Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Caps Thankful for Varly in 2-0 Win
Thanks to This Week's Advertisers
Written by DCist contributor Amy Cavanaugh
With all the Smithsonian museums clustered around the mall, it’s easy to overlook the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, which has been chronicling the life of the area’s residents since 1967. Their new exhibit, East of the River: Continuity and Change, celebrates 500 years of southeast Washington in a sweeping overview of its triumphs and tragedies.
From archaeological artifacts to paintings to documents to video, the multimedia components of East of the River weave together a story of Anacostia’s rich history. Beginning with the Native Americans and concluding with a discussion of housing in the area (along with plans for gentrification), the exhibit also covers the arrival of European settlers and slavery.
“The history over here is really a history of how communities have tried to shape the destiny of the community by getting together and organizing,” said Portia James, Senior Curator of the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. “That’s an important part of the story in Anacostia — neighbors have gotten together and demanded change.”
East of the River strives to do a lot, and it succeeds in being both dynamic and informative. Developed to commemorate the museum’s 40th anniversary, East of the River explores some of the major facets of life in Anacostia, including housing, land use, the environment and immigration, all of which have played a major role in the area’s growth and development. The show follows up on The Anacostia Story: 1608-1930, which told the story of life in Southeast D.C. during that period, and was developed by curator Louise Hutchinson three decades ago. The new exhibit aims to highlight the evolution Anacostia has seen over a longer period of time.
While the exhibit as a whole does a good job of explaining the major events that have shaped Anacostia, the highlights are personal stories of struggle and survival — grassroots organizations have been vital to enacting change in Southeast D.C., including getting more street lights and repaving streets. Stories about the Bonus Army bring historical events close to home. Former Washington mayors Anthony Williams and Marion Barry provide video interviews, offering their perspectives on changes that have occurred in the area.
One of the more interesting items on display is a wanted advertisement for an escaped Anacostian slave. The exhibit also further illustrates already well-known stories: items relating to abolitionist and Anacostia resident Frederick Douglass are on display, like his visiting card, and a biography of Douglass’s first wife, which was written by his daughter.
“Douglass’ wife was illiterate, reserved and uncomfortable in social situations, therefore we knew little about her until her daughter wrote the small booklet that laid out the life story of her mother,” James explained.
The Museum drew much of the exhibit from its permanent collection, also borrowing pieces from other museums around the country and Britain. The White House also contributed, lending a landscape painting depicting the pastoral and rural community from the 19th century.
East of the River: Continuity and Change is on view until Nov. 9, 2008. The Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum is located at 1901 Fort Place, SE, and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Image of City of Washington From Beyond the Navy Yard, oil painting by George Cooke, 1833, courtesy the museum.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Post a comment (Comment Policy)