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“Sing
Me Your Story” Exhibition Opens To Great Praise
On
February 17, 2007, “Sing Me Your Story, Dance Me Home:
Art and Poetry from Native California” opened at the
Maidu Interpretive Center in Roseville to great acclaim.
This stunning exhibition brings together the work of
twenty-one California Native visual artists and ten
Native poets.
Recognizing
the cultural heritage and individual accomplishments
of the artists and poets, “Sing Me Your Story's” opening
received statewide and national media coverage, including
a listing in American Association of Museum's publication
January/February 2007, Museum News. At the
opening event, the Maidu Interpretive Center hosted
presentations by artists Judith Lowry and Dugan Aguilar,
and poet Janice Gould. More than 100 people attended
the event, including many Native elders who were honored
during the evening's presentation. A popular feature
for visitors, the exhibition includes a special cell
phone audio tour of the artists discussing their work
and poets reading their poems.
Sing
Me Your Story Community Connections Project Update
In
September 2006, CERA received an Institute of Museum
and Library Services' (IMLS) 21st Century Museum Professionals
Grant for the Sing Me Your Story Community Connections
Project. The goal of this special professional
develop project is for staff members at small, community-based
museum to learn how to engage community leaders in planning
for hosting of touring exhibitions and in creating related
programming, with a specific emphasis on nurturing meaningful
relationships with local Native communities.
The
project, which began in October, will span three years
and is led by Theresa Harlan, the exhibition Curator
and Margaret Kadoyama, Community Engagement Specialist,
with the assistance of an Advisory Council which includes
Sherrie Smith-Ferri (Dry Creek Pomo/Bodega Bay Miwok
and Director of the Grace Hudson Museum & Sun House
in Ukiah), Judith Lowry (Mountain Maidu/Hamawi Pit River
and featured artist in the exhibition), Gerald Clarke
(Cahuilla, professor at Idyllwild Arts Academy and featured
artist in the exhibition), Paula Allen (Karuk, Specialist
for United Indian Health Services, Inc. and Curator
for the Potawat Arts Gallery), and Linda Noel (Konkow
Maidu and featured poet).
The
Community Connections Project enabled twenty-nine staff
members from fourteen host museums to participate in a
Community Involvement Workshop was held on December 4,
2006. At the workshop, participants created a community
involvement plan and will receive one-on-one consultations
will assist host museums to refine their individual plans
and implement outreach efforts before and during their
Sing Me Your Story exhibition dates. Throughout the exhibition
tour a listserv will provide a communication tool for
the host museum staff to share their experiences in the
community involvement process. For more information about
the exhibition content please see the "Sing
Me Your Story" exhibition flyer.
For
more information about the Commuinty Connections Project,
please contact us at ceraexhibits@earthlink.net
or 510-336-7062.
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