Black History Month 2019 – Zion Union Heritage Museum

EVENTS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2020 WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

A Fascinating New Exhibition, A Soul & Funk Benefit Celebration, Zion Artists’ Showcase at CCMoA, and More!

New Exhibition: Lewis Hayden and the Underground Railroad, Now through March

Lewis Hayden died in Boston on Sunday morning April 7, 1889. His passing was front- page news in the New York Timesas well as in the Boston Globe, Boston Heraldand Boston Evening Transcript.

Leading nineteenth century reformers attended the funeral including Frederick Douglass, and women’s rights champion Lucy Stone. The Governor of Massachusetts, Mayor of Boston, and Secretary of the Commonwealth felt it important to participate.

Hayden’s was a life of real significance—but few people know of him today. A historical marker at his Beacon Hill home tells part of the story: “A Meeting Place of Abolitionists and a Station on the Underground Railroad.”

Hayden is often described as a “man of action.” An escaped slave, he stood at the center of a struggle for dignity and equal rights in nine- teenth century Boston. His story remains an inspiration to those who take the time to learn about it.

More about this fascinating exhibition

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Saturday, February 2, Zion Union Heritage Museum. Doors open 2 pm for 2:30 pm show. “THE LOUNGE,” an open mic bringing together generations of musicians and spoken-word artists. Hosted by the Cape Cod Branch of the NAACP’s Youth Committee, THE LOUNGE will also feature Grammy-nominated Hip-Hop Jazz artist The ZYG 808 (Morgan J Peters, II) and rapper MAC (Madarius Hendricks)— both of whom are Mashpee High School students and Mashpee Wampanoag tribal members, as well as Rock-N-Soul band Conspiracy of Noize. Great event for all ages.Free, with a suggested donation of $5 per person.

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Saturday, February 16, 7:30 pm at Cotuit Center for the Arts

Zion Union Heritage Museum celebrates Black History Month with a presentation of “FUNK & SOUL” at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, as a fundraiser to benefit the Zion Union Heritage Museum.

COTUIT – “FUNK & SOUL” is a special concert in honor of Black History Month that is being presented by the Zion Union Heritage Museum at the Cotuit Center for the Arts in honor of Black History Month. “FUNK & SOUL” is taking place on Saturday, February 16 at the Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Falmouth Rd (Rte 28), Cotuit, MA. Doors open at 7pm for a 7:30 start.

Featuring 6-time Grammy nominees, The GroovaLottos, this special concert/party is a fundraiser for the Zion Union Heritage Museum, a museum that celebrates the African-American, Cape Verdean and Wampanoag populations as well as the ethnic and demographic diversity of Cape Cod.

The Zion Union Heritage Museum was founded in part by the Community Preservation Act and the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Foundation in partnership with the Town of Barnstable. The Museum will be recognized not only as a historical landmark in the Commonwealth but a national historic landmark as well.

The GroovaLottos and the Cotuit Center for the Arts have a common link in the fact that the Center’s founder, Cotuit resident and former Motown session guitarist, James Wolf brought drummer Eddie Ray Johnson and keyboardist, singer/ songwriter Mwalim together for some jam session in 2009 that evolved into the The GroovaLottos in 2011, making their very first appearance at the 4 C’s Tilden Arts Center for the Multicultural Festival.

Tickets are $27 and $32, with senior discounts available. They can be purchased in advance by contacting the Cotuit Center for the Arts Box Office, 508-428-0669 x1 or they can be ordered on-line at https://artsonthecape.org/explore/funk-and-soul-celebration

In the meantime, enjoy this clip!

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Tuesday, February 19, 11 am, Hyannis Library.“Let Freedom Ring,” Music and Poetry of Black History, co-sponsored by Zion Union Heritage Museum. This moving show celebrates such inspirational figures as Maya Angelous, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth and others. FREE

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The Artists of Zion Union Heritage Museum at Cape Cod Museum of Art,

February 1-March 24

The Cape Cod Museum of Art (CCMoA) is honored to collaborate with Zion Union Heritage Museum (ZUHM) to celebrate Black History Month with an exhibition of several of Zion’s resident artists: Michael Alfano, Sean Cassidy, Pamela Chatterton-Purdy,Joe Diggs, Carl Lopes, Robin J. Miller, and Claudia Smith-Jacobs.

“We are fortunate to have Zion Union Heritage Museum to educate us about the unique history and contributions of people of color to Cape Cod. This exhibition spotlights select work from distinguished artists whose art is represented more fully at the Zion museum,” said Benton Jones, acting director of CCMoA.

Resident artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy who has created a series of 37 icons that mark the history of the civil rights movement said, “Lest we forget, the Zion Union Heritage Museum continues to educate that Civil Rights is not a dead issue, especially given the current political climate.” She is represented in this show with her recent icon of Emanuel 9, the original of which in the Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where members were brutally murdered in 2015.

The artists in the exhibition are:

Michael Alfano is well-known for creating figurative and surrealistic sculpture that conveys philosophical ideas and abstract concepts. His life-size bronze statue of an African-American/Cape Verdean holding a globe welcomes visitors to ZUHM. His bronze head Homo Cosmos is on display here.

Sean Cassidy, a Cape Cod figurative oil painter, displays a series of portrait paintings of famous jazz and blues musicians at ZUHM. In this exhibit, we see a portrait of Mohammad Ali from his Historic Origins series that raises questions about the effect of birthplace on famous persons.

Pamela Chatterton-Purdy, a retired art teacher, has created “Icons of the Civil Rights Movement,” a collection of 37 portraits and events of the movement which are on display at ZUHM. Her husband Rev. Dr. David Purdy, researched and wrote the text that accompany each of the icons. They are also the authors of Civil Rights Icons Past and Present.

Joseph V. Diggs is a resident of Osterville whose landscapes and abstract art is often inspired by Micah’s Pond on the property inherited from his grandfather, a businessman who had established a vacation residence in the town when segregation was the norm.

Carl Lopes, retired as head of the Art Department of Barnstable High School, is noted for his striking contemporary art work inspired by African masks and shields. Images in his work are embellished with geometric motifs and designs in high gloss acrylics. His Nevertheless We Rise is on display here.

Robin Joyce Miller, a retired New York City art teacher and poet, focuses on African-American history and poetry. Her mixed media collage quilts from her book, Rhythms of a Faithful Journey, co-authored with her husband James W. Miller, are on exhibit at ZUHM. Her Mother to Son, based on a poem by Langston Hughes is on view in this exhibit.

Claudia Smith-Jacobs is a resident of Falmouth whose art is shaped by her multi-cultural heritage. Haitian-American, Cherokee, French, Scotch-Irish, she is focused on injustice in her multi-media work. Her collage/assemblage Are We Still Fighting the Civil War is exhibited in this show.