The board and resident artists of Zion Union Heritage Museum presented a comprehensive series of films, panel discussions, and presentations at the museum and other local venues from February 1-28 in commemoration of Black History Month. Collectively, the events highlighted the struggles and accomplishments of African Americans, Cape Verdeans, and other ethnic and demographic groups in this region and the country as a whole.
Zion Museum—located in Hyannis and a partner with cultural and community organizations Cape-wide—is at the hub of a network of artists, musicians, local historians, and writers. The museum represents Pamela Chatterton-Purdy, whose art and historical exhibition Icons of the Civil Rights Movement, Past and Present portrays heroes in the historic struggle that culminated in the 1950s and ‘60s and continues to this day. Another noteworthy resident artist is long-time Barnstable High School Art Director Carl Lopes, who creates stunning paintings that are thoroughly contemporary in feel, while reflecting centuries of influential African tradition and design. Resident artist Robin Joyce Miller—an award-winning New York educator and artist, now retired—focuses on African American Heritage themes in her mixed media collage quilts and in her poetry. In the various planned events, the artists discussed their work and the history and traditions that inspire it. One work by each artist was hung in the Cape Cod Museum of Art for the duration of Black History Month.
The month’s highlights also included the screening of Journeys in the Light, Untold Stories of Cape Cod, the museum’s new documentary celebrating the diverse population that has resided here since the arrival of the Mayflower and long before. The 2015 film, based in part on the historical notes of Dolores DaLuz and made possible through the generosity of the Lyndon Paul Larusso Foundation, was released in an updated version. In addition to Zion Museum’s resident artists, the film also features the work of other artists associated with the museum, including Michael Alfano, Vasco Pires, Elizabeth Mumford, Joe Diggs, and Sean Cassidy. A collaborative endeavor involving people and organizations across the Cape, the documentary also draws on the music of outstanding regional musicians including Walter Beasley, Ensemble Passacaglia, Steffani Bennett, and Jerry Portnoy. The film is produced by ArtistsAndMusicians.org and John L. Reed, Executive Director of Zion Museum.
Events: February 1-28, 2018, in honor of BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Thursday, February 1. 6 pm. Presentation by Zion Museum resident artist Robin Joyce Miller titled The Influence of Jazz on Art. Cape Cod Museum of Art. $10 for CCMoA and ZUHM members. $12 for non-members.
Saturday, February 3. 2-4 pm. Open house. 2:30 pm screening of the documentary Journeys in the Light, Untold Stories of Cape Cod. 400 years of the little-known history of People of Color in this region, featuring art, artifacts, and archival material from the museum. Zion Union Heritage Museum. Refreshments. Donations accepted.
Monday, February 5, 1:30-2:30 pm. Screening of the documentary Journeys in the Light, Untold Stories of Cape Cod. Barnstable Senior Center (Free admission)
Friday, February 9, 1:30-2:30 pm. Presentation by Zion Museum resident artist Carl Lopes. The artist will show his work and discuss the “how” and the “why” of his unique and intriguing paintings. Barnstable Senior Center (Free admission). Photo of the artist in his studio, credit: Merrily Cassidy of The Cape Cod Times.
Thursday, February 15. 6 pm. Screening of the documentary Journeys in the Light, Untold Stories of Cape Cod, followed by a discussion with the artists and filmmaker. Cape Cod Museum of Art. $10 for CCMoA and ZUHM members. $12 for non-members.
Saturday, February 17, 11 am. “Rhythms of a Faithful Journey," a multimedia presentation by Zion Union Heritage Museum resident artist Robin Joyce Miller and her husband, James Walter Miller, memorializing key moments in African American History through poetry and art. Annual Meeting of the Falmouth Museums on the Green. Artwork will be on exhibit through February 25.
Saturday, February 17, 2-4 pm. Tales of Cape Cod. An oral history project of the Kennedy family on Cape Cod. Zion Union Heritage Museum. Donations accepted.
Monday, February 26, 1:30-2:30 pm. Screening of the documentary Icons of the Civil Rights Movement, Past and Present, followed by a discussion with Zion Museum resident artist Pamela Chatterton-Purdy and her husband Rev. David A. Purdy, who researched and wrote the film’s historical material. Barnstable Senior Center (Free admission)
Wednesday, February 28, 1:30-2:30 pm. Coding Underground Railroad Quilts by Nancy Brunswick. Barnstable Senior Center (Free admission)