[NCAH] FW: New Exhibit! Stagville: Black & White/N.C. Museum of HIstory

[Martin, James]

Colleagues:

Please see the attached from the NC Museum of History.  It concerns a new exhibit, "Stagville:  Black and White."

Thank you and have a good week.

Best,

Jim Martin
Campbell University

From: Lamb, Susan [mailto:susan.lamb at ncdcr.gov]
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2014 2:11 PM
To: Lamb, Susan
Subject: New Exhibit! Stagville: Black & White/N.C. Museum of HIstory

Photos are available. Contact Susan Lamb, N.C. Museum of History, 919-807-7943, susan.lamb at ncdcr.gov<mailto:susan.lamb at ncdcr.gov>

            Stagville: Black & White

            "The exhibit aims to remind us that every day we live on a foundation built by those who preceded us - and that at present we are leaving our own legacy for future generations." - Brenda Scott, Exhibit Photographer
Connecting the past with the present, the exhibit Stagville: Black & White, opening Saturday, March 1, at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, presents Stagville State Historic Site in Durham through a different lens. The photography exhibit shows the beauty and resilience of the structures and of the people who lived and worked in them. Stagville: Black & White will run through Jan. 25, 2015, and admission is free.

            On the eve of the Civil War, the nearly 30,000-acre North Carolina Bennehan and Cameron family plantation holdings called Stagville were the largest in the state. They were home to Paul Cameron, the wealthiest man in North Carolina, and to the approximately 900 enslaved people he owned. Today, the historic site consists of 165 acres with numerous original buildings.

            In 2011 photographer Brenda Scott began a photographic study of Stagville, resulting in thousands of images, 64 of which can be seen in Stagville: Black & White. These photographs feature striking black-and-white images of the surviving 18th- and 19th-century buildings, such as the architectural details of the Bennehan family plantation home and the massive timber-framed barn, known as the Great Barn. Other photos include Horton Grove, which was home to nearly 100 enslaved people.
            At first Scott focused exclusively on the architecture, but one day she met Angela Russell (née Hart), a Stagville descendant, who inspired her to learn about the site's people.

             "The chance meeting with descendant Angela Russell prompted me to begin photographing Stagville descendants and collecting their ancestors' images, which I rephotographed in the places where they had spent their lives," says Scott. "The more work I did at Stagville, the more I became aware of stories that may never be told, particularly about the enslaved population who lived there."

            For example, for one photograph, Scott rested an image of the blacksmith George Holman on a window hinge of one of Stagville's slave quarters. The hinge and nails that attach it were most likely made by a Stagville blacksmith. For another photo, she placed archival images of Paul and Anne Cameron on the bed in the couple's bedroom. Paul was also born in this room.
            Scott notes that one of the most exciting parts of her ongoing project is meeting and photographing Stagville descendants at Stagville, visually capturing their reactions to their family connections with this place on their visit. One such image is of Masonic Grand Master Ricky Hart standing in front of the fireplace in the grandest room of the Bennehan House. Hart and Scott decided to title the work "The Master's Fireplace."
            In addition to still photography of descendants, Scott conducts video interviews to gather oral histories from them. Visitors can view five of these videos in Stagville: Black & White.

            "This body of work reflects both my interest in the documented facts about Stagville, as well as my desire to make people aware of the untold stories - the everyday events that seem to echo in the spaces at Stagville - of places where they lived, loved and died."

            Scott adds, "The exhibit aims to remind us that every day we live on a foundation built by those who preceded us - and that at present we are leaving our own legacy for future generations."
            Additional support for Stagville: Black & White comes from Bull City Art and Frame Company and Drs. George and Sue Neece.
About the Photographer

            Brenda Scott, DPhil (Oxon.), is a fine art photographer who works in Durham. She has been playing with cameras for more than 30 years and producing digital photography for over a decade. Scott has a nearly 30-year connection with Stagville.

            Originally trained as a musician and organologist (one who specializes in the history and development of musical instruments), she worked as a curator of a small musical-instrument museum for just over 10 years before making a career change to photography.

            Scott holds degrees from the University of Oxford (Somerville College), UNC-Chapel Hill, Auburn University, and the Academy of Art University.

Related Program: Photographer's Talk and Tour

            Join Scott for a special tour of Stagville: Black & White on Saturday, March 1, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Admission is free.

            For information about the Museum of History, call 919-807-7900<tel:919-807-7900> or access www.ncmuseumofhistory.org<http://www.ncmuseumofhistory.org> or follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or YouTube. To learn more about Stagville State Historic Site, call 919-620-0120 or go to www.stagville.org<http://www.stagville.org>.

About the N.C. Museum of History

The N.C. Museum of History is located at 5 E. Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The museum collects and preserves artifacts of North Carolina history and educates the public on the history of the state and the nation through exhibits and educational programs. Each year more than 300,000 people visit the museum to see some of the 150,000 artifacts in the museum collection. The Museum of History, within the Division of State History Museums, is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.
About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources (NCDCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's cultural resources to build the social, cultural and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan W. Kluttz, NCDCR's mission to enrich lives and communities creates opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history and libraries in North Carolina that will spark creativity, stimulate learning, preserve the state's history and promote the creative economy. NCDCR was the first state organization in the nation to include all agencies for arts and culture under one umbrella.

Through arts efforts led by the N.C. Arts Council, the N.C. Symphony and the N.C. Museum of Art, NCDCR offers the opportunity for enriching arts education for young and old alike and economic stimulus engines for our state's communities. NCDCR's Divisions of Archives and Records, State Historic Sites, and State History Museums preserve, document and interpret North Carolina's rich cultural heritage. NCDCR's State Library of North Carolina is the principal library of state government and builds the capacity of all libraries in our state, developing and supporting access to traditional and online collections such as genealogy and resources for the blind and physically handicapped.

NCDCR annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation's first state-supported symphony orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council and the State Archives of North Carolina. NCDCR champions our state's creative industry that accounts for more than 300,000 jobs and generates nearly $18.5 billion in revenues. For more information, please call 919-807-7300<tel:919-807-7300> or visit