Tennessee State Museum
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER - SPRING 2013
THE CIVIL WAR
Continuing through September 1, 2013
DIRECTOR’SCOLUMN COLUMN DIRECTOR’S
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f I have been asked this question once in recent weeks, I’ve been asked it dozens of times since February 12th: “How was the State Museum lucky enough to be only stop in the southeast for the original Emancipation Proclamation during its 150th anniversary?” First off, rest assured that it was due to more than just “luck.” We were able to host this landmark exhibit, Discovering the Civil War, which also includes several other highly significant original documents, due to the extraordinary efforts of many, many people, not to mention the largesse of the exhibition’s sponsors, beginning, primarily, with the administration of Governor Haslam and the members of the Tennessee General Assembly. This exhibit was initially brought to our attention by Honey Alexander (wife of U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander), who serves on the board of the National Records and Archives (NARA) in Washington. When Discovering the Civil War was first unveiled three years ago, I traveled to our nation’s capital with key staff members to see it firsthand and to meet the NARA staff. As the most extensive display ever assembled from the incomparable Civil War collection of the National Archives, the exhibit represents years of dedication and attention to detail by NARA’s team of scholars, exhibit fabricators, and digital media designers. They have produced a wonderfully compelling presentation of fragile documents complemented by contemporary interactive media tools. During the past 36 months, TSM staff has worked closely with NARA to bring this unprecedented exhibit to the Volunteer State. You can only imagine the number of phone calls, emails, and face-to-face meetings it took to ensure the successful presentation of such a seminal document as the one and only original Emancipation Proclamation. Hours upon hours of planning went into formulating the arrangements for crowd control management needed during the scant 72 hours that the document was on view here. As you’ll read on page 8, the museum’s Public Programs department did an outstanding job of managing that Herculean task while also developing special educational initiatives for teachers and schoolchildren. Additionally, that department has also created and planned an abundance of enlightening adult programs for members to enjoy during the coming months. The museum’s External Affairs department has also worked tirelessly with the media partners statewide to promote and publicize both the exhibit and its concurrent events. The only cost that visitors incurred to have the phenomenal experience of viewing the Emancipation Proclamation without traveling to Washington, was a nominal $1 reservation fee charged by the company contracted to manage the free ticketing process. Without the financial support of the exhibition sponsors, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity simply would not have been available to our membership. We are extremely grateful to presenting sponsor Nissan North America, Inc. and CEO Scott Becker for the company’s foresight and leadership and to Pilot Travel Centers, the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area, AT&T, Bridgestone Americas and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation for helping to provide such an extraordinary encounter with a priceless piece of American history. Let us reflect, too, upon the men and women who lived and died during one of the most bitter times in our nation’s past, for it is their stories which we are learning about and seeing in our mind’s eye when we marvel at these momentous artifacts left behind.
Executive Director
EXHIBIT NEWS
THE CIVIL WAR
T
he landmark exhibition from the National Archives, Discovering the Civil War, opened to great fanfare in February. More than 30,000 visitors were able to view the original Emancipation Proclamation between Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) and President’s Day (February 18). Because the original document was only permitted 72 hours of light exposure, the museum made special arrangements to open early and to close late in order to accommodate the crowds. A facsimile of the Proclamation remains on view in the exhibition through September 1. Visitors are still flocking to the museum to see the original 13th amendment and a proposed one. While they both look very much alike, their content couldn’t be more different. The 1861 unratified proposed amendment would have prevented the Federal government from ever interfering with slavery while the 1865 ratified amendment forever freed four million men and women held in bondage. And it was the latter document that was the focus of the recent Academy Award-winning movie, Lincoln. The film centered on the President’s efforts to have the amendment passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. Many other items on display in the exhibition have never been publicly exhibited, including South Carolina’s 1860 declaration of secession. Visitors have the chance to walk in the shoes of researchers, unlock secrets, solve mysteries, and uncover unexpected events in our nation’s records. The exhibit combines priceless, original treasures and engaging touch-screen interactives in a physical environment inspired by 21st-century research rooms. Letters, diaries, photos, maps, petitions, receipts, patents, amendments, and proclamations are the powerful tools that provide visitors with a way to take a fresh look at a conflict that still touches our lives today. The exhibit also contains images taken by Mathew Brady, the first photographer to document the realities of war. His work inspired renowned American filmmaker Ken Burns, who used Brady’s image as the centerpiece for his famous 1990 PBS documentary, The Civil War. To complement the exhibit, museum staff has organized a concurrent exhibit, “The Emancipation Proclamation and Tennessee,” highlighting objects from the museum’s collection. Additionally, the staff has also developed the “Tennessee Connection,” which provides a bridge from the Discovering the Civil War exhibit to some exceptional artifacts in the permanent museum exhibits. For example, there is a section in the Archives exhibit that details the story of the CSS Alabama, the notorious Confederate raider ship that attacked Union merchant and naval ships. The CSS Alabama was sunk off the coast of France in 1864. The State Museum has one of the ship’s flags on display in the permanent collection. The popular traveling exhibit is free to the public and open daily except on Mondays. The State Museum is the final stop on a national tour before these historic documents return to Washington.
2 Discovering the Civil War & Emancipation Proclamation Sponsors’ Sneak Preview In February, the corporate underwriters who supported Discovering the Civil War, which featured the visit of the original Emancipation Proclamation here during the exhibition’s opening week, held a Sneak Preview for their invited guests and members of the Tennessee General Assembly. The museum gratefully acknowledges the extraordinary support of its generous corporate partners: Nissan North America, Inc. – Presenting Sponsor Pilot Travel Centers LLC, Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area AT&T Tennessee – Evening Sponsor Bridgestone Americas, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Foundation This exhibition was created by the National Archives and Records Administration and the Foundation for the National Archives.
Above: (L to R) Exhibition ribbon cutting: Museum Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell, TN First Lady Crissy Haslam, Honey Alexander, Museum Commission Chair Victor Ashe and TN Governor Bill Haslam shown on front row. Rep. Johnny Shaw, Senator Bo Watson and National Archives Foundation Director Jim Gardiner pictured on the back row.
Right: (L to R) National Archives Board Members Honey Alexander and Bitsy Folger with Museum Commission Chairman Victor Ashe
Above: (L to R) First Lady Crissy Haslam with exhibition sponsors Jim & Natalie Haslam of Pilot Travel Centers and Governor Bill Haslam
Left: Museum Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell with members of the 13th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops Civil War re-enactors Left: (L to R) Museum Foundation Board Members Dianne Neal, Bobby Thomas, Milah Lynn and Clare Armistead cut the commemorative Emancipation Proclamation cake while National Archives Foundation Director Jim Gardiner looks on. Right: Operatic soprano Kallen Esperian of Memphis performs Mickey Newbury’s famed medley, “An American Trilogy”
EXHIBIT NEWS
Above: (L to R) Museum Commission Chair Victor Ashe, Governor Bill Haslam, Senator Bo Watson, TN House Speaker Beth Harwell
Above: Pam Koban (left) with Suzanne Petrey
Left: (L to R) Rep. Larry Miller with Evening Sponsor Representative Kenny Blackburn of AT&T Tennessee and Anne Holt
Above: Bruce Bustard, Curator at the National Archives (back row, left) with his colleagues Stefanie Mathew, Director of Development at the National Archives Foundation (front row, right) and Karen Hibbett, National Archives Registrar and Dan Pomeroy, the museum’s Director of Collections
Above: (L to R) Rebecca June Smith with her parents Jane & Tom Smith, Museum Commission member
Above: Debbie & Fred Cassetty
Above: (L to R) Becky Shearon, Judge Bernice Donald, David Mills, Rep. Ron Travis Above: (L to R) Memree Phillips, Rich Roberts, Trudy & Will Byrd All images courtesy of Bev Moser
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Kris Kristoffersen Images Complement Civil War Exhibits Middle Tennessee-based photographer Kris Kristoffersen is occasionally confused with the famous entertainer/singer/songwriter with a similar name. But, photographer Kristoffersen has become well-known in his own right in recent years for capturing powerful images of Civil War battle re-enactments. Kristoffersen’s images of re-enactment battlefields and campsites were selected to complement the museum’s current Civil War exhibits. The photographs cycle through in a slide show projected on the title wall for the “Discovering the Civil War” exhibition. An additional exhibit of his photographs hangs near the entrance of the museum’s permanent Civil War Collection. Kristoffersen’s use of black-and-white infrared film gives his images an ethereal quality. “You can almost smell the gunpowder,” commented TSM Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell. The pictures are included in his recently published book titled, North & South: The Brothers War, which may be purchased in the Museum Store. Kristoffersen will also be available for a special signing on May 18. (See details below)
Discovering the Civil War Summer Program Series Saturday, May 18 - Kris Kristoffersen Book Signing and Granville Automatic Concert Time: Noon to 2:00 p.m. Photographer Kris Kristoffersen will speak about his work and sign copies of his book, North & South: The Brothers War. Following the book signing, the bluegrass duet, Granville Automatic, will perform songs inspired by the Civil War era. This event is held in collaboration with Camp Chase Gazette, The Civil War Courier and the Citizens’ Companion. Free event. Sunday, June 23 - “No Army without Music” with Michael Lasser Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Syndicated radio personality, Michael Lasser, will present the stories behind some of the most famous songs of the Civil War. He will present compelling stories about the songwriters who wrote them, their impact on the population, and how they reflected the changing view of war among Americans of both sides. Free event. Saturday, July 27 - “Gettysburg at 150: The Tennesseans of Archers Brigade” with Tim Mulligan Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Renowned historian and researcher Tim Mulligan has turned his attention to Archers Brigade, the only brigade that included Tennesseans serving in the Army of Northern Virginia. This Brigade saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war and fought in the infamous Pickett’s Charge. This July marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and therefore provides a perfect opportunity to have Mulligan share his latest research about the Tennesseans at Gettysburg. Free event.
EXHIBIT NEWS
Traveling Exhibitions Update “Becoming the Volunteer State: Tennessee in the War of 1812” opened at the Museum of East Tennessee History in January and is on view through May 19. The traveling exhibit, which was organized by the State Museum, made its first stop in Knoxville, and will continue to travel across the state over the next few years. It takes a closer look at Tennessee’s role in the often-forgotten war and how it helped shape our state. The traveling exhibit is funded in part by a grant from Humanities Tennessee, an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibition, Japan 1945: Images by U.S. Marine Photographer Joe O’Donnell, organized by the State Museum, opened in February at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. The exhibit is on view until July 28 and includes O’Donnell’s images from original negatives documenting the aftermath of U.S. bombing raids in Japan 1945 during World War II. According to O’Donnell’s commentary, both written and oral, his images provide a reflection of the human cost of war, the world’s entry into the nuclear age and his hope that nuclear warfare would not be repeated. We Shall Not Be Moved, a traveling exhibition which examines the civil rights sit-in movement as it unfolded across Tennessee opens on April 23 at the newly renovated Reece Museum in Johnson City. The exhibit, which has won several awards, was organized by the State Museum in 2010 and was on view at the museum during the fiftieth anniversary of the Nashville Sit-Ins. The exhibit is on view through June at the Reece Museum, which is located on the campus of East Tennessee State University. Common People in Uncommon Times: The Civil War in Tennessee is on view at the Robertson County Historical Society through June. The traveling exhibition was organized by the State Museum to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. It focuses on how the war impacted the lives of Tennesseans during this turbulent time in our nation’s history. The war disrupted and impacted the people of Tennessee in ways that were almost unimaginable. This exhibition highlights the personal stories of common people surviving in the most trying and sometimes most jubilant of times.
Japan 1945: Images by U.S. Marine Photographer Joe O’Donnell at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Image courtesy Ken Mays.
6 INSIDE OUT Nashville: Paper Portrait Lanterns In April, the faces of more than 139 Middle Tennesseans were featured on 3 x 4.5-foot paper lanterns and temporarily on display in the medians and sidewalks along Deaderick Street. This unique installation, from the corner of Sixth Avenue down to Third Avenue at the Metro Courthouse Plaza, was unveiled in a domino effect coinciding with the lunch break of Nashville’s TEDx (the acronym stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, which was held in TPAC’s Polk Theater. Later that same day beginning at nightfall, the lanterns began to glow (they were lit by solar-powered bulbs) during April’s First Saturday Art Crawl. The State Museum collaborated with Tennessee artists Kristin and Alfonso Llamas and photographer Daniel Perry to bring this global project to Nashville. The Paper Portrait Lantern Installation was Nashville’s official action in the TED INSIDE OUT Global Art Project, originally created by street artist JR, who received a $100,000 TED grant in 2011. This installation is considered the largest, threedimensional street art event ever created in Nashville. Similar TED street art initiatives have occurred in 100 countries around the world featuring more than 120,000 portraits. Each lantern had a solar-powered light for illuminating the black-and-white portrait cubes. Private funds were raised from 65 donors on crowd-funding site Indiegogo to underwrite production of the 35 lanterns which lined Deaderick Street on the first Saturday in April. The project was produced in partnership with the Metro Beautification and Environment Commission, Metro Public Works, and the Metro Parks Department.
State Museum Staff Helps Create Tennessee Judiciary Museum The Tennessee Judiciary Museum opened in the State Supreme Court Building during the final month of 2012. The opening of the museum marked the 75th anniversary of the Supreme Court Building, which was dedicated in 1937. TSM’s Collections Department provided advice on selecting objects and guidance about how the space inside the Law Library would work to highlight important documents and objects related to Tennessee’s courts. Several items are on loan from the State Museum’s collection and are on view at the Judiciary Museum. TSM’s Exhibits Department also assisted in the new museum’s development through the design and production of the large-scale graphics that serve as backdrops for some of the alcoves. “We could not have done the project without the partnership of the State Museum,” said Susan Knowles, president of S.W. Knowles & Associates and project manager. According to Mike Catalano, the Clerk of the Appellate Courts and President of the Tennessee Supreme Court Historical Society, “The mission of the museum is to educate the general public, as well as school students and leadership groups which visit the building, about Tennessee’s courts by telling stories of the judges, lawyers and litigants.” There is no admission charge to the Judiciary Museum, which is open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon. The Supreme Court building is located at 401 Seventh Ave. At the corner of Charlotte Avenue in downtown Nashville.
MUSEUM NEWS
Commission News & Updates The next meeting of the Douglas Henry State Museum Commission will be held Monday, June 17, 2013 at 10:00 a.m., Museum Level B Conference Room. The public is invited to attend. Right: Victor Ashe, Chairman of Douglas Henry State Museum Commission, addresses members of the news media at a press preview for the Discovering the Civil War exhibition.
2013 A TennesseeWaltz On Saturday, April 20, the State Museum will host its largest fundraiser, A Tennessee Waltz, at the State Capitol. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the gala, which is the only black-tie event held at the Capitol. Active community volunteer and longtime Foundation Board Member Milah Lynn, and her husband Steve Lynn, are the 2013 A Tennessee Waltz gala chairs. Governor Bill Haslam and First Lady Crissy Haslam are the gala’s Honorary Chairs. The Jack Daniel Distillery has been the Presenting Sponsor of the gala for the past decade. Waltz tickets, which include a seated dinner, at $500 per person are now sold out. Waltz 2013 Late Party The late party begins at 8:30 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails at the five-star Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville. The evening continues at the Hermitage until the Late Party guests make the transition up to the State Capitol for cocktails, late night snacks and dancing to the spectacular sounds of the Party Planet band from Memphis. Young Professional Council Member Reen Locker Baskin, and her husband, Jamie, are cochairs of the second annual Waltz Late Party Committee. Tickets for the event are priced at $75 through April 19th. They will be $85 at the door. For an invitation to the event or for more information, please contact Museum Director of External Affairs Leigh Hendry at lhendry@bellsouth.net or by calling (615) 253-0130.
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News from Public Programs Lottery System for School Visitation Proves Successful
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he State Museum’s first school lottery was a success during the original Emancipation Proclamation visit with nearly 8,000 schoolchildren from 82 schools across the state viewing the document during four school days. The museum determined that holding a lottery was the most equitable means of giving all schools a fair chance to see the document, according to Paulette Fox, the museum’s director of public programs. Teachers had a 90-day window of opportunity to sign up for the random drawing with the lottery held in late November. Educators representing more than 13,000 students applied. The first school to be drawn was Rogersville city school. Other winners included Hixson High School in Hamilton County, Gallatin High School in Sumner, Westside Elementary in Macon County, Millington Central High School in Shelby County, and H.G. Hill Middle School in Davidson County. Schools also attended from Bedford, Blount, Bradley, Cheatham, Coffee, Cumberland, Decatur, Dickson, Dyer, Franklin, Hamblen, Hardin, Hawkins, Henry, Jefferson, Knox, Lincoln, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Polk, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Warren, Washington, Williamson, and Wilson counties. The museum opened an hour early from Feb. 12, through, Feb. 15, to provide additional visiting time. Additionally, the museum’s education staff provided teachers with both pre- and post-visit lesson plans. School visitation ran quite smoothly, Fox said (though she noted that one child threw up in the exhibition area), and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy their visits. Fox said the museum particularly wanted to acknowledge Nashville Metro government officials for their assistance. Metro Nashville Public Works reserved street parking for school buses around the museum and in front of the capitol while Metro Nashville Central Precinct provided motorcycle policemen to ensure the safety of school groups crossing streets—all at no cost to the museum.
Essay Contest Winners Feted Six imaginative Tennessee students were winners in the recent “Freedom’s Call” essay contest, a writing competition conducted by the museum in conjunction with the viewing of the original Emancipation Proclamation. From Coalfield in East Tennessee to Cordova in West Tennessee, the six school students ranged in age from 10-year-old Aaliyah Corbin, who attends Lakeside Park Elementary to 16-year-old Heather Chaput, a student at Daniel McKee School. Other winners were Caitlin Davis, Christiana Middle School; Santeria Pratt, Cordova Middle School; Nathan Harvey, Coalfield School; and Justin Hughes, Knowledge Academies. The competition winners and their families enjoyed an overnight trip to Nashville, where they were recognized and introduced at the museum’s press preview on Feb. 11, the
MUSEUM NEWS
day before the exhibition officially opened to the public. They then became the very first Tennesseans to have the singular privilege of seeing the original document during its 72hour visit to the museum. The younger students were asked to write a letter in response to one written to President Abraham Lincoln in 1864 by Maryland slave Annie Davis, who wanted to know if the Emancipation Proclamation freed her (it did not). The older students were instructed to analyze how the famed document had changed America then and now, and then compose a letter giving Lincoln their opinion of the Proclamation’s effectiveness and legacy. Middle schooler Caitlin Davis wrote in her letter to Annie Davis: “This may occur as a shock to you and send tears to your eyes. You thought that the Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves, but, sadly it did not…But do not worry. Maryland will abolish slavery November 1, 1864.” The contest was funded by the Discovering the Civil War corporate sponsors. Nissan North America, Inc. is the exhibition’s presenting sponsor.
Spring School Season Has Busy Start The spring school season is off to a busy start after 8,000 school children came to see the original Emancipation Proclamation in February. Bookings for March, April, and May are running 10,000 ahead of last year and are still coming in, according to Debbie Shaw, museum program coordinator. One reason is that the State Capitol was closed last fall for renovations, so many teachers who normally come to Nashville in the fall postponed their trips to the spring in order to visit the capitol, she said. Teachers are still interested in their classes seeing the Discovering the Civil War exhibit, Shaw said, even without the original Emancipation Proclamation. In conjunction with the exhibit, the public programs department has developed a new, hands-on educational program, “Decoding the Life of a Civil War Spy.” In this program, Shaw said, students become Civil War spies and are given messages to decode in an attempt to save their side from defeat. “In the process, they learn about some of the more famous spies who put their lives at risk for their cause,” she explained. The museum also held a teacher’s workshop in March, where teachers braved snowy weather to hear Dr. Robert Hunt from Middle Tennessee State University speak about the causes and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Smart Classroom The workshop also gave the museum the opportunity to try out its new “smart” classroom. Courtesy of corporate sponsor Nissan, the museum has been able to transform its Museum Experience Room, fondly known as the MER, into a multimedia, 21st century educational facility. The staff has added a HD projector, digital document camera, and new sound system to provide a high tech and versatile experience for teachers and students alike. These technologies will allow the museum to expand its influence beyond the walls of its building with web conferencing capabilities.
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Museum wins a record of seven awards at statewide conference The Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) hosted its annual museum conference in Middle Tennessee earlier this spring where statewide museums were cited for exceptional projects and events during 2012. The judges recognized a number of State Museum projects with Awards of Excellence:
Tennessee State Museum
QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER - LATE FALL 2012
Becoming the Volunteer State: Tennessee in the War of 1812 was granted an award in the traveling exhibition category
THE GUITAR
An AmericanLove Story
The museum’s Quarterly Newsletters were acknowledged as publications with exceptional design and content
On view through December 30
Celebrating Tennessee Crafts, a day of special programming presented in collaboration with area Girl Scout troops and the Tennessee Association of Craft Artists (TACA), was considered an outstanding education event The catalog, The Guitar: An American Love Story, which accompanied the exhibition of the same title, was recognized for its remarkable design, photography and historical documentation And, a documentary film, created and produced to accompany The Guitar: An American Love Story, was considered the best among the audio/visual entries. An Award of Commendation was given to:
• The Guitar: An American Love Story as an outstanding temporary exhibition • The fundraising concert, String Fever, which was held in conjunction with the guitar exhibit, was also recognized as an exceptional event
The purpose of the Excellence Awards is to recognize, encourage, and promote excellence within the activities of the Tennessee museum community. Nominations, which are made by museum staff and individuals, are sent to the BECOMING THE VOLUNTEER STATE: regional representative TENNESSEE IN THE each January. Entries are submitted to the TAM Awards Committee, comprised of five regional representatives, the committee chair, and two at-large members. Awards are based on creativity, originality, resourcefulness, success, support of museum mission WAR of 1812 statement, and utilization of staff and volunteers.
WAR of 1812
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MUSEUM NEWS
The Museum Store Gets a Facelift As part of the build-up to the opening of the Discovering the Civil War exhibit, the Museum Store has undergone major renovations. Store Manager Sunshine Thompson added slat walls for displays in the four corners of the store, making it easy to hang shelves and racks. But the crowning glory is the custom-made bookshelves in the back of the store. This system gives visitors an easier way to browse through the shop’s wide variety of books and catalogs. The shelves are now full of lots of new merchandise — Civil War memorabilia, toys, jewelry, stationery and Tennessee food items. Don’t forget, Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Stop by in April and see our new displays, and if you mention this article, you’ll receive a 20% discount on one item! Photographs courtesy Brad Kavan
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Around the Museum
First Lady Crissy Haslam hosted a book reading at the museum in February to commemorate Black History Month. She read from the book “Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America” to 60 third-grade students from Lockeland Elementary School in Nashville. Students also took the opportunity to tour Discovering the Civil War, featuring documents and artifacts relating to African-American history. As First Lady, Haslam is working to promote early literacy. Last summer, she launched the Read20 Family Book Club, challenging Tennessee families to read together for at least 20 minutes each day. As part of her annual Legislative Spouses Retreat, Tennessee First Lady Crissy Haslam visited the State Museum recently with a group of more than 35 legislative spouses who toured the museum with Manager of Curatorial Interpretive Planning Miranda Fraley-Rhodes and Senior Curator of Art and Architecture Jim Hoobler. Highlights of the tour included a welcome from Museum Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell, along with a behindthe-scenes look at the permanent collection storage, where the group viewed several of the donated gowns worn by former Tennessee First Ladies to their husbands’ Inaugural Balls. They also saw the recently restored portrait of Samuel Dold Morgan by Tennessee painter Thomas Jefferson Odell. Williams was chairman of the Capitol Building Commission during the majority of years that the State Capitol was being constructed (1845-1859). Among the legislative spouses on the tour were: Nancy Sargent, wife of Rep. Charles Sargent, who serves on the Douglas S. Henry State Museum Commission, as well as Temple Bowling, Mary Brooks, Sarah Crowe, Pam Fitzhugh, Charlotte Halford, Morton Massey, Kimberly McCormick, Jan McNally, Cynthia Niceley, Marjie Sanderson, Janet Swann, Charlotte Tidwell and Abby Williams.
MUSEUM NEWS
Windgate Museum Student Internship for Quilt Cataloguing The State Museum has been awarded a prestigious Windgate Museum Internship grant for 2013 to catalogue 100 recently acquired quilts. TSM’s more than 300 quilts are the state’s largest public collection. The grant comes through the Center for Craft, Creativity & Design in Asheville, N.C., which administers the program. Each year, the program provides stipends of $5,000 each, for four undergraduate or graduate students to work under the direction of curators or directors in decorative arts or contemporary crafts collections, exhibitions and programs in museums or organizations nationally. The goal is to expand the number of future curators with education and interest in contemporary studio craft. Since 2006, the internships have benefitted 29 graduate and undergraduate students at 14 museums, including the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Knoxville Museum of Art. Each invited museum or institution receives $5,000 upon the Center’s receipt of the vita and application letter from the selected student intern along with a copy of the job description and the curator or supervisor responsible for oversight of the internship. Museums and institutions may deduct from the total required FICA, but no part of the $5,000 is used for administration costs. At TSM, the intern will report to TSM’s Senior Curator of Fashion & Textiles, and will be remunerated on an hourly basis. The internship is for a total of approximately 400 hours, which may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis depending upon the successful candidate’s availability, but all of which must be fulfilled at the State Museum between May 2013 and April 2014. Community Outreach In January, TSM’s Curator of Furniture Mike Bell presented a lecture about the museum’s furniture collection to the Cumberland Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the Hillwood Country Club. “The Proposition that ALL are Created Equal:” The Emancipation Proclamation,” was the title of the talk that TSM Director of Collections Dan Pomeroy presented in February at the 32nd Annual Conference on African American History and Culture. The conference was sponsored by the Metropolitan Nashville Historical Commission and Tennessee State University’s Department of Liberal Arts.
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12-12-12
December Member's Reception Foundation members celebrated three exceptional exhibits, The Guitar: An American Love Story, Elvis at 21 and From A Songwriter’s Camera: Photos by Tim Nichols on 12-12-12. The reception was sponsored by Gibson Guitar Corp., City National Bank, C.F. Martin & Co., PLA Media, Cotten Music Center, Coopercopia, LLC and Nashville Arts Magazine
Above: Representatives of exhibition sponsor City National Bank (left to right): Mandy Gallagher, Linda Payne, Lori Badgett, Holly Bell, Martha Henderson & Diane Pearson
Right: John Carter Cash, Cathy Sullivan & Nancy Lee Andrews
Above: House Speaker Beth Harwell proclaims “Guitar Day in Tennessee” on behalf of Governor Bill Haslam as TSM Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell (left) looks on
Above: TSM Director of External Affairs Leigh Hendry with photographer/songwriter Tim Nichols
Above: Joey Amaton & MiChelle Jones
Below: Ernie Williams, TSM Curator Renee White, Colin Linden & volunteer Guitar exhibition coorganizer Paul Polycarpou
Above: The Guitar catalog author Walter Carter with wife Christie Left: Angel, Steve & Andrea Cropper
Photos courtesy of Denny Adcock
MUSEUM NEWS
String Fever is a huge success! On 12-12-12, friends of the museum, music fans and guitar aficionados packed TPAC’s Polk Theater for an amazing performance. Twenty-time Grammy Award winner Vince Gill headlined the String Fever benefit concert where he was joined by a list of legendary guitar slingers including Phil Brown, Larry Carlton, Steve Cropper, Duane Eddy, Mike Farris, Steve Gibson, Rory Hoffman, Johnny Hyland, John Jorgenson, Colin Linden, Leroy Parnell, Jack Pearson, Al Perkins, Andy Reiss, Guthrie Trapp, and Steve Wariner. The concert proceeds benefited the Tennessee State Museum Foundation.
Vince Gill
John Jorgenson
Larry Carlton
Colin Linden & Jack Pearson
Mike Farris, Steve Cropper & Lee Roy Parnell Steve Wariner
All concert photograph courtesy Jerry Atnip Š 2012
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A Tennessee Waltz
2013 Ladies’ & Gentlemen’s Committees Pam & Mike Koban, Co-Chairs
Above: (L to R) Steve & Milah Lynn, 2013 A Tennessee Waltz Cochairs with Pam & Mike Koban, 2013 Waltz Ladies’ & Gentlemen’s Committees Co-chairs at the reception at the Koban home - Photo courtesy of Rusty Terry/The Tennessean
Above: TSM Executive Director Lois Riggins-Ezzell with David Ezzell & Betty Malo (right)
Above: Pam Koban & Leigh Hendry Above: Sam Harwell and TN House Speaker Beth Harwell Above: TSMF Board member and founding Waltz chair Marianne Byrd with Catherine Hayden and John Summers
Above: Kem & Marilyn Hinton with Museum Commission Vice Chair Charlie Cook Above: Bo Roberts & Andrew Byrd Images courtesy of Bev Moser
Left: Holly Hoffman & Paul Kuhn
MUSEUM NEWS
Above: TSMF Board member Dianne Neal (left) with Rudy and Anne Ruark - Photo Courtesy of Rusty Terry/ The Tennessean
Above: (L to R) David & Joyce Hitt, Jim Marvin, Waltz silent auction committee chair Nancy Russell and auction donor Andrew Potts - Photo Courtesy of Rusty Terry/The Tennessean
Above: (L to R) David & Shirley Horowitz with Joan & Will Cheek
Above: 2013 Waltz Chair Milah Lynn with TSMF Young Professionals Council advisor Gloria Houghland Left: TSMF Board member Clare Armistead (right) with Waltz gala committee member Carla McCombs - Photo Courtesy of Rusty Terry/The Tennessean
Above: Kevin & Trina Ezzell
Above: (L to R) Maya & Manish Sethi, Charles Williamson, Tootie Haskins & TSMF Board member Chuck Welch
Above: Waltz silent auction committee member Debra Danker (left) with auction donor Cindy David
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New Acquisitions & Donations - Winter 2013 The nine objects showcased on these pages represent a small sampling of recent acquisitions and donations to the State Museum’s collection during the last three months. Museum Receives Personal Items of Red Foley Bentley and Patrick Cummins, son-in-law and grandson of country music legend, TV personality, and actor Red Foley, have generously donated a number of the entertainer’s personal artifacts to the collection. A performance suit worn by Foley during his time as host of the first popular country music television show, Ozark Jubilee, in the 1950s was included in the donation. Foley is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which called him “one of the most versatile and moving performers of all time” and “a giant influence during the formative years of contemporary Country Music.” Family photographs of Foley are part of the trove, along with letters documenting his early career break in 1930, when he was selected to perform on Chicago’s WLS-AM National Barn Dance radio program. Shown at left is a 1930s portrait of Foley, when he was a young entertainer, which hung in his parent’s home near Berea, Kentucky.
Tennessee Summer by Rebecca Ruegger Williamson County native Rebecca Ruegger’s ethereal oil painting, completed in 2012, is the most recent addition to the museum’s Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund Painting Collection. Ruegger was actively engaged in creating corporate illustration art for 15 years before transitioning into the fine art field several years ago. She was the 2003 “Best of Show” winner and the 2004 “People’s Choice” award winner at the Central South Regional Art Competition.
Civil War Broadside Issued to the Army of Tennessee An extremely rare broadside, issued by Confederate President Jefferson Davis to the soldiers of the Army of Tennessee, who were surrounding Chattanooga at the time, has been acquired for the collection. The broadside celebrates the soldiers’ Battle of Chickamauga victory the month before (it is dated October 14, 1863 and was printed in Atlanta) while encouraging them to continue their struggle. “United as you are in a common destiny, …there is no higher duty than that which requires each to render to all that is due to their station.”
Schoolteacher of Pulaski A watercolor by William Masters, dated February 1, 1864 and entitled “Schoolteacher of Pulaski,” has been acquired by the museum. Masters is identified as an African American soldier who served in a Union artillery unit and produced this and other works depicting scenes related to Pulaski, Tennessee.
MUSEUM NEWS
Gathering in the Woods by Catherine Wiley This outstanding, Barbizon School-inspired landscape, painted by Catherine Wiley, one of Tennessee’s most important artists, is a significant addition to the collection. The oil on canvas is dated 1905. Wiley (1879 – 1958) was born in Lake City, and grew up in Knoxville, where she was a member of the prominent McAdoo family. She enrolled in the Art Students League in New York City in 1903, and studied there with Howard Pyle, among others. Two years later, she was also attending one of William Merritt Chase’s schools. She returned home to Knoxville, but by 1912 was back in New York, this time studying with Robert Reid, a member of the Ten and a leading American Impressionist. Wiley continued to paint until 1926, after which time she became incapacitated. She lived out the remainder of her life in a sanitarium.
Helen Bullard Dolls The museum recently acquired two dolls made by Helen Bullard of Cumberland County, one of the most sought-after 20th-century Tennessee artisans. The figure pictured, “Andy,” is identified by the artist on an attached tag, where she added, “Miss Holly’s boy friend. There were many ‘Miss Hollys,’ but only four Andys - ever. All four entirely made by me.” Dated 1840, Bullard identified the shirt as “Vegetabledyed muslin” and the pants as “homespunny.”
Early Territorial Map A map drawn by John Reid of New York and published in 1795, the year before Tennessee was admitted to the Union, was recently acquired. It shows Kentucky and present-day Tennessee, identified here as both the South Western Territory and the Tennessee Government, as well as all of the major and minor rivers. The cities of Nashville, Knoxville, and Clarksville, and the roads connecting them are also shown, as are the counties of Tennessee, Davidson, and Sumner. Many Cherokee towns are highlighted including Chilhowee, Watoga, and Coyeta in East Tennessee.
Movie Poster Collection Thirty movie posters were recently transferred to the museum’s collection from the Tennessee Film, Entertainment & Music Commission. The posters represent movies that were filmed in Tennessee or have some other connection to the Volunteer State. Included in the collection is a poster highlighting the soundtrack of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou,” which was recorded in Nashville by such renowned entertainers as Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris.
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Thank You Member – New Gayle Barbee Yancy Belcher Donna Benefield Lori Bervoets Alice Cannon Seth Cantrell Edward Carr Robert Daly Bill Fleming, SCV Camp #28 Kathy Fuston Karen Gonzalez Elizabeth Gurchiek Ricky Harris Sean Hunter Martha Jeffords Dennis Jungman Charles & Melanie Lamb James Michie Pam Monjay Karen Myers Tom Rice & Robert McNamara Doran Ramsey Ms. Kim Richey Mr. William E. Shofner Thomas Smith Lisa Spencer Roger A. Tenny Patricia Totty Regina Nelson Tracy Joseph Trubia Breck Wheeler Aneka Womack Member Renewal Carolyn Baker Chase Cole Renette Corenswet Donna Frost Jackson Harris Frances Kaminitz A.J. Kazimi Ms. Joy Lozier Ms. Gay Magee Dr. Margaret Norris Mrs. Russell Oldfield, Jr. Phil Ponder William Rockholz Pat Tigrett Twyman Towery Angela Waldrep Mrs. Eleanor Lawson Willis Dual New Dawn Kirk & Jerry Campbell Mark Inglis Anne Locke & Charles Schneider Robert McNamara & Tom Rice Hilda & Greg Woodard Dual Renewal Nancy & Ben Adams Ron Arnett Merle Born & Gregory Hersh Mr. & Mrs. Don Douty Dayna & Bill Downey Dianne & Gary Howard Bill & Susie Tolbert Col. & Mrs. William O’Keeling
Family – New Ramsey Doran Emanuel Joseph David & Cathy Moberg Family Renewal Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Doochin Mac Baggett, Baggett Grain Penny Harrington Dr. & Mrs. David Horowitz Mrs. Rita McDonald Dr. Harry Page Steven Remer Contributing New Mr. & Mrs. Alan Harper Mr. & Mrs. John McCardell, Jr. George Ritzen
Flag Preservation Sons of the Confederate Veterans, Tennessee Division In Honor of Ray Bell RAM Property, Inc. Unique Arts & Antiques In Memory of Sylvia Hyman Mimi Osiason Candi & Alan Rothenberg Stephanie & Richard Whitman Shirley Zeitlin In Memory of Mrs. Jessie Haltman Mary Ann Clark Sharon Dennis Senator & Mrs. Douglas S. Henry Deanie Parker Courtney Pearre Dennis & Glenda Roach TN Senate Republican Caucus Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP Irene Ward
Contributing Renewal Ernie & Nell Bacon Paul Brown Dr. Elizabeth Cato Mr. & Mrs. Gary Crigger Tammy Crowley Mr. & Mrs. John Dreyzehner The Honorable & Mrs. Year End 2012 Donations Winfield Dunn George E. Barrett Mr. & Mrs. Ray Emerson Don & Glennis Bassi Mr. & Mrs. Richard Eskind Mr. & Mrs. Jack Benz Mr. & Mrs. Martin W. Frost Mrs. W. Irvin Berry Mr. Steve Ingram Joanne S. Blickwedel Mr. & Mrs. Michael McMillen Steven Cobb Ms. Ella Robinette Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Mrs. Richard A. Sobel, Jr. Cook, Jr. Rebecca & Gerald Stubbs Tammy Crowley Al Thomason The Honorable & Mrs. Jane Yount Winfield Dunn Sustaining Re-New Susan Edwards Ray & Susan Basham Judi T. Gaston Mrs. Martha R. Ingram Michael Granger Mr. & Mrs. W. Lucas Jackson Harris Simons, Susan W Simons Mr. & Mrs. Charles Harrison and W. Lucas Simons,Jr. Betty Haynes Philanthropic Advised Fund John Hollins of the Community Foundation Harriett L. Howard of Middle Tennessee Wayne Howard Dr. Patricia Hull John Sevier Society Margie Hunter Aladdin Industries Dr. James C. Kelly The Baulch Family Foundation Samuel Lipshie M. & Mrs. David J. Baulch Eva Marcussen Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Dr. Arthur M. Mellor Baulch, Jr. John Noel & Melinda Walton Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Baulch. III Mr. & Mrs. Mick Morin Steve & Cindy Cooper Rebecca Officer Cooper Recycling Pangaea The Houghland Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Clay Petrey Mr. & Mrs. J. Fred Additional Gifts Pilkerton, Jr. AT&T Mrs. Katherine Pleas Trudy Byrd Dan Pomeroy Cotten Music Center Charles & Anne Roos Dr Pepper Snapple Group Mr. & Mrs. Alan Shuptrine Kansas Clean Susan W. Simons and W. Distilled Whiskey Lucas Simons Jr. Philanthropic Publix Advised Fund Sam’s Club Bob & Jean Smith Starr Hill Brewery Terence & Michele Smith Mr. Robert P. Thomas Mrs. Richard Stamps Chuck Welch Mr. & Mrs. Charles Story Ron & Marcia Westphal
TO OUR MANY SUPPORTERS! WINTER 2013
Mr. & Mrs. Howard Swayne Stephen Swayne Mrs. Helen H. Tate Michelle Waldrep Ms. Virginia Watson Charles Hampton White Maclin Whiteman 2013 A Tennessee Waltz Ladies’ & Gentlemen’s Committee Co-Chairs Pam & Mike Koban A Tennessee Waltz Silent Auction Committee Nancy Russell – Chair Mary Nell Bryan Debra Danker Lynda Evjen Camille Harlin Carla McCombs Doris Medlin Mary Unobsky A Tennessee Waltz Ladies’ Committee Honey Alexander Clare Armistead Joan Cheek Mary Cook Mrs. Fred Dettwiller Mrs. Jere Mann Ervin Laurie Gold Eskind Beth Fortune Beverage Association of Tennessee Bobby Jean Frost Tootie Haskins Mrs. Douglas S. Henry Joyce Hitt Shirley Horowitz Ms. Lee Ann Ingram Christine Karbowiak Colleen Kerrigan Pam Lewis Carla McCombs Dianne Ferrell Neal Mrs. Douglas Pierce Emily J. Reynolds Delphine Roberts Sylvia Roberts Anne Ruark Nancy Adgent Russell Suzanne Smothers Ann G. Sullivan Debi Tate In Honor of Senator & Mrs. Douglas Henry Cathy W. Thomas Eleanor Whitworth Shirley Zeitlin A Tennessee Waltz Gentlemen’s Committee U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander Anonymous in honor of Mike & Pam Koban George E. Barrett Tom Beasley Beverage Association of Tennessee
Stephen E. Blackmon, Jr. Martin S. Brown, Jr. Andrew Wayne Byrd Will T. Cheek Bob Clement Tom F. Cone The Honorable Lew Conner Charles W. Cook, Jr. Fred Dettwiller Education Networks of America Jere Mann Ervin Steven J. Eskind David Ezzell John Ferguson Albert F. Ganier, III Fred Goldner, M.D. J. Nathan Green Aubrey Harwell Senator Douglas Henry Howard William Herndon Kem Hinton David Hitt Jim Hitt David Horowitz, M.D. Paul H. Kuhn Michael J. McMIllen V. Douglas Pierce, Jr. Bo Roberts Kenneth L. Roberts Manish K. Sethi, M.D. R. Bruce Shack, M.D. Thomas S. Smith Grant Smothers Bob Snyder Robert P. Thomas Charles Williamson Ridley Wills, II The Wills Company Justin P. Wilson Auction Donors Candyce Arnold Bellevue Medispa Birdsong Resort & Marina Tom Black Blackberry Farm Bond No. 9 Ted Clayton, Clayton Collection Cindy David Designs Escape day spa and salon Firefly Michael French The Hermitage Hotel Jean Gauld-Jeager Levy’s, Clothier for Men and Women Lockeland Table Betty Malo, Style & Beauty Carla McCombs Nordstrom’s Olive Oil Store The Palm Andrew Whitney Potts Nashville Predators Shuptrine Gold Leaf Designs Spruce John Summers, Music City BiPlane Tours, Inc. Earl Cox, Trumps Salon The Southern, Steaks and Oysters
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
National Archives Curator Bruce Bustard leads a tour of the exhibit during the Press Preview
Thanks to our Many friends in the news media across the Volunteer State and beyond! As far as the news media was concerned, the State Museum struck a home run with the Discovering the Civil War exhibition and the presentation of the original Emancipation Proclamation. Prior to the opening of the exhibition, staff members from both the State Museum and the National Archives appeared on several local television shows and conducted numerous radio interviews. After the Associated Press picked up the story on the news wire, an article about the exhibition opening at the State Museum appeared in more than 300 newspapers nationwide. Local newspapers and magazines printed special features about the exhibit while stories also appeared in a number of publications in Memphis, Chattanooga, Knoxville and the Tri-cities area of Tennessee. A Press Preview held prior to the exhibit’s opening on February 12 drew over 60 news media representatives. Coverage of the opening of the exhibition and the Emancipation Proclamation’s visit appeared on the evening newscasts of all four Nashville TV stations, and on two Knoxville stations, as well. Mentions of the exhibit were also broadcast on radio stations across the state. The museum’s Facebook page was “liked” by more than 1000 new fans during the past few months with many positive comments posted about the exhibition on that social media site and on TripAdvisor.com and YELP, as well. The museum is exceedingly grateful to everyone who assisted us in promoting this landmark exhibition. Don’t forget that the exhibit continues through the spring and summer. Come visit!
Sponsor of a Year of Exhibitions
Tennessee State Museum The Senator Douglas Henry State Museum Commission The Honorable Victor H. Ashe Commission Chairman Charles W. Cook, Jr. Vice Chairman Mary Ann Clark Nancy De Friece Deborah S. DiPietro TN House Speaker Beth Harwell Senator Douglas Henry TN House Deputy Speaker Steve McDaniel Deanie Parker The Honorable Charles M. Sargent Jr. Dr. Jan Simek Thomas Smith Lois Riggins-Ezzell, Ex-Officio Tennessee State Museum Foundation Board of Directors Executive Committee Robert P. Thomas, Chair Rich Roberts, Treasurer David Preston, Secretary Sen. Douglas Henry, Senate Representative TN House Speaker Beth Harwell, House Representative Paul R. McCombs, MD Immediate Past Chairman Ray Bell, Chairman Emeritus (1941-2010) Foundation Board Members Clare Armistead Jim Ayers Marianne Byrd Trudy Byrd Agenia Clark Charles W. Cook, Jr. The Honorable Karl Dean, Mayor, City of Nashville Howard W. Herndon, Governor’s Appointee Christine Karbowiak Colleen Kerrigan Pamela Lewis Milah Lynn Dianne Neal Henry Walker Charles B. Welch, Jr.
Lois Riggins-Ezzell, Executive Director Editorial Staff Leigh R. Hendry, Director, External Affairs Beth Lekander, Membership Manager Mary Skinner, Newsletter Editor Steven Hamby, Newsletter Designer No person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, religion, or sex shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subject to discrimination of services, programs, and employment provided by the Tennessee State Museum and its contracting agencies.
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