The exhibition begins in the 1830s and spans history to the 21st century highlighting numerous movements including Suffrage, anti-lynching, labor and representation.
“African American women have been American heroes,” said Hadley Drodge, an assistant curator at the museum. “We’re really looking at what it means to be an American and answering that question in a new way; I think in a more honest way, with the faces of these black women.”
Drodge teamed up with New York City based artist Nichole Washington to create the exhibition. The pair chose a snapshot of Black Ohio women who were “architects of change who built social movements and shaped the world.”
Credit: LISA POWELL
Credit: LISA POWELL
Fanny Jackson Coppin was born enslaved, but her aunt was able to buy her freedom for $125.
In 1860 she enrolled at Oberlin College and became the first Black student teacher, class poet and held evening classes for African Americans who had recently left the south.
Hallie Quinn Brown’s passport, a road map of her travels around the world, is part of the display.
The orator, author and educator was the daughter of enslaved parents who graduated from Wilberforce University and taught in public schools and Tuskeegee Institute before returning to Wilberforce.
She met Queen Victoria while touring Europe in the 1890s with the Women’s Temperance Union.
Some of the trailblazing women are well-known and others have been forgotten.
Ella Stewart was one of the first Black pharmacists in the country and Marian Spencer was a civil rights leader who led a successful campaign in the 1950s to open Cincinnati’s Coney Island Park to African-Americans.
Credit: LISA POWELL
Credit: LISA POWELL
Ruby Ann Wallace — better known as Ruby Dee, the actor, filmmaker and poet — used her voice to fight for civil rights alongside her husband, actor Ossie Davis.
Hannah Beachler, the visionary behind Wakanda for the film adaption of Black Panther, was the first African American to win the Academy Award for production design in 2019 and Irene Long became the first woman chief medical officer at Kennedy Space Center in 2000.
Three-dimensional objects including hats, dresses, love letters and a scrapbook filled with news articles about lynching bring the history to life.
“None of these women are islands,” Drodge said. “These women built coalitions, they worked together and they were friends, mentors and inspired by one another. Working together is how change really happens.”
Credit: LISA POWELL
Credit: LISA POWELL
The museum’s seventh annual art show, “The Art of Soul!”, opened last weekend.
Twenty-two artists from around the country were selected to be part of the juried show. This year’s theme is “impact,” and explores what influences us as human beings and the impact we have on others.
Rosa Rojas, lead curator at the museum, said the show is important to give artists of color “an opportunity to amplify their voice.”
Among the artists, Kay Onwukwe of Gahanna calls attention to racial disparities in three paintings influenced by the killing of George Floyd, COVID-19 and white supremacy.
Credit: LISA POWELL
Credit: LISA POWELL
A portrait by artist Darin Darby of Romulus, Mich., showcases Ira Aldridge, the first African American to play the role of Othello in a Shakespeare play.
With intricate embroidery artist Gail Patrice Mallory of Houston, TX, has created five faceless women in colorful Kente cloth dresses for “Women in Our Village.”
“I want people to think about the mark they are leaving. Every time an artist puts a mark on a background, it’s intentional,” Rojas said. “Then the viewer coming in is adding their own story to it from their own experiences.”
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: Queens of the Heartland is currently on view through 2022. The 2020 Art of Soul! Exhibition in on view through Feb. 27, 2021.
WHERE: The National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center is located at 1350 Brush Row Road in Wilberforce.
WHEN: Hours are Wednesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
ADMISSION: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $3 for children ages 6-17 and for students, free for NAAMCC and Ohio History Connection members.
More info: www.ohiohistory.org/visit/museum-and-site-locator/national-afro-american-museum | Facebook.com/naamcc/
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