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Permanent Exhibition Deep Roots, Rising WatersThis exhibition provides an overview of African American history in Maryland from 1633 through present day. Learn how African Americans throughout Maryland made lasting changes for all Americans. Temporary Exhibitions  The Seneca Village CollaborationJanuary 16, 2010 through May 1, 2010 The focal point of this exhibit is a commemorative sculpture by Maryland–based artists Leslie King-Hammond and José J. Mapily called Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village. The piece documents a nineteenth century settlement founded by African Americans and later displaced by New York City’s Central Park, the first urban landscaped park in the United States. This artwork was designed as part of the exhibition Legacies: Contemporary Artists Reflect on Slavery at the New York Historical Society in 2006. This exhibition marks the Maryland debut of Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village. In addition to the Celestial Praise House for Seneca Village piece, several never before seen artifacts from the collections of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library and the Banneker-Douglass Museum will be on display to highlight the lives of African Americans in Maryland during Seneca Village’s existence. Such objects will include manumission papers from Anne Arundel County, Allegany County, and Howard County; free-born African American verification papers; a receipt from a slave sale in Anne Arundel County; and first edition copies of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.  Portraits of CourageOpening January 16, 2010 The men and women depicted in the Portraits of Courage exhibition represent African American achievement throughout Maryland’s state history in the fields of science, law, publishing, politics, and civil rights activism. Each portrait commemorates and celebrates the accomplishments of these individuals as well as highlights their lasting contributions to the state of Maryland and to the United States. The portraits included in this exhibition come from the Banneker-Douglass Museum’s permanent collection, each tied in a special way to the museum’s history. In 1976, the Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation commissioned artist Hughie Lee Smith to create portraits of Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman to mark the first year of the Foundation’s existence. The 1984 opening of the museum included the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman, John H. Murphy, and Lillie Carroll Jackson portraits also painted by Smith. The portrait of Herbert Frisby by Oliver Patrick Scott is part of a large collection of materials documenting Frisby’s arctic exploration, some of which may be seen in the museum’s permanent exhibition. Nathaniel Gibbs’ portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is part of the museum’s holding of materials documenting the Civil Rights Movement. Selections from the Banneker-Douglass Museum Fine Art Collection Opening January 16, 2010 Highlights from the Banneker-Douglass Museum’s Fine Art Collection are put on display in this exhibition featuring artwork by Maryland artists. Many of the artworks included in this exhibition have not been on display in over a decade. Past Exhibitions  Seeking Liberty: Annapolis, An Imagined CommunityMarch 4, 2008 through June 14, 2009 In 2008, the right to citizen-elected representation in Annapolis will be 300 years old. The city charter granted to Annapolis in 1708 gave the city political reality. With this exhibit we commemorate the current anniversary by celebrating the quest for liberty. “Seeking Liberty” characterizes Annapolis from the beginning. It was a home to religious dissidents, political dissidents during the American Revolution, and many free African Americans before Emancipation who fought very hard for the freedom of those who were enslaved. Archaeologists from Archaeology in Annapolis, the University of Maryland and Historic Annapolis Foundation have dug over forty sites in Annapolis in twenty-six years. We’ve had a great time and we’ve discovered the city’s treasures. Much of the best archaeology was from the 18th century. We have found material belonging to European colonists and lots of materials that belong to African Americans. We’ve uncovered material from as early as the late 17th century and as recent as the 20th century. There is archaeology almost everywhere in the city and we are going to show it off during the City’s 300th anniversary.  The “Seeking Liberty” exhibit features artifacts from five sites in Historic Annapolis: the Governor Calvert House, Reynolds Tavern, the Jonas Green House, the Brice House and the Maynard-Burgess House. Many of these artifacts have never been on display for the public before this.The exhibition was funded by a grant from Preserve America. This exhibition features a free cell phone audio tour generously funded by a grant from the Four Rivers Heritage Area. Click here to view the exhibition website. Click here to view the exhibition blog. Click here to listen to guest curator Dr. Mark Leone discuss the exhibition. New Exhibit Object! In the spring of 2008, Archaeology in Annapolis conducted a series of digs along Fleet and Cornhill Streets in downtown Annapolis. During this dig, archaeologists Aleithea Williams and Matt Cochrane uncovered an early 18th century axe blade encased in a class mass containing lead shot and nails. The shape of the object and its placement have lead archaeologists to believe this object to be a public symbol of African religious practices. The bundle is on display in the front windows of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Click here to read an article on the bundle's discovery from The New York Times. Forty Blossoms from the Bouquet: Calvert County Maryland May 19, 2009 through August 23, 2009 Forty Blossoms from the Bouquet presents the stories of forty amazing women from Calvert County, detailing their lives and personal accomplishments through biographies and portraits by Calvert County-based artist Delphine Siggers-Williams. Portrait subjects include Calvert County educators, public servants, medical professionals, performers, and community leaders. Forty Blossoms from the Bouquet has been displayed at several venues in Maryland including Jefferson Patterson Park, Maryland State House, and Annmarie Garden. Delphine Siggers-Williams is a native of Severn, Maryland. She graduated from Wiley H. Bates High School and Morgan State University where she majored in art. Ms. Williams is the artist behind several portrait-based exhibitions including African American Expo II featuring forty African American men of Calvert County. Ms. Williams recently published the children's book Freckles with all the Speckles.  Journey to the White House QuiltJanuary 17, 2009 through September 26, 2009 Acclaimed fiber artist Dr. Joan M. E. Gaither returns to the Banneker-Douglass Museum with her quilt Journey to the White House. The quilt chronicles the life and political journey of President Barack Obama to the White House. This story quilt was conceptualized and started by Dr. Gaither in June 2008 and was completed at the Banneker-Douglass Museum during a public quilting workshop during the 2009 Inaugural Weekend. The quilt is a stunning mixture of text and images showing the people who influenced and laid the ground work for the election of the first African American president. Dr. Gaither is a professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her work has been seen in several museums including the Banneker-Douglass Museum, Maryland Historical Society, Walters Art Museum, and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Dr. Gaither previously exhibited her work at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in 2007 during the exhibition Trails, Tracks, Tarmac with a showing of three large quilts based on her family, church, and community. Dr. Gaither's work is featured in the book Trails, Tracks, Tarmac: African American Narrative Quilts from Anne Arundel County, Maryland available for sale at the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Click here to view the exhibition blog and leave your comments and reflections on this historic election and inauguration. Click here to read about the Journey to the White House public quilting sessions in The Capital Newspaper. Click here view a slide show of the Journey to the White House public quilting sessions in The Capital Newspaper.  Obama Mural June 1, 2009 through September 26, 2009 Students from Lothian (MD) Elementary School, led by school art teacher Donna Schmitz, came together to honor the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States to create a mural of the president complete with images of the citizens of the United States, messages of hope, and the signatures of the students, faculty, and staff of Lothian Elementary School.  Colors of LifeSeptember 15, 2009 through December 5, 2009 Explore Colors of Life, the latest exhibition from Washington, DC-based photography organization The Exposure Group African American Photographers Association Inc. This latest exhibition is a new juried members exhibition showcasing the photographic work of the association members which include portrait artists, photojournalists, documentary, and fine art photographers. The exhibition coincides with the release of the Association’s first photography book also entitled Colors of Life.  Hidden Treasures: Celebrating 25 Years of the Banneker-Douglass MuseumJuly 31, 2009 through December 11, 2009 Come discover and examine a sample of the numerous collections of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Some of the most significant and inspirational artifacts have been taken off the storage shelves to show the best we have to offer. Learn about the history of the museum and the fight to save the former Mount Moriah AME Church, the eventual home of the Banneker-Douglass Museum. Exhibition highlights include the documentary, From Cause to Reality: The Banneker-Douglass Museum Story featuring many of the key people responsible for the creation of the museum. Last updated: January 11, 2010 |