Victor Govier (1941-) discusses how he became the Exhibits Program Manager for the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum), how the exhibits were created, and various innovations in exhibit design. He describes the museum's impact, his experiences in working with museum leadership, and how the social and political environment of the time affected the museum's development. He recalls how the museum personally affected his life, and how members of the community got involved with and took pride in the museum.
The interview was conducted on November 4, 1991. The audio quality is clear throughout, with some minor background static.
Exhibition mentioned: Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation.
Biographical / Historical:
Victor Govier served as an Exhibits Program Manager for the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum from 1979 to 1984.
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
An exhibition on selected works by John N. Robinson and Larry Lebby. The exhibition, held at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum, ran from November 14, 1982 --February 27, 1983. 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.
Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum Search this
Extent:
1 Sound recording (audio cassette)
Type:
Archival materials
Sound recordings
Place:
Anacostia (Washington, D.C.)
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Date:
1982
Scope and Contents:
Walk thru tour of the exhibition - 'Here, Look at Mine!' Selected Works of John N. Robinson and Larry Francis Lebby - led by artist John Robinson.
Exhibition tour. Audio only. Poor audio quality. Related to exhibition 'Here, Look at Mine!' Selected Works of John N. Robinson and Larry Francis Lebby. Dated 19821112.
Biographical / Historical:
Here, Look at Mine!' Selected Works of John N. Robinson and Larry Francis Lebby displayed selected works of two African American artists, John N. Robinson and Larry Francis Lebby. The title of the exhibition was taken from the title of a John Robinson painting that depicts his grandchildren, sitting at his dining room table, proudly showing their art and seeking his approval of their work. Both men use their families as subjects; and both are realists in expressing and visualizing their feelings about the world. Robinson's major interest was watercolor painting, and Lebby's was stone lithography. In this exhibition, the artists invite you to 'Here, Look at Mine!' and to enjoy their finished and most representative pieces. The exhibition was held at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum from November 14, 1982 - February 27, 1983.
Local Numbers:
ACMA AV001374_B
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist.
Two signed reproductions of John Robinson's original artwork "Pete" and "Winter Scene." Inscriptions read: "To friend Mr. John Kinard."
Biographical / Historical:
First and foremost, John N. Robinson considered himself an artist. Born on February 18, 1912 in Georgetown, Robinson was raised by his grandparents in northwest Washington, D.C. after his mother passed away when he was eight years old and his father disappeared, Robinson quit school to help support his family; he worked as a golf caddy at country clubs and dusted cars at a parking garage. A chauffeur at the garage noticed Robinson's drawings on scraps of paper and brought the drawings to the attention of James V. Herring, the head of Howard University's art department. Herring offered Robinson an opportunity to study under James A. Porter. The classes at Howard transformed his interest in art into a passion. Robinson's short time at Howard was the extent of his formal artistic training. When Robinson and his grandparents moved to Anacostia in southeast Washington, D.C. in 1929, he began to paint in earnest. Robinson's paintings reflect everyday life - his home, his family, and his neighborhood. In addition to intimate scenes of family and community life, he completed large scale works including a church mural, Christ at Gethsemane, at Emmanuel Baptist Church. During the 1940s, Robinson exhibited his work and created minute sketches of people at Lafayette and Franklin Parks. He also met artists Pietro Lazzari, Jack Perlmutter, and Jacob Kainen, who got his work into shows at the Corcoran Gallery of Art long before African Americans were welcomed there.
Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
