Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum March 2011 Public Program Reminder


March 2011
Public Program Reminder

PLUS: Calling all poets and writers... 
All exhibitions and programs, unless otherwise indicated, take place at the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum at 1901 Fort Place SE, Washington, D.C., which is open daily from 10 am-5 pm except Dec. 25. For more information, call 202.633.4820,202.633.1000, or visit anacostia.si.edu for updated programs schedule.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS All events are free, open to the public and require reservations which may be made at 202.633.4844 unless otherwise indicated.

EXHIBITIONS

Extended by popular demand through July 24, 2011
Word, Shout, Song: Lorenzo Dow Turner Connecting Communities through Language
This exhibition documents the historical journey made by people from Africa, their language, and their music, to the Americas.Through words, music, and story, Lorenzo Dow Turner discovered in the 1930s that the Gullah people of Georgia and South Carolina still possessed parts of the culture and language of their enslaved ancestors, which had long been believed lost.

On View Indefinitely
Separate and Unequaled: Black Baseball in the District of Columbia
From Reconstruction to the second half of the 20th century, baseball -- the great American pastime -- was played in Washington, D.C., on segregated fields. "Separate and Unequaled" looks at the phenomenal popularity and community draw of this sport when played by African Americans.



PUBLIC PROGRAM CALENDAR

MARCH 2011 

15 Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.
Community History Series: Historic Lakeland

Did you know that Lakeland, a historic African American community, is one of several small African American communities along the U.S. Route 1 corridor between Washington, D.C., and Laurel, Maryland?  Community historian Violetta Sharps-Jones, vice-chair for the Lakeland Community Heritage Project, will tell the story of how Lakeland was established and flourished in a segregated society and developed its own institutions and traditions, including the area's only high school for African Americans built in 1928.  A book signing will follow. 

15 Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Community Forum - Community Development and the Arts: Future Possibilities for the East of the River Communities
  
 Creation of an arts district in old Anacostia? Inclusion of an arts plan for the development of Barry Farm and Poplar Point? Creation of an arts avenue in SE? Panelists from local community organizations and citywide arts activists will discuss these ideas.  A period for audience dialogue will follow.

This forum is part of the "Call and Response: Community and Creativity Project," which is documenting creative expression in Washington, D.C.'s Wards 7 & 8 and is funded, in part, by the Humanities Council of Washington D.C. 

Join and follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #ACMCommFor.

19  Saturday, 11:00 a.m.
The Language You Cry In (video 52 min.)

This film tells an amazing scholarly detective story that searches for, and finds, meaningful links between African Americans and their ancestral past. This film traces the memory of a family to their ancestral roots through a Mende funeral song. This story owes much to the research done my Lorenzo Dow Turner, an African American linguist who heard the song from Amelia Dawley, who lived in a remote Georgia fishing village.


20  Sunday, 2:00 p.m.
Growing up Gullah

Join videographer Terence L. Johnson in a discussion about the making of the film Growing up Gullah. Johnson explores the challenges of making a film about the Gullah/Geechee traditions, based on the testimonies of 12 D.C. area residents. Johnson's documentary will also showcase the various folkways and mores that characterize the islands along the South Carolina coast.

23  Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
The African Presence in Candomblé

Michael Atwood Mason, director of exhibitions at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and scholar of African-based religious traditions in the Americas, discusses the core symbols, beliefs, and practices of Brazilian Candomblé, with a special focus on the global growth of this and other African-based religious traditions.

26  Saturday, 2:00 p.m.
The Rhythms and Movements of Capoeira

Roda Movements, a Washington area dance studio, presents the history and influences of Capoeira, an African-based art form that combines martial arts, dance, and music and that gave rise to break dancing. Audience participation and demonstrations complete
the program.

26  Saturday, 3:30 p.m. **NEW PROGRAM**
Show on Skates

Anacostia Rollers & Friends, Inc. bring their dynamic show on four wheels to the museum's parking lot.  You don't want to miss this show on skates!
  
29  Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Community Forum - Houses of Worship: A Forum for Creative Expression

This panel discussion will explore the central role of houses of worship in promoting and sustaining creative expression. The program will include discussion of the breadth of ministries in music, dance, videography, and other areas within large as well as small congregations and the impact of this work in the community.


This forum is part of the "Call and Response: Community and Creativity Project," which is documenting creative expression in Washington, D.C.'s Wards 7 & 8 and is funded, in part, by the Humanities Council of Washington D.C. 

Join and follow the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #ACMCommFor.

   
30  Wednesday, 10:30 a.m.
Dance Workshop

Audience members will learn dance movements inspired by the cultures of the Gullah/Geechee, Brazil, and Sierra Leone. This workshop is led by Carol Foster, the executive/artistic director and founder of the DC Youth Ensemble. School groups welcome.  

REMINDER: All events are free, open to the public and require reservations which may be made at 202.633.4844 unless otherwise indicated.


CALLING ALL POETS AND WRITERS! 

The Anacostia Community Museum needs your help! 

ACM is entering a competition with a $10,000 prize, and you can help us win.  Please submit an original four-to-eight line poem that reflects the work or mission of the Anacostia Community Museum by Thursday, March 24, 2011 to SmithMN@si.edu. If your poem is selected as ACM's official entry, we will post it on our website for the month of April. 

The mission of the Anacostia Community Museum is to challenge perceptions, generate new knowledge, and deepen understanding about the ever-changing concepts and realities of 'community.'

We look forward to your poems, and we thank you for your help. 



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