Volume 2, No. 2 (Winter 1998) -- Black History Month Issue

Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center in Jackson, Mississippi is a comprehensive depository of artifacts that represent the African American Mississippian's experience in the fields of history, art, music, and literature. This facility is located on the site of Smith Robertson Elementary School, the first public school for African American children in Jackson. It was erected in 1894 and named in honor of Smith Robertson. The school was closed in 1971.

The Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center developed out of a community desire to prevent the demolition of the school. The Mississippi Association for the Preservation of Smith Robertson School, Inc. was founded, and with assistance from the city of Jackson, the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History the Association, was able to start the museum and cultural center in 1984.

Currently the museum is under the management of the city of Jackson's Department of Human and Cultural Services. The museum staff works with the Mississippi Association for the Preservation of Smith Robertson School, Inc. The purpose of the museum is to promote tourism and to enhance the image of the city of Jackson, to enhance and preserve the cultural life of African American Mississippians, to enlighten the public of the rich heritage of African American Mississippians, and to promote exhibition of cultural programs and major exhibitions that directly relate to the African American experience.

The museum is proud to celebrate the permanent exhibitions and the collections that the museum staff and dedicated volunteers have compiled and curated. The museum's collection of Folk Art includes panels and art pieces done by folk artists from Mississippi. Also the museum has 35 quilts made by African American women from the state of Mississippi The quilts were donations from Dr. William Ferris of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and Roland Freeman, noted African American photographer.

The South in general has a rich heritage pertaining to folk art. Another part of our permanent collection chronicles Smith Robertson School's history. The school records date back to the early 1920s-1970s. In our Smith Robertson Room is a pictorial history of the principals and teachers that taught at the school. The Smith Robertson Museum is significant as the site of the first public school for African Americans and the "mother school" for all of Jackson's African American citizens. It memorializes this man who devoted his life to the education of African American youth.

The original structure was a wood frame building erected in 1894 at the coast of $7,500. In 1903 it was named for Smith Robertson, a African American alderman from the city's fourth ward. The original building burned in 1909 and was rebuilt that same year. In 1929, the prominent Jackson architectural firm, Hull and Malvany, re-designed and expanded the U-shaped structure, lengthening the wings. The present building encompasses part of the 1909 structure and represents an early and quite sophisticated example of Art Deco.

One of the schools most famous alumni is writer Richard N. Wright, a native of Natchez, who completed the 8th grade in 1925. He was the popular author of famous novels such as Black Boy, Native Son, Uncle Tom's Children, and The Outsider. The majority of this gifted writer's education was at Smith Robertson School, which makes these walls very special.

The Atrium in the center of the building houses our permanent collection of art representing the African American experience in Mississippi. All the artists featured in the collection are either natives of the state of Mississippi or work here in the state. Their works are reflective of a variety of styles, media and topics.

Paul Campbell is the museum's artist in residence. Campbell is a retired public school art instructor, who comes to the museum three times a week and paints in the Atrium area. His works are featured along the east corridor.

The museum is also proud to have in its collection an exhibit by Roland L. Freeman, consisting of 13 photos taken nationally of African American life. A photographer and avid quilt collector, who has curated many exhibits about designing and making quilts, Freeman is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, currently residing in Washington, D.C.

One of Jackson's most successful portrait photographers, Beadle began his career in 1900 by taking his service to willing patrons. In 1906, he set up a studio in a tent near Roach and Capitol streets in Jackson. Later he moved his studio to North Farish Street where he operated for 54 years. In 1968 Beadle was cited for outstanding leadership by the National Council for Negro Women. In 1977 his work was cited by the heritage committee of Jackson's Bicentennial Committee and in 1980 he was honored with an exhibit of his works by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The exhibit includes vintage cameras, studio equipment and a collection of photos from the Beadle collection.

A permanent exhibit on the history, life and culture of the African American Mississippian is on view upstairs at the museum. This represents an effort to collect, preserve and interpret an integral part of Mississippi's material culture. The exhibit contains archives, photographs, posters and artifacts about slavery, the Civil war and Reconstruction era, the African American church, education, business, politics, arts and entertainment.

Traveling Exhibits

In 1991, the museum hosted a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Services (SITES) exhibition called Field to Factory: African American Migration, 1915-1940. This exhibition was permanently acquired for the museum in 1992. This exhibit focuses on the great migration of African Americans moving from the rural south to the industrialized north. This event was one of the most significant events of the 20th century. More than 65,000 African Americans left the state between 1915 and 1940.

In 1995, the museum sponsored a major traveling exhibition organized by Landau and curated by African American art historian Samella Lewis, Ph.D. Two Sculptures Two Eras, with works by Richard Hunt and Richmond Barthe' was a fascinating exhibition focusing on the work of two remarkable sculptures, one of whom is a native Mississippian.

Exhibits in 1997:

Weaving Two Worlds With Dignity, Mixed Media by Rachel A. Dolezal.
This exhibit encompasses the works of a 19-year-old European American artist from Montana, whose desire to interpret African American life is expressed through mixed media pieces such as leather, recycled material (fabric scraps, newspaper and magazine paper). This exhibit, organized by Smith Robertson Museum staff, will travel.

A Visual Diary:, Works by Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence.
Jackson State University in Jackson was thrilled to open works by internationally known American artist Jacob Lawrence. The museum was equally thrilled to host 13 prints by his wife Gwendolyn Knight. A brilliant visual artist, she has been in the shadow of her husband. She creates as she travels with her husband. Her inspirations come from the performing arts and people she has come in contact with in their travels.

Visual Interpretations of the Classic Slave Narratives, by Johnnie Mae Maberry Gilbert.
Gilbert is chair of the art department at Tougaloo College in Jackson. In 1992 Gilbert was introduced to classic slave narratives at a New York University seminar on the African American experience. She came back to Mississippi hungry to know more. She read the Works Progress Administration (WPA) interviews with people who lived through slavery, The Classic Slave Narratives and Lay My Burden Down. These images came to life in the forms of visual interpretations by Gilbert.

Upcoming Events for the Museum A Communion of the Spirits: African American Quilters, Preservers and Their Stories Featuring Mississippi Quilters and Preservers. Mississippi Treasures: A Homecoming for African American Artist who are Native Mississippians featuring: Roy Lewis, photographer; Sam Gilliam, visual artist; Milt Hinton, jazz artist; Tonea Steward, performance artist. Smith Robertson Museum & Cultural Ctr 528 Bloom Street, Jackson, Mississippi

Image 2: Field to Factory, 1915-1940: African American Migration from the South to the North.