Inside SEMC Winter/Spring 2022 by Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC)

INSIDE S E MC The Newsletter of the Southeastern Museums Conference

winter–spring 2022 | www.semcdirect.net

ON THE FRONT COVER Robert L. Stone (b. 1944). Musicfest, House of God, Pompano Beach, Florida, [detail] 2003. Archival pigment print, 18 × 24 in. From the exhibition Tuned to the Spirit: Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community at the A. E. Backus Museum and Gallery, Fort Pierce, Florida.

Maman, 1999 by Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010), bronze, stainless steel, and marble, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.

Executive Director’s Notes President’s Address

Zinnia Willits

Heather Marie Wells

Vice President’s Address

Matt Davis

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A Message from the Membership Team

Carla Phillips

Save the Date for SEMC 2022: Northwest, Arkansas

Dancing through History at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum Moving Musical Tradition Revealed at Florida’s Backus Museum The Multidimensional Creativity of Alma W. Thomas

Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things

Celebrating Buffalo River Country

ON THE BACK COVER “It’s Fayetteville for Me” mural, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

37 lma Woodsey Thomas, Air View of a Spring Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, Columbus Museum G.1979.53.

Mapping Textiles and Tourism in West Georgia

The Gaston County Museum Collection Move

With Debut of Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center Historic Columbia Realizes What Once Was Only a Pipe Dream Guerrilla Marketing: The MAX’s Make Your Mark Campaign Operationalizing a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

The George Washington University Graduate Certificate in Collections Management and Care: Is it Right for You? A Special Thanks: Endowment and Membership Contributions State News

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People and Promotions

Important Dates

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SEMC Job Forum

Membership Form

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118 Get Social

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semc Alabama Arkansas Florida Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi

North Carolina South Carolina Tennessee Virginia West Virginia U.S. Virgin Islands Puerto Rico

staff Zinnia Willits Executive Director Carla Phillips Manager of Communications and Member Services

semc officers Heather Marie Wells President heathermarie.wells@crystalbridges.org Digital Media Project Manager, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR

Matthew S. Davis Vice President matt.davis@gcsu.edu Director of Historic Museums, Georgia College, Milledgeville, GA

contact semc SEMC | P.O. Box 550746 Atlanta, GA 30355-3246 T: 404.814.2048 or 404.814.2047 F: 404.814.2031 W: www.SEMCdirect.net E: membershipservices@SEMCdirect.net

Deitrah J. Taylor Secretary dtaylorhistorian@gmail.com Public Historian, Milledgeville, GA

Robin Reed Treasurer

Inside SEMC is published three times a year by SEMC. Annual subscription is included in membership dues. Design: Nathan Moehlmann, Goosepen Studio & Press

rereed10@gmail.com Museum Administrator (retired), Fort Monroe, VA

Darcie MacMahon Past President dmacmahon@flmnh.ufl.edu Director of Exhibits & Public Programs, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL

The deadline for the Summer 2022 newsletter is July 30, 2022. To submit information for the newsletter, please contact Zinnia Willits (zwillits@semcdirect.net) or Carla Phillips (cphillips@ semcdirect.net).

semc directors Scott Alvey

Calinda Lee

scott.alvey@ky.gov

sources.lee@gmail.com

Director, Kentucky Historical Society,

Independent Museum Professional,

Frankfurt, KY

Atlanta, GA

Glenna Barlow

Rosalind Martin

gbarlow@columbiamuseum.org

rmartin@knoxart.org

Curator of Education,

Director of Education, Knoxville Museum

Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC

of Art, Knoxville, TN

Alexander Benitez

Katy Menne

avbenitez@ua.edu

katy.menne@ncdcr.gov

Director, Moundville Archaeological Park,

Curator of Education,

The University of Alabama,

NC Maritime Museum at Southport,

Moundville, AL

Southport, NC

Nancy Fields

Michael Scott

Nancy.fields@uncp.edu

mscott@solidlight-inc.com

Director and Curator, The Museum of

Project Manager,

the Southeast American Indian,

Solid Light,

Pembroke, NC

Louisville, KY

Brigette Janea Jones

Ahmad Ward

brigettejones60@yahoo.com

award@exploremitchelville.org

Director of Equitable Partnerships,

Executive Director, Historic Mitchelville

Belle Meade Historic Site and Winery,

Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island, SC

Nashville, TN Pamela D. C. Junior

Lance Wheeler

pjunior@mdah.ms.gov

lwheeler@civilandhumanrights.org

Director, Two Mississippi Museums,

Director of Exhibitions, National Center

Mississippi Department of

for Civil and Human Rights,

Archives & History, Jackson, MS

Atlanta, GA

semc executive director’s notes

Dear SEMC: This is a remarkably busy and exciting time of change and growth for SEMC! Throughout the coming year, SEMC will continue to offer monthly virtual programs and professional development on topics ranging from technology to virtual engagement to accessibility in museums. We are actively working to strengthen existing partnerships and form new ones, including the recent productive “Launchpad” collaboration with the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries that was geared toward our student populations and emerging museum professionals. Other active initiatives on the 2022 agenda include building the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) instructor cohort in preparation for JIMI 2023 and opening the application period for next JIMI class. Just this past week we accomplished a successful in-person launch of the 2022 Leadership Institute and of course we are working extremely hard on designing a dynamic SEMC2022 later this fall. After a year of

experimentation with hybrid events, we are planning for SEMC2022 to return to an in-person gathering in October 2022 at the Embassy Suites and Convention Center in Northwest Arkansas. Registration will be open very soon. While sessions will be on-site, we plan to offer live stream access to the 2022 Keynote Address and Award Recipient Roundtable and have encouraged panels to include virtual presenters in sessions. While we are hopeful for return to a fully in-person annual meeting, the safety of SEMC members will remain a top priority. If circumstances dictate, we know how to transition the conference to a fully virtual format. In the meantime, SEMC will continue to provide free, yearround programming for our members. Although pandemic uncertainties continue to be ever-present in 2022, as an organization we now have real experience with the adjustments needed to manage events, professional networking, learning and engagement during an event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and are already on our way to a productive, strategic, engaged year. Generous funding from

Urban Bleu mural, Rogers, Arkansas.

the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the National Museum of African American History and Culture-Office of Strategic Partnership and loyal industry partners helped us through a difficult 2020 and a transitional 2021, providing critical support to move the organization toward a sustainable future. SEMC is profoundly grateful for our partnerships and will continue to work hard to strategize and enact action steps that will benefit all SEMC members and strengthen museums and museum professionals in the

Rogers Historical Museum, Rogers, Arkansas.

southeast through education, creative collaborations that broaden narratives and connect organizations to diverse communities. Continue to stay strong, SEMC. The past two years have changed our course, but we have continued to move forward. Onward!

Respectfully, — Zinnia Willits, SEMC Executive Director

Preserving the Past to Protect the Future

Specializing in Paintings and Fine Art on Paper since 1983

availablelight.com

LIGHTING DESIGN FOR MUSEUMS HOW DO YOU SEE THE WORLD? The First Church of Christ, Scientist Boston Exhibit Design: Luci Creative

semc president’s address Dear SEMC Friends, I had planned on this letter being all about how excited Northwest Arkansas (NWAR) is to be hosting SEMC 2022 (which We ARE!) and all the hard work that has been happening to get the conference planned (everyone is doing PHENOMENAL work!), but something happened to change my mind. Around 4:00 am on Wednesday March 30 most of the NWAR region was awoken by tornado sirens. I am certain this has been the first time we have had to take shelter since our three-year-old twins were infants. It was not the most pleasant experience (picture two adults, two toddlers, and a Scottish terrier in a small laundry room), there were tears, but no tantrums and the storm could have been a lot worse. We were only there for about 30 minutes and Ryan decided to snap a picture. The girls never went back to sleep. I arrived at work with the largest cup of hot chocolate I could find and expected it to be a grueling day given the way it started. Then I saw the news about how a tornado had hit sections of Springdale, Johnson, and Fayetteville (it has since been classified as an F3). I immediately posted Ryan’s photo with a message that although we were ok, we were concerned about our community, and I started checking in with friends and colleagues in the area.

In less than 10 minutes I was getting Facebook messages, emails, and phone calls from SEMC members. “Glad you and your family are ok, does anyone need help?” There were offers of help from all over the SEMC region. On behalf of the NWAR museum community, I want to say how grateful we are for the outpouring of support from the SEMC community. Messages came in throughout the day and into the week. What I thought was going to be a tough day was made so much brighter because of all of you. That’s one of the countless reasons this group is so special, we really do support each other in myriad special ways. The NWAR museum community was incredibly lucky and did not have any significant issues with our facilities—although in the tornado’s path, a local school lost its gym, about 60 houses were destroyed, and there were seven injuries. It could have been so much worse, and we are thankful it was not. I would like to encourage you all to take the time to go over your disaster plans — both for your institutions and for your own homes. Being prepared will help us focus on the beauty spring brings. Appreciatively, — Heather Marie Wells, SEMC President 11

Explore the museum online Explore our virtual exhibitions and online collections anytime of day at your own pace. Visit nmaahc.si.edu to tour history through the African American lens and register for online events. Follow us on social media and learn more about our operating status and COVID-19 (coronavirus) precautions at nmaahc.si.edu/visit.

#APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory

@nmaahc

semc vice president’s address

Greetings, SEMC Members! I hope you are well and enjoying the weather as we transition from Winter into Spring. SEMC has been hard at work preparing for our upcoming conference in Northwest Arkansas. Your SEMC Program Committee and Council had a successful visit to the area for our annual mid-year meeting and we have a lot to look forward to at the annual meeting this fall. Our thanks go out to the regional planning committee, the SEMC Staff, and all of the museum professionals in the area who will welcome us in October. Please make your plans today to attend! I also want to thank all members of the Program Committee and the 2022 Chair, Beth Hoover DeBerry, for their work in soliciting session proposals, reviewing processes, and selecting an outstanding slate of sessions for the conference. We appreciate your hard work and dedication to our professional organization. I hope you all remain well and best wishes for a wonderful spring.

Sincerely, — Matt Davis, SEMC Vice President

A MESSAGE FROM THE MEMBERSHIP TEAM I often receive questions about our institutional bundles, so here is what you need to know! What is a Bundle Administrator? This is the staff person at each member institution who is responsible for the upkeep of the membership. This person receives the membership renewal communications and other important updates about SEMC that relate to everyone in the bundle. This person is different at each institution; however, it is often someone from the finance department, the administrative team, or someone from the collections/curatorial department. The other main responsibility of the Bundle Administrator is adding/removing staff members to/from the bundle as necessary. Who is Eligible to be in a Bundle? Institutional members, no matter what category level, have the option to add staff members to their membership bundle. This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone on your team to take advantage of all the membership benefits SEMC offers. Adding staff is not limited to specific departments; we have members representing collections/curatorial, development, education, and upper-level management. We would love to see more SEMC members representing departments such as frontline staff, security/operations, landscape/gardens, human resources, and administrative service. If you are an Academic member, you can also add the students that are in the museum studies program. Why is it Essential to Include Staff Members From All Departments? SEMC strives to provide programs

that comprise a variety of topics that everyone can benefit from. Our FREE monthly virtual programs, and the Annual Conference are both great opportunities for members to engage in peer-to-peer professional development on a diverse selection of topics relevant to our museum community. With a range of departments represented, we can offer exciting new programs such as cyber-security trends, front-line best practices, and developments in museum stores. Every area in our field is vital to the overall management of museums and cultural organizations and should be represented through membership and professional development opportunities. Where Can I Find More Information About Membership? SEMC has put together a Membership FAQ Sheet that you can access here with answers to many questions, including how to add members to your bundle and what benefits members receive. You can also contact ME! I am here to support the work you do and to answer your membership questions and concerns. I can be reached at cphillilps@semcdirect.net. Email is the best way to reach me, but you can also contact me by calling 404.814.2047 and leaving a voicemail message. Thank you for your membership support. Drop me a line— I love hearing from members!

— Carla Phillips, SEMC Membership & Communications Manager cphillilps@semcdirect.net 15

#SEMC2022 18

Save the Date for SEMC 2022 OCTOBER 24–26, 2022, NORTHWEST ARKANSAS CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SEMC 2022 PROMOTIONAL VIDEO Mark your calendars for the 2022 SEMC Annual Meeting which will be held at The Embassy Suites and Rogers Convention Center, featuring 400 guest rooms and 125,000 square feet of flexible meeting space under one roof. There are over 60 restaurants within a mile and a half as well as museums, cultural sites and even a Topgolf within walking distance for extra fun! Rogers (similar in metro population size to Chattanooga, TN or Lexington, KY) is nestled in the middle of Northwest Arkansas (NWA) in the Ozark mountains. NWA is one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S. With over a half million residents and counting, NWA is poised to be one of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan statistical areas by 2023. The bulk of the region’s population consists of Rogers and its three next-door neighbors, Bentonville, Fayetteville, and Springdale. In yet another unique conference year, all four cities will play host to SEMC2022 events providing attendees an opportunity to visit each location and experience the museums and historic sites that make up its cultural fabric including the famed Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville and satellite campus The Momentary, a contemporary art space for visual, performing, and culinary arts. Why the growth? NWA has long been known nationally as home to industry giants Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. Many other Fortune 500 companies that do business with the “Big Three” have offices in the region, including Procter & Gamble, Unilever, 3M, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Hershey, and more than 1,400 other companies. Those fortunate enough to relocate

to Rogers and the region, enjoy a quality of place almost unmatched anywhere in the country. NWA is also home to the University of Arkansas and its nearly 28,000 students. The University conducts cutting edge research in a variety of sectors. What about getting to Rogers? Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) makes getting to Rogers and Northwest Arkansas a breeze. The airport is located 12 miles from the Convention Center. With 25 destinations, XNA now has the most direct flights in the state and more than some metros twice its size. American, Delta, United, Breeze, Allegiant, and Frontier all fly through XNA. Taxis, Ubers, Lyfts, and car rentals are all available at the airport for your convenience as well as group shuttle options. Information forthcoming. Located near the geographic center of the country, Northwest Arkansas can be an easy drive from nearby cities; 2 hours from Tulsa, 3 hours from Kansas City, 3 hours from Little Rock, 3.5 hours from Oklahoma City, 4 hours from Wichita, 5 hours from Dallas, 5 hours from Memphis, and 5 hours from St. Louis. What makes Rogers and NWA different? The Natural State: Wherever you go in Arkansas there are endless outdoor activities and NWA is certainly no exception. The Ozark mountains offer unexpected outdoor excursions few places in the country can rival. You can scuba dive in Beaver Lake, spelunk in War Eagle Cavern, or hop on a mountain bike in a designated IMBA Ride Center. Arrive early, stay late — experience a unique part of the SEMC region in 2022. More details and registration information coming soon!

Art trail with Maman by Louise Bourgeois at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Amazeum, Bentonville, Arkansas.

Apollo Theater, Springdale, Arkansas.

Hawkins House, Rogers, Arkansas.

Museum of Native American History, Bentonville, Arkansas.

Momentary, Bentonville, Arkansas.

Daisy Museum, Rogers, Arkansas.

Flys Eye Dome by Buckminster Fuller on the north lawn, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.

Dancing through History at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum Laci Prince (Executive Director) and Hallie Jo Cartwright (Curator/Exhibit Designer)

“The best things happen while you’re dancing!” —Danny Kaye (White Christmas)

I do not know if the best things happen while you are dancing, or if they just happen at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum (AAMM), but, our most recent event was a huge score for the museum and the community! A museum’s job is to educate the public about history through many different methods making it come alive to both young and old alike. One of the ways to do so is by hosting events that will teach guests an activity of the past to help them understand it from a different perspective. The Arkansas Air and Military Museum teaches about aviation and military history from the Barnstorming age to the Space age. The main building is an all-wooden aircraft hangar built during World War II to house Piper J Cubs used to train a local military detachment in Northwest Arkansas. During the World War II era, there were places that hosted “Canteen” dances for the soldiers, sailors, and marines that were soon to be shipped overseas. These dances had Big Band music such as Glenn Miller swing and served food to the guests. It was a time to have fun and relax before plunging into the fray of war. Over 70 years later, the legacy of the “Stage Door Canteen” has been lost, but

because this pastime was an important part of military history, it deserves to be taught. Thus, the Arkansas Air and Military Museum (AAMM) decided to host a 1940s hangar dinner and dance night bringing the “Canteen” to life for the Northwest Arkansas community. December 2021, the AAMM staff began planning this dance for Valentine’s Day 2022. Gathering band information, researching catering options, and finding a dance teacher were the most important items on the list, and thankfully, these were secured quickly. The University of Arkansas Jazz Band was chosen to play the swing music, and the Northwest Arkansas Dance and Swing taught the lessons! The event was catered by Mess Hall 45, a veteran-owned and operated restaurant that supports the military. Pink and red hearts and flowers decorated the lobby and the hangar giving the ambiance needed for a perfect night. By 5:30 pm, guests were already lining up at the door ready to start the evening of fun. Dinner was served at 6:30 pm and the dancing began at 7:30 pm. Over two hundred guests participated in the evening dancing their way through history as they listened to the music of yesteryear and practiced the steps learned by previous generations. It was a great night filled with history and fun reminiscent of the “Stage Door Canteens” of World War II. It was an event we hope to do again in the future! 29

Moving Musical Tradition Revealed at Florida’s Backus Museum The A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery (Fort Pierce, Florida) presents Tuned to the Spirit: Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community from March 11 to May 8, 2022. The Museum is honored to be debuting the traveling exhibition that highlights more than twenty years of “Sacred Steel” photography by scholar and folklorist Robert L. Stone. The exhibition tells the compelling story through images and music of a unique tradition with a vibrant history. In the late 1930s, two related African American Holiness-Pentecostal churches began incorporating a novel, modern instrument into worship – the electric steel guitar. The churches cite literal interpretations of the Psalms of David as the basis for making loud music and dancing to give God praise. The expressive and energetic music rendered on this new era’s “stringed instrument” soon became essential to the spirited worship services, and generations later became known as “Sacred Steel.”

Robert L. Stone (b. 1944). Willie Eason, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1998. Archival pigment print, 18 x 24 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

Opening reception. Pastor Elder Elton Noble and family musicians provide an engaging informance in the sacred steel tradition.

Tuned to the Spirit presents more than thirty-five stunning, sensitive, and deeply respectful images that portray music making and worship among House of God, Keith Dominion and Church of the Living God, Jewell Dominion congregants from Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York. Resulting from nearly three decades of close interaction with the worship communities, Robert L. Stone’s photographs present an intimate picture of praise, prayer, contemplation, and celebration in the Spirit. In addition to focusing on the musicians, he captures the aesthetics of gesture, movement, sartorial style and foodways. Altogether, the images offer vivid, eloquent testaments to the power of music in the expression of joy and communion. The electric steel guitar is played horizontally, and takes its name from the metallic bar the musician uses to slide up and down the plucked strings, sounding each

pitch between notes and producing extraordinary chromatic range and effects. The presentation at the Backus Museum also includes a lap-steel guitar, and a pedal-steel guitar, the latter positioned to reveal the intricate and elaborate mechanics of its foot pedals and knee levers, that aid the gifted instrumentalist in extending the harmonic capabilities. The exhibition’s images are augmented by music performances accessed in the galleries through QR Codes on visitors’ mobile devices. Additionally, Stone’s 2003 documentary film Sacred Steel: The Steel Guitar Tradition of the House of God Churches is also available in the exhibition, to see historic interviews and performance footage of these important musicians. Stone, based in Gainesville, Florida, worked for the FL Department of State’s Florida Folklife Program as Statewide Outreach Coordinator where he conducted extensive fieldwork in a variety of cultural communities, and discovered in South Florida the use of steel guitars in African American Pentecostal House of God 32

Opening reception. Robert L. Stone, Chuck Campbell, Patricia Stone, Joi Campbell, and Deaconess Linda Blue Lewis.

churches. This decades-long tradition was relatively unknown outside of that small religious community, prompting Stone to write Sacred Steel: Inside an African American Steel Guitar Tradition and produce eight CD albums of the music for Arhoolie Records. His latest book, Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus! Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community was published in 2020 by University Press of Mississippi. His documentary photos have been featured in numerous other exhibitions and published in Newsweek, The New York Times, Forum, Wooden Boat and others. With more than fifty congregations throughout the state, Florida is a stronghold for the House of God and Church of the Living God, including two congregations in Fort Pierce. Opening weekend featured special programming and musical guests to reveal and celebrate the joyful sounds for members and the community. A special guest of honor to the opening reception was the legendary Chuck Campbell, the dynamic pedal-steel guitarist of the renowned “Sacred Steel” performing

group The Campbell Brothers. A National Heritage Fellowship recipient, Mr. Campbell received a 2021 Arhoolie Award, which honors musicians, organizations, and individuals who carry on and uplift tradition-based music to keep it thriving. The prestigious award was conferred that night by the Arhoolie Foundation’s managing director, John Leopold. The next day, the panel discussion “When the Spirit Moves: Appreciating a Unique American Steel Guitar Tradition” was convened at the Museum, with guests Dr. Eric Lewis Williams, Curator of Religion, Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Elder Elton Noble, steel guitarist and pastor of Fort Pierce House of God No. 2; and Robert L. Stone, folklorist and photographer. The illuminating program delved into the deep, fascinating religious and musical roots of the cultural tradition, with live music demonstration and performance by Elder Noble. “The exhibition has national significance and local 33

Robert L. Stone (b. 1944). Florida East Coast State Assembly, House of God, Pompano Beach, Florida, 2001. Archival pigment print, 18 x 24 in.

right: Robert L. Stone (b. 1944). Deaconess Josephine Davis, House of God, Pompano Beach, Florida, 2001. Archival pigment print, 18 x 24 in.

connections for us and our community,” said J. Marshall Adams, Executive Director of the Backus Museum. “It was important that we could be the institution working with our partners that brought this exhibition to life. It was a rewarding effort to help bring to light and showcase this special cultural heritage.” Tuned to the Spirit: Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community is drawn from The Robert Stone Sacred Steel Archive, part of the Arhoolie Foundation Collection. The exhibition is supported by the Arhoolie Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation, preservation, and celebration of regional roots music and its makers. Learn more at www.Arhoolie.org. The inaugural presentation of the exhibition is organized by the A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery, Fort Pierce, Florida. There is a vast archive of recordings originally gathered by Robert Stone and given to the Arhoolie Foundation, with the musical ones given to the Smithsonian which publishes them under the Smithsonian Folkways imprint. Many of those tracks are available on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. A sample Sacred Steel playlist on Spotify is here: https://spoti.fi/372v9Pq. The video documentary Sacred Steel: The Steel Guitar Tradition of the House of God Churches (2003) can be seen here also: https://bit.ly/arhoolie-film.

lma Woodsey Thomas, Air View of a Spring Nursery, 1966, acrylic on canvas, Museum purchase and gift of the National Association of Negro Business Women, and the Artist, The Columbus Museum G.1979.53

The Multidimensional Creativity of Alma W. Thomas Major Exhibition and Catalogue Arrive at the Columbus Museum

Renowned artist Alma W. Thomas’ (1891-1978) artistic journey took her from Columbus, Georgia, to international acclaim. The traveling exhibition Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful offers a comprehensive overview of her extraordinary career with more than 150 objects, including late-career paintings that have never before been exhibited or published. The exhibition debuted at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia, and visited The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and the Frist Art Museum in Nashville, Tennessee before it closes at The Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia, July 1-Sept. 25, 2022. The exhibition is co-organized by the Chrysler Museum of Art and The Columbus Museum. The exhibition is co-curated by Jonathan Frederick Walz, Ph.D., Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of American Art at The Columbus Museum, and Seth Feman, Ph.D., the Chrysler’s former Deputy Director for Art and Interpretation and Curator of Photography. Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful will demonstrate how Thomas’ artistic practices extended to every facet of her life, from community service and teaching to

gardening and dress. Unlike a traditional retrospective, the exhibition is organized around multiple themes from Thomas’ life and career. These themes include the context of her Washington Color School cohort, the creative communities connected to her time at Howard University, and the protests against museums that failed to represent women and artists of color. This exhibition, as well as its published catalogue, includes a wide range of artworks and archival materials that reveal Thomas’ complex and deliberate artistic existence before, during and after the years of her mature output and career-making solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1972. She was the first African American woman to have a solo show at the famed New York institution. “It’s hard to overstate the importance of the Whitney show to Thomas’ career,” said Feman, now Executive Director and CEO of the Frist Art Museum. “Yet the Whitney show wasn’t the be-all, end-all it is often made out to be. Thomas worked persistently to establish a successful artistic career in the decades leading up to 37

the Whitney show, and she opened several new creative pathways in the years after. This exhibition looks at the long span of her creativity so as to celebrate a full lifetime of accomplishments.” Alma Thomas’ Resurrection was added to the White House Collection in 2015. One year later, her work was on view in a two-venue exhibition at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum Art Gallery at Skidmore College and The Studio Museum in Harlem. In recent years, her works have been acquired by notable public institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful aims to supplement this recent attention, ensuring new discoveries even for those familiar with Thomas’ creativity. Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful’s showing in Columbus, Georgia will be particularly special. Sand Unshaken: The Origin Story of Alma Thomas, a concurrent historical exhibition will be on view. The Columbus Museum’s Curator of History and Exhibitions Manager, Rebecca Bush, designed the project as a complement to the landmark art exhibition and in tandem with her contributions to its catalogue. Sand Unshaken seeks to challenge traditional myths about Thomas’ upbringing while spotlighting the achievements and challenges of an African American family in the New South, drawing on The Columbus Museum’s rich Thomas family archives of photographs, documents, and threedimensional artifacts, including furniture from Thomas’ Columbus home. “Thomas is best known for the large canvases she produced during the decade of 1966-1976, and several posthumous exhibitions have focused on this body of work,” Walz said. “Everything Is Beautiful presents visitors with little known early- and mid-career work as well as several late canvases that have never before been exhibited or published. We anticipate that this material will be a revelation to scholars and the general public alike. The number of discoveries made during the exhibition’s research and development phase is truly remarkable.” Taking cues from Thomas’ wide-ranging interests and her broad network of collaborators and supporters, the co-curators developed a scholarly approach that resonated with the artist’s own disregard for pigeonholes

and subjective limitations. They assembled an advisory committee of more than 20 interdisciplinary scholars of diverse backgrounds and experiences and convened a two-day gathering at the University of Maryland Center for Art and Knowledge at The Phillips Collection in January 2020. Scholars included specialists in the history of gardening, fashion, African American religious practices, race and racial identity, women and gender studies, abstract art, and art conservation. The discussions during the study days, along with the conversations that have continued since, highlighted several underexamined facets of Thomas’ creativity: her relationship to the domestic and urban environments in which she lived; the expression of her intersectional identity through stage work and self-fashioning; her use of art as a form of educational and community activism; her ecocritical grasp of nature’s importance amid urbanization; and her remarkable studio practice, in which she worked through series and adapted to physical and technical challenges to open new creative pathways. “In exploring how Thomas generated and nurtured her creativity, we begin to understand how Thomas employed it to transform her world,” says Feman. “Thomas’ quest for beauty had as much to do with art as it did with supporting her neighborhood and the wider community. We believe that the lessons she taught in her day might be a model for shaping public life today.” “The seeming incongruity between the exhibition’s title and our current social crises is not lost on us,” Walz stated. “During 2020, when we were finalizing exhibition plans and catalogue content, the world experienced a global pandemic, stark economic disparity, eroded trust in democracy, intensified violence, and confrontations over the disproportionate incarceration and killing of Black and Brown people. Beauty often seemed hard to find. This backdrop of global events confirmed for us the relevance of Thomas and her creative pursuits to the contemporary moment.” In addition to more than 150 objects, Alma W. Thomas: Everything Is Beautiful includes an array of interpretive material to make the show accessible and relatable. Labels and text panels weave together Thomas’ diverse creative interests, and a family-friendly interactive explores how to live a creative life today. 38

Visitors to The Columbus Museum will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of education programs throughout the run of the exhibition. Youth and family visitors will be able to enjoy guided tours, art making activities, and themed summer camps. Public programs include a puppet making workshop and a closing celebration on September 22, marking Thomas’ 131st birthday. The full-color, 336-page hardcover catalogue published by the organizing institutions and distributed by Yale University Press features a large collection of new scholarship by multiple contributors, incorporating an array of perspectives on Thomas’ life and art. Longform essays include Africana scholar Tiffany E. Barber on Thomas and performance and self-fashioning; historian Rebecca Bush on Thomas’ upbringing and family history in Jim-Crow-era Georgia; art historian Aruna D’Souza on Thomas’ significant place in the controversies surrounding the display of African American art in the 1960s and 1970s; curator Jonathan F. Walz on the importance of motion to Thomas’ art;

and a team of conservators from the Smithsonian on the way Thomas resourcefully modified her materials and artistic processes to adapt to, and even incorporate, aging and impairment. Shorter essays by 11 interdisciplinary scholars will emphasize how close looking from diverse vantage points can reveal surprising and illuminating interpretations. These include an exploration of Thomas’ classroom activities, her church life, perception of her age and gender, the cultivation of her garden, the context of environmentalism, the international display of her work and more. Essayists include Seth Feman, Jacqueline Francis, Kimberli Gant, Grey Gundaker, Michael D. Harris, Melanee C. Harvey, Amy M. Mooney, James Nisbet, Nell Irvin Painter and Rebecca VanDiver. The eclectic approach to the catalogue follows from Thomas’ own disregard for silos, borders and other arbitrary boundaries, echoing the artist’s insistence on collaboration and interdisciplinarity. Together, these insights add dimension and complexity to our understanding of Thomas and her world. The catalogue is available for purchase from The Columbus Museum.

Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things Rebecca Elliot and Joel Smeltzer, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, North Carolina

A Celebration of the Reinstllation of the Mint’s Craft + Design Collection As I write this, a mirror 21 feet in diameter made from 18 panels of gold-plated beryllium (a metallic element) has just unfolded itself in outer space. It is part of the James Webb Space Telescope — the world’s largest space telescope — which will soon reach its final orbit 1 million miles from earth and begin capturing cosmic history ranging from our own solar system to the first galaxies in the early universe. The telescope is a marvel of science and engineering. A joint effort of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, it required decades of thinking, designing, testing, and exceptional craftsmanship by thousands of individuals in multiple countries.

A major new acquisition in Craft in the Laboratory is She Holds the Key, a wall hanging by Canadian artist Simone Elizabeth Saunders. This wall hanging depicts tennis champion Serena Williams in a confident pose and reflects the artist’s desire to elevate Black women through her art. Saunders draws her compositions on large pieces of fabric (up to 65 by 65 inches) and uses a punch needle and a rug tufting gun to insert yarn in vibrant colors and patterns. Photo by Brandon Scott/Courtesy of The Mint Museum.

Making the objects in The Mint Museum’s Craft + Design Collection was not as complex, but the artists, designers, and craftspeople responsible for these objects made from glass, ceramics, wood, fiber, metal, polymers, and other materials have much in common with scientists and engineers. All engage in inquiry, a process of exploring the natural or material world by asking questions, making discoveries, and testing them to gain a greater understanding. As with the telescope, making craft and design objects requires a great deal of technical knowledge and trial and error. Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things is the first project in the Southeast to highlight the parallels between craft and design, science, and engineering. It comprises a reinstallation of the museum’s permanent collection of craft and design — the first since the opening of Mint Museum Uptown in 2010 — and a 96-page catalogue, the first indepth publication about the collection since 1999. The reinstallation and book present new research on how the objects were made. Craft in the Laboratory is based on a tour of the craft and design galleries created several years ago by Joel Smeltzer, head of school and gallery programs at The Mint Museum, to provide STEAM (science, technology, engineering, 41

art, and math) content for upper elementary, middle, and high school students. Visitors enter the craft and design galleries through the Susan and Loy McKeithen Gallery, which introduces the collection through works including Danny Lane’s monumental glass installation Threshold. In this work, Lane exploits the reflective and refractive properties of glass to create a dynamic experience for the viewer. Also in this gallery is a major new acquisition: She Holds the Key, a wall hanging by Canadian artist Simone Elizabeth Saunders. This wall hanging depicts tennis champion Serena Williams in a confident pose and reflects the artist’s desire to elevate Black women through her art. Saunders draws her compositions on large pieces of fabric (up to 65 by 65 inches) and uses a punch needle and a rug tufting gun to insert yarn in vibrant colors and patterns. Following the McKeithen Gallery, objects are grouped by medium. When the building opened in 2010, this arrangement was chosen because glass, ceramics, wood, fiber, and metals are all distinct subfields of craft and design with their own histories and techniques. This also made sense for the Craft in the Laboratory theme because several of these fields are specialties in materials science. Studying each medium separately illuminates its distinctive characteristics. The reinstallation also includes a design gallery with a focus on plastics and other human-made materials, including Patrick Norguet’s Rainbow Chair that is made from acrylic fused using ultrasound. It is one of several new acquisitions found throughout the galleries. In each gallery, a text panel discusses each material’s special properties and how humans throughout history have used it to make the kinds of objects on view. Each text panel includes touchable samples of different kinds of glass, wood, plastics, metals, ceramics, and textiles that help visitors connect with the materials and imagine the kind of tactile knowledge gained by makers using the materials. All the samples, except plastics and textiles, were made by Starworks in Star, North Carolina. New object labels describe how the makers used scientific knowledge and methods in the techniques and processes to create the work. Several labels include QR codes that direct visitors to images and/or videos of

the making process. Whenever possible, labels include photos of the makers to help visitors envision the artist or designer making aesthetic and practical decisions while exploring a material. Supporting the updated content in the galleries is a refreshed design. Many of the previously gray walls are now painted white, and several walls are painted with rich colors that accentuate the objects. The text panels and object labels have been graphically designed for easier readability and to underline the Craft in the Laboratory theme with a C-shaped microscope icon. There also are two seating areas where visitors can reflect on the objects and reinstallation and browse the catalogue. In addition, one area has a wall where visitors can share their thoughts about the objects and reinstallation. We welcome your comments, which will help us plan future projects. The Craft in the Laboratory catalogue complements the reinstallation with four essays, a graphic-novel-style illustration by Smeltzer, and large color photos of 49 of the objects. In an essay by Annie Carlano, senior curator of craft, design, and fashion, she discusses the science behind the 10 works in the Project Ten Ten Ten series of commissions, as well as other selected works in the museum’s collection. Zoe Laughlin, PhD, a director of the Center of Making at University College London, comments on the importance of collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking in innovation. Hideo Mabuchi, PhD, a physicist at Stanford University and a potter and weaver, reflects on how all these pursuits relate. In my essay, I elaborate on the making of 10 objects in the Mint’s collection to show how inquiry works in craft and design. When Smeltzer developed the STEAM-themed tour that inspired Craft in the Laboratory, he recognized the incredible opportunity that the craft and design collection presents. Some of the most common questions that visitors ask docents and staff about this collection are “What is this made from?” and “How was it made?” By looking closely at objects and discussing these questions, museum audiences and educators engage in a process of inquiry like that of artists and STEM professionals. Craft and design objects can serve as entry points for understanding scientific concepts as well as for 42

interpreting art. By making connections between artistic and scientific approaches to the material world, we hope to dissolve the perceived barriers between these fields and inspire audiences to use inquiry in their daily lives. Rebecca Elliot, Assistant Curator, Mint Museum of Craft and Design, Charlotte, North Carolina

Creating Scientific Inquiry Through Works of Art Seeing an original work of art in a museum gallery space engages multiple senses, encourages inquiry, and the process of exploring the material world and asking questions: What might this work be about? What might its significance be? How was it made? These open-ended questions integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics) disciplines, and encourage interpretation, or meaning-making. During the 2019-2020 academic year, the Mint offered a unique teacher fellowship program that explored works of art from the Mint’s renowned Craft + Design Collection. The fellowship provided a professional development opportunity for teachers to work with museum staff to create student- and visitor-centered gallery activities that focused on works of art from the newly installed Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things. Eight teacher fellows representing STEAM disciplines from five local schools participated, including Abbie Hess and Kristen Ward from Independence High School; Lisa Snead and Jennifer Ford from Mallard Creek High School; Megan Bechtold and Rupi Young from West Mecklenburg High School and J.T. Williams Montessori; and Jackie Royce and Brandt Boidy from Charlotte Lab School.

A team of museum professionals, including myself, Rebecca Elliot, assistant curator of craft, design, and fashion; Gena Stanley, former assistant head of school and gallery programs at The Mint Museum; and Mary Beth Ausman, independent evaluator, worked with the teacher fellows interpreting select works of art and proposed activities for students and other museum visitors that encourage close examination of works and an understanding of STEAM disciplines involved in the creative process. Teacher fellows interpreted works of art made from metal, wood, and polymers, including Wendy McAllister’s Grand Bois, Brent Kington’s Weathervane, David Ellsworth’s Untitled Vessel, Donald Fortescue’s Pike Basking, and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s Vegetal Chair. An example of guided inquiries during the program is the interpretation of the Vegetal Chair by The Charlotte Lab School team that challenges viewers to think about the inspiration for the chair’s dynamic, geometric, branching open-work, and how it contributes to functionality. The open-work back and seating, inspired by growth patterns in nature, helped solve the problem of creating a lightweight but durable and stackable chair. In addition to helping Mint staff create gallery activities for students and other visitors, teacher fellows expressed a desire to use The Mint Museum as a beneficial resource and saw clearer connections between their subject(s) and the museum collection. Fellows also showed increased propensity for using art objects in their instruction, as well as design thinking and the scientific method, and their connections to making art. Joel Smeltzer, Head of School and Gallery Programs, Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina

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Ken Smith’s Buffalo River Country photography exhibition at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History through December 31, 2022.

Celebrating Buffalo River Country Sandra Cox Birchfield, Communications and Marketing Manager, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Springdale, Arkansas It is an Ozark ritual. Wait for a good rain. Load up the canoe or kayak. Then head for Ponca for a five-hour float to Kyles Landing. The not-so-faint-of-heart may set their sights on Woolum, a 50-mile ride from the Ponca launching point. The nearby trails lead deep into the Arkansas Ozark mountains to bluffs, some creating natural shelters, and scenic overlooks. The bursts of reds and yellows in the fall can be breathtaking. Experienced hikers might journey into one of the wild caverns off the beaten paths, while others may prefer those that have been developed commercially and bear intriguing names like Hurricane River Cave or Mystic Caverns.

In his 1967 book, The Buffalo River Country, Kenneth L. Smith brought awareness to the watershed and its surrounding hills. Published by The Ozark Society, Smith’s photographs, maps, and travel narratives played a role in the society’s mission to get the Buffalo designated a national river, the first to be granted the distinction in the historic 1972 event. On the 50th anniversary of the Buffalo National River, the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, Arkansas, presents the photographic exhibit, Ken Smith’s Buffalo River Country, which features 24 images with 22 from Smith’s 1965 exploration of the Buffalo River watershed. The collection highlights the beauty 45

of the Buffalo National River and the work of the many dedicated people, including Smith, who advocated the need for its preservation and exploration. The exhibit is on display at the museum through December 31, 2022. The Shiloh Museum will also offer several related events throughout the year as well as those organized by the University of Arkansas Humanities Center and the University of Arkansas Libraries. They will include programs by the Center for Arkansas Spatial Technologies, Pryor Center for Oral and Visual History, Arkansas Archeological Survey, and Arkansas Folk and Traditional Arts. FROM SCENIC TO CURIOUS Ken Smith’s Buffalo River Country celebrates the picturesque bluffs, waterfalls, scenic views, buildings, and people. A few feature curiosities, like the photograph of a large rock perched on a narrow cliff, as if it could fall at any moment, or the explorer inspecting the remnants of a rock building inside a bluff shelter. In addition to the photos, the exhibit features a 12-minute video of Smith as well as artifacts, including one of Smith’s Leica cameras, his Olympia portable typewriter, pen and ink illustrations, a report for the Nature Conservancy about the Clark Creek Watershed in Newton County and tools he used for building trails for the Buffalo National River in 1985. WHERE THE BISON ROAMED One of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states, the Buffalo National River flows 150 miles eastward beginning in Newton County in the Boston Mountains across the Ozark Plateau, connecting to the White River, just barely crossing the Baxter County border. People have inhabited the area dating back as far as about 10,000 years, starting with the Paleoindians, who emerged at the end of the ice age, followed by native nations, such as the Osage, Cherokee, and Shawnee. By the 1800s, Europeans settled the region. American bison once thrived in both Arkansas and Missouri, including along the present-day Buffalo National River, which is believed to be how the

Ken Smith used two Leica cameras to shoot images of his 1965 Buffalo River trip. The items shown here is the one Smith used for shooting color slide film. In front of the camera is Smith’s Weston light meter.

waterway got its name. (Though they look similar, true buffalo are native to Africa and Asia. Bison, however, are found in North America and Europe). The area provided a flood plain allowing for industry, agriculture, and recreation. In the 1900s, discussions to dam the river for hydroelectric power and flood control continued for decades. When legislation was introduced in the 1950s, conservationists statewide combined forces. Dr. Neil Compton, a Bentonville, Arkansas, physician, spearheaded the formation of The Ozark Society in 1962 with Smith as a founding member. Its mission was to save the Buffalo River from damming. A BILL IS INTRODUCED In 1967, J. William Fulbright and John L. McClellan, U.S. senators of Arkansas, introduced legislation to make the Buffalo the country’s first national river. Five years later, Congress voted in favor of the measure by giving 135 miles of the 150-mile Buffalo national status. President Richard M. Nixon signed the bill on March 1, 1972 -- exactly 100 years to the day of when President U.S. Grant signed a bill creating Yellowstone National Park, the first in the national park system. 46

The Buffalo National River today includes 94,293, including trails, totaling more than 100 miles, for both hiking and horseback and three management districts with park headquarters in Harrison, Arkansas It also remains one of Arkansas’ most popular attractions. In 2020, when a global pandemic raged on, about 1.5 million people visited the Buffalo National River and spent $66.3 million in nearby communities, according to a National Park Service report. The Ozark Society exists today, with seven chapters statewide, by serving as advocates for “the preservation of wild and scenic rivers, wilderness and unique natural areas.” Smith has continued to write other books, including The Buffalo River Handbook. “WATER IS CLEAR, SWIFT AND DEEP” The Buffalo National River remains a source for spiritual and creative awakening for many. Noted Arkansas

folk singer Jimmy Driftwood recorded an album titled Beautiful Buffalo River. Thomas Hart Benton, an artist known for his dream-like depictions of rural life in the 1920s and 1930s, was drawn to the Buffalo, which inspired his sketches and paintings. As an instructor with the Kansas City Art Institute, he took his students there to see it firsthand. “The water is clear, swift and deep with wonderful reflections of light,” Benton told The Kansas City Times in 1940. “There are great rock bluffs and hilly cornfields of the sort that encourage stories about men falling off their farms. The roads are red clay. There are all kinds of trees, blooming dogwood, red bud and beautiful plant life.” This is Buffalo River Country. The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History will host an evening event for SEMC2022. We can’t wait to see the Buffalo River Country Exhibit!

Photo by Dan-Marian-Stefan Doroghi

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Mapping Textiles and Tourism in West Georgia Jamie Bynum, Graduate Research Assistant, GIS Specialist, and Researcher, University of West Georgia, Center for Public History

Digital history is a quickly growing field that is being used more and more every day. This field is one that has a multitude of applications and uses for both academia and the public, which is crucial to the field of public history. The work I have completed over the last two years has utilized digital history to bring the history of the textile industry to the public. At the time of writing this article, I am a graduate student at the University of West Georgia graduating with a Master of Arts in Public History and certificate in Museum Studies in May of 2022. Since January of 2020, I have worked as a Graduate Research Assistant for the university’s Center for Public History, directed by Dr. Ann McCleary and Keri Adams, M.A. My work has almost exclusively been for the Center’s West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail project. This project aims to bring the heritage and history of the textile industry to the public in a way that highlights tourism, local exhibits, and community. Due to my Bachelor of Arts degree holding a minor in Geographic Information Systems, I was asked to help with the creation of maps to better put forward the history of west Georgia’s textile industry. These initial maps were completed using Esri’s ArcGIS Story Maps, which uses maps to tell stories from across all fields of study. What makes this program unique is that the maps are not static but interactive and are able to attract more attention from the public. Later, I began creating maps using Esri’s ArcGIS and ArcGIS

Pro programs to create both static and animated maps for my thesis project. The textile industry in West Georgia was and continues to be a significant aspect of many communities. Many communities within our region were founded around the textile mills in the form of mill villages, which were groups of houses built specifically to house their workers. This expansive landscape of the textile industry is one that can be fully studied and appreciated with the use of maps and visual sources. Not only were textile mills located adjacent to their mill village, but also near other mills and their mill villages. The congregation of these mills and villages were the foundation of many modern communities. Our project aims to bring the history of the textile industry not only to researchers but to the descendants of those whose story is being told. The first step in completing these maps was to decide what program we were going to use and what visual aspects we wanted to include. Story Maps was the best choice as it allows the use of photographs and a layout that shows all the location points together to tell a more comprehensive story. Another potential program was Google’s Tour Creator; this program did not work as well for what we wanted to create and has since been discontinued. Picking the program also came with picking aesthetic features we wanted each map to have that would make it identifiable as belonging to our project. Due to the pandemic, we were unable to contact the company and pursue the full customization 49

Behind-the-scenes view while working with ArcGIS Pro.

we were looking for but were able to add our logo to the heading of the map. The next step in this process, and the most important step, was determining what locations related to the textile industry would best tell the region’s story to the public. For this, we decided to include major textile mills and mill villages, historical societies, museums, and libraries that house information on the textile industry, and other buildings directly tied to the textile industry or the people who worked within it. All these locations would lead the public either to research the textile industry or view from afar its lasting impacts, as many locations are privately owned and not open to the public. While deciding locations for the maps, we also kept in mind what would be accessible to the public whilst going to these communities in-person. This project is unique in that it is for both historical information and tourism. We encourage visitors to the website to take advantage of the Story Maps for each location, explore the various communities throughout west Georgia, and share their own stories about their hometown and family’s textile history.

With a sizable number of locations to be mapped, fellow graduate student Jarrett Craft and I found and logged the coordinates and addresses of each location that would be featured on the Story Maps. Within the program, it is possible to use an address, set of coordinates, or drag and drop the marker to denote the location of each point. We used these markers to sort locations by those open to the public, privately owned, and demolished. I then set out to create the maps. For each location on the maps, we wanted a photograph to accompany it. Jarrett Craft was especially helpful in helping me gather historic photographs. We decided it would be best to have a mix of historic and modern photographs to show how the overall textile industry has evolved over time. If we were unable to get usable historic photographs for a location, I took modern photographs. This was completed in two trips: one to the most northern community of our trail, and one to the most southern. I am now adding any new or missed locations to these story maps, which can be seen on each respective community page of the project website. After completing these maps, I turned my attention to a new set of maps created using ArcGIS and ArcGIS Pro. These maps, used for my thesis project, look at the 50

types of textile mills and machinery count in relation to waterways and railroads. My thesis looks at these maps and analyzes them in reference to waterways and railroads as sources of both power and transportation. Two sources I used for these maps are the USGS waterways shapefile and the railroad shapefile created by Jeremy Atack of Vanderbilt University. These resources have information on major railroads across the United States. The data collected for the Story Maps was incredibly useful in this second project. For example, the data contained information about how many spindles and looms were operated in each mill. All information was put into spreadsheets based on the year the data was collected. With so many mills, several had incorrect information that needed to be remedied. This highlights an issue with digital history: it is all too easy to have the wrong data present when completing projects. However,

an advantage of digital history is that it is easier to catch mistakes with the utilization of technology. Digital history is a great tool to study history and display information. Some applications of digital history include maps, document digitization and virtual tours. Deciding which application works best for a specific project takes time and careful consideration. Story Maps are great for tourism as they are interactive and are good at showing qualitative data, while ArcGIS maps are better for historical research and showing quantitative data. While there are some drawbacks, such as paywalls, technology malfunctions, and accessibility issues, there are significant advantages. This up-and-coming field of research allows historians to reach diverse audiences in new and engaging ways, which is important to expanding the field of history. Technology is becoming more widely available every single day and should be utilized to its fullest potential.

This most extensive of the maps shows the entirety of the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail.

The Gaston County Museum Collection Move Markecia Koulesser, Collections Manager, Gaston County Museum of Art and History, Dallas, North Carolina In October of 2019, the Gaston County Museum of Art and History in Dallas, NC took on one of its largest projects to date; preparing for a collection move of over 20,000 artifacts. A few months prior the Museum suffered an unforeseen temperature spike, causing mold growth throughout the collection. From this occurrence, it became clear that the collection needed some attention. Soon after we began discussing the collection’s needs, and it was decided that a new storage space would not only eliminate further temperature spikes but would allow for more growth and better accommodations for the public. With this, we decided to move the collection from the museum to an offsite location just a few miles away. It was my first time working as a Collections Manager and I had my work cut out for me. We began the endeavor with a thorough inventory of the museum’s collection. Sorting, cleaning, and rehousing every basket, portrait, and doll, we labored for months in preparation for packing. Just as we were becoming comfortable in our new daily routine, our lives were upended and shifted by the Covid-19 pandemic. News of the virus’ spread became the news of shutdowns, which quickly turned into a nationwide quarantine. Like many, we found ourselves completely shut down by March of 2020. Before the move.

So, what do we do now? It was the question none of us wanted to ask. A question none of us really had the answer to, but we knew we had to adapt, and so we did. Programs and exhibits went virtual. Departmental collaborations almost seemed easier to facilitate. Meetings continued via Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, but where did that leave Collections? Over the next few months, I took full advantage of my time to plan for the collection move. As a smaller institution, our Collections department consists of three people: me, our Assistant Director, and our Curator. However, a project like this would require more than just three sets of hands and skills, so I started with a list of our needs and the individuals I would call upon to satisfy those needs. Very quickly this became an “all hands on deck” kind of project, requiring a rotating schedule of assistance from some incredibly special and talented people in our Education, Administration, and Visitor Services departments. But we were still in the planning phase, and we were still

at home, and it was hard to envision putting this plan into practice. To help ease my anxiety about staffing requirements, I began working on our goals and deadlines for the move. I must admit, this part of the planning was fun and exciting. For the first time, the Gaston County Museum would not only have the storage space to properly accommodate the collection, but we would also have workstations for collections staff, volunteers, and interns, and a research room to take research and donation appointments and hold large meetings. The potential was stimulating and kept me focused as the Zoom fatigue and quarantine blues began to set in. Despite all the fun I was having planning the layout of the space, selecting workstation supplies, and looking over shelving options, I still had moments where I second-guessed my ability to lead the collection move. Covid was not letting up, and while we researched every resource known to man on how to plan a collection move, the possibility of moving the collection seemed

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to get farther and farther away. Thankfully, the Gaston County Museum has an outstanding team made up of our museum guides, Curator, Administrative Assistant, Programs Manager, Programs Assistant, Director, and Assistant Director. Each of these individuals played a crucial role in the collection move, and it is with their help that we were able to succeed.

remainder of the year was complete, we still found ourselves having to adapt to the new “normal.” Luckily, we kept our internship opportunities available, and once we got the OK to have interns and volunteers back in the building, we gained three talented individuals to assist us with the start of the move. We were able to divide them up by task: cleaning, rehousing, and packing. Cleaning was our first step in the process of preparation, to avoid moving anything moldy to our new storage location. Cleaning consisted of a few things including but not limited to; nitrile gloves, hog hair and bamboo brushes, 100% cotton rags and Q-tips, aprons, HEPA filtered vacuums, 70% isopropyl alcohol, and particulate respirators for personal protection. Once cleaning was complete, we replaced all tissue paper and boxes of the moldy objects. We rehoused most of the collection and added additional supports and mounts for packing using backing rod and stuffed stockinette purchased from Gaylord Archival. Packing was not so straightforward as we had to find industrialgrade bins and crates to hold and transport objects

There was no room for doubt with a team as determined as the Gaston County Museum’s. When I was unsure about a decision, I had the support of my team to help me decide. When I grew apprehensive of deadlines and processes, I was reassured that this work was not in vain. And as the world slowly (and I mean slowly) began to open back up in 2021, and every day became a guessing game of what would happen next, their confidence in this move did not waiver. We found ourselves working on a staggered schedule to keep a small number of staff in the building at a time. This made getting back to cleaning and preparing for the move even tougher. And while the planning that had taken us through the

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Preparing for the move.

between locations. We were able to find exactly what we needed at Walmart and with a crating company called Lend-a-Box out of Raleigh, NC. While everything up until this point had gone well, Covid continued to prove difficult to navigate, especially when it came to ordering supplies. Collection moves require a number of materials for the before, during, and after but everything we needed seemed to be in short supply. On top of everything, the work we requested to have done in our new storage space had been delayed. Knowing a lot of these matters were out of our hands, we continued to push forward making do with what we had. When an opportunity came to order supplies, we jumped at it, and while waiting for certain improvements to be made to the new space, we kept planning and preparing. Over time we had the county Facilities Department and other contractors come in to install new floors and lighting, seal the windows, and replace the doors. An alarm system and cameras were also installed and furniture such as desks, chairs, organizers, and cabinets began to come in. It was pure chaos trying to coordinate orders between the museum and the new storage space, but we managed it with enormous success by establishing a system where some staff members would be stationed both onsite at the museum and offsite at the storage facility when orders arrived. We made sure to communicate days

and times for drop-off with the companies we ordered from to ensure all orders were delivered at the right location and with someone available to receive them. For the larger, heavier object deliveries we made sure to have the muscle of the museum scheduled to help and communicated needs such as a lift and ramp with each company. Despite the plan we had in place, there were times when deliveries needed to be rescheduled because of miscommunication, lack of personnel, etc. but overall, we managed to get all furniture and shelving in the space and built before the move began. Once our new space was ready, and most of the packing and documenting was complete, there was only one thing left to do; begin the move. It is no easy feat to move 20,000 artifacts. Add in the fact that it was June and mask mandates were in full effect, and you can imagine the rest. From nine in the morning until four in the afternoon my collections move crew, consisting of three interns, our Assistant Director, and myself, worked diligently, performing the same four duties on repeat: document, pack, transport, shelve. Despite the monotonous nature of the task, we kept sane by pacing ourselves and calling it a day when we saw fit. Each step of the process proved to be a rewarding learning experience for us and our interns. We discussed object handling and proper packing techniques. We rotated tasks so no one got stuck 56

After the move.

doing the same duty all summer long. They were able to provide useful suggestions and solutions to problems and, overall, were valuable members of our team. We could not have done this without them. As September of 2021 rolled around, and we reached the tail-end of our collection move, it became apparent that the grand opening ceremony we planned for would not be happening due to another spike in Covid cases and variants eating through the population. This was a major blow to the staff. Dates were picked out, caterers were contacted, and invitation mock-ups were made. You could practically feel the excitement vibrating off us, and it felt like another setback. With these matters out of our control, we started to discuss options. After much discussion, it was decided that the celebration would have to wait, and we would commemorate this major accomplishment later. However, we did not let the state of the world stop us from meeting our goal of opening on October 1, 2021. With final details and safety precautions in place, the Gaston County Museum officially opened its new Collections and Archives Facility, equipped to take research and donation appointments in our new research room, and provide volunteers and interns access to our database and collection storage via our processing room. The object collection room is spacious

and cool, with a large worktable, storage closet, and more than enough room for expansion. The art and archives room are equal in size with a plethora of storage for art and flat files. We even ramped up security adding cameras in each of the rooms, including our workspaces, new doors and locks, and fobs to ensure admittance for those who work in the space. And while there are still some decorative elements to add, we are more than happy to welcome the public to our new and improved Collections and Archives Facility. What is next for the Gaston County Museum of Art and History? It is my hope that with the interest generated throughout the county, we will finally be able to hold our grand opening to celebrate all our hard work and accomplishments! I also hope that with time we can host programs in our new space, as well as give tours to students and professionals, and offer workshops that focus on themes in collections management. As a museum, we use our collections to create an environment where people can explore topics both familiar and unfamiliar to them. In doing so, we build an environment that allows people to learn more about themselves and the world around them. I would like to think that is what we have done here at the Gaston County Museum, and I look forward to what the future will bring.

With Debut of Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center 58

Historic Columbia Realizes What Once Was Only a Pipe Dream 59

New facility ushers in transformational growth for the 60-year-old organization “After passing through many fine walks and a neatly arranged flower garden we came to an extensive range of glass . . . to see the exotic treasures of the charming greenhouses.” — W. R. Bergholz, “Visits to Columbia Gardens,” The Farmer and the Planter, July 1861.

Generations of 19 -century travelers who visited Columbia, South Carolina’s Hampton-Preston estate often marveled at the four-acre tract’s accomplished collection of native and exotic plantings, sculpture, fountains, and arbor-lined pathways. But it was the site’s glasshouse, integrated into the property’s eightfoot-tall brick perimeter wall, that most frequently intrigued admirers. One hundred and sixty years later, on March 9, 2022, another generation of garden devotees made a pilgrimage to the storied historic site to behold its horticultural achievements and amenities. Like Bergholz and his contemporaries, they, too, encountered an extensive range of glass, albeit, freshly minted as the Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center, so named for the Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation, which graciously funded the state-of-theart facility’s construction. At 3,700-square feet, the modern structure overshadows its predecessor in size, capacity, and intent, as Historic Columbia will utilize the facility for propagation, administration, programming, and storage. The structure, which is in the same area as its historic antecedent, will operate in conjunction with a one-third-acre nursery situated on the northeastern aspect of the property. Additionally, an historically inspired gatehouse—integrated into the property’s west wall like one that stood on the site until the mid20th century—serves as a secondary entrance to the Hampton-Preston Mansion and Gardens, which are open to the public seven days a week. th

A BLOSSOMING INVESTMENT The $2.5 million dollar Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center eclipses the namesake foundation’s previous

overleaf: Historic Columbia 60th Anniversary Gala and Debut of Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center, March 2022. Courtesy of Sean Rayford. opposite: Aerial view of the Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens, looking southeast, March 2022. Courtesy of Cohn Corporation by Todd Lista with Park Avenue Photography.

investment of more than $1.5 million dollars at the Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens that had powered Historic Columbia’s transformation of the site into one of the most dynamic public gardens in the region. Says George Bailey, president of the Boyd Foundation, “We think these projects fit nicely with our objective of enhancing recreational opportunities for the citizens of Columbia and making Columbia a better place to live.” Previous support from the foundation funded the installation of historically accurate pathways and arbors, the planting of more than two acres of gardens featuring native and exotic plants and trees, and the construction of classrooms and bathrooms in the mansion’s basement as well as the creation of a unique feature – a sunken programmatic space whose footprint matches that of a circa-1850 addition that formerly stood on the north aspect of the extant mansion. “We have been working toward this goal since 2006 when we adopted our Cultural Landscape Master Plan. It would not have happened without the commitment of the Boyd Foundation,” emphasizes Robin Waites, Historic Columbia’s executive director. Designed by Lambert Architecture + Construction Services and with Cohn Construction as the general contractor, and the Wisconsin Greenhouse Company as the specialty contractor, the Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center marks an unprecedented level of giving and exponentially enhances Historic Columbia’s capacity to curate the 14 acres of grounds and gardens under its care. The facility also serves as a space to interpret the role that an extensive workforce of gardeners and horticulturists—Black, White, enslaved, and free—played in shaping this site for over 200 years. Their stories and the physical evolution of the site are conveyed to visitors through a collection of twenty-five wayside interpretive signs that complement interior signage in the mansion, all of which feature historic illustrations, photographs, and maps of the property. 60

NEW CONSTRUCTION OF HISTORIC STRUCTURES Beyond Bergholz’s documentation to the estate’s original greenhouse, both 19th- and 20th-century descriptions of the structure include:

Camille C. Drie’s 1872 birds eye map of Columbia that illustrates the building standing in the northwest corner of the tract. Author E.T.H. Schaffer’s writing in 1937 that descried the property as having “a large greenhouse, for roses and other flowers, built against the south wall of the house.” William G. Haynes, Jr.’s 1941 sketch of the gardens that outlined the foundation of the by then-destroyed structure.

With a frustrating dearth of photographic evidence of the estate’s original glasshouse to guide them, architects with Lambert Architecture + Construction Services worked with members of Historic Columbia’s Cultural Resources Department to arrive at the most probable design of the historic structure based on the composition and appearance of other similar 19thcentury buildings. Plans for the new building mimicked known attributes of the Hampton-Preston family’s unique garden amenity. Like the estate’s original glasshouse, its modern successor features a threequarter span glasshouse that runs the entire length of the structure and includes a production greenhouse, a central orientation lobby, and an interpretive greenhouse. The production greenhouse will serve as the central propagation facility for the grounds department and will only be open to the public for special programs. The orientation lobby will serve as a space for interpretive signage about both the current and historical workings 61

College for Women Students, southwest corner of Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens, 1890. Historic Columbia collection.

of the garden and greenhouse and will be open to the public during the hours that the garden is open. The interpretive greenhouse will host a variety of plants propagated in the original structure with accompanying informational signage. Set within large pots, these plantings can be moved about the space to accommodate logistics involved in various programs and space uses. The facility will also be a “one-stop shop” for Historic Columbia’s grounds department, also housing offices for the Director of Grounds, the Horticulturalist, and the Head Gardener, in addition to storage for materials, tool, and machinery. A GATEWAY INTO A PASTORAL RETREAT For decades, visitors to the urban estate could access its heavily developed gardens via an octagonal gatehouse, a once common rustic timber-framed landscape structure that was contiguous to the property’s western wall. With ample visual documentation at their disposal, project architects arrived at a very respectful interpretation of the feature to be custom rendered in powder-coated aluminum replicated for durability. The site’s new octagonal structure, a contemporary creation fabricated by Chris Stuyck, provides material continuity with a gazebo by the same local artisan that is the centerpiece

of a children’s garden occupying the southeast portion of the site. SITE HISTORY AND INTERPRETATION Owned by Richland County and managed by Historic Columbia, the Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens is an historic site most often associated with the socially and politically influential antebellum planter-class families from which it draws its name. During their time at the urban estate [1823–1873], the property became renowned for its extensive native and exotic plantings that filled most of the city square, or fouracre tract, on which the main house still stands today. This horticultural excellence was only made possible through the forced labor of Black people enslaved at this site, and from the wealth generated by hundreds of other enslaved people of color who worked on plantations in South Carolina and Louisiana. Wayside signage throughout the property, installed in 2018, outlines these people’s work conditions, tasks, and the outbuildings in which they lived. Collaborating with various cultural partners, Historic Columbia plans to install physical representations of and a memorial to these individuals, both named and unnamed, in the future. 62

Greenhouse, Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens, March 2022. Courtesy of Cohn Corporation by Todd Lista with Park Avenue Photography.

Guerrilla Marketing: The MAX’s Make Your Mark Campaign Mark Tullos (President/CEO) and Kasey Mosley (Youth Educator), Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX), Meridian, Mississippi

All museums have been struggling to rebound from the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Certainly, one of the most significant losses over the past two years has been the absence of children’s voices in our galleries. One strategy that the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) has launched is our “Make your Mark” campaign. This internal effort has proven to be an effective way to reach teachers and school counselors where the real decisions about field trips take root. We conducted this campaign in February of 2020 and saw our field trip calendar populated to capacity. Those bookings fell away due to coronavirus closings and restrictions. We relaunched the campaign in March 2022 to welcome schools back to our museum. We created printed collateral including a letter of invitation (authored by a significant artist, in our case, it was Cheryl Henson from the Jim Henson Foundation), a flyer illustrating the field trip experience, and a door

hanger advertising our free teacher admission policy. We identified public and private schools, as well as homeschool co-ops, in a five-county region for our campaign. We acquired data on the number of teachers at each school and prepared bundles of collateral for each school. On the week of the campaign, each museum staff member signed up to visit particular schools and districts. We rented a car to be used for the week and staff members reserved the car to make deliveries in a way that fit their schedule. We encouraged staff members to go in teams of two. Everyone participated, including our Museum President! Here is an example of our Make Your Mark Campaign instructions: • Call the school the day before you go to let them know you will be coming and approximately what time you should arrive. Ask about their visitor policies 65

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and verify where you will need to enter. Please wear a mask, as that is our MAX employee policy. Ask to speak to the counselor. Counselors are usually the ones who have their fingers on the pulse of the students’ and teachers’ needs. If one is not available, a principal, assistant principal, another administrator, or even the school secretary will suffice. Introduce yourself and explain that you are from The MAX and ask if they know about us. If not, briefly explain and invite them for a visit! Make sure you include that educators get free admission with their teacher IDs. Tell them that the Make Your Mark Campaign is designed to let the schools know what we have to offer here for their students. Then, talk up field trips! Give them: • A packet of door hangers and ask to have someone at the school (student worker, for example) put them on classroom doors

• A packet with envelopes with various information to distribute to teachers (either in their classrooms via student workers or in their boxes in the staff room) • Ask if they have any questions. Answer them as best you can. Give them our scheduler’s business card in case they have further questions. • Thank them for their time and head to the next place! In this challenging time, we all need big wins not only for meeting mission but for staff and stakeholder morale. The Make Your Mark campaign is not only an effective direct marketing tactic but it left our staff feeling united and with a sense of real accomplishment. When the school buses pull up, we cannot help but think, “We did this together!”

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Operationalizing a Nonprofit Strategic Plan Eric Moraczewski, CEO of NMBL Strategies, SEMC Business Associate Member

How does one operationalize a strategic plan? NMBL Strategies offers the following key considerations when it comes to operationalizing specifically for a nonprofit. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN Valuable time, money, and resources are needed to operationalize a strategic plan. Make sure they are

properly allocated at all levels and that every group within the nonprofit organization understands their role within the plan. Providing necessary tools to make the organization’s team successful is critical from the outset. For example, if one part of the team is anticipated to double membership over the next five years, be prepared to include budgets and staff time for mailings, speaking engagements, salons, events, etc. 67

One opportunity that unfortunately often gets overlooked is engaging the Board during the process of operationalizing the plan. The Board’s focus is rightly on their fiduciary and governance duties; however, also include in each Board Member’s annual overview that they will be responsible for assisting with operationalization needs in addition to fiduciary and governance duties. If the Strategic Plan identifies a Finance & Endowment Policy and in turn, the CFO/ Director of Finance is charged with developing it, be sure to actively engage the Board Finance Committee or Fundraising Committee for input, insights, and referrals to develop the right policy. ASK FOR HELP Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of self-awareness; however, it can also be one of the hardest things for which to ask. As a part of the planning process, it is good to acknowledge strengths and weaknesses. For example, if an organization plans to run a capital campaign, but has no development staff or anyone to run said campaign, engaging the right partner to lead them through the process will be the difference between success and failure. Whether an organization identifies the need for help from a consultant or another staff member or board member, early identification means not having to backtrack. This also allows the responsible party to stay on schedule and means opportunities for future collaboration and cross-training. By seeing assistance as an opportunity, not a weakness, the organization is set up for a stronger, more collaborative future. DEVELOP CHECK POINTS When setting out on a long road trip, one does not just look at the map and say, here is where to leave from and here is where to go. One plots out where to stop for gas, eat or stay for the night on the journey. Checkpoints in operationalizing a plan work much the same way. Using the aforementioned example of doubling membership,

an organization might consider the following steps. The organization might look at hiring a mail house, enlisting a designer for a direct mail campaign, looking at the frequency of mailings, determining the content in each mailing, targeting the mailing audience, utilizing tracking on response and data, and using that information to inform future mailings. Each step in this process is a checkpoint to plan for and know of ahead of time. The same holds true for each step in operationalizing a strategic plan. Be honest, fair, and hold the team accountable, but also recognize that the only constant is change. FOLLOW UP AT ALL LEVELS All levels of the organization need to keep operationalization of the strategic plan at the forefront of their work. The Board of Directors cannot simply say — strategy is our role and operations is the role of the staff. They need to hold the team accountable by regular check-ins and likely some form of a dashboard. The staff cannot say — I am not a part of this piece of the plan, so therefore I will be disengaged with other aspects of the work. Instead, everyone needs to work as a team to seamlessly execute the best possible outcome. For example, it might be easy for the team to say membership is only part of Development/Fundraising; however, in all actuality, strong programs and marketing are equally critical to membership and, thus Programs/ Operations team and Marketing/Communications team need to be actively involved. Finally, engaged clients, donors, and partners are essential to a good strategic plan. Keeping them engaged and updated ensures their buy-in and acknowledgment of their value to your organization. Whether an organization is looking to develop a strategic plan or wants to complete one in progress, NMBL Strategies has considerable experience operationalizing Strategic Plans, including their most recent work with America’s Black Holocaust Museum.

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The George Washington University Graduate Certificate in Collections Management and Care: Is it Right for You? Madeline Calise, Registrar and Collections Specialist, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Melbourne, Florida

What do you do when you luck your way into the museum world and find that your position, or the position you would like to have, requires some skills you have not yet acquired? Maybe you got your undergraduate degree in something different. Maybe you changed from a previous career. Maybe you got your degree in museum studies thirty years ago and now need a refresher or courses specifically in collections care. Maybe your institution has asked you to put on yet another hat. What do you do? You probably become an expert on training resources. You watch free webinars on YouTube, Google workshops, conferences, affiliation certificates, and contemplate a first or second MA in art history, public history, museum studies, or historic preservation. Maybe you just wanted to learn a little more about Integrated Pest Management because you found a mysterious roach on the floor, and it somehow led you down a rabbit hole of conservation degrees. Before getting overwhelmed, know that you have options. I cannot tell you which program to choose, but I can tell you what I did when I found myself in a collections management and registration role. I got a Graduate Certificate in Collections Management and Care from George Washington University. 71

I started the program when I no longer had a general museum position where I was working with social media and guest relations and was now focused on collections care. For me, a full museum studies MA (which GW also has) did not make sense. I had a current role for which I needed a more immediate and specific knowledge base. Ask yourself what do I need and want to know? You might need the whole kit and caboodle of the museum field. When researching, it was hard to find certificate programs that did not require you to be in a full-time MA program. Most collections care or other specialized certificates appeared to be concentrations. GW’s program is its own, stand-alone certificate. I was not in a graduate program, and never had been. A professional development program like this one was ideal. To my surprise, we did learn about funding and social media and events and such throughout the program, but specifically from a collections angle, which was more relevant. If your first thought is finances, let me assure you, mine was too. Before getting chased off by tuition costs, take a serious look at scholarships and other funding, not just initially but as you go through the program. You might be surprised by what becomes available. Apply for financial aid and weigh your options. You know your own financial situation, just do not give up the whole endeavor before investigating further, for this course or for any professional development opportunity. You might be weighing self-study versus enrollment. What I found was that webinars, forums, and online resources were great, but personally, it only got me so far. There is value in the structure of a class, the availability of professors, and discussion with classmates from different parts of the world. My classmates were people like me, working in museums with a desire to learn more about how we could improve our collections. We were studying the same concepts, but they had a different relevance to us based on our geography, type of institution, and scope of collections. It was fascinating to learn how my classmates applied the coursework to their facilities. The fact is, some classroom best practices are not practical in every scenario. It is interesting to see how different institutions apply what they can with what they have.

The best thing about this program is that it is designed for people working or volunteering in a museum during the program. What you learn in the course is valuable to your current position. I was able to do a risk assessment which would have been lower on my work queue if not for it being a final project for the class. It pushed me to get to some of those ‘you know we really should have a,” or “if we have time, it would be nice to get to” projects that are always lying around collections and exhibit spaces. The full twelve credits are online, which is great: no quitting your coveted job and moving across the county. In 2020 when I was in the middle of the program, nearly all university classes went online. Lucky for us, our syllabus was not affected, aside from the fact that we then had to do some of our experiments at home, like dust monitors. We could never unsee what we saw on those little black strips. I for one have not stopped vacuuming. Fortunately, assignments can be modified if you do not have full access to everything. Some of my classmates worked in other departments and wanted to move into collections. Some of us were furloughed, let go, or otherwise lost access to our institutions during the pandemic. If we could not gain access to certain documents, there was always a way to make an assignment happen, even if it was doing a condition report for an item in our own home or looking at facilities reports from other institutions. The same processes applied, and we were able to get the full lesson out of it. If you have never taken an online course before, I would say that the discussions mimic an in-class discussion very well and the platform is easy to navigate. You also might want to go this route if you need motivation. I like museum practice books, but I need some motivation to get through a whole textbook in my spare time. It is the same reason most people sign up for marathons instead of just running 26.2 miles around the neighborhood. You can’t ask all of the questions you need to fully grasp the concepts. With an official course, you have guaranteed feedback from experts, you have clarification on assignments, and you have built-in accountability. It would be wrong for me to not acknowledge that name recognition and credibility is a part of selecting

a school and program. It can be a factor for your resume, job hunt, or salary negotiations. The Museum Studies department at George Washington University is well established and there is a wide alumni network. Education is a large investment and a very personal choice. You know best what is valuable to you from a degree program. I know, going back to school as an adult with a job and everything else you’ve got going on can feel next to impossible. But honestly, this course really helped me with my position and with feeling connected to my colleagues. I got to focus on and prioritize a specific skill set for over a year. I would not even know about SEMC if it had not been for my professor. My advice — go as far and learn as much as you have in you, if you want to. In doing research for this article, I found over two dozen online programs in the US, some MA’s, others professional programs. For me, someone looking to expand my knowledge of registration and collections management care, this course was the perfect fit. I hope you find yours.

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A SPECIAL THANKS SEMC Endowment Contributions Many thanks to our endowment contributors (new contributions in bold) for investing in the future of SEMC! When you are thinking of honoring or remembering someone, please consider a contribution to the SEMC endowment. For more information, contact Executive Director Zinnia Willits at 404.814.2048 or zwillits@ semcdirect.net. David Butler Graig Shaak Heather Marie Wells

THE PAST PRESIDENTS CIRCLE Members of the Past Presidents Circle contribute $150 annually for at least two years to the endowment fund: George Bassi Sharon Bennett David Butler Charles “Tom” Butler Tamra Sindler Carboni Micheal A. Hudson Darcie MacMahon Douglas Noble

Robert Rathburn Graig D. Shaak Robert Sullivan Kristen Miller Zohn

THE WILLIAM T. AND SYLVIA F. ALDERSON ENDOWMENT FELLOWS Thirty members of SEMC have made commitments of distinction as Alderson Fellows. Their investment of at least $1,000 each is a significant leadership gift, reflective of a personal commitment to the professional association that has meant so much to each of them. Platinum Alderson Fellows (minimum $5,000) Sylvia F. Alderson Bob Rathburn Graig D. Shaak Nancy & Robert Sullivan Medallion Alderson Fellows (minimum $2,500) George Bassi Sharon Bennett David Butler Tamra Sindler Carboni William U. Eiland Martha Battle Jackson Pamela Meister Richard Waterhouse

Zinnia Willits and David Butler, at the Hunter, Chattanooga, SEMC 2021, courtesy of Michael Lachowski

Our Current Alderson Fellows (minimum $1,000) T. Patrick Brennan Michael Brothers W. James Burns Matthew Davis Horace Harmon Brian Hicks Pamela Hisey Micheal Hudson Kathleen Hutton Rick Jackson Andrew Ladis John Lancaster Elise LeCompte Allyn Lord Michael Anne Lynn R. Andrew Maass Darcie MacMahon Susan Perry Robin Seage Person Allison Reid Steve Rucker Michael Scott Warren Heather Marie Wells Kristen Miller Zohn

Other SEMC Contributions ANNUAL MEETING 10-31 Inc. Bonsai Fine Art Case Antiques Auctions and Appraisals Chattanooga Tourism Company Collector Systems Conserv Sarah Drury Erco Lighting Exhibit Concepts DeWitt Stern Group Mary Miller Monadnock Media National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships OTJ Architects

Our Fundraising Search Riggs Ward Design Sharla Robertson TimeLooper Warner Museums Michael Warren William G. Pomeroy Foundation Blair Wunderlich

GENERAL OPERATING Matthew Davis William Eiland R. Andrew Maass Katy Menne Michelle Schulte Marianne Richter Michael Scott Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation Institute of Museum and Library Services

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MARTHA BATTLE JACKSON JIMI FUND Lauren Virgo Michael Warren Heather Marie Wells

LAPAGLIA FUND Carolyn Reams

LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE Robin Reed Michael Warren Heather Marie Wells Association of African American Museums

SEMC Active Memberships SEMC thanks all our active members, including those who have recently joined (in bold). Without your support and participation, we could not provide region-wide services such as our awards, and scholarship programs, as well as our outstanding Annual Meeting and nationally acclaimed Jekyll Island Management Institute. If you are an individual member and your museum is not an institutional member, please encourage them to join. For information on memberships and benefits visit visit semcdirect.net, email Smemberservices@semcdirect.net, or call 404.814.2047. For your convenience, the last page of this newsletter is a membership application.

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INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS (Category 1: $50 ) 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky Altama Museum, Vidalia, Georgia Apopka Historical Society, Apopka, Florida Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida Arkansas National Guard Museum, North Little Rock, Arkansas Arlington Historic Houses, Birmingham, Alabama Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, Florida Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia, Dalton, Georgia Caldwell Heritage Museum, Lenoir, North Carolina Calico Rock Community Foundation, Calico Rock, Arkansas Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, North Carolina Carnegie Center for Art and History, New Albany, Indiana Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

Clemson University’s Bob Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson, South Carolina Curtiss Mansion, Inc., Miami, Florida Daura Gallery - University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Virginia Department of Historic Museums, Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia Drayton Hall, Charleston, South Carolina Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, Florida Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia Florida CraftArt, St. Petersburg, Florida Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, Florida Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana Friends of Cassidy Park Museums, Bogalusa, Louisiana Funk Heritage Center of Reinhardt University, Waleska, Georgia Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina

Historic Augusta, Inc., Augusta, Georgia Historic Dumfries Virginia & The Weems-Botts Museum, Dumfries, Virginia HistoryMiami, Miami, Florida International Towing & Recovery Museum, Chattanooga, Tennessee KMAC Museum, Louisville, Kentucky Kentucky Native American Heritage Museum, Inc, Corbin, Kentucky Lam Museum of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida Maier Museum of Art, Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, J acksonville, Florida Marine Corps Museum Parris Island, Parris Island, South Carolina Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, Louisiana 90

Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Inc., Meridian, Mississippi Museum of Design Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia Museum of Durham History, Durham, North Carolina Museum of the Southeast American Indian, Pembroke, North Carolina Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA), Atlanta, Georgia Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Brookneal, Virginia Reuel B. Pritchett Museum Collection, Bridgewater, Virginia Savannah River Site Museum, Aiken, South Carolina SC Confederate Relic Room & Museum, Columbia, South Carolina South Boston - Halifax County Museum of Fine Arts and History, South Boston, Virginia Swannanoa Valley Museum, Black Mountain, North Carolina The Museum, Greenwood, South Carolina

The Anna Lamar Switzer Center for the Visual Arts, Pensacola State College, Pensacola, Florida The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, Florida The Parthenon, Nashville, Tennessee The Ralph Foster Museum, Point Lookout, Missouri The Weems-Botts Museum, Dumfries, Virginia Union County Heritage Museum, New Albany, Mississippi University of South Alabama Archaeology Museum, Mobile, Alabama Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, North Carolina Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Kentucky (Category 2: $150 ) Adsmore Museum, Princeton, Kentucky A. E. Backus Museum & Gallery, Fort Pierce, Florida African American Military History Museum, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

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Hilliard Art Museum University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana Historic Clayborn Temple, Memphis, Tennessee Historic Natchez Foundation, Natchez, Mississippi Historic Paris Bourbon County Hopewell Museum, Paris, Kentucky Historic Rosedale Plantation, Charlotte, North Carolina International Museum of the Horse, Lexington, Kentucky Kennesaw State University – Museums, Archives, Kennesaw, Georgia Kentucky Department of Parks, Frankfort, Kentucky LaGrange Art Museum, LaGrange, Georgia Lake Wales History Museum, Lake Wales, Florida Marietta Museum of History, Marietta, Georgia Matheson History Museum, Gainesville, Florida Memorial Hall Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, Florida Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland, South Carolina Mosaic Templars Cultural, Little Rock, Arkansas 92

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state news

Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. Courtesy of Ryan Ketterman.

FLORIDA The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens in Jacksonville, FL is currently commemorating its 60th anniversary with a number of new exhibitions, staff members, initiatives, and celebrations. Since its opening in 1961, the museum’s permanent collection has grown from 60 objects bequeathed by its visionary founder Ninah Cummer to more than 5,000 objects. The museum’s new exhibition Revolve: Spotlight on the Permanent Collection puts the collection in conversation with exciting loans from global contemporary artists including Tiffany Chung, Titus Kaphar, Amy Sherald, Yeesookyoung, Lalla Essaydi, and Calida Garcia Rawles. Even though they span generations, the works explore the evolution of

technique, allegory, and perspective on the natural world. It is now open and runs through November 13, 2022. This year, the Cummer Museum has also partnered with the Bold City Chapter of The Links, Inc. and Tiger Academy, an elementary school operated by First Coast YMCA. For the fifth-grade students of Tiger Academy, this program introduces them to multiple artistic disciplines, the creativity, and journeys of Jacksonvillebased art entrepreneurs, how to channel their inner talents and muses when considering their own eventual career paths, and healthy ways to express themselves. Early 2022 has seen the students taking what they have learned from the previous semester’s experiences with the Museum into the classroom as they work with their art teacher to create unique artworks around current themes such as identity, post-pandemic life, and social 100

unrest. With the help of their teachers and museum partners, students have been exploring these themes in a safe, creative, and fun way. Thanks to a generous lead gift, 2022 also brings the $2 Million Dollar Challenge to the Cummer Museum as another way to celebrate the diamond anniversary. Every unrestricted gift received by the museum will be matched dollar for dollar. After a challenging two years for the museum due to lost revenue from the pandemic, this campaign will help fund dynamic new exhibitions and provide support across all departments, reinforcing our commitment to delivering the highest quality programs, events, and experiences.

Florida Museum of Natural History visitors can take a unique look behind the scenes, interact with scientists while they work and explore some of the museum’s coolest specimens in the “Science Up Close: Fantastic Fossils” exhibit. Come face-to-face with giant dinosaur skeletons, beautiful botanical fossils and ancient microscopic life. Watch museum curators, volunteers and students work on projects in a live lab like cleaning and rebuilding fossils and creating digital reconstructions. Researchers will join virtually from dig sites and collections to talk with guests, while touchable objects and interactive technology offer an engaging experience for all ages.

The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College announced plans for a $6 million expansion and renovation of the museum. The expansion will add more than 10,000 sq. ft. of gallery, classroom, and art laboratory space, more than tripling the museum’s main gallery space. Construction on the new addition is expected to begin late this year, with a projected completion in the spring of 2024. “We are elated to build upon the legacy of this impressive museum of fine arts and, through the affiliation of FSC and the museum, now pursue an expanded agenda to offer exhibitions of our treasured permanent collection and welcome an increasing number of visiting exhibitions from the great museums of the world,” said Dr. Anne B. Kerr, president of Florida Southern College and member of the PMoA Board of Directors. “We are proud to be a Smithsonian

Digging into fossils at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

Affiliate Museum, and this expansion will also enable additional exhibits from the Smithsonian to be shared with our community and students. This expansion of the museum will result in a dynamic arts venue that will greatly enrich the cultural offerings in our community.” The two-story addition will be located on the northwest side of the present building. The sleek design of the expansion will modernize the museum’s current façade and will add more than 10,000 square feet to the existing 1988 building. The expansion will include much needed new multi-functional exhibition and educational spaces, including galleries to feature artwork from the museum’s large permanent collection from around the globe. “We continue to build upon a tremendous legacy here at the Polk Museum of Art,” said Lynda Buck, board chair of the Polk Museum of Art. “These transformational gifts now allow us to make the community’s vision for the PMoA a reality, as we realize the museum’s enduring mission to enhance lives through inspirational and engaging art experiences for all, from the very young to centenarians. This expansion sets the stage for the museum’s status as a world-class academic museum, a community institution that serves students and our citizens.” Along with the modern expansion, plans also include renovating the museum’s current entrance, replacing flooring throughout the first floor, and updating the second floor galleries, classrooms, and office spaces. These additional changes will also allow the museum to expand its current collections storage, which houses 2,800 works, as well as create flexible study, archival, and classroom spaces. 101

Rendering of expansion at the Polk Museum of Art.

“Since the affiliation between the museum and Florida Southern in 2017, the Museum has aspired to become a top-tier academic and community museum for learners of all ages,” said Dr. H. Alexander Rich, executive director and chief curator of the Museum and chair of Florida Southern College’s Department of Art History and Museum Studies, housed in the museum. “Now with this exciting expansion, our whole community will benefit. The new spaces will showcase art from across time and cultures, and the museum can continue to grow as an innovative site for learning for its entire artloving community, including our students.” In addition to his museum responsibilities, Dr. Rich leads FSC’s Art History and Museum Studies program, one of the only higher education programs operated from a museum, providing college students the opportunity for engaged learning with internships and hands-on learning. With the new changes, the Polk Museum of Art and Florida Southern College continue their trajectory toward becoming home to one of the nation’s leading

academic fine art museums and scholarly centers for the study of the arts and visual culture. The expansion will provide additional hands-on experiences for students, including internships, volunteer opportunities, and preprofessional development programs.

GEORGIA The Andrew Low House Museum partnered with the Davenport House Museum, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, and Historic Savannah Foundation to host the “Pioneers in Preservation Series; The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Its Legacy,” The series was held November 2021, and led by Honorary Chair Carol Bell, former Mayor Pro Tem. The Pioneers in Preservation was funded by The ACE Grant community program and Georgia Humanities. It was a free, multi-day series of events that familiarize the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry communities with the

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history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its legacy. Each day during the event a new program was hosted at a partnering museum site to provide a unique and engaging experience for attendees. “We had a wonderful and engaging lineup for our guests. We wanted our visitors to thoroughly enjoy learning the history behind the City of Savannah. Some of the history is tragic and heartbreaking, some is remarkable and uplifting – but it all went into making our city what it is today. “We hoped to tell the full story in a truthful and reverent way,” HSF Education and Research Associate Kimberly Newbold said. “Working with partner museums made it possible to do a series of programs that one museum could not have done alone. We are grateful for the collaboration of the Davenport House Museum, Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum,

the Andrew Low House Museum, and everyone who supports HSF’s efforts to preserve Savannah’s heritage.” Rebecca Eddins, Andrew Low House Museum Executive Director, said. “This collaborative effort between our three respective museums represents a meaningful and lasting partnership. We are able to pool our resources and provide visitors with an engaging experience of this important topic.”

Located just five miles south of Alpine Helen in White County, Georgia, the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia was founded in 2006 with the purpose of showcasing the handcraft skills of one of the South’s premier grassroots art forms. The museum’s exhibit space explores the historical importance and

Folk Pottery Museum Director poses with newly inducted Trustees. From L to R: Meghan Gerig, Garrison Baker, Charlie Thomas, and Steve Winter.

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changing role of folk pottery in southern life. It is the premier museum of its kind in the Southeast. The institution has seen some exciting changes in the past few months. Aiming to be more inclusive and better serve the community, the museum’s Board of Trustees voted to remove entrance fees to the museum. Instead of charging admission, the museum is now accepting donations. The museum has been experimenting with other ways to fundraise. “Not only does removing the admission fee make the museum more accessible, but it also gives our staff more time to focus on larger fundraising projects that keep donors engaged and involved” says Meghan Gerig, director of the Folk Pottery Museum. “We look forward to working with other institutions to brainstorm more fundraising projects.” Most recently, the museum held a silent auction that included 18 pieces of regional folk pottery which brought in just over $3,000. The auction included pieces donated by local folk potters such as Roger Corn, Mike Craven, and Stanley Ferguson. The selected pieces varied, ranging from figural animals to utilitarian pots and jugs. The museum previously operated under the Collections Committee, a group of volunteers with connections to folk pottery and an interest in the museum. With the new year, the committee changed its named to the Folk Pottery Museum Board of Trustees. Although the responsibilities of the group will not change, the group anticipates this name change will more clearly define the role of its members. Stewart and Chris Swanson, sons of founding donors Dean and Kay Swanson, were recently elected co-chairs of the Trustees. In addition to these changes, the Folk Pottery Museum Board of Trustees welcomed three new members during their Celebrating Folk Pottery reception held on February 11. “I am honored to play a part in the Folk Pottery Museum at SNCA,” says Dr. Steve Winter, a retired reverend, and active White County community member. “I look forward to helping share the rich tradition of folk pottery and the stories of local potters who have, literally and figuratively, molded this region for generations.”

Temporary exhibits are still coming along at the museum. In early April, the Folk Pottery Museum will present the second installment of the Women in Folk pottery series: “The Men Won’t Tell Us Anything”: Women of Georgia Folk Pottery (Born 1950s- today). The exhibit will include 9 women who were either born into folk pottery families or learned the trade through apprenticeships. For more information about the museum, please visit folkpotterymuseum.com or call 706-878-3300. The Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia is a property of the Sautee Nacoochee Community Association, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Events at the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia are supported, in part, by the Swanson Family Foundation. To learn more, visit www.snca.org.

Museums and scholars revisit the story of American modernism regularly, but few exhibitions have examined modernist works on paper. “Graphic Eloquence: American Modernism on Paper from the Collection of Michael T. Ricker,” on view from March 5 to September 4, 2022, at the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, hopes to change that conversation. The exhibition includes approximately 150 works by 70 artists, both well-known and overlooked, and will be accompanied by a catalogue published by the museum. Modernism reflected global shifts in thought and expression, partially because of the industrial revolution. The Armory Show of 1913, which opened in New York, is generally accepted as the starting point of American modernism. Although few American artists exhibited work there, its influence was wide-reaching, and artists who saw the show soon began experimenting with abstract form and new subject matter in response. “Graphic Eloquence” aims to show the ways modernist experimentation played out through printmaking and other paper-based media, as artists invented new technologies and reinvented old ones. The exhibition includes examples of works in casein, cellocut, charcoal, collage, collagraphy, colored pencil, conté, encaustic (gesso-wax), gouache, graphite, ink, intaglio, lithography, mezzotint, monotype, oil, serigraphy, silverpoint, tempera, watercolor, woodcut, and wood 104

From the Georgia Museum of Art’s exhibition Graphic Eloquence: American Modernism on Paper from the Collection of Michael T. Ricker: Maybelle Stamper (American, 1907–1995), Song a - Float, 1951. Color lithograph with hand additions, ed. various, 9 1/16 × 7 13/16 inches. Promised gift of Michael T. Ricker.

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From the High Museum of Art’s exhibition What is Left Unspoken, Love: Rina Banerjee’s Take me, take me, take me . . . to the Palace of Love. Courtesy of the artist.

engraving. Its artists range similarly across the United States, including particularly strong examples by Texas artists from the Fort Worth Circle, proving once again that modernism was not purely an East Coast phenomenon. Many of the works featured in the exhibition are part of a gift to the museum. Curator of American art Jeffrey Richmond-Moll said, “We are grateful to Michael Ricker for generously gifting these diverse expressions of the American modernist spirit to the museum. Works on paper are a longstanding strength of our museum, and Ricker’s donation will decisively deepen the stories we tell about this medium and the evolution of American abstraction across broader geographies and artistic networks.”

This spring, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta presents an exhibition featuring contemporary artworks

from the early 1990s through the present that examine the different ways that one of the most powerful forces of life — love — is understood, expressed or perhaps left unspoken. On view now through Aug. 14, 2022, What Is Left Unspoken, Love juxtaposes iconic works that represent watershed moments in the history of contemporary art, such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s ‘Untitled’ (Perfect Lovers) (1987-1990), with art of the past decade, including six works created especially for the exhibition, such as Our Love Was Deeply Purple (2021) by Alanna Fields. The exhibition considers love as a profound subject of exploration from time immemorial that is nonetheless still relevant to the contingencies of 21st-century life. “Recognizing that division and separation are prevalent in our current moment, it is only fitting to mount an exhibition focused on love: a universal theme that ultimately underscores what binds and strengthens us all,” said Rand Suffolk, the High’s Nancy and 106

Holcombe T. Green, Jr., director. “We hope that it will remind audiences of the common thread that brings us together as families, friends, and as a community.” Works on view explore concepts of love from the most intimate of relationships between two people, through the ties that bind family and friends, to social movements that promote the worth and well-being of community. At its most epic, the exhibition deals with the family of humankind and its connection with the natural world, as well as the pursuit of wisdom or love of knowledge, while promoting the notion that love is worth analyzing at this moment, particularly as an agent of change and a force for good. “Where I grew up, love is an embarrassing feeling that is often left as an understanding but not given voice,” said the High’s Wieland Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Michael Rooks. “For many people, to say ‘I love you’ can be debilitating, so, a goal of the exhibition is to consider how love might be an empowering experience rather than an exercise in futility, something tangible rather than an illusion, or a moral virtue rather than an emotional weakness.” What Is Left Unspoken, Love features nearly 70 works, including painting, sculpture, photography, video,

media art and installation, by more than 35 diverse and multigenerational artists based in North America, Europe and Asia. These artists include Ghada Amer, Rina Banerjee, Thomas Barger, Patty Chang, Susanna Coffey, James Drake, Keith Edmier and Farrah Fawcett, Alanna Fields, Dara Friedman, Andrea Galvani, General Idea, Jeffrey Gibson, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Kahlil Robert Irving, Tomashi Jackson, María de los Angeles Rodríguez Jiménez, Rashid Johnson, Jana Vander Lee, Gerald Lovell, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Kerry James Marshall, Felicita Felli Maynard, Wangechi Mutu, Ebony G. Patterson, Paul Pfeiffer, Magnus Plessen, Gabriel Rico, Dario Robleto, RongRong&inri, Michelle Stuart, Vivian Suter, Carrie Mae Weems and Akram Zaatari.

An African American outsider artist kidnapped into a life at sea is the center of a new, landmark exhibition at the South’s oldest public art museum. The Art of William O. Golding: Hard Knocks, Hardships, and Lots of Experience opens April 1 at the Jepson Center for the Arts, part of Telfair Museums, in the heart of Savannah, Georgia’s historic district. Golding, the African American son of a Reconstruction Georgia lawmaker, was tricked aboard a sailing vessel as a youth while playing on Savannah’s riverfront in the 1880s. He spent nearly 50 years circling the globe on a

Catalogue cover for the Jepson Center’s exhibition The Art of William O. Golding.

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variety of sailing and steam ships before returning to the U.S. Marine Hospital in Savannah, where he spent his final years illustrating his experiences from memory in fantastical, detailed scenes of the ports he claimed to have visited throughout his life, from China to the horn of South America. This original exhibition, the largest ever presented of Golding’s work and organized by Telfair curator Harry DeLorme, brings together more than 70 of his drawings for the first time. “Golding’s story is both an exciting and poignant seagoing tale,” DeLorme said. “His life intersected with major events in world history, and he left his mark in drawings that are chock full of creative invention, personal symbolism, and sailor’s lore. His work reflects his pride of service as a Black seaman in the U.S. Navy during times of war, and he deserves a much larger place in the history of American art.” Golding’s drawings are held in major collections throughout the United States, including at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the American Folk Art Museum in New York, the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, and the Morris Museum of Art in Augusta. In its permanent collection, Telfair holds 23—almost one-fifth—of the 130 drawings he is thought to have produced in his lifetime. Golding claimed to have worked aboard “all kinds of ships, from a whaler to a man o’ war,” and his subjects include whalers and warships, as well as merchant vessels and luxury steam yachts of his day, and famous earlier ships from the Age of Sail. His work is idiosyncratic and full of detail, particularly his port scenes filled with waterfront bars and sailors’ boarding houses, churches, civic buildings, and tiny, expressive human figures. His work combines sailors’ lore, fact, fantasy, and personal symbols, including a distinctive sun that resembles a compass rose. Although Golding had no formal training, late in his life he worked with the materials he had at hand: pencils, crayons, and paper from local dimestores provided by an artist named Margaret Stiles, who volunteered at the U.S. marine hospital and helped the artist sell his work. Golding never attracted the attention paid to a few other artists of the African American south active in the 1930s and ‘40s, such as Bill Traylor and William Edmondson. Largely forgotten for decades after his

death in 1943, Golding’s work was covered in a national art magazine, Art in America, in 1970 and appeared in several exhibitions and folk art survey books. His work is still little known and long overdue for reassessment, both for aesthetic and historical reasons. The Art of William O. Golding: Hard Knocks, Hardships, and Lots of Experience is funded by a special grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and accompanied by a substantial catalogue, with new research that has yielded surprising details about the artist’s life and work.

It took chutzpah to launch Georgia’s only Jewish museum 25 years ago, so it is only fitting that the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum marks its silver anniversary with the appropriately titled exhibition History with Chutzpah. The exhibition presents an artifact-rich and interactive immersion into the colorful history of Jewish culture in Georgia and Alabama that serves as the foundation of Jewish life in the Southeast today. History with Chutzpah is “driven by stories,” co-curator Sandra Berman said, illustrated and enhanced by more than 300 objects, documents, photographs, and oral histories. It will give voice to many people—past and present—whose experiences, achievements and perspectives are reflected in The Breman’s deep archival collections.

Co-curator Jane Leavey giving tour at the Breman Jewish Heritage Museum.

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The exhibit draws strongly from the Ida Pearle and Joseph Cuba Archives for Southern Jewish History. Seeded by a gift from Atlantan Erwin Zaban in 1984, the archive has grown to be one of the country’s most respected repositories documenting Jewish life. Berman was the archivist who began organizing and building the archive for the Jewish Federation of Atlanta even before a Jewish museum was on the drawing board. Her Chutzpah co-curator Jane Leavey was the museum’s founding director who got it there. Breman Museum Executive Director Leslie Gordon knew that they were the perfect dynamic duo to organize a 25th anniversary exhibit about those who have helped shaped Jewish life in Georgia and Alabama from 1733 to today. enhancing communities in both states. “Museums are important because without them, without archives, people can be forgotten,” Gordon said. “Jane and Sandy were insistent even before the founding of the Breman Museum that these stories be captured and treated with respect, for the insights and lessons that they would provide in the future. Now with History with Chutzpah important chapters of our past come alive once again.” So, what is this “chutzpah” that serves as the exhibit’s connecting thread? Chutzpah is a Yiddish word that describes a person boasting a character that is bold, audacious, gutsy. People with chutzpah, also derived from the Hebrew word huspah, do not lack self-confidence or nerve. The word originally carried a connotation that leaned toward the negative. But in English, it has taken on a broader, more positive meaning, emphasizing an individual’s courage, mettle, or ardor. It is those latter meanings that History with Chutzpah embraces. The exhibit is expected to remain on view for at least three years.

LOUISIANA Recordings preserve information. This can include an idea, a sound, a moment in time—the important outcome remains the same: the record. At the LSU Museum of Art’s exhibition State of the Art: Record, the artworks reveal a broad expanse of this concept. Some

Kellie Romany, In an Effort to be Held, 2016–2019, oil on ceramic, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist. At the LSU Museum of Art.

of these artists grapple with the constantly unfolding historical record. Others use their work as a way to record concepts too big for words or too abstract for simple explanation. Others employ their artistic skills to order their surroundings, transforming chaos into something manageable. Record speaks to the task of documenting the random, confusing, and sometimes inexplicable, and underscores a desire to return to the existing record in order to reconsider. These 20 artists represent a sample of American art created in recent years. The approaches, backgrounds, and details of these artists’ practices vary widely but the echoes across works and sections of the show speak to broader trends in contemporary art in this country. Organized around the theme of “record,” this focused exhibition invites visitors to consider how these artists put this theme into action. Artists included in this exhibition are David Harper, Damian Stamer, Carla Edwards, Jenelle Esparza, Marcel Pardo Ariza, Kate Budd, Mari Hernandez, Tabitha Nikolai, 109

Enrico Riley, Jordan Seaberry, Diego Rodriguez-Warner, Frances Bagley, Peter Everett, Mae Aur, Alex Chitty, Paul Stephen Benjamin, Jill Downen, Kellie Romany, Nicolas Lobo, and Cory Imig. The artists in State of the Art: Record explore the concept of record in three sections: historical record (preserving history and re-constructing history); seeking the intangible; and finding order. In her selfportrait Colonizer, Mari Hernandez reconstructs and re-imagines history by wearing a wig, cheap prosthetics, layers of makeup, and a basic costume to highlight the constructed and fake nature of the portrait. Drawing on her Chicana heritage and the history of her native Texas, Hernandez assumes the guise of European colonists whose portraits don’t fully reveal the traditions of colonization associated with historical artworks. Also featured is Jordan Seaberry’s Blueberry (The Right to Self), which seeks the intangible, presenting a kaleidoscopic exploration of family histories, memories, and tangled relationships. The artist layers multiple materials—photographs, clippings, and more—to create a personal tapestry of his past, present, and future. Other artists attempt to find order through creating patterns and breaking down ideas to develop understanding. Kellie Romany’s In an Effort to be Held are ceramic discs stained with oil paint, mimicking nineteenth-century anthropologist and ethnographer Felix von Luschan’s chromatic scale of skin color. Paul Stephen Benjamin explores the depth of meaning and possibilities contained in the color black. He asks the question, “What is the color black?” In Daily Meditations, Benjamin draws from his daily ritual of manually typing out his thoughts about black. When you visit this exhibition, write your daily mediation in the LSU Museum of Art (LSU MOA) lobby and place it on the wall to create a community installation inspired by Paul Stephen Benjamin’s Daily Meditations. Also submit your own ideas and creations to LSU MOA’s zine project of what the term ‘record’ means to you until May 1, 2022. This exhibition will be on view until June 19, 2022 at the LSU Museum of Art. State of the Art: Record is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. The national tour of State of the Art 2020 is sponsored by Bank of America with additional support

from Art Bridges. This exhibition and its programming are sponsored locally by a generous grant from Art Bridges. LSU MOA also thanks the generous donors to the LSU MOA Annual Exhibition Fund for making this exhibition possible. Visit LSU Museum of Art’s Facebook and Instagram pages @lsumoa regularly for program announcements and exhibition updates. For more information: www.lsumoa.org

MISSISSIPPI New, collaborative, state-of-the-art playground at the LeFleur’s Bluff Education and Tourism Complex in Jackson, Mississippi, is open! The long-awaited LeFleur’s Bluff Complex (LBC) officially opened with a press conference and celebration on December 9, 2021! Located on the shared campus of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, the LBC offers recreational activities through the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground, Spotter’s Adventure Trail, and an outdoor pavilion. Scientists, educators, and wellness experts collaborated to create this one-of-a-kind outdoor play experience, which includes 80 play activities, 73 of which are inclusive for children with accessibility needs. Made possible by a $3.86 million grant from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, Mississippi’s largest playground is designed to become a fun, beloved play space for future generations. Children who play and learn in nature are more physically active, more engaged in learning, and more emotionally healthy. “Outdoor experiences build visual-spatial skills, strengthen observation and creativity, improve concentration, and enhance motor and imagination skills,” said Angel Rohnke, Director of the LeFleur’s Bluff Complex. This 21st century, 30,000-squarefoot playground is separated into different play areas based on age, for children ages 6 months to 12 years old. “All structures on the playground promote physical activities—from providing greater freedom to run, jump, and climb, to supporting reduced stress levels,” said Emily Hoff, Executive Director for the Mississippi Children’s Museum. Coverings: Coverings that shade over 75% of the playground, making the area below up to 30 degrees 110

Playground at LeFleur’s Bluff Education and Tourism Complex.

cooler for year-round outdoor play. Accessibility: An accessible We-Go-Swing, made to host children with and without wheelchairs. World’s First: The first-in-the-world Wedra play structure (designed for youth 6-23 months old). Hedra Towers: The fifth location in the USA with a Hedra® Towers play structure featuring an 18-foot slide (geared toward 5- to 12-year-olds). Spotter’s Adventure Trail, a walking trail located east of the playground, leads the way to conveniently visit both museums and the playground. The trail, scheduled to open later in 2022, features a fun, engaging, and

unique interactive outdoor experience through the original story of Spotter the Otter and friends. Nutrition concepts are incorporated throughout the trail. As Spotter leaves his den to travel down the Pearl River, he encounters various animals and learns about their habitats, what they eat, and how they survive. Sensory experiences mark the trail, such as different textures for children to touch and different sounds to hear. Outdoor experiences like these build visual-spatial skills, strengthen observation and creativity, improve concentration, and enhance motor and imagination skills. The outdoor pavilion, west of the playground, supports multiple functions for both museums, includes tables 111

Exhibition promotion for Jagged Path at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum.

and seating for up to 50, and serves the practical need of covered space for students and families. An adjacent sloped lawn allows the structure to be used as an openair amphitheater for large assemblies. The pavilion is also scheduled to open later in 2022.

to demonstrate how African traditions that survived the Middle Passage have shaped the culture of Western North Carolina that we know today through interviews, performances, historic artifacts, artist residencies, and more.

Learn more about the LeFleur’s Bluff Playground and the LeFleur’s Bluff Complex at #MSProjectPlayground and https://www.mdwfp.com/museum/see-visit/ lefleurs-bluff-playground/.

Everyone can find something to love about this exhibit through its interactive programs and wide range of mediums that go beyond just the canvas. This exhibit will entice audiences with its rich culture and abundance of talents while simultaneously educating viewers about a momentous part of Western North Carolina’s history. Jagged Path opens on April 30th and will remain on display at BRAHM until October 22nd. To learn more visit: https://www.blowingrockmuseum. org/see/jagged-path.

NORTH CAROLINA The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) is excited to announce the opening of its newest exhibition, Jagged Path: The African Diaspora in Western North Carolina in Craft, Music, and Dance. This interdisciplinary exhibition will showcase art and historical content stemming from the African roots of Western North Carolina. The curatorial team (Marie T Cochran, Laurie Goux, and Fred J Hay) has worked to create an exhibit that sheds light on the obscured history of African contributions to craft, music, and dance in the Appalachian region. This exhibit will feature artifacts, historic images and works from eight living artists and creators that possess unique connections to African culture spanning from the 17th to 21st centuries. Jagged Path will debut with the intent

Historic Rosedale is pleased to present We Built This: Profiles of Black Architects and Builders in North Carolina, a traveling exhibit from Preservation North Carolina. We Built This is part of an educational program about the history and legacy of Black builders and craftspeople in North Carolina. This traveling exhibit highlights the stories of those who constructed and designed many of North Carolina’s most treasured historic sites. Spanning more than three centuries, We Built This provides more than two dozen personal profiles and historical context on crucial topics, including slavery and Reconstruction; 112

Historic Rosedale.

At the North Carolina Museum of History.

the founding of HBCUs and Black churches; Jim Crow and segregation; and the rise of Black politicians and professionals.

twisting backwaters of eastern North Carolina. The site also featured customshouses and warehouses, where workers loaded and unloaded cargo, people shopped for goods, and news circulated from both sides of the Atlantic.

“Bringing high quality, relevant exhibits, such as We Built This, to the community is an important aspect of our mission and responsibility,” commented Tom Spada, President, Board of Directors, the Historic Rosedale Foundation. Mr. Spada continued, “Through sharing our multi-facet history with the community and visitors to our site, we hope to create a sense of belonging and unity.” The African American Legacy at Historic Rosedale project was created to further expand and promote the truthful, compassionate, and equitable presentation of the African Americans at Historic Rosedale. Because of the sensitive nature of many of these truths, the African American Legacy Committee has collaborated with a broad and diverse group of individuals, starting with the descendants of those enslaved who lived and worked on the site. The We Built This exhibit will run from April 1, 2022, through June 11, 2022, in the circa 1815 house at the Historic Rosedale site, located at 3427 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte, North Carolina.

At the North Carolina Museum of History, the exhibition River Bridge: Sunken Secrets examines the history of a trade port called River Bridge on the Pasquotank River north of Elizabeth City. In use for hundreds of years by Indigenous people, the name of the site, River Bridge, comes from a bridge built before the Revolutionary War that allowed for easier travel in the

Today, the only reminders of this once-important center of commerce are a few support pilings and several vessels submerged just below the river’s surface, as well as a large collection of artifacts, many of which are spotlighted in this exhibit. “This unique exhibition shows how archaeology can provide an interesting view into the history of a location that was used for more than 350 years as a center for trade and even visited by George Washington on his southern tour,” Director Ken Howard said. Visitors will explore the world of River Bridge through over 250 objects that have been excavated from the riverbed. They will see objects that tell the story of the people, goods, and ideas that circulated around the waterways of eastern North Carolina and will gain insight into daily life: what people ate, how they decorated their homes, the trades they worked in, and how they navigated the world around them. They also will learn about the fascinating world of underwater archaeology. River Bridge will be on display at the North Carolina Museum of History from April 16 through September 2, 2022. River Bridge is a traveling exhibit that resulted from a collaboration between the Underwater Archaeology Branch of the NC Office of State Archaeology and the Museum of the Albemarle. 113

SOUTH CAROLINA The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston is presenting two exhibitions for summer 2022 that present artists examining colonialism’s lasting effects. The Halsey Institute will debut Peruvian American artist Kukuli Velarde’s CORPUS project in its entirety for the first time. CORPUS is comprised of ceramic and fabric works that encourage reflection on the meaning of survival in the face of colonialism. Fifteen ceramic sculptures, each with matching tapestries, will be presented in a symbolic representation of the annual Corpus Christi festival in Cusco, Perú. The sculptures reference indigenous pre-Columbian forms and iconographies in a visual representation of syncretic aesthetic, cultural, and religious traditions. CORPUS engages with and confronts Perú’s Spanish colonial past, asserting that pre-Columbian sacred entities and the worldview they inhabit were not vanquished by Spanish conquerors, but instead cleverly blended with their Catholic counterparts, ensuring their survival. So too, have the diverse peoples of Perú and greater Latin America formed and reformed political, religious, and cultural identity in the shadow of centuries-long oppression. Velarde’s CORPUS asks viewers to consider this resilience via her stunningly detailed and humorously thought-provoking work. In Pinturas de Casta and the Construction of American Identity, Colombian American artist Nancy FriedemannSánchez’s paintings reference casta painting, a genre popularized in eighteenth-century Spanish Colonial Central and South America that purported to depict a racial and social taxonomy of children born of racially mixed couplings. Friedemann-Sánchez’s contemporary casta paintings take inspiration from this problematic genre to reflect on the legacy of colonialism that lingers in the racial and social discrimination and marginalization present in her home country of Colombia and here in the United States. The paintings feature life-size tracings of female bodies adorned with floral imagery lifted from both the indigenous resin technique of mopa mopa and Spanish colonial iconography. Masks from across Latin America and the Caribbean are included to represent stereotypes born of colonial-era mixed-race classifications that continue to perpetuate today.

At the Halsey: Kukuli Velarde, San José y El Niño, [detail] 2017, low fire clay, underglazes, casein paint, gold leaf, 27 x 22 x 14 inches. Inspired by work from the Chancay culture (Perú).

Kukuli Velarde: CORPUS and Nancy FriedemannSánchez: Pinturas de Casta and the Construction of American Identity will be on view from May 13 to July 16, 2022.

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TENNESSEE When the Memphis Museum of Science & History (MoSH) booked the Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement exhibit from the Newseum for the Summer of 2022, it also received an IMLS grant to create a second exhibit of equal size exploring the experience of the LGBTQ+ community in Memphis. This gave rise to Memphis Proud: The Resilience of a Southern LGBTQ Community. While the traveling exhibit explores how the 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn in New York City gave rise to the modern gay rights movement in the United States, Memphis Proud taps into the heart of this Southern city and is all locally curated. Memphis Proud examines the history and culture of the LGBTQ population and explores how LGBTQ+ Memphians of diverse backgrounds and experiences have come together to form thriving communities and provide

powerful voices for change and acceptance in Memphis. “This exhibit was possible because Memphis’ LBGTQ citizens have remained committed to creating strong communities and to fostering a culture of activism,” says Raka Nandi, Director of Exhibits and Collections for MoSH. “The history of the local LGBTQ+ community is one of tremendous diversity, and the exhibit has attempted to emphasize the importance of queer organizations and culture to the Mid-South.” The creators of the exhibit assembled a committee of 20 local community leaders, LGBTQ+ activists, and allies of the LGBTQ+ movement that met monthly to help create the movement’s authentic stories, and led discussions on housing, education, nightlife, religion, and allies of their fight for acceptance and inclusion. The exhibit draws attention to the accomplishments of local leaders who have led the charge in this city to

From Memphis Proud exhibition: Memphis Gay Pride March 1981. Photo by John Parrott; courtesy of Pride Archives.

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fight for the dignity and humanity of their community and introduces a new generation of activists who continue to challenge discrimination and increase the visibility and influence of the LGBTQ population of Memphis. The Rise Up and Memphis Proud exhibits open June 4 and run through September 26. For full information, visit MoshMemphis.com

VIRGINIA This past February, Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits opened at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. On view through October 16, 2022, the exhibition features 40 works by the Nepalese-born Tibetan American artist, whose paintings and sculptures address themes of identity, struggle, loss, wisdom, and empowerment. Sherpa’s distinctive works, informed by his knowledge of traditional Buddhist art, explore contemporary concerns that he has encountered as an artist living and working both in his homeland of Nepal and in the United States. Born in Kathmandu, Tsherin Sherpa learned the traditional art of Tibetan thangka painting from his father, Urgen Dorje. These devotional paintings, whose motifs and iconography depict scenes from the life of Buddha and other deities, serve as teaching tools that are used in Buddhist ceremonies, as well as for personal meditation. Sherpa left Nepal in 1988 to study computer science in Taiwan but then returned to resume painting while also studying Buddhist philosophy. In 1998, a sponsorship from a Buddhist center in Northern California brought him to the United States. While practicing and teaching traditional painting, Sherpa was energized and inspired by his students to expand his own knowledge of art from around the world. In 2007, he was commissioned to make a thangka for their Himalayan collection of the Asian Art Museum in

San Francisco. The Three Protectors of Tibet, which was featured in VMFA’s 2019 exhibition Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment, is one of the last traditional paintings Sherpa created. “It’s truly his masterpiece in the traditional style,” notes Dr. John Henry Rice, VMFA’s E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, who got to know Sherpa shortly before Awaken. During the run of that exhibition Sherpa was an artist-in-residence at the museum, demonstrating and discussing his techniques for a series of public programs. Rice notes that Sherpa has a gift for connecting with his audiences. “He’s a thoughtful, open person, who knows how to talk about his art and his journey as an artist,” Rice says. A subsequent VMFA Member Trip to Nepal and Bhutan, which included tours of both Sherpa’s and his father’s studios, convinced Rice that a retrospective of his work would be popular. “I saw how consistently people reacted to him with such great enthusiasm and fascination with his work,” Rice says. “People who are into Buddhism or not, people who are into contemporary art, or not. It was different for everyone, but they all saw something that spoke to them and intrigued them.” The exhibition draws from an important series titled “Spirits,” which Sherpa started in 2009 and spans the entire length of his contemporary career. “It’s the work in which he is most invested and through which we can track his development as a contemporary painter,” Rice says. Sherpa himself refers to it as his most personal collection. These works explore his experiences as a Himalayan living in diaspora. This exhibition is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by Dr. John Henry Rice, VMFA’s E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art.

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Catalogue for the VMFA’s exhibition Tsherin Sherpa: Spirits.

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people and promotions

Madison Love, Travis Fisher, and Cameron Wethern working on the Front Entrance Garden expansion project at the Atlanta History Center.

Look anywhere outdoors on our Buckhead campus and you’re sure to see the hard, yet gratifying work of the Atlanta History Center’s Goizueta Gardens and Living Collections team. From planting each stunning bloom in our designated gardens and maintaining Swan House lawn, to taking care of the heritage breed animals on Smith Farm and installing the tree table located in the Entrance Gardens—this team is small but mighty. In addition to their extraordinarily

green thumbs, they are also highly knowledgeable in all things science and horticulture. Above all, they are immensely talented and worth getting to know. The Goizueta Gardens and Living Collections team is an enthusiastic and curious bunch, and their work offers us a glimpse behind-the-scenes into the living history of Atlanta. Keep an eye out the next time you are on campus and exploring our 33 acres of gardens 118

and grounds. They love to meet new faces when they are not harvesting, planting, composting, leveling, installing, and beautifying Goizueta Gardens: Brett Bannor (He/him/his) Brett is our Manager of Animals Collections. He takes care of our heritage breed sheep, goats, chickens, and turkeys on Smith Farm and our honey bees at Wood Cabin. He is also responsible for monitoring wildlife around campus and maintaining partnerships with advocacy groups, such as Georgia Audubon and The Amphibian Foundation. Originally from Chicago, IL, Brett has a BS in Zoology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. His first job was as a zookeeper in Monroe, LA, and since then he has made stops in his career at the Miami Zoo, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Zoo Atlanta, and Stone Mountain Park. He joined Atlanta History Center nine years ago. His favorite aspect of his job is walking Daisy—one of our Gulf Coast sheep. When Brett’s not tending to Atlanta History Center fauna, he loves reading books—and writing one about how sheep have affected American history. Rosemary Bathurst (She/her/hers) Rosemary Bathurst is our Plant Recorder and Senior Horticulturalist for the Quarry Garden—one of the best native plant collections in Georgia. She leads many garden volunteer workdays and helps catalog and permanently label our plant collections throughout Goizueta Gardens. Her co-workers are what she loves most about her job. Rosemary joined Atlanta History Center officially seven years ago, but she— not surprisingly—volunteered with us for a few years before that. Laurie Carter (She/her/hers) Laurie is a Horticulturist who has been with Atlanta History Center for 32 years. A native of Atlanta, GA, Laurie has degrees in Psychology and before her gardening career, she worked in psychology and counseling, and gardening. Her favorite part of her job is working in nature. She assists with horticultural tasks campus wide as needed, providing a deep institutional memory of the gardens over time. In her spare time, Laurie loves dog walking and wandering around at estate sales and art exhibits. Michael Dreyer (He/him/his) Michael joined the Goizueta Gardens and Living

Collections team as an Associate Horticulturist half a year ago but previously worked as a GEA at Atlanta History Center for a year and a half. The Tallahassee, FL native has a BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Florida State University. In past chapters of his life, he worked for multiple Florida political campaigns, numerous Atlanta non-profits, food service of all kinds, and as an educator of music theory, guitar, and early childhood education. Most of all, Michael loves this team for their fulfilling work, community feel, and ample opportunities for professional growth and education. When he is not working, he enjoys hiking, camping, cooking, reading, traveling, and listening to “many, many podcasts.” Lexly Evans (She/her/hers) Lexly is also an Associate Horticulturist. Joining us from Marietta, GA, she is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia where she earned her BA in Horticulture and studied abroad in Europe where she visited and explored a variety of gardens. Lexly also interned at an organic farm in Hawaii. Her primary area of responsibility is maintaining the Entrance Gardens and its upcoming expansions. In her free time, Lexly values sleeping, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her dog. Travis Fisher (He/him/his) Travis is our Senior Horticulturalist and Plant Records Manager from Franklin, TN. He has been with Atlanta History Center for two years and maintains the native Piedmont woodland habitat of Swan Woods. He also manages the Plant Records program and works closely with Rosemary to catalog all plant collections across campus. With a BA in History and English and a master’s in anthropology/archeology, Travis’s expertise lies in archeology and horticulture. He frequently contributes stories to Atlanta History Center publications and is an ISA Certified Arborist, tracking the health of all trees in Goizueta Gardens. When he is not working outside and learning new things about botany, he prefers birding, fishing, hiking, reading, and spending time with family. Rachel Holland (She/her/hers) Rachel is our 4-H Youth Development Agent. She joined Atlanta History Center by way of New Braunfels, TX, half a year ago and runs the UGA Extension Office at the History Center. She is responsible for leading the community 4-H club that meets in the classrooms, 119

specialty clubs with community support, 4-H programs in local schools, and programs throughout Fulton County. Rachel most enjoys teaching citizenship, leadership, and communication to the next generation. She has both a BS in Agricultural Leadership and Development and a master’s in Agricultural Science from Texas A&M. Away from her job, you can likely find Rachel gardening, singing, reading, or making bread. Tiffanny Jones (She/her/hers) Tiffanny is our Director of Horticulture and has been with Atlanta History Center for four and a half years. Originally from Mt. Vernon, IN, Tiffanny loves the beautiful campus and the wonderful people she calls home professionally. She leads the Horticulture team and serves as the primary liaison between Gardens and Private Events as they collaboratively seek to use the property sustainably and profitably. Tiffanny also supervises independent contractors working for Gardens and communicates how and when our work may be impactful to colleagues and AHC guests. Her background is in public gardening and nursery management, and she holds a BS in Horticulture from Berry College. Her favorite pastimes are drinking coffee, baking scones, working on cars, and spending time with her family and dogs. Madison Love (She/her/hers) Madison is our Horticulturalist who specializes in formal gardens, including Swan House Gardens and Olguita’s Garden. From Jackson, GA, she has been with Atlanta History Center for six months and loves working alongside a team that prioritizes environmentally sound practices, thus encouraging wildlife communities in the city to flourish. Madison recently graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia with a BS in Horticulture. Her hobbies include knitting, reading, birding, and hiking. Emily Roberts (She/her/hers) Emily is our Director of Urban Agriculture who spends most of her time tending to the gardens and living collections on Smith Farm. She is also responsible for fostering the mission-based connection of Gardens with the entire History Center. Additionally, she leads many of the teamwide sustainability efforts, including composting, good soil stewardship, and integrated pest management. Proudly representing Owensburg, IN, Emily has a BA in International Studies from Indiana

University. She has a background in community organizing, advocacy and issue campaigns, and elementary education. Through her work with the History Center, Emily takes pride in growing food to share with neighbors, learning something new every day, and working with an incredible group of hardworking and curious people. In her spare time, she likes to participate in mutual aid projects, read novels and poetry, cook, spend time in nature, and visit loved ones. Sarah Roberts (She/her/hers) Sarah is the Olga C. de Goizueta Vice President of Goizueta Gardens and Living Collections. She has been with Atlanta History Center for 11 years and most enjoys building this team and working with them all every day. She is responsible for the vision and development of Goizueta Gardens as a public gardens destination and integrating the Gardens and Living Collections with all other facets of Atlanta History Center. She also serves as the Garden Designer and Curator of Living Collections. Sarah is a native of Lilburn, GA and has a BS in Horticulture from Berry College alongside a Professional Garden Design Diploma from Garden Design School in the United Kingdom. For fun, she loves gardening, horseback riding, exploring unspoiled wilderness, traveling, visiting cultural attractions, reading, and piano—but mostly, parenting two lively girls! Cameron Wethern (She/her/hers) Cameron is the Horticulturalist who spearheads efforts in the Entrance Gardens, including maintenance and upcoming expansions. The Entrance Gardens is the newest component of Goizueta Gardens. She is an Atlanta, GA native and has been with Atlanta History Center for six months. She appreciates the deep interest from the team in continuously learning and the enthusiasm and curiosity they bring to work. She especially loves when teammates share a unique bird sighting or a new flower in bloom. Cameron earned a BA in Environmental Studies and has tons of experience in woodworking and metalworking. She also has a background in vegetable and flower farming. In her spare time, she likes to hike, rock climb, and roller skate.

Atlanta History Center is pleased to recognize and congratulate President & CEO, Sheffield Hale, on being named a recipient of the prestigious Governor’s 120

Award for the Arts and Humanities in recognition of his decades of commitment to humanities and historic preservation in the state of Georgia. Sheffield became President & CEO of Atlanta History Center in 2012 following a career in corporate and nonprofit law. His involvement in the humanities stretches back to his young adult years, when, inspired by the passion and involvement of his parents, Anne Sheffield Hale and Bradley Hale, he took an interest in history and historic preservation. After majoring in history at the University of Georgia then pursuing a law career, serving as Partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP and later Chief Counsel of the American Cancer Society, Inc., Hale continued to develop this passion by becoming deeply involved in statewide causes and organizations. His civic involvement over the years includes the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Atlanta History Center, Fox Theatre and Fox Theatre Institute, the University of Georgia Press, University of Georgia Jere Morehead Honors College, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in addition to other projects. He also served as the co-chair for the City of Atlanta Advisory Committee on Monuments and Street Names Associated with the Confederacy in 2017 and as Chair of the State of Georgia’s Judicial Nominating Commission. Hale also plays an active role in community revitalization efforts around the city of Atlanta through the lens of historic preservation, including in the Sweet Auburn Historic District. He received the Sweet Auburn Works Preservation Champion Award in 2016 and currently serves on the Board of the organization. Since the start of his tenure at Atlanta History Center in 2012, Hale has pursued a variety of landmark projects and initiatives, including the move of The Battle of Atlanta cyclorama to a newly-constructed facility at the institution’s Buckhead campus, the Confederate Monument Interpretation Guide, which offered research support to communities around the country, and most recently, the launch of a new strategic plan focusing on connecting people, history, and culture to strengthen community and democracy “Sheffield Hale has had a very positive impact on Atlanta, Georgia and, indeed, the Southeast for many years,” Said Howard Palefsky, Chair of the Atlanta History Center Board of Trustees, “His now ten-year

leadership of the Atlanta History Center has further cemented his position as a thoughtful leader; imploring us to examine more closely the elements of our political and civic engagement and identifying areas for improvement.”

Patrick MacRae.

The Cummer Museum is thrilled to announce the appointment of Patrick MacRae as the Doolittle Family Director of Gardens and Horticulture, a firstof-its-kind position endowed through an $800,000 gift from the Doolittle Family Foundation. MacRae previously served as the Director of Public Programs and Education of The Garden Conservancy located in Garrison, New York. He began his new role at the Museum on March 28, 2022. The 2.5-acre Cummer Gardens are considered to be among the most precious works of art in the museum’s permanent collection. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, the museum’s Olmsted, English, and Italian gardens have a fascinating history stretching back more than 100 years. They bear the imprint of some of the foremost names in landscape design and horticulture including Ossian Cole Simonds, Ellen Biddle Shipman, Thomas Meehan and Sons and the fabled Olmsted Brothers firm. From 2018 through 2019, the gardens underwent an extensive restoration 121

after they suffered substantial damage due to Hurricane Irma. The museum engaged award-winning landscape architecture firm WLA Studio as a consultant to lead the garden reconstruction. The involvement of prestigious firms throughout the history of the Gardens adds to their national significance. In addition to its plantings and mature oak tree canopy, features such as reflecting pools, fountains, arbors, antique ornaments, and sculptures help create a special outdoor space that provides a perfect complement to the museum’s art-based collections. “I am energized by the opportunity to be joining the Cummer team at a tremendous inflection point—the mix of outstanding leadership, a compelling legacy, and a bold vision makes me believe that this organization is poised to fully realize its potential as a cultural catalyst for the city and beyond,” says MacRae. “Public gardens are essential community assets—the gardens at the Cummer can help to ensure that the museum is a wonderful and welcoming place for all. I am grateful for this opportunity to steward the gardens with respect for their history and with a focus on their vibrant future.”

with maintaining the museum’s day-to-day business operations and advancing its strategic goals. She partners with the LSU MOA Executive Director and others on organizational initiatives, strategic planning, and policy decisions; ensures that the museum’s strategic goals are met in creative and efficient ways; furthers the organizational mission of the museum by setting operational standards and administrative processes; and acts as liaison with LSU finance, human resources, general counsel, facilities planning & operations, IT, development, and visitor services components. In addition to these internal business functions, Nedra contributes essential leadership for institutional partnerships by guiding the successful implementation of programs and initiatives that broaden the museum’s reach, increase its audience, expand contributed and earned revenue, and advance its reputation regionally, nationally, and internationally. Nedra has remained actively engaged in the art community through volunteerism and financial support of artists throughout her 23+ year tenure in engineering. She also currently serves as an appointed commissioner on the East Baton Rouge Parish Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) housed in the EBRP Planning Division. The HPC is concerned with preserving material culture in our historic neighborhoods of EBRP. Nedra is an advocate for cultural and historic preservation by participating in Legislative Flyins. She continues to be an advocate for Infrastructure through her participation in the American Society of Civil Engineers Legislative Fly-in. She also is a proud member of the Mystick Krewe of Louisianians and Congressman Garret Graves’ Gris-Gris Krewe, which brings the pageantry, revelry, and mystery of Mardi Gras to our nation’s capital. She is currently working on her doctorate (DDes in cultural preservation) in the LSU College of Art & Design.

Nedra Davis Hains.

Nedra Davis Hains is a key member of the senior leadership team of LSU Museum of Art, charged

SEMC industry partner, Exhibit Concepts, Inc. is proud to announce the promotion of Karimey Berbach to Marketing Director. Berbach will oversee Exhibit Concepts marketing efforts including strategic marketing planning, brand development and awareness, demand generation efforts, sales support, and competitive bid efforts across all Exhibit Concepts’ lines of business. She is also professionally 122

brand guidelines, sales enablement, and association relationships. She has also passed her Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) examination and is nearing completion of her CTSM certification. “Karimey is that unique individual who is very good at what she does and who also makes the work environment such a great place to be. She is a strategic thinker who can also get things done. Her efforts have increased our brand recognition in face-to-face events marketing, and she will be instrumental in growing our brand in key market segments,” says Ellen Kaminski, President, and COO of Exhibit Concepts.

Karimey Berbach.

and personally passionate about brand culture and corporate responsibility initiatives. Before joining Exhibit Concepts, Berbach was an Exhibit Concepts client for many years, assisting in managing a 100+ annual corporate trade show event program. Since joining Exhibit Concepts in 2016, Berbach has served as Marketing Manager and was promoted to Senior Marketing Manager in 2021, overseeing the growth of the marketing department to include content marketing,

In her role, Berbach has helped elevate Exhibit Concepts’ presence at industry conferences, leading the team that won ExhibitorLIVE’s Best of Show in 2018. She has also led the effort to participate in association events in the education, museum, and executive briefing center sectors. “Being a part of and leading a marketing team in a company that specializes in face-to-face marketing is a dream. I am in a position where I get to travel and promote the best work Exhibit Concepts produces— to hear the testimony of our clients and partners. It is difficult to comprehend the impact our work makes in the education, museum, and trade show spaces—and my job is to strategically market that to the world and help grow this extraordinary company. It is incredible. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred times: I have the best job in the building,” says Berbach.

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IMPORTANT DATES The deadline for the Summer edition of Inside SEMC is July 30, 2022. To submit information for the newsletter, please contact Zinnia Willits (zwillits@semcdirect.net) or Carla Phillips (cphillips@semcdirect.net).

SEMC Inside SEMC Summer 2022 submissions deadline 2022 Annual Meeting, Northwest Arkansas

July 30, 2022 October 24–26, 2022 (reg. opens late spring 2022)

National American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting (AAM) Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) Association of African American Museums (AAAM) American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)

May 19–22, 2022, Boston, MA June 14–17, 2022, Utah State University August 10–12, 2022, Miami, FL September 14–17, 2022; in-person, Buffalo, NY November 1–4, 2022; online conference

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SEMC Job Forum offers employers and job seekers the ability to search and post jobs on SEMC’s website. SEMC Job Postings are now self-serve and free for members. For non-members, there is a flat fee of $20 each job description, regardless of the word count. SEMC Member Institutions may now post jobs for free on the SEMC jobs page at www.semcdirect.net/listing. Please Note: ALL SEMC job board postings must include the following in accordance with administrative best practices: job title; location; description of the position and organization; and numerical salary or salary range.

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 $100,000 - $249,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $150

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Inside SEMC Winter/Spring 2022

Articles inside

Membership Form

State News 100 People and Promotions

Important Dates 114 SEMC Job Forum 114 Get Social

A Special Thanks: Endowment and Membership Contributions

Operationalizing a Nonprofit Strategic Plan

The George Washington University Graduate Certificate in Collections Management and Care: Is it Right for You?

With Debut of Boyd Foundation Horticultural Center Historic Columbia Realizes What Once Was Only a Pipe Dream

Mapping Textiles and Tourism in West Georgia

Celebrating Buffalo River Country

The Gaston County Museum Collection Move

Guerrilla Marketing: The MAX’s Make Your Mark Campaign

Craft in the Laboratory: The Science of Making Things

Save the Date for SEMC 2022: Northwest, Arkansas

Moving Musical Tradition Revealed at Florida’s Backus Museum

Executive Director’s Notes Zinnia Willits

Vice President’s Address Matt Davis

A Message from the Membership Team Carla Phillips

President’s Address Heather Marie Wells

Dancing through History at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum

The Multidimensional Creativity of Alma W. Thomas