Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and the Banneker-Douglass Museum
The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture has been responsible for the statewide collection and preservation of African American history and culture since 1969. Its collections are presently housed at Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum’s MAC Lab; programs and exhibitions are offered at the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) in Annapolis. Commissioners and museum staff work collaboratively with African American communities across the state to document and preserve their heritage. The museum’s current facility is now being renovated and expanded, and by 2004 will have doubled its exhibit and office space. The new BDM will offer the only permanent exhibit treating African American history in the state’s capital. Over the last two years, a variety of work-study opportunities for college students have been developed.
Proposed programs: Plans call for further development of work-study opportunities, followed by more cooperative relationships with academic institution when capital improvements are completed in late 2004. One Assistant Curator’s position is planned as shared faculty for instruction in museum studies and for the supervision of college assistantships and fellowships on-site.
Investments Toward IMPART: The Banneker-Douglass Museum has worked closely on research projects with several partner institutions, particularly the Archaeology in Annapolis project of the Anthropology Department at the University of Maryland College Park. The museum has exhibited artifacts from Archaeology in Annapolis digs, while their archaeologists have assisted with BDM’s summer camp units introducing children to the discipline. In addition, student assistants have worked on museum program planning, organization of research resources, and documentation and organization of BDM collections. BDM also hosts a summer seminar for K-12 teachers and school administrators to introduce them to principal issues and concepts in African American history and culture.
Download a recent job posting for the Banneker-Douglass Museum.
At the recent official ribbon cutting of the Sylvia Gaither Garrison Library, IMPART Interns Sara Smith and Lynn Waller, Jr celebrate with Mrs. Garrison (seated).
