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Contact: Logan McSwain For Immediate Release News Release January 26, 2007
New Exhibit Opening in Conjunction with Black History Month Opening February 17, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Museum of History’s Charlotte Neighborhoods: Brooklyn to Biddleville, an exhibit examining the history and consequences of urban renewal for two of Charlotte’s traditional African American neighborhoods, opens February 17 in conjunction with Black History Month. This exhibit, which will remain at the Museum through November 10, 2007, is the second in the Charlotte Neighborhood exhibit series, which explores local neighborhoods through their history, architecture and culture.
The Charlotte Neighborhoods: Brooklyn to Biddleville project was awarded a grant of $9190 from the North Carolina Humanities Council. The exhibit, a smaller traveling exhibit, three public forums and a bus tour of Biddleville are all made possible through the North Carolina Humanities Council grant.
In conjunction with the opening of the exhibit, the Museum is pleased to announce a new Crossroads Charlotte component. Crossroads Charlotte is a large-scale civic engagement initiative designed to help the community craft a future based on intentional choices and creative foresight. Through this project, organizations, institutions, and individuals will hear and respond to four stories depicting plausible futures for the Charlotte community. The exhibit installation will feature an interactive component designed to engage visitors and start the process of exploration and discussion. Crossroads Charlotte is funded by John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Foundation for the Carolinas, and is managed by the Community Building Initiative. Visit www.crossroadscharlotte.org for more information.
Brooklyn to Biddleville was chosen as the next installment for the Charlotte Neighborhoods series as a result of the Museum’s involvement with the Charlotte Cultural History Partnership, which formed to address the need for preservation and documentation of Charlotte’s African-American community. The exhibit, guest curated by Dr. Robert Smith, Assistant Professor of History and Africana Studies at UNC Charlotte, features two of Charlotte’s oldest African-American Neighborhoods. Charlotte, like many cities around the United States, participated in federally-funded urban renewal projects in the 1960s and 70s. The Brooklyn neighborhood, which emerged downtown at the turn of the 20th century, became Charlotte’s first urban renewal project and was largely razed in the 1960s. Biddleville rose on the outskirts of downtown, and for the most part escaped the bulldozers of urban development. However, the destruction of Brooklyn impacted the development of Biddleville and other African-American neighborhoods in Charlotte. Consequently, Biddleville as a community helped foster and preserve the memories, stories and cultural artifacts of Brooklyn.
The Charlotte Cultural History Partnership, which includes UNCC Africana Studies, UNCC Public History Program, The Afro-American Cultural Center, the New Historic Excelsior Club and The Charlotte Museum of History are hosting three public forums and a bus tour during the run of the exhibit. The forums and bus tour are free to the public. The first public forum, Remembering Brooklyn and Biddleville, will be Saturday, March 10, 1 to 4 p.m. The public is invited to celebrate and remember life in the Brooklyn and Biddleville neighborhoods with recollections of invited community “memory keepers” – prominent residents and city decision-makers. Panelists will explore life in these neighborhoods and discuss issues surrounding community and neighborhood preservation.
“One of the main goals of the Charlotte Neighborhoods project is to empower visitors to advocate for positive social change within their own communities,” said Lee Goodan, Project Manager for the Charlotte Neighborhoods exhibit series. “By exploring the histories of these two neighborhoods, we strive to inform visitors about issues and factors that can influence a community’s development, which helps them to better understand what is at stake in their own neighborhood. Understanding how the past influences the present is essential to shaping the future.”
Visit www.charlottemuseum.org for updates on the exhibit and public forums. This project is made possible in part by the North Carolina Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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The Charlotte Museum of History
The Charlotte Museum of History is Where History Has A Home. The Museum, with its core and visiting exhibitions, explores Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s rich history during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Museum is home to the oldest surviving structure in Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the Hezekiah Alexander House (circa 1774). Set on eight acres of park like grounds, the Museum is also home to the American Freedom Bell, the Backcountry Patriot Statue and historic gardens. In addition, the Museum offers: rental space for events and weddings, education programs for adults, schools and families, and membership benefits and opportunities. The Charlotte Museum of History is supported, in part, with a Basic Operating Grant form the Arts & Science Council. The Charlotte Museum of History is located at 3500 Shamrock Drive (between Eastway and Sharon Amity). Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Free every Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Open Mondays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Guided tours of the Hezekiah Alexander Homesite given daily at 1:15 and 3:15 p.m. For more information call 704-568-1774, email info@charlottemuseum.org or visit www.charlottemuseum.org.
North Carolina Humanities Council
The North Carolina Humanities Council is a 35-year-old nonprofit foundation and state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It awards grant to community groups and nonprofits so they can provide free programs that bring people together to explore the history, traditions, and stories of North Carolina and its place in the world. |
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The Charlotte
Museum of History & Hezekiah Alexander Homesite |