drafts, oral history transcripts, and project files for programs coordinated for or tangentially with the Black Mosaic Exhibit.
Administrative records include advisory board member lists, meeting minutes, agendas, grant proposals, project reports and assessments, correspondence, training material for museum volunteers and docents, and assorted notes. Publications within the series directly relate to the Black Mosaic Exhibit and the Anacostia Community Museum. Correspondence includes both internal correspondence and those with local community members.
Writings and notes were previously scattered throughout the collection have been collocated within the Administrative Records series, and a majority are undated. The notes cover topics ranging from administrative activities to exhibit and research planning. Included are printed documents, scrap paper, and spiral-bound notebooks.
The research files contain background information about numerous immigrant communities within Washington D.C. The community research files were originally organized by country, continent, or region of origin, and then later by subjects that coordinated with the exhibit's designated themes. This organization method has largely been maintained. Research files include scholarly articles, news clippings, event programs, compiled bibliographies, and material related to the study of museology.
The exhibit files include floor plan layouts, photocopies of images, interview transcripts, exhibit literature, and extensive exhibit text drafts. Drafts of the exhibit's text include notes throughout multiple editing stages. Additionally, copies of flip books for different thematic sections of the Black Mosaic exhibit are included and are organized alphabetically by title. Other exhibit literature present is primarily in English with one French copy present.
The project files include training material for collecting oral histories and documenting community folklife, conference records, event records, and records pertaining to related projects at the Anacostia Community Museum. Concurrent projects supporting the exhibit include the Black Mosaic community newsletter and an educational curriculum project. Additional project records that thematically overlap with the Black Mosaic exhibit but extend beyond the timeframe of the formal exhibit are present also.
Arrangement:
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. exhibition records are arranged in four series:
Series 1: Administrative Records
Series 2: Research Files
Series 3: Exhibit Files
Series 4: Project Files
Historical Note:
The exhibit Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. was curated by the Anacostia Community Museum's supervisory curator Portia James, and was open at the Anacostia Community Museum from August 1994 to August 1995. The exhibition explored the immigration of people of African descent from South America, Central America, and the Caribbean to the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Topics addressed in the exhibition include migration, situations faced by Black immigrants, the maintenance of relationships with places of origin, community events and cultural performances, public and private expressions of culture, commodification of culture for economic support, and the expression of multiple identities. Some intentions of the exhibit were to provide forums for discussing culture and identity, provide resources for people learning about communities in the Washington Metro area, and to be a model to other museums and cultural institutions for understanding and interpreting similar immigration and settlement patterns.
The exhibit was designed to be experienced with broader cultural concepts being introduced towards the external part of the exhibit, while personal stories could be experienced further in. Over 100 oral history interviews featured prominently in the exhibit where interviewed individuals explained their immigration experience and how they've adapted to life in the area. The exhibit also included mounted photographs, artifacts, music, and conversations. Artifacts included passport photos, tickets, family photographs, and letters. The exhibit's text displayed in three languages: English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. There were additional exhibition guides provided in Brazilian Portuguese, French, and the Ghanaian languages of Ga, Twi, Akan, and Ewe.
Coupled with the exhibit, the museum coordinated an extensive series of programs to engage various communities in the exploration of issues and traditions. These programs included creating newsletters and a photograph exhibit to keep the community up to date about the progression of the exhibit, working with performance groups, creating multi-institutional partnerships in order to develop more effective methods of collecting oral histories, and collaborating and modeling for the CFPCS African Immigrant Communities project.
Provenance:
Records of Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity Among Black Immigrants in Washington, D.C. Exhibition were created by the Anacostia Community Museum.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Immigrants -- United States -- Exhibitions Search this
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
An exhibition on the history of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The show was organized by the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and exhibited at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from March 1993 to June 1993. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, and floor plans.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
This exhibition was developed for circulation by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service with the assistance of the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History. It was adapted from an exhibition organized by the Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit script, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.
Related Archival Materials note:
Audiovisual materials related to this exhibition located in Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Topic:
Plantation life -- Southern States -- History -- 19th century -- Exhibitions Search this
An exhibition exploring the stories and the histories of objects and artifacts in the museum's collection. Organized by the Anacostia Museum and held there April 28, 1996 through August 12, 1996. The show featured photographs, documents, paintings, and historical and cultural objects form the museum's collection.
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit script, docent materials, research files, administrative records, clippings, and docent training resouces.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition exploring and examining religious imagery in African American art curated by Deborah Willis. The show was organized by the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture and held at the Anacostia Gallery February 14, 1999 through June 15, 1999. This exhibit featured over 60 artists including David C. Driskell, Leslie King-Hammond, Radcliffe Bailey, Chester Higgins, Jr., and Valerie Maynard.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, artist files, administrative records, education packages and brochures.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Locating the Spirit: Religion and Spirituality in African American Art exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
An exhibition on the history of African American quilt-making. The show was organized by the Kentucky Quilt Project, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky and exhibited at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from July 1993 to October 1993. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, photographs, brochures, educational materials, and floor plans.
Restrictions:
Use of materials is restricted. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition on African American male quilt makers organized by Dr. Gladys-Marie Fry and exhibited at Anacostia Community Museum from January 1998 --March 1998. Quilters included: Elroy Atkins, Paul Buford, Charles Carter, Thomas Covington, Raymond Dobard, David Driskell, Benjamin Jackson, Dennis Jones, Thomas Mack, Jeff Martin, Herbert Munn, Charles Palmer, Joe Washington, and Warren Wise. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, education packets, floor plans, and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
A collaborative exhibit between the Anacostia Museum and the Octagon Museum that tells the story of the early years of the District of Columbia, the people, and their communities. The exhibition was held between the two museums from October 15, 1995 to March 3, 1996 and curated by Kym S. Rice. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, artifact lists, education packets, loan agreements, and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Southern city, national ambition: the growth of early Washington, D.C., 1800- 1860 exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Held at the Anacostia Museum from June 17, 1995 to August 28, 1995, this exhibition was the result of a partnership between the museum and Lucy Ellen Moton Elementary School. During the 1994-95 school years, the students researched the community of Anacostia and produced photographs, poems, stories, drawings, interviews, documents, and personal artifacts. The student efforts were included under the themes: Moten Elementary School, From Our Homes, Institutions and Organizations, and Community Life.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit script, administrative records, brochures, exhibit layouts, and student statements.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition on contemporary African American women artists curated by Robert L. Hall and exhibited at the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Institution from November 1990 to April 1991. Artists included are: Erlena Chisolm Bland, Lilian Thomas Burwell, Yvonne Pickering Carter, Margo Humphrey, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Viola Burley Leak, Winnie Owens-Hart, Stephanie E. Pogue, Malkia Roberts, Gail Shaw-Clemons, Sylvia Snowden, Renée Stout, Denise Ward-Brown, Joyce E. Wellman, and Adell Westbrook.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition designed to encourage museum visitors to examine the role of art in their community. Organized and displayed at the Anacostia Museum from July 15, 1990 to September 16, 1990 the show included murals and sculptures viewed in Washington, DC and also encompassed personal statements such as hairstyles, clothes, and jewelry.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, release forms, exhibit script, clippings, media clippings, and flyers.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
A traveling exhibition on the life and times of Frederick Douglass. The show was organized by the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It was exhibited at the museum from July 1993 to September 1993. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include research files, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, floor plans, and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
This show presented photographs and photo media based art work produced by black photographers from 1840 to the present. The images in the exhibition form a technical history of the medium as well as a pictorial history of African Americans. Curated by Deborah Willis , the show was exhibited at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, South Gallery from February 4 to June 30, 2000.
Scope and Contents note:
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit scripts, administrative records, exhibit layouts and brochures.
Related Archival Materials note:
Audiovisual materials related to this exhibition located in Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Reflections in Black: A History of Black Photographers, 1840 to the Present exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
An exhibition on selected works created by Georgette Seabrooke Powell. The show was curated by Michelle Black Smith, and exhibited at the Anacostia Museum of the Smithsonian Institution from March 4, 1995 to May 28, 1995. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, education packets, floor plans, audiovisual materials and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Art changes things: the art and activism of Georgette Seabrooke Powell exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution
An exhibition exploring the representation of Malcolm X in American visual culture. The show was organized by the Walker Art Center and exhibited at the Anacostia Museum from April 1 --June 1, 1994. Kellie Jones served as the curator. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition on the North Brentwood neighborhood of Washington, DC. The show was created by the Anacostia Community Museum in collaboration with the North Brentwood Historical Society. It was exhibited at the museum from April 1996 to December 1996. These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit scripts, administrative records, brochures, press coverage, education packets, loan agreements, and floor plans.
Related Archival Materials note:
Audiovisual materials related to this exhibition located in Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition organized by the High Museum of Art and the National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta Georgia and presented to the Washington, D.C. area by the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture. The exhibit was held at the Arts and Industries Building, Smithsonian Institution September 22, 1995 through March 03, 1996 and featured contemporary artwork inspired by the events and history of the Civil Rights Movement. Artists of the exhibit include: Radcliffe Baily, Mel Chin, Marie Cochran, Ellen Driscoll, Alfredo Jaar, Jin Soo Kim, Joe Lewis, Glenn Ligon, May Sun, Frances Torres and Carrie Mae Weems.
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit scripts, administrative records, exhibit layouts, brochure, Interview transcripts, press releases, and grant proposals.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
An exhibition based on an oral history project of the Potomac Gardens Sernior Resident Council and sponsored by the D. C. Communtity Humanities Council City Lights program. The exhibition was held at the Anacostia Museum from December 4, 1994 to January 15, 1995 and explored how both senior citizens and public housing residents are perceived as making positive contributions to urban communities.
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, research files, exhibit script, administrative records, invitations, loan agreements, floor plans, and catalogues.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
This show explored the history of English and French Caribbean music in the District of Columba and surrounding areas from the 1940s to the 1990s. Curated by Kimberly Freeman, the exhibition sought to broaden the general public's understanding of the role music plays in maintaining cultural identity for Caribbean immigrant communities in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area.
These records document the planning, organizing, execution, and promotion of the exhibition. Materials include correspondence, exhibit scripts, administrative records, exhibit layouts and brochures.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
