Azie Dungey, star and producer of “Ask a Slave,” and actress Amani Starnes, creator of “United Colors of Amani,” reflect on “12 Years a Slave,” the award-winning movie directed by Steve McQueen.
Author Archives: Max van Balgooy
Period Rooms at a Modern University
During a recent visit to Pittsburgh, I visited the Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. At 535 feet, it’s the tallest university building in the nation and dominates the skyline east of downtown. Despite its name, it’s more skyscraper than cathedral. It’s also an historical and architectural landmark, built between 1926 and 1937 as an Art Deco “cake” with Gothic Revival “frosting.” For those of us working at historic house museums, what’s most interesting are the Nationality Rooms, a series of 29 classrooms on the first and third floors designed and furnished to represent different nations and ethnicities.
The classrooms vary in size but each have Continue reading
Video: Ask a Slave, Episode 1
In honor of Black History Month, we’re sharing Ask a Slave, a series of short interviews with Lizzie Mae, “personal housemaid to President and Lady Washington.” It’s based on the experiences of Azie Dungey, who was an interpreter at George Washington’s Mt. Vernon. She wrote, produced, and created these videos as a way to, “present all of the most interesting, and somewhat infuriating encounters that I had, the feelings that they brought up, and the questions that they left unanswered. I do not think that Ask A Slave is a perfect way to do so, but I think that it is a fun, and a hopefully somewhat enriching start.” Although Dungey portrays an enslaved African servant, many of her experiences are shared by others who interpret historic sites, no matter the period or topic. For those of us working at historic sites, they’re incredibly funny but they also reveal some of the challenges we have interpreting other times and places. You’ll want to look at some the comments on YouTube to get the full national scope, plus take a look at the number of views to get a sense of the impact.
Dungey is currently working in Los Angeles on another series, although focused on the 19th century. Can’t wait to see what she produces.
Interpreting African American History at Your Site or Museum?
Every day Drayton Hall offers “Connections,” a 45-minute program that traces the story of Africans from Africa to the new world and into the 20th century.
If you’ve been involved with the planning, development, presentation, or evaluation of an outstanding exhibit, program, or project interpretation of African American history and culture at a museum or historic site in the last five years, consider sharing it as a case study for a book I’m editing for Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. This book will be part of a series on the interpretation of various topics published by the American Association for State and Local History that are slated for release later this year. The first part of the book will be a wide-ranging anthology of articles written by experts and scholars from a variety of perspectives, including Bernard Powers, Matthew Pinsker, Kristin Gallas, James DeWolf Perry, George McDaniel, Amanda Seymour, Donna Graves, Julia Rose, and Lila Teresa Church with a foreword written by Lonnie Bunch. If you know any of these people, you know it’ll be an interesting and thought-provoking book.
I need help with the second half of the book: a set of 12-16 case studies of exemplary programs that can be adapted by others. Are you aware of any Continue reading
Unsettling State of State Historical Societies
In preparation for my presentations at the upcoming Historic House Symposium at Gunston Hall and the National Council on Public History annual meeting, I’m analyzing financial information about history organizations in the United States. I’m currently researching state historical societies, working my way from the most populous state (California with 37 million residents) to the least (Wyoming with about half a million residents). So far I’m about halfway done, but I wanted to share what I’ve learned and get your reactions.
Among my preliminary discoveries is the dramatic difference among state historical societies. Some are incredibly big (the New York Historical Society has $133 million in net assets) and some states don’t seem to have a statewide historical society (anyone know what’s happening in North Carolina?). One might assume that the biggest states have the biggest historical societies, but Continue reading
Video: Passing
An excerpt from “Passing,” a one-woman play written and directed by Dara Harper and performed by Holly Smokovitz from February 1-16, 2014 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Exploring History and Historic Sites in Monterey in March 2014
Historic downtown Monterey with the Cooper-Molera Adobe in the background.
The National Council on Public History will hold its annual conference in Monterey, California from March 19-22, 2014. It will be the first time I’ve attended a NCPH conference and I’m thrilled–the schedule is packed with a variety of sessions that will appeal to those who are working on the cutting edge of historic sites and house museums, including:
- Educational sessions on co-created exhibits, tribal partnerships, preserving LGBT sites, interpreting slavery, the history of museums, stewardship of archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, and the sustainability of museums.
- “THATCamp NCPH” is an afternoon learning laboratory on digital projects that Continue reading
Nancy Duarte’s “Resonate” Free on iPad
A multi-touch version of Resonate is available free on iPad.
Nancy Duarte is one of the leading producers of presentations, including the Academy Award-winning film, “An Inconvenient Truth” with Al Gore. There may not be agreement on climate change, but everyone was impressed by the quality of that documentary. Duarte has shared her expertise through Slide:ology and Resonate, and these books have not only helped me improve and enhance my Powerpoint presentations but also my interpretation skills. Her approach is firmly grounded in the techniques of effective communication, which can be applied to many situations at museums and historic sites. If you’re not familiar with Nancy Duarte, she explains her ideas in an 18-minute presentation at TEDxEast in 2011.
The good news for iPad owners is a “multi-touch” version of Resonate is available free through iBooks. All of the content from the book is supplemented with videos, quizzes, backstories, and other interactive experiences to better engage you. You’ll not only learn about building better presentations and communicating more effectively, but you’ll also experience an example of one of the most effective eBooks available. If you’re not sure how to do this, open the iBooks application and search the Store for “Resonate by Nancy Duarte”.
Are Historic House Museums Adapting for the Future?
Gunston Hall, Lorton, Virginia.
In March, the Historic House Museum Consortium of Washington, DC will be examining how historic house museums are adapting to the future at its annual Historic House Museum Symposium. Presented alongside the 2014 Virginia Association of Museums conference, the symposium will feature three speakers, a boxed lunch, and a special tour of Gunston Hall on Saturday, March 15, 2014 from 9 am to 3 pm at George Mason’s Gunston Hall in Lorton, Virginia. Registration is limited and is $15 per person.
Speakers include Continue reading
Million Dollar Salaries at America’s Biggest Museums
A review of the latest Forms 990 of more than two dozen of America’s biggest museums identified the most highly compensated executives in the field. Among these museums, annual compensation ranged from $228,000 to $1,822,257 and the average was $727,000. Seven directors earn more than one million dollars per year, as follows:
- $1,822,257 for Continue reading
Engaging Places 