Road Reports

MoMS on the Mall

The Museum on Main Street team spent Thursday out on the National Mall during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. We were part of "Smithsonian Inside Out," a special Folklife Festival program to feature all of the work that goes on behind the scenes at the Smithsonian. We were really excited to have a day to talk about the great work that our host communities do all over the country.

And, so many of you stopped by to see us! It was a beautiful, surprisingly pleasant day for a Washington, DC July. Many people were out enjoying the festival and learning more about the Smithsonian. All of our activities were inspired by our exhibitions and local programs across the nation. We invited our visitors to decorate their own "mini-picket" to help build a fence, make some musical spoons, or share their personal journey story on the Journey Stories website.

The inspiration for the fence came from the many Between Fences host communities that have asked local students and artists to decorate fence pickets. Host sites have then built their own fence sections decorated  by their communities. We wanted to do the same thing at the festival. Check out our visitors' handiwork.

   

The greatest pleasure of the day was sharing Museum on Main Street with visitors to the festival. So many were pleased to hear about the work that the Smithsonian and State Humanities Councils do to reach communities in nearly every state.

To the visitors that stopped by to say hello, thank you. We hope that you have an opportunity to visit us in your home states.

-- Robbie Davis, Museum on Main Street, SITES, Washington, DC

On-Set with Mount Airy

Our own Tiffany Ruhl and Robbie Davis have recently returned from their trip to Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Ruhl and Davis are working in conjunction with Heron Media to create an orientation video for the New Harmonies exhibit, to be revealed to states at the onset of each tour. The team has been interviewing curators and humanities council representatives for the film, in addition to going on-site at various venues to capture the exhibit's strength on camera. Below, you will find Tiffany's summary of the team's experience in Mt. Airy in journal-entry format. Read on to uncover her first-hand account:

"Mount Airy, NC is known as the home of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the town of Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show, but it’s also home to music lovers! Besides Andy Griffith, it’s the home of country singer Donna Fargo.

 

On the fun side, we ate at a famous local haunt, The Snappy Lunch (founded in 1923) to try their ‘Famous Pork Chop’ sandwich. Then, it was off to the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History to start filming. The staff of the museum was wonderful. They are incredibly enthusiastic about the exhibition. Mount Airy has a great lineup of events, so New Harmonies’ stay in Mount Airy is bound to be great success.

 

On Wednesday, we filmed local blues and jazz singer Melva Houston. Melva has traveled the world teaching and spreading an appreciation of jazz and blues, but makes her home in Mount Airy. She spoke movingly of the impact music has had on her life and gave an impromptu performance at the “Lunch and Learn” session. They had a great turn out of about 50 people.

 

We then followed Melva and guests back to tour “New Harmonies” in the museum. We filmed guests there interacting with the exhibition for the video. In addition to filming the exhibition, we interviewed Darrell Stover from the North Carolina Humanities Council. Darrell is a cultural historian and Statewide Coordinator for MoMS in North Carolina. He’s also a natural on camera!

 

Darrell gave a great rundown of why North Carolina chose New Harmonies as the first MoMS exhibition to tour their state. As he put it, in terms of roots music in NC, ‘It’s all here.’”  - Tiffany Ruhl

 

Our thanks go out to Heron Media and all other persons and entities that have aided in the production of our New Harmonies orientation film!

-- Roxanne Berschler -- SITES/Museum on Main Street, Washington D.C.

New Mexico, Here We Come!

Yesterday the MoMS team worked at Office of Exhibit Central to get the latest copy of New Harmonies on the road! As I type this, the exhibit is traveling to its first stop in New Mexico.

We are looking forward to another exciting year for the New Harmonies exhibit, and can't wait to see what creative programming ideas, events, and local exhibitions will blossom out of this tour!

 

  
 
 Many thanks go out to our counterparts at OEC who helped us with some excellent exhibit refurb!

 -- Roxanne Berschler, SITES -- Washington, D.C.

Lakota Night at the Museum

The MoMS experience often highlights the ways in which stories from all towns, organizations and nations within America strengthen the story of the country as a whole. This past March, Lonnie Little Hoop of Alliance, Nebraska discussed the unique facets of  Lakota culture during a New Harmonies program.

Lakota language, stories and culture were celebrated during Knight Museum and Sandhills Center’s “Lakota Night at the Museum.” Lonnie Little Hoop opened the Lakota presentation with a victory song, while his daughters danced in elaborate regalia. During the celebration Little Hoop also shared his experience growing up as a young Lakota in Alliance, NE, highlighting the prejudice he faced due to his cultural heritage. The Nebraska Times-Herald reports; “For him, growing up as a minority in the schools and township of Alliance was tough…when he was a boy, the schools didn’t teach Native American history.” While Little Hoop admitted that he and other Lakotas “got by by surviving,” he made sure to acknowledge the progress of acceptance and equality that has developed throughout his lifetime.

    

We are enthralled by these powerful images, and are always thrilled when such meaningful narratives arise from innovative programming.

Thank you to The Knight Museum and Sandhills Center, and to Alliance Nebraska’s Times-Herald for the detailed report and photographs from this event.

 

-          Roxanne Berschler, SITES, Washington, D.C.

See New Harmonies in Tuskegee, Alabama

Check out this exciting video tour of New Harmonies and the fantastic exhibitions at the Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center in Tuskegee, Alabama highlighting local music heritage. A special exhibition on the history of Tuskegee marching bands boasts a great video game component that really engages visitors. 

The center has already had a great response to the exhibition. Be sure to visit before New Harmonies closes, ending it's Alabama tour, on December 31.

A hat tip goes to Deborah Gray at the Multicultural Center for the link to the video!

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/section/videonetwork?bctid=53666183001#/News/Music%20exhibit%20in%20Tuskegee/50902228001/50780676001/53666183001

-- Robbie Davis, MoMS/SITES, Washington, DC

Grand Finale Garners Grand Praise

The MoMS team recently received some motivational news from Warrensburg, Missouri.

 A review of Warrensburg's New Harmonies Grand Finale Concert by TV/Radio talk-show host, Mark Pearce, illumined the exhibit's positive effect on the community -- and vice-versa! The people of Warrensburg worked hard to magnify the exhibit's significance within their community by incorporating numerous varieties of music into their programming events. In his review, Mark Pearce gives us a taste of the dynamic musical spirit evoked by Warrensburg's impressive effort:

“Having recently witnessed the Grand Finale Concert for Johnson County’s New Harmonies celebration I must confess certain optimism for the performance arts in the Western Missouri region.

'Why?' You ask?

Because I have never seen such a collection of local performers – representing so many musical    genres – live and on stage and proud to just…to just belt it out.  We’ve not had a template for local musicians to celebrate their work before an appreciative, general audience. I must extend congratulations to the scores of people who made the New Harmonies arts and exhibition series such a success. Chief among them was Lisa Irle, Director of the Johnson County Historical Society and curator of the Johnson County Historical museum.  It was Lisa’s foresight, incessant determination and her life-long list of friends and acquaintances that made the entire series so inclusive and dynamic.

And, leaving out many others, I’d like to single out Warrensburg resident and radio show host Eddie Osborne who developed a weekly series of musical performances throughout the New Harmonies month and who produced the Grand Finale Concert. Eddie’s vision was inclusive and designed to show the breadth of local talent – many usually resigned to perform only in near-empty halls and byways. And Eddie’s decision to showcase The Nace Brothers gave this iconic group an opportunity to perform before a swath of the population who don’t tend to hit the night spots where the group tends to perform. So, through the New Harmonies celebration and the Grand Finale Concert we all grew musically.

Warrensburg’s local music scene has never had such potential as it does right now.”

-- Mark Pearce – KMOS-TV, 90.9 The Bridge 

                                       
                     
Many thanks go out to Lisa Irle and the Johnson County Historical Society for bringing this lively review to our attention.

 -- Roxanne Berschler, SITES -- Washington, D.C.

On the Road Again (and We Love It)

One of the things I most appreciate about working with Museum on Main Street is the opportunity we have to visit so many interesting places in the U.S. and to meet wonderful people from every corner of the country. In response to a question posed by our Publications office earlier this week, my MoMS Smithsonian-based colleagues Carol Harsh and Terri Cobb and I sat down to figure out just how many miles we had logged traveling this year for MoMS.

Can I get a drum roll, please? After Carol visits Indian Springs, Georgia next week, the three of us will have traveled 67,299 miles for MoMS in 2009. And, we got the chance to visit fascinating places big and small like Alliance and Omaha in Nebraska; Kodiak, Alaska; Kirksville, Missouri; Renton, Washington; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Berkeley Springs, Grafton, and Petersburg in West Virginia; Kingsland and Carrollton in Georgia; Hagatna and Asan in Guam; Sidney, Ohio; Sycamore and Chicago in Illinois; Austin, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Lindsborg, Kansas; Clinton, Mississippi; Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Enderlin and Bismarck in North Dakota; Ocean City, Maryland; and Hanley Falls, Minnesota. We can't even begin to imagine how many additional miles our Federation of State Humanities Council colleagues, our state humanities council partners, and the exhibitions themselves traveled as part of this project. My math-challenged brain can't handle it. But, one thing is sure, we have the enormous privilege of serving and experiencing communities everywhere.

We're looking forward to visiting your state and meeting you during our travels in 2010.

-- Robbie Davis, MoMS/SITES, Washington, DC

Wasilla Rocks Out!

Wasilla, Alaska is enjoying their final week with the New Harmonies exhibit. The Dorothy Page museum’s curator, Bethany Buckingham, has just informed us of the community’s involvement with the exhibit throughout its duration in Wasilla. We are eager to learn the full details from the host site’s Smithsonian experience – In the meantime, here are some notable details to whet the appetite for an upcoming in-depth report:

Over 1300 guests visited the Dorothy Page museum to experience New Harmonies, more than the usual amount of visitors that the museum receives during the fall! The Dorothy Page museum enjoyed a fruitful exhibition opening on September 12, 2009 where they welcomed 125 guests including city and borough representatives.  The museum created a “You Rock” concert stage where children and adults could don “rock star gear” including sunglasses and sparkle wigs for photos. The Air Force Band of the Pacific – Northern Lights Brass also made an appearance during the opening reception playing a selection of rock opera, Dixieland jazz and original compositions.Local band Duo Sonics played a selection of Blues and Country ranging from Robert Johnson and B.B. King to Hank Williams and Merle Haggard. The Duo Sonics alsoinvited local Wasilla resident, Corky Sager, 85, to accompany them on the spoons – what a rare talent, and what a unique collaboration!

Even Wasilla’s local TV station put the Dorothy Page Museum in the limelight.KTUU Channel 2 meteorologist Scott Elnes traveled to the museum to record a blog segment on New Harmonies, which was posted to the gotoAK.com website. KTUU photographer Dan Carpenter followed up with an interview which played on the 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm news that evening – not to mention the next morning! The local newspaper, The Frontiersman, featured the exhibit in a full page spread.

Most importantly, Bethany mentioned that every individual who toured exhibit has appreciated distinct aspects of it – New Harmonies touched a diverse range of people and interests. “Everyone comes out of the exhibit mentioning the different sections or quotes that they’ve enjoyed,” stated Buckingham. As their hosting duties come to a close, we wish the Wasilla community the best of luck for a successful finale.

Many thanks go out to Bethany Buckingham for providing us with a wonderful update from Wasilla!

-- Roxanne Berschler, SITES, Washington D.C.

Alaskans Explore Local Contributions to American Music

Residents of Haines, Alaska are still singing the Sheldon Museum's praises! The museum's recent installation of New Harmonies offered their visitors a chance to explore what it means to be an American by featuring the region's diverse music traditions.

In the exhibition, learners of all age investigated their music heritage. A hands-on music corner invited children to explore music with a tactile approach – As kids hammered on the xylophone and tooted the horn, they made friends with one of America’s dearest forms of expression.This innovative local exhibit engaged the senses for what is sure to have been an interactive music lesson worth remembering. Adults on the other hand, were wowed by the museum’s display of “Drink Mallets” from the 1930’s. The Hammer Museum donated these cultural objects as a veritable piece of Haines musical past; these little wooden hammers were once used in Haines nightclubs by audience members who wished to applaud the acts onstage.

                           

Haines residents from all generations united for the exhibit’s opening reception in which Tlingit singers and dancers welcomed New Harmonies to the community. According to museum director Jerrie Clarke, “Tlingit dancers from Klukwan, a Tlingit village 20 miles north of Haines, provided song, drums and traditional dance, as well as stories by elders about music and changes to the music heard, played and sung in the last century in a half.” The Tlingit nation – one of only two federally recognized Native American groups in Alaska – is centered around the southeastern part of the state.

As poignant stories were recounted by Tlingit elders and sacred dances were performed by younger Tlingit nation members, Haines residents were reminded of their region’s unique role in America’s cultural history. “It’s only right that we open this exhibit of American roots music with the descendents of the first musicians in the Chilkat Valley,” said Clarke.The opening concluded with a rendition of “Amazing Grace,” sung in both Tlingit and English. Audience members slowly joined the performers in song during the English translation, tangibly confirming the unity engendered by the exhibition.

                                   

Lastly, musicians from Juneau, Skagway, Tagish, and Yukon Territory came to Haines to perform during New Harmonies’ stay in the region. How wonderful that the exhibit was able to bring exposure not only to the Sheldon museum, but to the significance of American Roots Music in Alaska specifically. In the words of museum director Jerrie Clarke, “What a boost [New Harmonies] gave to the community’s support for the Sheldon Museum. We are still receiving compliments for the concert and the exhibition. And, we had a great time!”

Many thanks go out to Jerrie Clarke and the Sheldon Museum for hosting New Harmonies in Haines!

-- Roxanne Berschler, SITES, Washington D.C.

A Spoonful of Osceola

    Osceola Missouri has some very interesting tales from its experience with the New Harmonies exhibit, which visited their community from May 9 to June 20, 2009. Osceola’s local exhibit featured regional entertainers of the past and present, in addition to a display of records and musical instruments used by Osceola residents. One of the local exhibit highlights was a performance on an 150 year old grand piano! This piano carries much historical significance for the folks of Osceola – having been passed down through generations of the Lewis clan, this baby grand was shipped across the country via boat and ox wagon, and later survived the 1861 burning of Osceola. In 1984 the piano was restored to playing capacity, and was recently donated to the St. Clair County Historical Society by the Lewis family at the New Harmonies exhibit opening this past May 2009.

Osceola programming included a Native American festival which centered on tribal dance. Over 100 Native Americans participated in this heritage-based musical performance. Of special interest was the beautiful tribal clothing donned by the performers:

Cooperation within the community was a key element to Osceola’s exhibit success.The town of 785 welcomed 1,828 visitors to the New Harmonies exhibit! Partners were wide-ranging, including the city government, chamber of commerce, local garden clubs, quilt guilds, sororities and churches. Joan McPeak, president of St.Clair Historical Society, affirmed the exhibit’s positive impact on the community’s collaborative spirit with her statement; “We so appreciated the opportunity to have the new Harmonies exhibit in our museum. Three other organizations joined forces to sponsor this event…This is one of the first times that I can remember such cooperation between all these entities…It was a great experience!”

Joan shared this colorful anecdote from the exhibit with us:

“The 'spoon' display created more interest than any of the others, I believe. Richard Sunderwirth, local musician and historian, came every time we had a group of school children touring and demonstrated the spoon playing by accompanying a CD of “Under the Double Eagle.” This encouraged the children to experiment with the spoons on the kiosk. There was one little boy who brought his parents back on the Saturday after his whole class had been to the exhibit. He stationed himself at the spoon display and worked on it the whole time (about two hours) that his parents were viewing the rest of the exhibit.He was about 10 or 11 years old and so polite. If someone else came by that section he would step aside until they finished looking and then go right back to working on the spoons. I was really impressed with his interest. He told me that his grandfather had promised to make him a wooden set to play.”

Looks like Osceola had a spoonful of fun with this exhibit!

We truly appreciate the effort put forth by this community. Many thanks to Joan McPeak for this exhibit update.

- Roxanne Berschler, SITES, Washington, D.C.