Our 16th Annual Banquet: In our last blog post we talked about the Banquet coming up; now we can report that it has happened. The Banquet was April 28 at the Cedar Rapids Marriott and went very well! We had record attendance, a great emcee to keep us on track during the night (Rick Coleman of KWWL), an exceptional keynote speaker (Randy Moore of Iowa American Water), and even a presentation by our own Director of Education Michelle Poe about the AAMI’s education and outreach programs. The evening also included socializing, dinner, carnival games, a round of BINGO, and examples of the AAMI’s education programs and traveling exhibits. We also released our 2011 Annual Report, which will soon be posted on our website.

Burlington Program: For our readers in Burlington, make sure you have May 15 marked down on your calendar. Michelle will be coming to town to give a presentation called “The Only One”, which is based off our 2012 temporary exhibit of the same name. Together, you will explore the experiences of Iowans who have been the only African Americans on sports teams, in classrooms, at work and more. The presentation will take place on May 15 at 7:00 p.m. at the Burlington Public Library (210 Court St.) and is partnership between the AAMI and the Des Moines County Historical Society.

Women’s Conference Planning: We’ve begun planning the 2012 History Makers Gala (Thursday, Sept. 27) and the Iowa African American Women’s Leadership Conference (Friday, Sept. 28). Something we’re really working on this year is ramping up our marketing and publicity. But we need your assistance! Where’s the best place to distribute posters, fliers, etc. – churches? Barber and Beauty shops? Community Centers? Send any ideas to Development Assistant Grant Stevens: Click here to view email address. We look forward to hearing from you!

Fun Fact:
This week, all of our tours were from outside Cedar Rapids! We have students from Cedar Falls, Central City, and Waterloo visiting.

Something several people have asked us is “Why do you have a banquet?” The Banquet exists for two main reasons:
1. To celebrate the accomplishments of the past year
2. To raise money for our educational programs

Part of the Banquet will be commemorating our accomplishments in 2011 – reaching 52, 126 individuals through 307 programs, adding two new staff members, putting on an award-winning educational event (Journey to Freedom), being financially sound as an organization, etc. You get the picture. The Banquet is a chance for us to look back on what we did in 2011 and tell our supporters what they have to look forward to in 2012.

The Banquet is also an important fundraiser for the Museum. Funds raised at the Banquet go directly to helping us pay for some of the less glamorous (but still very important) parts of providing educational programs – buying more craft supplies for Learning Safaris, totes for Traveling Trunks, and hands-on activities for our exhibits. These funds are vitally important to the AAMI’s consistent efficient operation, and this is why the Banquet is so important.

Have we convinced you to come to the Banquet? You can purchase tickets ($45.00 each) by calling Katherine Smith at 319-862-2101 ext. 216 or by e-mailing her: Click here to view email address. Hope to see you on Saturday!

Lately, the hot topic at the AAMI has been puppets!  Specifically, the Eulenspiegel Puppets and our two upcoming FREE puppet shows this Saturday (March 31, 2012)!  The AAMI is collaborating with Eulenspiegel Puppets and the Johnson County Historical Society (JCHS) during a three-day residency with area students culminating in two free performances of “Immigrant Stew at the Chat ‘N’ Chew” this Saturday – 10:30 a.m. at the AAMI and 3:30 p.m. at the JCHS (Coralville, IA).  The shows tells a story that is humorous, touching, and quite timely as we welcome immigrants into the rural Midwest.  Cathy Schmidt-McGillicutty is the proprietress of the local café, the Chat ‘N’ Chew, and is upset because her daughter wants to marry a member of Mexican immigrant family.  She confronts her prejudice as flashbacks play out scenes from her own family history. Watch a video here.

One of the great things about the three-day residency is that it allows local students to take part in the show!  Student who are puppeteers learn how to manipulate their puppets, say lines, and then on Saturday they perform in both shows.  Students who are playmakers (students can be both) have the opportunity to design and create a working puppet while taking a look at their own family’s history during a multi-day workshop.   AAMI Director of Education Michelle Poe and Assistant Educator Tenika Johnson will assist during the workshop and have been coordinating the event.  We hope to see you on Saturday!

A special thank you goes out to this program’s financial supports: Eulenspiegel Puppets, the Great America Leasing Donor Advised Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, the Iowa Arts Council, and Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The AAMI is located at 55 12^th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401.  The JCHS is located at 860 Quarry Rd., Coralville, IA 52241

The very successful Military Exhibit has been taken out of the Changing Exhibit Gallery to make room for the new exhibit”The Only One”. This unique exhibit is scheduled to open Saturday January 14, 2012. Admission is free that day. The staff looks forward to serving you to make your 2012 a fun filled learning experience.

The Museum Store is having a Fall Sale, all items with a yellow dot are 20% off and all items with a green dot are 30% off. The perfect time to get your Holiday Shopping started! We have a variety of items to choose from. Stop by and take a look!

Well, let see…

July 7: “Dr. Carver’s Lab” children’s workshop and “Vietnam Syndrome” adult program in Dubuque
July 7: “Eat Your Way Through Africa” children’s workshop in Muscatine
July 8: “Summer Chama” Learning Safari at Hiawatha Library
July 11-15: “Secrets of the Underground Railroad” week-long Summer Camp at AAMI
July 11: “Vietnam Syndrome” adult discussion in Iowa City
July 19: Guided tours of the galleries
July 20: Guided tours of the galleries
July 21: Training seminar for Education staff called “Effective Instruction Methods”
July 24-July27: Michelle and Lynn at Midwest Museum Association Conference
July 26: “My Friend the Buffalo Soldier” adult presentation in Des Moines
July 27: “Battle within the Barracks” adult presentation in Council Bluffs
July 28: “My Friend the Buffalo Soldier” re-enactment at AAMI
August 1-3: Michelle and Tenika attend a teacher training to better understand the needs of Cedar Rapids teachres
August 2: Guided tours of museum
August 8-12: “Secrets of the Underground Railroad” week long summer camp
August 11: Staff represents museum at General Mills Diversity Day in shifts from 12-4am, 10am-2pm, and 4-8pm
August 16: “Red Tails” children’s program and “My Friend the Buffalo Soldier” adult presentation in Sioux City
August 18: Meeting with Davenport Schools to discuss programming for preschoolers
August 22: “Unconditional Loyalty” adult program in Fort Dodge
August 24: “Super Soaked” workshop and exhibit tours at museum
August 30: “Unconditional Loyalty” adult presentation and “Mysteries of Ancient Egypt” children’s program in Ottumwa
August 31: “Super Soaked” children’s workshop here, “Unconditional Loyalty” adult presentation in Davenport
September 2: “Exploding Volcanoes” Learning Safari at Hiawatha Library
September 6: Staff meets to discuss future Statewide Programming
September 7: Michelle and Tenika represent museum at Big Red Rally in Marion
September 9: Grant begins compiling information for the next “Iowa Griot”
September 14: Guided tours of the museum
September 17: Michelle and Tenika present “History in the Park” at Forest Avenue Library in Des Moines, Museum Staff/Board have annual meeting and social.
September 19-20: Michelle and Tenika give a workshop to every preschooler in Davenport school district
September 21: Staff presents about Museum Jobs at local Middle School, the travels to Dubuque for teen workshop on the Harlem Renaissance
September 22: After months of preparation, the AAMI throws a successful semi-formal event, our annual History Makers Gala
September 23: Hundreds of women attend our African American Women’s Leadership Conference
September 24: Tour of museum
September 26: Journey to Freedom rehearsal
September 27: Guided tours at museum, “Super Soaked” children’s workshop at Muscatine
September 28: Guided tours at museum, Journey to Freedom rehearsal
September 29: “Meet the Inventors” children’s workshop in Muscatine, museum staff preps Journey to Freedom materials
September 30: 3rd Annual “Journey to Freedom” School Day has record participation
October 1: “Journey to Freedom” event has more than 75 people registered and 100 people in attendance
October 5: all third grade classes from two elementary schools visit, keeping Michelle and Tenika busy all day

In conclusion, we’ve been busy!  We’ll still be busy, but the school year tends to offer a more stable schedule, so please look for more frequent blog updates in the near future.  Thank you for your understanding and support!

This annual conference is a great opportunity for all women to come together and celebrate African American heritage and the rich her-story of African American women in Iowa. Join us!

We begin by celebrating our “2011 History Makers Gala” at the African American Museum of Iowa, Thursday evening, September 22,  from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. We will honor our 2011 recipients of the History Makers Award; Marian Coleman of Iowa City, Honorable Judge Romonda D. Belcher of Des Moines and Nancy Humbles of Cedar Rapids. The evening includes fellowship, celebration and live music. A three course dinner will be served. Dress is semi-formal. To register for the Gala, contact me at 319-862-2101, ext 16 or email me at kgfsmith@blackiowa.org.

The conference, “Laying Claim to Our Spirit,”  begins the next morning Friday, September 23 at the Cedar Rapids Marriott, 1200 Collins Road NE in Cedar Rapids. We will begin the morning at 8 with registration and breakfast at the main ballroom of the Marriott.

Twelve break-out sessions will include topics important to you such as; “YES, You Can Start Your Own Business”, “Shop, Cook and Eat Your Way to  a Thinner and Healthier You!”, “Preparing Your Children for College”, “The Best Defense is No Offense” and “What Are You Worth?”

Student Breakout Sessions include; “Loving Her-story: Journeys of  Life, Legacy and Future” by Jada M. Drew, “A Call to Our Sisters: Coming Together to Talk about Sexual Healing”, and “The Devastating Effect of Self-Neglect” by Natasha Nicole Lake.

Ms. Vikki Pryor, CEO of the American Red Cross in Greater New York is our honored keynote speaker. Dr. Terry Wahls, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Iowa  is our special guest speaker, and Miss Black Iowa Alexcia James, will perform during the luncheon.

Tickets to the History Maker’s Gala are $35.  Conference Registration (including  Gala ticket) is $99. Student registration (including q Gala ticket) is $60. Scholarships are available. Registration is required.

Please contact me at kgfsmith@blackiowa.com or call me at 319-862-2101, ext. 16 to register or if you have questions. We can’t wait to see you there!

My name is Tenika Johnson and I’m the new Assistant Educator here at the African American Museum of Iowa. I am a native of Richmond, Virginia and received a degree in accounting from North Carolina A&T State University in 2007. I came to Iowa in 2008 to begin my career and spent a little over three years in the Accounting profession. Because I enjoy working with both numbers and people, I recently decided to switch to a profession that will allow me to do both. I felt joining the team here at the museum would be an excellent way of increasing my interaction with people as I work on my Master of Business Administration at the University of Iowa. I’ll be assisting with statewide education programs for children as well as interacting with librarians and community advisory groups for adult programming. I look forward to learning all there is to know about the history of African Americans in Iowa so I can share it with others!

Tenika

One of the best parts of my job is watching people engaged with history.  Too often history is painted as a stagnant, boring topic, when in fact it’s anything but.

My name is Grant Stevens and I’m the new Development Assistant here at the African American Museum of Iowa! This is a new position at the the AAMI and I’ll be doing a variey of things – fundraising/grant-writing and membership recruitment, but also some marketing/public relations tasks as well.   I graduated from Coe College (Cedar Rapids, IA) in May with a double major in Political Science and American Studies.  I’ve been interning with the Marion Chamber of Commerce and the Marion Arts Festival since January of 2010 and been volunteering with several other area non-profits.  I’m very excited to be working here and with such a fantastic staff.  I look forward to seeing you at the museum!

Grant Stevens

Several months ago the AAMI received a large collection of Liberian pottery from James and Mary Evans of Mt. Vernon, IA.  The majority of the pieces are from small villages near the Liberia-Cote d’Ivoire boarder and the Nimba mountain range. In the case of these objects, the identity and origin is often difficult to determine, and the information from the traders cannot be verified, but there is one source of written documentation about their history.

Jim and Mary, as well as their family members, saved every letter they wrote back and forth for the duration of their stay in Kakata. The history of the villages, the indigenous peoples’ way of life, stories behind the artifacts, and simply the experience of living and working in West Africa in the 1970’s is documented in these letters.

Mary recently brought in all these letters so that the museum could copy them and record the included information about the pottery. They include facts about most objects in the collection, diagrams drawn by James detailing the layout of the homes they lived in, and little keepsakes such as a section of a weaver bird’s nest.
These letters help to keep the story and the history of these artifacts alive, as well as serve to document a historical time period.

Mary will also be bringing in photographs to share with the museum from their stay in Africa.  Stay tuned for more information.  Interested in hearing more about these pieces?  Contact Curator, Lynn Koos, at 319-862-2101 X27 or lkoos@blackiowa.org

Now that school is out you could take a morning or afternoon with the kids for a unique activity that they can discuss with you afterwards. If you would prefer a guided tour call at least a week ahead to schedule a tour. We have scavenger hunts for both exhibits available in the Museum Store.

Have a wonderful summer and remember the African American Museum of Iowa is right near Downtown Cedar Rapids, come by and visit us soon!

Please join us tomorrow to celebrate Iowa Museum Day.  We will be offering free admission and free 6 month trail memberships.  Membership provides unlimited free admission, a free subscription to The Iowa Griot (the Museum’s quarterly Magazine), 10% off all purchases in the Museum gift shop and invitations to special Members-only events.  

We hope to see you tomorrow.  Please help spread the word!

1. Archaeologists don’t look for dinosaurs.
Archaeologists look for artifacts: objects that have been made or altered by human beings.  Dinosaur bones are not artifacts.  The person who studies dinos is a paleontologist.

2. Archaeologists don’t just grab a shovel and start digging.
To make an important archaeological find, archaeologists study, often for years, to discern exactly what they’re looking for and where they’re most likely to find it.  Taking a shovel to your backyard and starting to dig is not the best way to yield results.

3. The lower in the ground, the older it is.
This isn’t an entirely fool-proof method, but generally speaking, it’s true.  Archaeologists use the principal of stratigraphy to find the relative date of an artifact.  An Educator at the Lake County Discovery Museum in Illinois said to think of is this way: if you come home from school each day and change out of you school clothes, placing the current outfit on top of the old ones, you will eventually have a pile that looks like this:

Friday’s clothes
Thursday’s clothes
Wednesday’s clothes
Tuesday’s clothes
Monday’s clothes

As you can see, the oldest clothes are on the bottom.  This = stratigraphy.

4. Archaeology is a destructive process.
This was a revelation to me when taking an archaeology class in college.  Archaeology is destructive.  Once you excavate a site, it cannot be excavated again.  This means we didn’t get as much information from an area we dug up 50 years ago as we would if it’d been done today, due to advances in technology.  There are two main repercussion of this. One is that many times archaeologists today will only excavate (dig) part of a site, and will use geothermal and other noninvasive technology to study the rest.  The second repercussion is…

5. Archaeologists write down everything.
Before they dig, they create a North-facing grid with string and stakes.  Everything about an artifact is carefully measured using the metric system, including the position within the grid it was located, how far below ground it was found, it’s distance from other artifacts, and the exact dimensions of the item itself.  The more that’s written down now, the more useful the information will be in the future.  Archaeology is not a sprint–it’s a marathon.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/