Tag Archives: Smithsonian Institution

Brooklyn Museum and Smithsonian Present “Save Our African American Treasures”

Saturday, July 20, 2013 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Brooklyn Museum Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion and Lobby 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238 Free and open to the public

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Brooklyn Museum will co-host “Save Our African American Treasures: A National Collections Initiative of Discovery and Preservation,” a daylong program to help New York-area residents identify and preserve items of historical and cultural significance.

Participants are invited to bring up to three personal items for a 15-minute, professional consultation with experts on how to care for them. The specialists will serve as reviewers, not appraisers, and will not determine an item’s monetary value. Objects such as books, photographs, ceramics, metalwork and textiles no larger than a shopping bag (furniture, carpets, firearms and paintings are excluded) can be reviewed.

“We are extremely proud to bring ‘Save Our African American Treasures’ to New York City and of our partnership with the Brooklyn Museum,” said Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian museum. “Whether it’s Weeksville, Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers or the Harlem Renaissance, New York City has been steeped in African American history from before the Emancipation. We encourage people to become aware of what they have, to protect it and to preserve it so the story of the African diaspora in this country can be told.”

The “Treasures” program also includes the following activities throughout the day:

Gallery Tour: Kevin Stayton, the Brooklyn Museum’s chief curator, will offer a tour of selected galleries in the building.
Preservation Presentations: learn how to preserve clothing and textiles, family photographs and papers. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Hands-on Preservation: participants will learn how to properly store letters, pack garments and prepare photographs for preservation storage and presentation.

For more Treasures event information, visit nmaahc.si.edu/Programs/NYTreasures, email treasures@si.edu or call (877) 733-9599.

“Save Our African American Treasures” is made possible with support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

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NMAAHC — SI folklife Festival 2013 starts June 26

06/25/2013 Nativegrl77

SI folklife Festival 2013 starts June 26

THE WILL TO ADORN: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity

Congregants from the Alfred Street Baptist church enjoy a Mother’s Day hat fashion show in Washington, D.C., 2012. Photo by Sharon Farmer, courtesy of National Museum of African American History and Culture

What is African American about African American dress and body art and why does it matter?

African American traditions of dress and body adornment are creative expressions grounded in the history of African-descended populations in the United States. Visit the Smithsonian Folklife Festival to learn more!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival June 26 — 30, 2013 & July 03 — 07, 2013 National Mall, Washington DC

To view the full festival program, please visit http://www.festival.si.edu/

The Will to Adorn: African American Diversity, Style, and Identity festival program is produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in partnership with the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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Nearly 400,000 Square-feet! ::: Lonnie G. Bunch at The NMAAHC

04/01/2013 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

NMAAHC Construction site on Feb 13, 2013

Construction photo taken on February 13, 2013. Photo Credit: Michael R. Barnes, Smithsonian,NMAAHC

It takes a big space to tell a big story. That’s why the National Museum of African American History and Culture will be nearly 400,000 square feet!

As you read these words, the massive excavation effort continues daily at our prime location on the National Mall at 14^th Street and Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. When the foundation is ready, when the walls have risen, when the 3-tiered corona is in place — we take our place as the newest museum in the world-renowned Smithsonian family. I promise you that the history inside our doors will be as grand, exciting, and powerful as the building itself.

As we move the Museum ever closer to its 2015 Grand Opening, I want to be sure you know how much we appreciate your financial support.

Our task of raising $250,000 million from private resources and individuals is certainly ambitious. However, I am pleased to report that so far more than 47,800 members and donor share your desire to discover, explore and present the African American experience for visitors from around the world to see and understand. And we are adding more Charter Members every day!

Now I am hoping you will continue to help us build this great museum by making a contribution today. We really do need your ongoing support to reach our goal.

Together we are building a museum where exhibitions and public programs will inspire and educate future generations. Imagine seeing firsthand a PT-13 Stearman Bi-plane actually used to train Tuskegee pilots … viewing the shawl given to Harriet Tubman by Queen Victoria … or enjoying a music or dance presentation celebrating African American musical and cultural heritage.

But before that day arrives in 2015, you and I must ensure that we are doing all we can to bring this new museum to our nation — and the world!

So, please, help us meet our goal of $250 million and make your contribution to the Museum now. We truly appreciate it. Thank you.

	All the best,

	Lonnie G. Bunch Director

P.S. Nearly 400,000-square-feet of power, pain, beauty, triumph and more — that is what Americans and visitors from around the world will find when they walk through doors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Thank you so much for helping us build this fabulous museum!

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NMAAHC

12/24/2012 Nativegrl77

As we gather with family and friends to share old memories and make new ones, everyone at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture wishes you and yours the happiest of holidays.We also offer our prayers and hopes for good health and prosperity for the New Year.

Since we broke ground in February of this year, the construction at our site is proceeding full-steam ahead. In early 2013, the steel will start to rise,forever changing the landscape of the National Mall in Washington, DC. In the days ahead I promise to keep you fully informed of our progress.

Finally, let me thank you for the support and commitment you have made to the Museum. You helped make 2012 a truly exciting year. I believe 2013 will surpass it, as together we speed toward the Museum’s grand opening in 2015.

Thank you again. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

All the best,

Lonnie Bunch Director

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Support : NMAAHC

12/19/2012 Nativegrl77

Help us build the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture by making a donation today!

I want to thank you for making 2012 an exciting year of progress for the Museum.

It has been a busy, productive year.

Our critically acclaimed new exhibition, Slavery at Jefferson’s Monticello: Paradox of Liberty, was enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors.
Our collections now number more than 19,000 historic objects and artifacts — and still growing!
And since the membership program began in August 2009, more than 42,000 people throughout the nation — and around the world! — have joined in support of building the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Of course, the biggest event over the past 12 months was our groundbreaking in February. It was marked by a special ceremony attended by President and Mrs. Obama, and featured speeches by the President and other dignitaries. This event stands as one of our major milestones and accomplishments thus far.

Today, our future site on the National Mall is a hive of activity. The bulldozers, backhoes and other construction equipment are drawing a lot of attention from people visiting the Capitol, the national monuments, and the museums that line the Mall.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are knowing that in 2015, the National Museum of African American History and Culture will open its doors and take its place among the great family of Smithsonian institutions — provided we continue to progress on schedule.

Your support is vital to the Museum. Now, before we ring in the New Year, I hope you will consider making a special year-end contribution and help ensure we stay on schedule. Remember, your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law — so, while you are helping the Museum, you are benefiting with a tax deduction, too.

You may want to consider becoming a Charter Member, if you have not done so already — it is a great program with some nice premiums. Regardless, however, we are genuinely grateful for your support and contribution to the Museum!

Let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours all the best in the coming year. Thank you for your kind generosity to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture — and for making this dream a reality.

	Sincerely,

	Adrienne C. Brooks Director of Development

P.S. Please take a moment right now and make a tax-deductible contribution to help build our Museum. If you are not already a Charter Member, you can join right now. Or you can simply support the Museum with a generous contribution. Either way, we truly appreciate your commitment. Thank you once again.