Baltimore honors the city’s deep-rooted African-American history with the introduction of Material Girls, an exhibition celebrating the talent and achievements of notable African American women through the form of art. The exhibit will be on display at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture from February 11 to October 16, 2011.
Material Girls brings together eight contemporary black women who have been broadly inspired by Alice Walker’s seminal essay, “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.” The essay explores the notion that the contribution of art by the black woman has been ignored. The pieces serve as an anomalous way to illustrate cultural meanings, social agendas, and personal memories.
The creative mix of artists include: Maya Freelon Asante, Chakaia Booker, Sonya Clark, Torkwase Dyson, Maren Hassinger, Martha Jackson-Jarvis, Joyce J. Scott and Renee Stout. These talented artists worked with both conventional and unconventional tools, such as wood, paper, glass, rubber, rocks, human hair, and model cars, to create 35 three-dimensional pieces for display. For more information about Material Girls, visit www.AfricanAmericanCulture.org.
Baltimore also invites visitors to explore The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, the country’s first wax museum for African American history and the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park Museum, site of the nation’s first African American owned shipyard during their stay. For more information on additional heritage sites, visit www.baltimore.org.
In addition, the National Museum of Dentistry presents The Future is Now! African Americans in Dentistry, a tribute to the extraordinary men and women who paved the way for African Americans’ success as dental professionals. On view throughout the month of February, the exhibit features dramatic portraits, poignant memoirs and stories of achievement.
An Uphill Climb: Find out how African Americans broke the color barrier to attend previously all-white dental schools.
Conflict, Confrontation and Change: Discover how African Americans gained entry and acceptance into mainstream dentistry through direct protest and liaisons between professional organizations. A timeline of civil rights activity is included.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF DENTISTRY
See amazing teeth feats, marvel at George Washington’s choppers, sing along to vintage toothpaste commercials, and discover fascinating hands-on exhibitions about the power of a healthy smile at this one-of-a-kind museum, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution www.smile-experience.org.
SOURCE Visit Baltimore
