Investing in Interns is a Win-Win! Carla Phillips 15
Programs Corner:
Are You Involved with an SEMC Affinity Group? Heather Nowak 19
SEMC Annual Meeting Baton Rouge: October 21–23 28
Visit Baton Rouge 31
REGISTER NOW for the SEMC Annual Meeting 35
Welcome to Baton Rouge: Embracing History, Culture, and Community at SEMC 2024 Michelle Schulte 39
Brad MacDonald: The 2024 Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker 43
Sam Doyle, self-portrait, from exhibition A World Within Worlds: The Visionary Art of Sam Doyle at the York W. Bailey Museum, Penn Center.
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol.
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol and the Mississippi River.
A Special Thanks: Endowment and Membership Contributions 45
Cultivating a Cross-Regional Partnership Laura Leonard 69
AR Technology Awakens Past at Andalusia, Home of Flannery O’Connor Cindy O’Donnell 75
Auburn’s Art Museum Curates Real-World Experiences
for Interior Design, Business Students Katie Thompson-Taylor 79
Behind the Mask: Documenting Historic Masking on the Qualla Boundary Anna Fariello 85
Perspectives from the Curator: Succession Planning at a Small Museum Angie Barry 93
A World Within Worlds: University of Georgia and Penn Center Collaborate on a Sam Doyle Exhibition Rachel Dantes-Palmer 99
Important Dates 102 SEMC Job Forum 102 Get Social 102
Membership Form 103
Will West Long at the 1937 Indian Fair, photograph courtesy of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archives.
semc
Alabama North Carolina
Arkansas South Carolina
Florida Tennessee
Georgia Virginia
Kentucky West Virginia
Louisiana U.S. Virgin Islands
Mississippi Puerto Rico
staff
Zinnia Willits
Executive Director
Carla Phillips
Manager of Communications
and Member Services
Heather Nowak
Program Administrator
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
Inside SEMC is published twice a year by SEMC. Annual subscription is included in membership dues.
Design: Nathan Moehlmann, Goosepen Studio & Press
The deadline for the Winter 2025 newsletter is December 2, 2024. To submit information for the newsletter, please contact Zinnia Willits (zwillits@semcdirect.net) or Carla Phillips (cphillips@ semcdirect.net).
semc officers
Matthew S. Davis President mdavis4@wlu.edu
Director of Institutional History Museum, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
Dr. Calinda Lee Vice President sources.lee@gmail.com
Principal, Sources Cultural Resources Management, LLC, Atlanta, GA
Deitrah J. Taylor Secretary dtaylorhistorian@gmail.com
Public Historian, Milledgeville, GA
Scott Alvey Treasurer Scott.Alvey@ky.gov
Director, Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY
Heather Marie Wells Past President heathermarie.wells@crystalbridges.org
Digital Media Project Manager, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
semc directors
Tafeni English
tafeni.english@splcenter.org
Director, Alabama State Office, Southern Poverty Law Center/Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery, AL
Katie Ericson-Baskin kericso@emory.edu
Director of Education, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta, GA
Alicia Franck
Alicia.franck@nationalww2museum.org
Vice President and Chief Development Officer, The National World War II Museum, New Orleans, LA
Deborah Rose Van Horn
Deborah.vanhorn@gmail.com
Senior Curator, Walt Disney Imagineering, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Brigette Janea Jones
Brigette@arabiaalliance.org
Assistant Executive Director, Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, Stonecrest, GA
Pamela D. C. Junior pamela1junior@gmail.com
Former Director, Two Mississippi Museums, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Jackson, MS
Rosalind Martin
rmartin@knoxart.org Director of Education, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN
Michelle Schulte mschulte@lsu.edu
Chief Curator, LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA
Ahmad Ward award@exploremitchelville.org
Executive Director, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island, SC
Scott Warren Scott.warren@dncr.nc.gov Director,
President James K. Polk Historic Site, Pineville, NC
Lance Wheeler
lwheeler@thewright.org
Vice President of Learning and Engagement, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, MI
semc executive director’s notes
Dear SEMC:
Although there is not even a hint of cooler temperatures here in Charleston, South Carolina yet (please…. we still have months to go), the summer months are winding down and fall is knocking at the door. While SEMC staff work on programs and planning throughout each season, fall is without a doubt one of our busiest times of the year! The 2024 Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, which local teams have been developing for two years, is just a few months away. The work involved in bringing hundreds of museum professionals an amazing conference is now in high gear! While we understand that it might not be possible to participate in the SEMC annual meeting each year, Baton Rouge is not the year to miss! Music, food, culture, history and over sixty professional sessions, workshops and unique experiences await as well as another lively Expo Hall filled with museum service providers ready to welcome attendees and make connections!
Named by French explorers as “the Red Stick City,” Baton Rouge is where Louisiana’s capital, flagship university, and distinctive Cajun and Creole cultures all come together. Located in Southeast Louisiana, Baton
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol.
Rouge is the fifth largest city on the Mississippi River and home to Louisiana’s largest parish. Do not miss the terrific local perspective in the pages that follow from Michelle Schulte, SEMC2024 Local Arrangements Chair! Make sure to mark your calendars for an informational “Know Before You Go” session on October 8 to answer all your SEMC2024 questions.
This SEMC staff and Council are also thrilled to announce that applications are open for the 2025 Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) to be held January 21–28, 2025. This eight day, in-person program is an immersive experience for museum professionals who seek to broaden their understanding of museum operations to advance to management or leadership roles in the museum field. Participants will learn current best practices of visitor-facing and behind-the-scenes work in museums, with a focus on incorporating diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and the use of technology into all subjects. JIMI attendees will have the opportunity to hear from experts across the museum field, collaborate with peers to discuss challenges and solutions to real-world museum issues and develop a network of museum professionals.
SEMC produces the JIMI program every other year. JIMI2023 was a wonderful and unique adventure with museum professionals from across the region representing different types and sizes of institutions, career stages, and disciplines within a museum. The cohort of dynamic, caring individuals reflected the future of
the field. The instructors brought their experience, expertise, and enthusiasm and developed interactive sessions to deliver best practices in a way that was relatable and open to questions and healthy debate. A gorgeous island setting and amazing partners and supporters both on Jekyll Island and beyond rounded out the experience. I have great respect and appreciation for all involved with JIMI, past, present, and future and hope you will consider applying to be part of the 2025 program. Consider the opportunity, the possibility, the growth. If you have questions, please reach out! I would be happy to talk through plans for the JIMI2025 experience.
If you need a little more encouragement, take a look at a selection of program reflections gathered from the 2023 cohort.
All good things ahead. We can’t wait to see you in Baton Rouge!
Sincerely,
Zinnia Willits , SEMC Executive Director
The 2023 JIMI Cohort.
Reflections from the JIMI2023 Cohort: What is the best thing you could say about JIMI if you were encouraging someone else to do it?
Participating in JIMI will make you feel much more confident in your current role and as you consider leadership roles in the future. A lot of the things you struggle with are hard for you because... they are hard for everyone!!! But now you are better equipped to solve these problems.
I would say that it is the best professional development program that I have attended, and that any museum professional will benefit from the opportunity. Also, considering the price of some other workshops, programs, and even conferences, JIMI is one of the best investments you and your organization can make.
If you are thinking about it, go for it. There are few, if any, other opportunities like this in our field. Enter it with an open mind, bring your full self, and soak it all in. Do not go just for the facilitators, but the cohort. I highly recommend
it as you are thinking about your career and what the future holds.
JIMI gave me clarity about my future that I did not know I had been missing and needing. I felt really SEEN and encouraged in all the right directions. It was surprisingly moving and an emotional experience. I left feeling like a different person. It helped me understand myself better, which I did not at all expect.
The concentrated networking of a small cohort is phenomenal. Being in a small group for multiple days in a safe space allowed us to learn from each other as well as the presenters. JIMI was indeed a unique opportunity to grow and develop as a museum professional.
It was a well-organized, immersive experience that will help you think, grow, and meet lifelong friends and colleagues. It is exactly the kind of space we need in the museum field right now if we are to change it.
The Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston shares Gandhi’s story, his message of nonviolence, and how his legacy has influenced some of the world’s greatest peace advocates. Moving Hearts. Moving Minds. Moving Experiences. Learn more at solidlight-inc.com
semc president’s address
Greetings, SEMC Members!
I trust you have had an amazing summer, full of programming, exhibition planning, day camps, and perhaps even a little time off. Like many of you, the summer is a time for change, and I recently transitioned into a new position at Washington and Lee University in Viriginia. Change is an inevitable part of our business, and our field tends to be nomadic as we move long distances away from friends and colleagues as part of our transitions.
As I adjust to my new normal, I have been reminded just how important my community of friends and colleagues within SEMC is to me. I have had numerous calls and emails to congratulate and encourage me in my new role. I count myself fortunate to have found a strong network to plug into, and it’s things like this that make me proud to be a member of this organization.
To that end, I look forward to seeing you all at our annual meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Our theme this year is Museums: Inspire-Innovate, and I think you will agree that this year’s theme speaks to what we do for the public, but also for each other as professionals. Additionally, your Program Committee, chaired by Christa McCay, has put together an amazing program that speaks to many of the pressing needs of our field. Additionally, the local arrangements committee chaired by Michelle Schulte has organized an outstanding series of evening events, tours, and engagements that will aid us in understanding the city’s broader cultural community and have some fun!
Please register for #SEMC2024 today. I look forward to seeing you in Baton Rouge on October 21–23!
Sincerely, Matt
S. Davis , SEMC President
and Director of Institutional History Museums, Washington and Lee University
MEMBERSHIP CORNER
Investing in Interns is a Win-Win!
Zinnia Willits, SEMC Executive Director, says it best, “Interns are vital to forward movement for an organization. They bring fresh, diverse perspectives to internal conversations and help our staff look at a program or process through a completely different lens. SEMC has been fortunate to have amazing interns interested in learning our business and passionate about adding their own knowledge and experience to help make us stronger, connected, and relevant across generations.”
While our focus is on providing all interns with an enriching experience, SEMC is also committed to supporting underrepresented students who are pursuing a career in the museum field. Our partnership with Spelman College and the Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective is a notable example of an academic collaboration. For the past three years, SEMC has filled one of our summer and fall internship positions through the Spelman program, offering hands-on learning to students attending Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University or Morehouse College.
Interns have collaborated with our staff on marketing, social media, and development projects, in addition to helping us prepare for the annual conference. Our commitment to their development is crucial for both their growth and the overall success of the projects. Our small but mighty SEMC team works together to
make their internship experience as rewarding and productive as possible.
We are also thrilled that the AUC Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective has prioritized sending a cohort of students to the SEMC Annual Meeting since the inception of our partnership. It is exciting to know our conference is viewed as the best conference for first-time museum goers and we are proud to welcome these, and all students to our conference.
If you would like information about how to connect your museum studies program with SEMC, please reach out to our staff, we are passionate about supporting the next generation of museum leaders!
Affinity Groups provide additional networking opportunities not only at Annual Meetings but also throughout the year. These groups allow individuals with a shared interest in the museum field to stay connected and share ideas and resources.
I am delighted to introduce (or reintroduce) you to the diverse affinity groups within the SEMC community. Whether you are a seasoned professional or new to the field, I encourage you to check out the Affinity Group meetups and luncheons happening at SEMC2024 in Baton Rouge. For those who are already part of a group, we are excited for you to connect with colleagues, exchange ideas, and gain fresh insights!
SEMC EDUCATORS COMMITTEE (ED-COM)
This group champions the interests and needs of museum educators within SEMC by actively engaging in policy and decision-making discussions and curating programs for the Annual Meeting. The primary mission of SEMC ED-COM is to cultivate a sense of community and enhance communication across the region, thereby strengthening networks and creating forums for the exchange of ideas and resources:
• Join the members of Ed-Com on Tuesday, October 22 at noon for a luncheon and peer-to-peer discussion. (Pre-registration required, $40)
• Connect with this group throughout the year by joining their Facebook group titled SEMC Educators Committee (Ed-Com).
SEMC EMERGING MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS (EMP)
Founded in 2011 by SEMC members, the EMP group addresses the need for a clearer career development and networking path for newcomers to the museum field. Emerging Museum Professionals are defined as individuals who have been in the museum sector for ten years or less, providing a dedicated space for those early in their careers to connect and grow:
• Meet fellow emerging professionals at the EMP Meet-Up on Monday, October 21, at 5:00 pm. Grab a drink from the Expo Hall or Kingfish Bar in the hotel lobby and convene to for a time of camaraderie and networking.
• Connect with this group throughout the year by joining their Facebook group named SEMC Emerging Museum Professionals.
Engineering Philanthropy
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www.compassgroup.com
SEMC EQUITY AND INCLUSION ACTION TEAM (EIAT)
Inclusivity at every operational level is paramount for museums to achieve effectiveness and sustainability. Members of EAIT are committed to dismantling both actual and perceived barriers that hinder access to cultural institutions, steering museums towards equitable practices that embrace traditionally marginalized communities. They champion the notion that museums must be safe havens for constructive dialogue, fostered through relevant, scholarly, and impactful interpretation and programming. The EIAT advocates for museums to actively and positively engage with our diverse and intersectional communities. They believe that museums flourish when they collaborate with and serve the diverse populations within their reach:
• Join fellow attendees on Tuesday, October 22, at 4:30 pm for an EIAT interest meeting. SEMC seeks to reignite the energy of this dynamic group to build on previous impactful work. We are looking for enthusiastic individuals ready to take an active role, set ambitious goals, and spearhead initiatives for the coming years.
If you are eager to step into a leadership role and drive meaningful change, please attend!
• To learn more about EIAT, visit https://semceiat. wixsite.com/eiat
SEMC MID-CAREER MUSEUM PROFESSIONALS (MCMP)
Mirroring the initiative of the SEMC EMP group, the mid-career professional group was established by SEMC members to create a dedicated space for those with over a decade of experience in the museum profession. The MCMP group serves as a hub for sharing resources, professional development opportunities, and mutual support, empowering these professionals to navigate the complexities of the museum field with confidence and camaraderie:
• Meet fellow mid-career professionals at the MidCareer Meet-Up on Monday, October 21, at 5:00 pm. Grab a drink from the Expo Hall and convene for a time of encouragement, discussion, and networking.
• Stay connected with this group throughout the year by joining their Facebook group titled SEMC
Mid-Career MeetUp 2022.
Mid-Career Museum Professional.
HISTORIC HOUSE + SMALL MUSEUMS AFFINITY GROUP
Previously recognized as the Historic House Museums Affinity Group, HHMAG has broadened its scope to include small museums. This regional affinity group, now known as Historic House + Small Museums, addresses the unique challenges faced by staff in historic houses and small museums in the southeast by offering educational programs, workshops, and networking opportunities:
• Connect with Historic House + Small Museum group members at a Dutch treat meet-up on Monday, October, at 8:00 am. Gather at The Vintage (333 Laurel St.), a 5-minute (.02 mile) walk from the Hilton Hotel.
• Stay connected throughout the year by joining their
facebook group: Historic House + Small Museums Affinity Group-SEMC.
SEMC collaborates with other established professional networks and affinity groups to expand your networking opportunities at Annual Meetings. Make sure to engage with them throughout SEMC2024!
THE SOUTHEASTERN REGISTRARS ASSOCIATION (SERA)
Founded in 1978, SERA encourages high standards of museum practice and fosters professional growth among museum registrars through the promotion, exchange, and dissemination of information and ideas via educational seminars, publications, and other means. SERA initiates and supports activities that create an atmosphere of cooperation among registrars, other museum professionals, and those in related service fields and pursues further development of professional practices in the field:
• Join the members of SERA on Tuesday, October 22, at noon for a luncheon and business meeting to hear about the latest updates. (Pre-registration required, $40)
• Stay connected by visiting their Facebook page, Southeastern Registrars Association (SERA).
• Get more information and to join, visit https://www. seregistrars.org/.
CURATORS COMMITTEE (CURCOM)
The SEMC Curators Committee is dedicated to serving museum professionals in the Southeast who are engaged in collections, research, and exhibitions. This committee fosters a community of peers for discussing pressing professional topics and concerns and acts as a vital network for research and other professional inquiries:
• Register to attend the CurCom Luncheon and Program on October 22 at noon. Connect with peers and hear about the latest trends. (Pre-registration required, $40)
Heather Nowak , SEMC Program Administrator hnowak@semcdirect.net
Scott Warren leads the Mid-Career MeetUp in 2022.
The Walker Art Gallery. Image by Pete Carr.
Commemorate Your Hometown Heritage
As excitement builds for the U.S. 250th, make your local history part of this once-in-a-lifetime event with a fully-funded historical marker. Visit wgpfoundation.org to learn more.
SEMC ANNUAL MEETING
Downtown Baton Rouge, along the Mississippi River.
visit BATON ROUGE
History of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana, has a rich history that spans several centuries. Originally inhabited by Native American tribes, such as the Houma and Bayougoula, Baton Rouge is said to have gotten its name for the red cypress pole marking the territory of these tribes. French explorers, led by Pierre le Moyne d’Iberville, named the area “le bâton rouge” or “Red Stick” while making their way upriver during an exploration in 1699. Baton Rouge was under the control of French, British and Spanish governments until 1803, with the Louisiana Purchase. The city played a significant role during the Civil War, serving as a strategic location due to its position on the Mississippi River. Baton Rouge grew rapidly in the years that followed, with the oil and gas industry and the establishment of Louisiana State University and Southern University. Today, it is a vibrant city known for its cultural diversity, historical landmarks, political significance and arts and culture scene.
Can’t Miss Experiences
Baton Rouge offers a wealth of unforgettable experiences that capture the essence of the city. A visit to the Louisiana State Capitol, the tallest in the country, provides stunning views from the 27th floor’s observation
deck, while the Old State Capitol is a Gothic architectural gem that houses a museum that delves into the state’s political history. LSU’s Rural Life Museum provides an immersive experience into the lives of 19th-century Louisianans, and a stroll through LSU’s campus is not complete without a visit to Mike the Tiger’s habitat. Southern University Museum of Art is filled with African American art in its eight galleries, while Baton Rouge’s Mid City neighborhood is home to eclectic shops and experiences anchored by lively Government Street.
Food Scene
Baton Rouge boasts a dynamic and diverse food scene that reflects its rich cultural heritage and contemporary culinary trends. A melting pot of flavor, visitors will find the Cajun and Creole cuisine the region is known for, with restaurants offering iconic dishes like jambalaya, gumbo and crawfish etouffee. Beyond its roots, Baton Rouge also embraces a variety of international cuisines due to its ever-growing multicultural population, such as Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, Caribbean and Indian cuisines. Farm-to-table options also abound with its close proximity to rural areas, with restaurants highlighting fresh, locally sourced ingredients. From fine dining to casual eateries and food trucks, Baton Rouge is a foodie’s paradise just waiting to be explored!
The Louisiana State Capitol Building.
Cocktails at The Vintage, downtown on Laurel Street.
Lousiana’s Old Capitol Building.
Heidelberg Hotel (now the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center), 201211 Lafayette Street, Baton Rouge. Gift of Ed
Reed. Photograph by Ewing, ca. 1927. Courtesy of East Baton Rouge Parish Library.
REGISTER NOW FOR SEMC 2024 BATON ROUGE OCTOBER 21-23
Register now for the 2024 SEMC Annual Meeting which will be held at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, a property that blends both history and elegance and once again stands proud as it did when it was originally constructed in 1927. The historic hotel has been fully restored to its former state of grandeur with over $70 million in renovations and 31,000 square feet of meeting and event space to meet SEMCs conference needs.
Overlooking the beautiful Mississippi River and located in picturesque downtown Baton Rouge, the hotel is adjacent to the Shaw Center and the River Center
Convention Center. It is also less than five minutes from the Louisiana State Capitol and three miles from Louisiana State University.
The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center
The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center was constructed during the “Roaring Twenties,” in which flappers, the radio, and the Art Deco movement defined the age. The idea for the Heidelberg Hotel (the property’s original name) began in 1927, when architect Edward
The Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, formerly the Heidelberg Hotel.
Nield casually sketched a luxury hotel on a napkin, with no formal plans to construct in Louisiana’s capital city. In 1928, Huey P. Long was elected governor, establishing himself as one of the state’s most colorful characters. In the 1930s, Long oversaw construction of a new state capitol building, four blocks from the Heidelberg Hotel. Among its hallmarks was its rank as the tallest capitol building in the country. In 1931, the Heidelberg itself served as the Louisiana Capitol during a dispute between Long and Lieutenant Governor Paul Cyr. Long, newly elected as senator, refused to relinquish his duties as governor and Cyr set up operations in the hotel. Long met an untimely and suspicious death in 1935 when he was assassinated in the hall of the Capitol building. Many events surrounding his death have never been explained, and rumors persist to this day, especially about the whereabouts of Long’s reputed “deduct box,” a cache of political paybacks.
One of the unique features of the hotel is the secret underground passageway to the King Hotel across the street, which allegedly gave Huey Long direct access to his flamboyant mistress. Today, guests can dine in the
infamous secret tunnel. The Heidelberg was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It has received a Bricks and Mortar award from the Foundation of Historical Louisiana. In 2006, after more than $70 million in renovations, the former Heidelberg Hotel was reborn as the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center hotel. Modern upgrades, tasteful amenities, a beautiful restaurant and lounge, and exercise facility give new life to this historic hotel.
Explore the History of Baton Rouge
Nicknamed the “Red Stick,” Baton Rouge houses over 300 years of history, much of which can be tasted in the delectable food, seen in the distinct architecture, and learned through the city’s unique culture.
In Louisiana’s Capital City, you will experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of an authentic Louisiana experience at every turn. With hundreds of years of history, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is the heart and soul of the state’s culture with a colorful story told by the historical landmarks, culinary offerings and the arts and culture
Louisiana Art and Science Museum.
scene. Take advantage of the walkable downtown area while exploring venues and attractions such as the Old State Capitol and Capitol Park Museum. Immerse your taste buds in the local cuisine at the selection of culinary experiences. Baton Rouge’s eclectic culture is best tasted, and the ever-growing restaurant scene is filled with everything from longtime local classics to newer restaurant concepts. After your meal, dance the night away to the sounds of Baton Rouge — jazz, zydeco, swamp blues and country — with live performances almost every night. For more information, head to VisitBatonRouge.com.
Once you are ready to map out your trip to the Capital City you can download a flat map of the Downtown Baton Rouge and Greater Baton Rouge areas to help pinpoint all of your destinations, or select a neighborhood for interactive maps filled with restaurants, things to do, shopping and nightlife!
Maps of Baton Rouge, LA | Interactive & Downloadable Maps (visitbatonrouge.com)
Direct Flights to Baton Rouge
With yearly festivals and events, professional and leisure conventions, sporting events, delicious food and drinks and so much to do and see, there are plenty of reasons to come on down to Baton Rouge! The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport (BTR) serves over 830,000 people and its frequent flights provided by American, Delta and United to some of their largest hub airports provide a quick connection to destinations all over the world.
The following airlines offer direct flights to Baton Rouge: American Airlines, Delta, and United.
The following cities have nonstop flights to Baton Rouge: Atlanta, GA; Charlotte, NC; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Houston, TX (Intercontinental); and Washington, DC (National).
Both Uber and Lyft service the BTR Airport and the Hilton offers a complimentary airport shuttle! Arrive early — stay late — experience a unique part of the SEMC region in 2024. Conference registration opens in May 2024.
The LSU Museum of Art.
WELCOME TO BATON ROUGE
EMBRACING HISTORY, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY AT SEMC 2024
Michelle
Schulte , SEMC2024 Local Arrangements Chair and Chief Curator and Director of Programs, LSU Museum of Art
In 1699, as French explorers wandered northward up the Mississippi River, they observed large red cypress poles along the shore. Expedition leader, Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, later noted the sightings of les batons rouge, the red sticks used by native tribes to mark hunting boundaries, in his journal, unwittingly giving the area a name—Baton Rouge. Although the territory was a new discovery for the Europeans, the quiet river landscape had been home to Indigenous people for thousands of
years. The Chitimacha, Houma, and Bayogoula tribes inhabited the land, with later residents calling the area Istrouma, derived from the Choctaw words ita humma, meaning red pole.
By the 1700s, after claiming the territory for France, Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit was constructed. With colonization, generations of the native population were displaced, and the area quickly blossomed into a thriving nucleus for settlement and trade. Over the next several decades, the prosperous region was governed
LSU Textile and Costume Museum.
by France, Britain, Spain, and, ultimately, America with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The acquisition of Louisiana was a catalyst for increased occupation. The city’s strategic location along the Mississippi River established Baton Rouge as a vital port for trade. Commodities and people moved back and forth along the “Big Muddy,” which snakes its way southward across ten states, from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The population swelled, and in 1849, Baton Rouge was officially incorporated as a city and the new state capital, replacing “sinful” New Orleans.
Baton Rouge has always played an important role in Louisiana’s history. It was occupied alternately by Confederate and Union Soldiers during the Civil War. The Seminary of Learning of the State of Louisiana, later renamed Louisiana State University, relocated here in 1869; Southern University in 1880. The state’s first oil refinery was constructed in 1909, a precursor to the current Exxon facility. Famed politician Senator
Learn about the oldest structure in Baton Rouge at Magnolia Mound Museum.
Chow down on a sack of boudin balls at Tony’s Seafood Market and Deli.
Sip a craft cocktail at Mothers Lounge.
Huey P. Long, Jr. was assassinated in the State Capitol in 1935. Reverend T. J. Jemison organized the first public bus boycott protesting the city’s segregation policies in 1953, two years before the Montgomery campaign. Legendary basketballer Shaquille O’Neal played for the LSU Tigers prior to entering the NBA in 1992. In 2016, the city experienced months of demonstrations and violence during the aftermath of the killing of Alton Sterling by two white police officers, a precursor to the Civil Rights protests and activism that spread across the United States in 2020.
The city’s diverse history has shaped its present, making Baton Rouge culturally distinct. The core population is an amalgamation of African, French, and Spanish ancestry, blended with Cajun and Creole culture drawn
from Southern Louisiana and Acadiana. These multifaceted influences affect all aspects of the city—our food, religion, architecture, language, music, and lifestyles draw from a diverse heritage. Baton Rouge is a unique part of the Southern landscape.
During the October SEMC conference, we invite you to visit our many cultural landmarks. Take a 27-story elevator ride to the top of the Louisiana State Capitol. Enjoy crawfish etouffee or a po’ boy at one of our many downtown dives. Learn about the state’s Civil Rights movement at the Capitol Park Museum. Meet LSU’s mascot Mike VII. Watch the sunset along the Mississippi River levee. We are excited to host museum professionals from across the South and look forward to sharing our amazing city with you! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Learn about Louisiana history at the Capitol Park Museum.
MUSEUMRAILS is a re ned system of modular rail components. MUSEUMRAILS o ers a custom appearance, yet is still exible, easily recon gurable, and an in nitely reusable solution to many exhibit requirements for interpretive rails and visitor separation.
MUSEUMSIGNS is the most discreet and versatile signage system available. Various sizes and con gurations include wall mounted, freestanding and reader rail versions. Use MUSEUMSIGNS throughout your facility for a consistently clean look and feel.
BRAD MACDONALD THE 2024 ANNUAL MEETING KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Brad MacDonald is an experienced designer, game designer, artist, musician and storyteller using technology and his expertise in user experience to craft narratives for museums, cultural institutions and corporate partners. He’s particularly interested in the creative process, using technology to craft deep, human-centric interactions, and the emotions that drive experiences regardless of platform.
Past projects include the FUTURES exhibition at the Smithsonian Arts+Industries Building, consulting on the use of digital technology on the award winning exhibit, Cellphone: Unseen Connections, at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. As the Project Director for Digital Experiences at the Exploratorium in San Francisco he coordinated research and developed guidelines for the creation of digital immersive experiences and oversaw the creation of a digital strategy guide. He was a participant in the Master Planning charrette for the Museum of Man in San Diego, and has taught workshops on iterative and interactive design at Balboa Park, ECSITE, and throughout Europe and China.
Since 2014 he has taught at Parsons School of Design in the Design and Technology program, in NYU’s
Tandon School of Engineering, and at the China Academy of Arts in Hangzhou, China. In the 14 years he was with Large Animal Games he was the Lead Artist or Art Director for over 100 mobile, online, social and PC downloadable games. At some point in his career, he has been involved in the design of everything from talking toilet seats to internationally touring theatrical productions.
Brad will give the keynote address, focused on designing for feeling, on Wednesday, October 23, at 9:30 AM directly following the SEMC Business Meeting. This event will be live streamed on SEMC’s Facebook page so members can join wherever they are!
A SPECIAL THANKS
SEMC Endowment Contributions
Many thanks to our endowment contributors this year (January to July, 2024) 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.
Anonymous,
in honor of Graig Shaak
George Bassi
Charles (Tom) Butler
David Butler
Mary Hauser
Michael Hudson
Elise LeCompte
Darcie MacMahon
Nathan Moehlmann
Rosalind Martin
Doug Noble
Willam Paul, Jr.
Graig Shaak
Robert and Nancy Sullivan
Kristen Miller Zohn
Zinnia Willits
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
Zinnia Willits
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
Alderson Fellows
(minimum $1,000)
Alexander Benitez
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 ( continued)
Zinnia Willits, Carla Phillips, and SEMC’s summer intern, Marquis Stukes, at the SEMC Atlanta Member Mixer.
Michael Anne Lynn
R. Andrew Maass
Darcie MacMahon
Rosalind Martin
Susan Perry
Robin Seage Person
Robin Reed
Allison Reid
Steve Rucker
Michelle Schulte
Ahmad Ward
Michael Scott Warren
Heather Marie Wells
Kristen Miller Zohn
Other SEMC Contributions (January–July, 2024)
ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS
Matthew Davis
Danielle Hatch
Heather Nowak
Ashleigh Oatts
Michael (Scott) Warren State of Louisiana/Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
GENERAL OPERATING
Scott Alvey
Bonsai Fine Art
Rebecca Bush
India Crawford
Anonymous Donation in Memory of Mr. Eddie Davis in honor of his son, Matthew Davis
Matthew Davis
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Hutchinson Design Group
Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Kyle Hutchinson and John Parker
Dr. Calinda Lee
Christa McCay
Heather Nowak
Our Fundraising Search
Lauren Pacheco
Catherine Pears
Susan Perry
Patterson Pope
Michelle Schulte
Michael Scott
Deborah Rose Van Horn
Ahmad Ward
Heather Marie Wells
Lance Wheeler
Crystal Wimer
2024 LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Association of African American Museums
Tafeni English
National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships
Smithsonian, Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past
Lance Wheeler
HANDUMY JEAN TAHAN INTERNSHIP FUND
Rebecca Bush
Elise LeCompte
Joy Tahan Ruddell
Joshua Whitfield
LAPAGLIA FUND
Elise LeCompte
MARTHA BATTLE JACKSON JIMI FUND
Angie Albright
Anonymous donation in memory of Emma Delean Taylor in honor of her daughter Deitrah Taylor
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 Meetings 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 semcdirect.net, email memberservices@semcdirect.net, or call 404.814.2047. For your convenience, the last page of this newsletter is a membership application.
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Historic Cane Hill, INorth Carolina., Cane Hill, Arkansas
Historic Dumfries Virginia & The Weems-Botts Museum, Dumfries, Virginia
HistoryMiami, Miami, Florida
International Arts Center, Troy, Alabama
International Towing & Recovery Museum, Chattanooga, Tennessee
KMAC Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Lam Museum of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Louisiana State University Textile & Costume Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
Maier Museum of Art, Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia
Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida
Marine Corps Museum Parris Island, Parris Island, South Carolina
Maritime Museum Louisiana, Madisonville, Louisiana
Marlboro County Museum, Bennettsville, South Carolina
Mather Museum & Interpretive Center, Beaufort, South Carolina
Mountain Heritage Center, Cullowhee, North Carolina
Museum of Design Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
Museum of Durham History, Durham, North Carolina Museums at W&L, Lexington, Virginia
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Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, Massachusetts
Oconee History Museum, Walhalla, South Carolina
Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA), Atlanta, Georgia
Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, Mississippi
Parris Island Heritage Foundation, Parris Island, South Carolina
Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Brookneal, Virginia
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Paul R. Jones Museum- University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Posada Art Foundation, San Francisco, California
Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, Savannah, Georgia
South Carolina Confederate Relic Room & Museum, Columbia, South Carolina
Shelby County Historical Society, Shelbyville, Kentucky
Southern University at New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
SQT Museum, Carrollton, Georgia
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Swannanoa Valley Museum, Black Mountain, North Carolina
Tennessee River Museum, Savannah, Tennessee
The Museum, Greenwood, South Carolina
The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, Florida
The Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture, Knoxville, Tennessee
The Guntersville Museum, Guntersville, Alabama
The Parthenon, Nashville, Tennessee
The Ralph Foster Museum, Point Lookout, Missouri
Two Dots Studio, Raleigh, North Carolina
Union County Heritage Museum, New Albany, Mississippi
Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Kentucky
(Category 2: $150 )
African American Military History Museum, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Aiken County Historical Museum, Aiken, South Carolina
Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Tuscumbia, Alabama
Anderson County Museum, Anderson, South Carolina
Andrew Low House Museum, Savannah, Georgia
Appalachian State University Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Boone, North Carolina
Arlington Historic House, Birmingham, Alabama
Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM), Memphis, Tennessee
Attleboro Area Industrial Museum, Attleboro, Massachusetts
Bartow History Museum, Cartersville, Georgia
Beaches Museum, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Decatur, Alabama
Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum, Orangeburg, South Carolina
Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte, North Carolina
Civil Rights Memorial Center/Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, Alabama
Clemson Area African American Museum, Clemson, South Carolina
Computer Museum of America, Roswell, Georgia
Dade Heritage Trust, Miami, Florida
East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville, Tennessee
Stop by and say howdy to Pamela if you are attending the SEMC Conference. If not, you can give her a hollar at (817) 541-9478 or pmoore@displaysfas.com.
Association of African American Museums (AAAM), Washington, District of Columbia
Available Light, Raleigh, North Carolina
Atelier 4, Charlotte, North Carolina
Bonsai Fine Arts Inc, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Boston Productions, Inc., Norwood, Massachusetts
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
Case Antiques, Inc. Auctions & Appraisals, Knoxville, Tennessee
CatalogIt, Oakland, California
Charityproud, North Charleston, South Carolina
Cinebar Productions, Inc., Newport News, Virginia
Collector Systems, LLC., New York, New York
Conserv, Birmingham, Alabama
Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Crozier Fine Arts, New York, New York
Displays Fine Art Services, Arlington, Texas
DLR Group, Orlando, Florida
dmdg2, Savannah, Georgia
Donna Lawrence Productions, Louisville, Kentucky
Donorly, New York, New York
Dorfman Museum Figures, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
ERCO Lighting, Inc., Edison, New Jersey
Explus, Inc., Sterling, Virginia
Friesens Corporation, Brunswick, Georgia
Gaylord Archival, Syracuse, New York
Haizlip Studio, Memphis, Tennessee
HealyKohler Design, Washington, District of Columbia
Hollinger Metal Edge, Inc, Fredericksburg, Virginia
HW Exhibits, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Interactive Knowledge, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
MBA Design & Display Products Corporation, Exton, Pennsylvania
Monadnock Media, Inc., Hatfield, Massachusetts
Odyssey by HistoryIT, Portland, Maine
Our Fundraising Search, Atlanta, Georgia
Page, Atlanta, Georgia
Patterson Pope, Inc., Norcross, Georgia
Porter Art Services, New Orleans, Louisiana
Riggs Ward Design, Richmond, Virginia
Risk Strategies, New York, New York
SAQA Global Exhibitions, Beavercreek, Ohio
Shibui Design, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia
Solid Light, Inc, Louisville, Kentucky
Solomon Group, New Orleans, Louisiana
STQRY, Rochester, New York
Tour-Mate Systems, Toronto Canada
Transformit, Gorham, Maine
Transport Consultants International, Lithia, Florida
Universal Fiber Optic Lighting USA, LLC., Sarasota, Florida
USA Image, Louisville, Kentucky
Warner Museums, Birmingham, Alabama
WonderWorld Video and Creative, Charlotte, North Carolina
Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), Philadelphia, PA
Corporate Partner ($2,100)
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Charleston, South Carolina
National Museum of African American History and Culture,
Smithsonian Institution-Office of Strategic Partnerships, Washington, District of Columbia
Smithsonian Institution/Reckoning with Our Racial Past, Silver Spring, Maryland
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Cultivating a Cross-Regional Partnership
Laura Leonard , Art Bridges Project Coordinator and Curatorial Researcher, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT
The American South Consortium is a four-year, fourmuseum partnership that brings together objects from different collections to expand conversations around American art, history, and culture. Part of the Art Bridges Cohort Program, the project has offered partners a new model for collaboration and collection-sharing beyond city and state lines, while also fostering a network of new personal and professional connections.
Led by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford, CT), the partnership includes the Columbia Museum of Art (SC), the Mobile Museum of Art (AL), and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (AL). The cohort created a two-phase exhibition series drawing from each of the museum’s collections of American art and material culture, hosted by each venue. The project funding supports essential aspects including but not limited to exhibition design, conservation and framing needs, packing, and shipping art, and promotional materials. Vital to the project are annual in-person convenings—one taking place at each partner museum—where colleagues come together to brainstorm project goals, participate in workshops, and engage with the hosting venue’s community.
Phase I — The Spotlight Series
The first phase, called the Spotlight Series, highlights a regionally significant work from each partner collection.
When these single object loans travel to each venue, they are often exhibited in conversation with relevant artworks from the host museum’s permanent collection. To broaden the scope of the exhibitions, curators and educators share research, insights, and pose new questions together. This exchange informs the creation of unique interpretative and interactive elements, in turn providing the lender with fresh perspectives on their object.
To elevate the contributions of regional artists in the ever-developing story of American visual culture, curators prioritized the inclusion of a variety of media. For example, the Columbia Museum of Art selected a bureau (c. 1855) made by Thomas Day (1801–1861), a Virginia-born entrepreneur, master craftsman, and free person of color. Industrious by nature, Day had built the most successful cabinetmaking workshop in North Carolina by the 1850s. While North Carolina is widely known for its high-quality furniture, Day’s story of is one of exceptional craftsmanship and professional
Thomas Day (American, 1801–1861), Bureau, c. 1855, Mahogany, mahogany veneer, yellow pine, poplar, marble, mirror (replaced), 70½ × 42 × 18 in., Columbia Museum of Art, South Carolina, Museum purchase with funds provided by the Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Clark and the Richard H. Jenrette Decorative Arts Purchase Fund, 1998.9.
success despite the challenges he faced in owing to his social standing and mixed-race identity. This deeper look also spurred new research on topics such as the dissemination and development of American style in a regional setting and industrialization in the rural South.
Major manufacturers in the Northeast used printed advertisements to promote their inventory to potential buyers. As these materials made their way across the country, they also became a valuable resource for rural craftsmen to reference the latest fashions for their clientele. Despite starting from the same design sources, craftsmen developed their own stylistic flair, resulting in furniture styles that varied region to region. Day appealed to a wide-ranging clientele blending the latest trends with his own exuberant style. His furniture was well proportioned and carved decorative elements, particularly undulating curves, and “S” shaped scrolls, added visual interest. This bureau’s mahogany and mahogany veneer reflect the era’s demand for the luxury wood—often imported from the Caribbean—prized for its beautiful wood grain, rich color, and durability. Along with strong storytelling potential, the bureau presents an opportunity to introduce furniture making and related terminology to different audiences. The exhibitions are supported by an array of in-gallery interactives, such as a display of locally sourced wooden antiques and a dovetail joinery puzzle to demonstrate how the bureau is assembled.
Other Spotlight artworks include: a large-scale painting by Mississippi-based Abstract Expressionist, Dusti Bongé (1903–1993); rarely seen textiles designed by Alexander Calder (1898–1974); and story quilts by Yvonne Wells (b. 1939), a self-taught Alabamian fiber artist. These single object loans share exciting new stories with visitors and offer fresh curatorial perspectives that deepen understanding of the artists and their work.
Virtually explore the exciting stories being told about American art through the Spotlight Series here: https://ab.ab.yourcultureconnect.com/e/home
Phase II — (Un)Settled: The Landscape in American Art
Building upon the success of the Spotlight Series, the project’s second phase is a mid-sized traveling exhibition comprised of artworks from each partner’s permanent collection. (Un)Settled: The Landscape in American Art explores the rich, complicated, and evolving topic of the landscape across time, through objects from the colonial era to the present.
To formulate the exhibition, curators and educators from each partner institution proposed an initial selection of five objects from their collections that centered on the topic of landscape. As the group discussed the artworks, it was quickly observed that landscape art has unique
potential to invite conversations about cultural and national identity in different regions and historic moments. By opening the definition of landscape art to include a variety of media—including wood, glass, ceramics, and basketry—the co-curators widened the demographic of artists expressing how they relate to, identify with, and utilize the land and their surroundings. (Un)Settled is arranged in five thematic sections: The Beaten Path, Expanding Horizons, Counterpoints, Seminatural, and (Un)Settled. Together, the sections explore landscape art as a continuum of lived experiences, reflecting on historical and cultural changes over time.
A key intention of this partnership was to draw on and strengthen existing resources. For example, the Columbia Museum of Art’s award-winning podcast, Binder, became an ideal platform for a multi-episode series dedicated to (Un)Settled. Now in its fourth episode, the podcast features interviews with curators, educators, and artists that reflect on the themes of the exhibition. Topics have included environmental preservation; the six-thousandyear-old Catawba pottery tradition; and innovative glass art inspired by traditional Coast Salish basketry.
The inclusion of a variety of voices allows listeners to delve into the many ways artists have turned to their surroundings to reflect on larger topics.
Tune into the (Un)Settled Podcast by searcing the name through your favorite streaming service.
The American South Consortium is supported by the Art Bridges Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides museums with financial and strategic support to expand access to American art across the United States. By working collaboratively and sharing collections and resources, the partnership offers an array of dynamic exhibitions and complementary public programs that deepen engagement with local audiences and foster professional networks between partners and across cohorts.
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AR Technology Awakens Past at Andalusia, Home of Flannery O’Connor
Cindy O’Donnell , Georgia College & State University Communications
Georgia College & State University has introduced augmented reality to Andalusia , once home to its famed alumna and popular Southern writer Flannery O’Connor, ’45. Interactive, self-guided grounds tours are now available at Andalusia, allowing visitors to scan a QR code inside the Interpretive Center with their cell phones. This enhances property locations using AR technology to project real-time images and facts about the farmstead for a more in-depth glance into the past.
“This new feature is on the cutting edge of delivery methods for interpretation in this area,” said Matt Davis, former director of Historic Museums at Georgia College.
“There is no need to download an app. We have removed as many barriers as possible. Technology without barriers is where we want to be.” By simply scanning a QR code with a smartphone, guests can pull up information about various aspects of the property. For visitors who do not own a smartphone, iPads are provided.
Pop-up information makes guests feel as if they are at O’Connor’s old farmstead experiencing the Andalusia of
long ago through 3D imagery, panoramic views, videos, and sound effects.
As visitors walk where the Nail House once stood, they get a three-dimensional glimpse of the original structure and hear sounds of animals once housed in the pens and runs beside it.
When visitors return home, their Andalusia experience continues. They can resume learning about O’Connor’s home and the grounds with just a click of their phone.
Tours guided by docents continue inside O’Connor’s home. This provides visitors with the traditional inter-
pretive experience at Andalusia, while giving Georgia College students experiential learning opportunities. “This value-added upgrade, funded by donors, is a remarkable way for guests to interact with Andalusia,” Davis said. “We hope everyone comes to experience Andalusia in 3D.” The university partnered with BES Studios and ARtGlass to create the tour. Georgia College & State University acquired the Andalusia homestead in 2017. Already on the list of National Historic Places since 1980, the property was named a “Distinctive Destination” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2019 and a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 2022.
Auburn’s Art Museum Curates RealWorld Experiences for Interior Design, Business Students
Katie Thompson-Taylor , Communications Editor, Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art
AUBURN, Ala. – On a blustery spring afternoon, interior design students gathered outside of The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University (The Jule), armed with tablets and phones loaded with Adobe Aero, an augmented reality authoring and publishing tool. Shouting over bursts of wind, they presented their ideas for an outdoor pavilion space to facilitate outdoor teaching and learning at The Jule while museum staff wandered the grassy space, exploring true-to-scale digital models of each design through their screens.
Clean lines and elegant arcs glided overhead, mirroring The Jule’s building structure and style. Other digital pavilions incorporated grass walls and colorful play areas, nodding to the museum’s sweeping grounds and its K-12 educational programs. Some featured round tables for outdoor art activities and amphitheater seating for potential outdoor presentations or film screenings. The ideas were endless.
Tasked with creating structures to engage all age groups and enhance the museum’s spatial experience, the upperclassmen of Georges Fares’ interior design course had examined the museum’s Susan Phillips Gardens, imagining pavilions that could be used by all for learning, community engagement and interaction; incorporating elements that connect people with nature; and ensuring both ease of maintenance and distinctive design.
As Meredith Hand, one of Fares’ students, put it: “It was a great experience before going into the real world as a designer.”
Museums as a Teaching Resource
One of the largest institutions of higher education in the South, Auburn University became the region’s first land-grant college in 1872, with its campus continuing to welcome nearly 25,000 students each fall. Auburn’s academic advancements and research outputs are primarily centered around such fields as engineering and agricultural science, earning the university an R1
An Auburn student observes an object from The Jule’s collection in the museum’s Study Room.
PRODUCING UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES
classification in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. But despite the school’s heavy STEM focus, the university invested, and continues to invest, in the visual arts, first through the purchase of 36 paintings from the Advancing American Art collection in 1948, and later, as the university art collection grew, with the establishment of The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in 2003.
To support the university’s mission, The Jule avails itself as a resource for Auburn’s faculty and students, regardless of their chosen field of study. “We always welcome faculty to develop projects with us based around art on view or research objects for temporary display in the study room,” said Chris Molinski, Janet L. Nolan Director of Curatorial and Educational Affairs. “The entirety of the museum, including our grounds and the building itself, can be leveraged for study and experimentation by faculty in many fields.”
After a study in JAMA from the American Medical Association revealed a significant improvement in
first-year medical students’ observational skills upon engaging in a close-looking project observing paintings housed the Yale Center for British Art, the Yale School of Medicine integrated the course into its curriculum, requiring all students going through the program to engage in the measured close-looking at art. Over twenty-six medical schools around the world established similar programs, pointing to the unexpected benefit art museums can provide to non-humanities and non-arts fields.
STEAM — or science, technology, engineering, art, and math — programs have continued to proliferate: The High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia was the first museum in the country to introduce a STEAM Program in 2013, and many museums have followed in their footsteps. But even as STEAM programs have spread and evolved throughout museums nationwide, academic art museums can find it difficult to engage departments across campuses due to a number of hurdles, including faculty not viewing their field as immediately relevant to art or art museums. In its unique collaborations with
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a wide variety of fields across Auburn’s campus, The Jule hopes to expand the idea of what working with an art institution means for students and their educations.
“Careful observation, creativity, critical thinking — these are skills vital to students’ success no matter their major,” said the Jule’s executive director, Cindi Malinick. “As an academic art museum, we believe in the value that art has to offer to all students in their future careers beyond Auburn.”
Now alumni, many of Fares’ students cited the benefit of the hands-on aspect of the project to their careers.
“Working closely with the museum allowed us to apply theoretical knowledge to practical situations, fostering a deeper understanding of the design process and its impact on various stakeholders,” said recent graduate, Madie Camp. She went on to mention how the project had helped to further refine her skills as a future designer.
“This practical experience mirrors the projects they are likely to encounter in the professional world,” Professor
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Fares said. “By integrating technologies such as digital rendering, 3D printing and augmented reality into the project, students gained practical exposure to cuttingedge design tools” that are highly sought after in today’s design industry, going on to note that experience with such technologies gives Auburn’s interior design graduates a competitive edge in the job market.
Faculty Engagement Beyond Traditional Fields
While The Jule frequently invites the traditional fields of art and art history to take advantage of its object collection, museum staff also look to work with professors outside of arts and humanities fields on projects that can advance their courses and their students’ experiences. Emory Serviss, lecturer in the Department of Marketing at the Harbert College of Business, found a partner in The Jule when his students needed a class project.
Charlotte Hendrix, Director of Communications and External Relations at The Jule, invited Serviss and his
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students to the museum to brief them on The Jule’s current online engagement metrics and goals, as well as give them a behind-the-scenes look at museum work visitors often do not see. “Just like any other organization, The Jule has a variety of audiences we’re looking to communicate with,” she said. “But what makes a project like this a unique challenge for business students is that we’re not selling a product or a service — we’re offering the chance to come and look at captivating art that can’t be replaced or replicated.”
Honors College students in Serviss’ marketing course took on The Jule as a client for a social media audit, examining the museum’s digital footprint and engagement on its various social platforms. The students presented their findings to museum staff, providing targeted recommendations for each platform and the museum’s overall digital communication strategy.
“This partnership allowed my honors students to apply digital marketing concepts in a real-world setting, enhancing their understanding of digital marketing strategies and analytics,” Serviss said. Just like their interior design counterparts, The Jule’s project with Serviss’ marketing class allowed students to gain firsthand experience that deepened their understanding of course materials, bridged the gap between academic
theory and practical application, and was relevant to their future careers beyond Auburn’s campus.
The project, Serviss said, highlighted the interdisciplinary potential between business fields like digital marketing and art museums. “This collaboration demonstrated the vital role that strategic digital marketing plays in the cultural sector,” he said. Hendrix agreed. “Working with an unexpected client pushes students to think outside the box of their major and allows them to see how two fields which seem to have nothing in common can each find value in each other. It is all about providing a new perspective that adds depth and dimension to their coursework.”
Both interior design students and marketing students were encouraged to pursue leads and explore unconventional ideas. Fares noted the environment demonstrated to students firsthand how the principles of design and art can manifest in physical spaces and pointed out that The Jule itself serves as a reminder of Auburn’s commitment to the arts.
“I have never had the opportunity to design an entire structure from start to finish,” said recent interior design alumna Lillian Friel. “I know that it is something that I will look back on fondly.”
Chris Molinski, the Janet L. Nolan Director of Curatorial and Educational Affairs, leads a tour of Auburn students through an exhibition.
Behind the Mask: Documenting Historic Masking on the Qualla Boundary
Anna Fariello , Independent Curator at Curatorial InSight
Without a doubt, Will West Long is one of the most significant figures in Cherokee history. Much of what we know about traditional culture, including what we know about masks, we know from Long. An authority on language, ceremony, and medicine, Long dedicated his life to preserving and sharing his culture. Anthropologist John Witthoft gave Long credit for much of what was published by other professional ethnographers. “Will West Long fed his ideas to Mooney, Gilbert, Olbrechts, and Speck, and they recorded what he told them.” 1 Each depended on Long’s knowledge to craft the body of seminal scholarship that documents Cherokee culture: Mooney’s Myths of the Cherokee, Gilbert’s Eastern Cherokees, Olbrechts’s Swimmer Manuscript, and Speck’s Cherokee Dance and Drama.
This research on Will West Long: Man behind the Mask grew out of a broader project that produced an exhibition that aimed to explore Eastern Band of Cherokee masks, their history and use, as well as their meaning and significance. The 2023 exhibition—Behind the Mask: Cherokee Mask Makers and their Legacy—focused on early 20th century mask makers, with particular emphasis on Long and three other Big Cove mask makers: Long’s friend and fellow student, Deliski Climbingbear; Long’s
older brother Lawyer Calhoun; and Allen Long, Will West Long’s son. The exhibition was made up of panels with photographs of Big Cove mask makers and their masks. One panel identified the oldest known Cherokee mask and a lost mask by Charley Lossie, Long’s older cousin who taught him mask making. Three audio recordings — songs sung by Long and Climbingbear — ran on a loop throughout the semester-long exhibit. Also on view was a short film of Will West Long made in 1927, no doubt, the earliest film of its kind ever produced. The silent film includes demonstrations of dances that took place in front of Will West Long’s home in Big Cove. Included with the panels and media were masks by Will West Long, his son and grandson, Allen Long and Will Long; as well as masks by Joshua Adams and his students. Many masks reproduced on the exhibit panels are included in an upcoming publication on the subject.
Funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, one goal of the project was to identify masks in public collections, so that they may be shared with the Cherokee community. Masks were located at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Gilcrease Museum, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of the American Indian, Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, and McClung Museum.
Will West Long at the 1937 Indian Fair, photograph courtesy of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archives.
Photographs, documents, and recordings were found at the American Folklife Center, American Philosophical Society, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Archives, National Anthropological Archives, and National Archives and Records Administration. Locally, Cherokee’s own cultural organizations contributed: Cherokee Historical Association, Museum of the Cherokee People, and Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc. Jenny Holland, Ed Sharpe of Medicine Man Crafts, and Lori Reed generously lent masks from their personal collections.
In his article “Curating our Past: Museum Direction Driven by Tribal Perspective,” Russell Townsend outlined two directions for ways to share tribal culture:
Tribal entities quickly identified two directions they could pursue in constructing their tribal museums. The first was to develop exhibits that would be interesting to tourists at large, while still promoting tribal perspectives. The other was to develop exhibits that would display tribal culture in such a way as to stimulate awareness and an ethic of preservationamong tribal members.2
Behind the Mask exhibition was meant to satisfy the second goal.
A community effort, the project brought together a knowledgeable group of individuals who were both enrolled members and interested regional collaborators. The team — selected for its expertise and roles in the community — met to plan the project and to oversee its implementation. The team included a majority of enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), representing Cherokee Central Schools (CCS), the Big Cove community, and the community at large.
Yona Wade, Director of Community Affairs, coordinated activities and staff, while Laura Pinnix, CCS Director of Culture provided translations of text into syllabary. Other school personnel included teachers Joshua Adams, a mask maker himself; Lori Reed, granddaughter of Allen Long and great granddaughter of Will West Long; and Christopher Davis, a teacher who surveyed over one hundred middle school students to gauge their understanding of the exhibition. Evan Mathis, archivist with the Museum of the Cherokee People, shared the museum’s resources; fellow staffer Robin Swayney provided genealogical expertise; Melanie Lambert of the Tribal Enrollment Office verified birth and death dates. Overseeing grant administration was EBCI Grants Analyst and EBCI Destination Marketing agency. Four project Advisors — Indigenous Education Institute evaluator Evelyn Conley, Tribal Councilman Perry Shell, Cherokee Center Director Shannon Swimmer, and the late collector Lambert Wilson — joined readers — Perry Shell, Shannon Swimmer, Joshua Adams, Big Cove resident Clement Calhoun, and WCU professor Sara Snyder Hopkins. Key project staff included Curator Anna Fariello, project coordinator Kadie Sanders, and intern Ashley Gross.
All activities took place at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center (CAC), located on the campus of Cherokee Central Schools. The CAC was selected as an optimum site because of its dual role as a school resource and community center. Activities at the CAC attracted an audience that included faculty. students, their parents and relatives, and neighbors. The project funded two school-based learning opportunities and a school-wide cultural event. Joshua Adams, carving teacher, taught an after-school workshop, selecting fifteen participants from current and former students to learn historic mask making techniques in the style of Will West Long. The two-week fall 2022 workshop
Medicine Mask carved by Will West Long before 1930. Courtesy National Museum of the American Indian.
created masks that were displayed in the exhibition. Students in Lori Reed’s Cultural Arts class participated in a clay mask workshop led by Laura Walkingstick. Both workshops aimed to inspire future generations to pursue the traditional arts of their communities. Later in the semester, students had an opportunity to participate in two Days of Culture, where they learned about a variety of traditional crafts from EBCI craft makers.
The two Days of Culture, part of the three-month-long celebration, were held mid-way through the exhibition. Teachers were invited to bring their classes to watch demonstrations and talk one-on-one with local artisans who set up their work in the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center. More than seven hundred students came through the exhibition and demonstration area. Students were able to view the masks as well as other traditional crafts. From Big Cove, Betty Maney made white oak baskets, Mary Thompson demonstrated pucker toe moccasins, and her daughter Sara Thompson demonstrated shell carving and pottery.
Wolftown resident Laura Walkingstick made cornhusk dolls. Nathan Bush, from Snowbird, made hammered copper work. Amy Postoak demonstrated finger weaving. Josh Adams demonstrated mask making along with his students. Project coordinator Kadie Sanders worked with hundreds of school children who made their own paper masks.
An evaluation determined the outcomes of the project and its impact on the community using data collected from student and community interviews, community observations, and student questionnaires. CCS teacher Christopher Davis collected questionnaire data from 125 middle school students, of which 80% were EBCI enrolled members. Of the over one hundred students who were asked, all but five, gave an eight to ten rating on their experience for the Days of Culture. (Five said they were not interested.). The evaluation proved the need for the exhibition with over half the students claiming they wanted to learn more about Cherokee masks and Cherokee cultural history. A written evaluation by Micah Swimmer, Cherokee Language and Cultural Specialist for the Eastern Band’s Human Resources Department, concluded,
After speaking with elders, culture carriers, students, and staff, all have stated that events such as this have the potential to have a huge impact on our students and community. What they learn here can lead them into HS and ignite the urge to learn more. The students responded with taking pride in being Cherokee, wanting to learn more, wanting to learn how to make masks, etc. Parents were asking about the exhibit because their children were going home and describing it to them, all they got to see. That is where it starts. Planting that seed and watching it grow.
My own work documenting Cherokee culture dates to 2007, when I found myself drawn to periodic newspaper announcements on the passing of artisan elders. This led me to begin to document the lives of those who created traditional arts in the mid 20th century. While documentary research is always time consuming and somewhat tedious, for the most part, resources pertaining to mid 20th-century artisans were plentiful. Much of the credit goes to the Qualla Arts and Crafts cooperative and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, whose southeastern representative, Stephen M. Richmond interviewed dozens of artisans in the 1960s
Masks play a large part in Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians culture. Cherokee Central Schools students on stage during an end-of-year school pageant. Author’s photograph.
The Days of Culture brought EBCI artisans to the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center for a two-day all-campus celebration. Betty Maney demonstrating white oak basketry.
and 1970s. Interviews of Qualla Arts and Crafts artists were compiled into brochures that were saved in the co-op’s archives. Later, with funding from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, I was able to locate and copy the original interviews held at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington DC. I used these recovered resources—along with documents and photographs from Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Museum of the Cherokee People, Cherokee Historical Association, and Southern Highland Craft Guild—to write three books— with biographies of thirty-two artisan elders.
After completing the trilogy that documented artisans working in the 1930s to mid-century, I began to wonder about the previous generation, those born in the late 19 th century. I was particularly drawn to Will West Long, who was often cited as both an inspiration and an authority on traditional culture. Little did I realize how few relevant written or photographic records would exist from the earliest decades of the 20th century. With the mid 20th century materials, there was still endless searching, re-searching, checking, and double-checking, before organizing, writing, and citing documents, but finding earlier resources proved to be more difficult than I anticipated.
Past grant-funded projects allowed me to collect material and “repatriate” it to its home community. In 2019, when I traveled to the National Archives, I located two hundred photographs of Cherokee artisans in the files of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board. With these in the public domain, I was able to make digital copies that were added to the Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual archives. Similarly, the 2023 project described here allowed for the acquisition of 50 photographs of masks by Will West Long and his contemporaries located in various parts of the country, as well as twenty-five previously unknown photographs of Big Cove artisans. My hope is that these images and documentation will add to the knowledge and appreciation of Will West Long and the tradition of mask making.
1 John Witthoft, review of Run Toward the Nightland: Magic of the Oklahoma Cherokees, by Jack Frederick Kilpatrick and Anna Gritts Kilpatrick, American Anthropologist 70, no. 6 (Dec. 1968): 1220.
2 Russell G. Townsend, “Curating our Past: Museum Direction Driven by Tribal Perspective” in Southern Indians and Anthropologists: Culture, Politics, and Identity, ed. Lisa J. Lefler and Frederic W. Gleach, Southern Anthropological Society Proceedings, no. 35, 72.
Results
All organizations need to know where they're going, and how to get there
Gettysburg Beyond the Battle Museum
Perspectives from the Curator: Succession Planning at a Small Museum
Angie Barry ,
AB Museum Consulting and Ashley Williams, Curator, Exhibitions & Collections
While staff turnover is inevitable, how can museum staff ensure the community does not lose trust in the organization after leadership change? How can we ensure successful leadership transitions? After going through and reflecting on this process, we have compiled some of the lessons we learned along the way from each of our perspectives as the founding out-going and in-coming curators. In 2008, the Gadsden Arts Center (now the Gadsden Arts Center & Museum) in Quincy, Florida, hired its first curator, Angie L. Barry, and 15 years later hired Ashley Williams as her successor. The succession and transition of the position took almost a year and involved months of preparation and development.
Angie Barry: In numerous ways, our curator transition was unique and fortuitous. I had been involved with Gadsden Arts since 2005, starting as a volunteer docent, then working part-time in education and exhibitions before being hired as the full-time curator. For several years, the director, Grace Robinson, and I were the only full-time employees, allowing me an intimate knowledge
of the organization’s history and inner workings. As is true in most small museums, I wore several hats in addition to curator, including registrar, preparator, plus assisting the director in volunteer management, grant writing, facility management, and day to day operations. In 2022, my husband was offered a job in Washington, D.C., and thankfully, the move was a slow transition for me. I found out in September we were moving, and I did not leave town till mid-December. After relocating, I continued to work remotely for Gadsden Arts, part-time for the next 6 months, and flew back twice the next spring to help with major installations. After the 6 months, I stayed on a few hours a week, “on call,” to meet with Ashley and assist with questions or small issues that arose.
Having a Living, Guiding Document
To begin the succession process, I created a document — what to do in the next month, two months, during the year, and long term. I created folders for every department, and tried to think through every issue that might arise. I will admit this was difficult when I was still trying to do my full-time job and packing a family of four to move eight hundred miles away. Luckily, I had previously
In the fall of 2022, Museum Assistant Ashley Williams assisted Curator Angie Barry with uncrating an exhibition of paintings (image courtesy of Gadsden Arts Center & Museum).
taken two brief maternity leaves, and had attempted to put procedures in place during my absence. Another favorable component to the transition is that I never started another full-time museum job. After moving, I started my own museum consulting business, giving me the flexibility to still assist Gadsden Arts after Ashley took over. Even over a year later, the executive director has contracted my help with specific projects like grant writing or collection research.
Ashley Williams: When I started the position in May 2023, Angie shared with me the Curator Document she created. It contained information specific to our organization such as, how our committees ran, our juried exhibition process, and frequently used vendors, contractors, and volunteers. Stepping into a new position will always come with its own learning curve, but having a handbook to know who to call and specific details, such as what light bulbs the basement needs, helped make that transition easier. This document also served as a blueprint for where to start when stepping into the position. One section titled “loose-ends” provided clear instructions on where the planning for each upcoming exhibition left off. Now that I have been in this position for a year, I have added information from conversations with Angie that may help the next curator when the time comes, as well as updated contacts, and exhibition information as processes at the museum change. Maintaining this document will ensure continuity from one curator to the next, and ensures fundamental information is not lost. Additionally, while this document served as a handbook to ensure I knew who to reach out to, it can also function as an introduction to the role of Curator for our interns. Through the document, they can get a sense of the different components of the position that might not come up in a semester, especially if they are only at the museum one day a week.
Having and Asking for Help
Angie Barry: Having over 15 years in the position, my director, Grace Robinson, and I developed a permanent collection, finished a renovation and expansion of the building, completed three large capital campaigns, received first time AAM accreditation, and added a full-time educator and additional part time staff. Since we knew the transition would take time, and this was a multifaceted position, Grace hired a contractor for the following year to install some of the smaller galleries,
lessening the burden on Ashley a bit. She placed certain goals, such as creating conservation and deaccession plans, on hold for a year. Our director also increased part-time museum positions to full-time, including the marketing coordinator and development/education assistant, to help with the increase in workload.
Ashley Williams: It was important to me to continue the work Angie accomplished over her many years at the museum, and to ensure the relationships she established between artists and the museum continued. We met over Zoom, and I had the opportunity to ask where I could find certain files, if she could forward emails from artists to me, and any other questions that popped up during the day-to-day tasks. Even though we had a reference document, when you are actively planning exhibitions three to five years in advance, notes from phone calls and emails may not always be clearly expressed. Having a set day and time to communicate with Angie helped me feel like I was not interrupting her new career with questions about the organization she left, while also providing a space to quickly get the correct information to my questions to ensure continuity. Sometimes you do not know what questions to ask or what you do not know until you are confronted with needing the information.
Cross-Training
Angie Barry: The most advantageous aspect of the transition is that our new curator, Ashley Williams, had already worked at Gadsden Arts part time for a couple of years while completing her Ph.D. classes. While she worked in the education department, occasionally she would assist me, as she had a lot of past curatorial experience at other museums. Ironically, when we first advertised for the position, Ashley was completing a semester out of town that was required for her degree, and the Gadsden Arts Curator position was not really on her radar. Thankfully, the stars aligned and her experience in the field, and at Gadsden Arts, made her a natural fit. Her work ethic and drive fit with the rigorous demands of second in command at a small museum with a small staff.
Ashley Williams: For me, having prior knowledge of GACM’s procedures helped make the transition easier. While not every assistant will end up applying for a leadership position or be qualified to step into the
role, having employees cross-trained can help whoever does take on the role ease into the position. Our director, as part of GACM’s succession planning, has made sure that at least two staff members know enough about each role to keep everything moving forward, or assist an interim person with getting acclimated, in the event of an emergency.
Looking Back
Angie Barry: Upon reflection, I can honestly say I would not change how our transition process transpired. With the strong support and guidance of our director Grace Robinson, Ashley and I were able to work alongside one another, instead of in isolation. While this long transition will not be possible for every museum, I do have some recommendations for others in our situation, and most important is to document, file, and organize your movements as you go. For example, at one point in the last 15 years, I changed the formatting of how I labeled the storage vault art racks. While this may seem minor, when Ashley came across inconsistencies, she was able to turn to me to reconcile the numbers. Even though I was the one to create them, it took me a bit to
figure out my thought process. Keeping records so that those in the future can easily understand your systems is vital to creating a smooth transition.
Ashley Williams: I am incredibly grateful for our transition process, the materials Angie created, and her guidance that ensured a smooth transition for me and our members. Gadsden Arts started as an annual juried exhibition displayed throughout the city square, and our relationship with our community is paramount. Throughout the transition period, our artists and members would ask how my new position was going, and how Angie was doing. Being able to share with them that all was well, and that I was in constant contact with Angie, helped instill confidence in our community that I was continuing the work Angie started.
Every museum is going to have a different culture, and different procedures, committees, and volunteers to learn, and any transition will take time. Establishing and maintaining succession plans now, even if you are not planning to leave for a while, can ensure no detail is missed. You never know what tidbit of information will help your successor thrive.
A World Within Worlds: University of Georgia and Penn Center Collaborate on a Sam Doyle Exhibition
Rachel Dantes-Palmer , Museum Communications Department Intern, Georgia Museum of Art
The Penn Center National Historic Landmark District on South Carolina’s St. Helena Island debuted A World Within Worlds: The Visionary Art of Sam Doyle in September 2023. Highlighting renowned artist Sam Doyle, the exhibition was made possible thanks to a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation awarded to Barbara McCaskill, a University of Georgia (UGA) professor of English and an associate academic director of UGA’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.
The exhibition was on view at the York W. Bailey Museum of the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District through December 2023. McCaskill has been working on a variety of projects with the Penn Center in recent years, with an aim to highlight Gullah Geechee heritage and culture. Other associated projects have also been funded by the Mellon Foundation.
To curate the exhibition, McCaskill reached out to Shawnya Harris, the Georgia Museum of Art’s deputy director of curatorial and academic affairs as well as its Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art. “I researched objects owned by several area and other institutional collections, as well as the artist’s exhibition history,” said Harris. “But we soon realized there were sufficient works in the Penn Center’s own collection to tell a story about life on the island.” The resulting exhibition helped add context to the artist’s works and the history of the island at large.
The Penn School, later renamed Penn Center, was established as a school for newly freed African American enslaved people. Many students chose to study fields that would prepare them for jobs that were in high demand at the time, such as a medicine, agriculture or education, but Doyle used the opportunity to study art. Doyle (1906–1985) grew up on St. Helena, and through his art, he chronicled the history and changes on the
Sam Doyle, self-portrait.
island — the landscape and culture, oral storytelling, and people from Jim Crow through the mid-century civil rights era and integration. Doyle’s works are invaluable to understanding the history of the island today.
His works help document the change in access to the island when a new bridge was built, McCaskill noted. There is a very common saying on St. Helena and the surrounding islands: “There is life before the bridge, and life after the bridge.” The island and surrounding islands were secluded before the 1960s when the southern states began to invest in infrastructure, resulting in the building of bridges connecting the mainland to the islands, she said. Many of Doyle’s paintings communicated this and the effect that it had on the slow pace of life on the islands.
Doyle also dedicated several of his paintings to civil rights. Martin Luther King Jr. visited St. Helena many times to work with other members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other civil rights organizations who would come to the island in the 1960s because it was isolated from the mainland, meaning their meetings would not be disrupted. Members of the community would protect these civil rights organizations from disturbances and hate crimes. Because of the security provided by the island and its people,
King was able to begin numerous drafts of his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
As one essay on Doyle’s works noted, the history of the Gullah people is, in many ways, a result of his body of work. Many studies have been made of the Gullah people, who may have the most scrutinized folk culture of Black America. Numerous books, articles, photographic essays, and films document the sea island’s civilization. Doyle’s paintings are one of the most insightful and informative chronicles of Gullah life. One week before his death at age seventy-nine, he explained, “These are some things that happen a long time ago. They want me to get the history the first thing. Well, I go from 70 years ago. Get the history of this island or the things that happened when I was a kid. What I paint is history.”
Doyle’s decision to pursue his passion ultimately paid off beyond his historical documentation of the island. He became a world-renowned folk artist whose work was exhibited (and continues to be exhibited) in such prestigious art institutions as the Smithsonian, the National Gallery, and the High Museum of Art.
To read more about Doyle’s work and contributions, visit: https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/sam-doyle
A World Within Worlds: The Visionary Art of Sam Doyle exhibition at the York W. Bailey Museum, Penn Center.
ELEVATE the HUMAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH DESIGN
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