While interning for the Education Department at Levine Museum of the New South this summer, I've heard community members time and again comment, “Now, the Levine Museum does history the right way.” Over the course of this summer, I've increasingly understood what it means to “do history” the “right way.”
Growing up in small-town North Carolina, I had a very limited understanding of history—especially when it came to the history of the South. Like many other Southern children, I was taught to believe and accept that Stonewall Jackson was a great leader and that the Confederate flag was an acceptable symbol of Southern identity. It was not until I started studying Anthropology in college that I started to ask myself questions about how history is made, published and taught.
Traditionally, history has been fabricated based on limited perspectives and the loudest voices in the room. In other words, power plays a major role in the shaping of history. Just as the accumulation of power has depended on socially constructed factors-- race, skin color, displays of wealth—the ability to write and tell history has been centralized along similar constructs. As a result, what we know of events, people, culture and places are really objects of partial histories and partial truths. These are problematic in that they are only a sliver of the many perspectives that actually exist.
Levine Museum has sought to break away from the classical museum model by employing a bottom-up approach. It seeks to allow community members to speak for themselves and tell their own stories. Ranging from the use of listening sessions to collect community input on exhibit design to programming pop-up sessions to collect oral stories, Levine Museum is inclusive of narratives across the spectrum of race, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion and more. Emphasis is placed on self-representation and the multiplicity of voices and perspectives.
Last spring the Museum hosted Out of the Shadows: Undocumented and Unafraid, an artfully crafted exhibit from artist Annabel Manning and curator Carla Hanzal, which featured names, photos and narratives of undocumented students around North Carolina. The exhibit was particularly exemplary of the museum’s approach as it empowered and gave voice to a population of students who have been systematically disfranchised and disempowered. In July, the Museum opened LGBTQ: Perspectives on Equality which also took on the approach of having visitors and community members tell their stories and influence what direction the exhibits and programming should take.
Such exhibits not only make what we do authentic so that it resonates with visitors and their thinking we did the history “right;” but more importantly, they serve as community safe space where stories are validated and appreciated as threads of a richer community fabric.
~Yeeva Cheng, Education Intern
What other stories would you like to see told?
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With National Welcoming Week this week (Sept. 13-21), Levine Museum is reaching out to the Greater Carolina community and asking how we can create a more welcoming environment for all newcomers.
As part of our Welcoming Week events, Levine Museum spoke with Carla Fuller, who works with Burmese refugees and is making a difference in her own backyard.
Carla became involved with the refugee community about 6 years ago after four Karen (an ethnic group from Burma) girls moved in with a family from her church. She soon met their friends in Charlotte and continues to visit them frequently. Since she lives a few hours away, the community invites her into their homes to stay with them. She has come to love their culture, food and most especially their children.
Although they may not always be able to communicate in English and she has yet to be able to fluently learn their language, communication seems easy. In addition to her new friends, she has been honored to meet the men and women of Charlotte who are dedicated to the refugee community. Says Carla, “there is a great network of folks who work together to help refugees and I am proud to have come to know them.” Of course, there is always a need for more people and she is always encouraged when she sees someone new get involved.
Unfortunately, there are people hostile to newcomers and changing demographics. How can we combat this?
I think as others get to know the refugees personally, they will understand that they are just like us. They have the same wants, needs and concerns.
When someone first gets involved, it can be hard to find common interests, especially with the language barrier. The refugees understand that it is difficult for us to reach to them and are just thankful we try.
For me, it was taking a family to explore downtown and eat ice cream for the first time that helped us bond. Six years later, this family has just purchased their first house and they are doing very well. It is such a joy to have been a part of their lives and share in their journey. Sometimes I forget that in the beginning we couldn't even speak to each other without an interpreter, but now we can have great conversations!
If there is someone wanting to get to know a newcomer, but not sure where to start, I would recommend contacting one of the local organizations. They can put you in touch with a family or individual who would welcome your concern for them.
How can we work to combat immigrant stereotypes?
The same as above. Get to know them and see that they hard working people coming to America to escape oppression and war. They must learn a new language, a new culture, new health care system and so many other things. They have the same love for their families and are just like us in so many ways.
How can we strengthen the voices of communities that otherwise go unheard?
Reaching out to the community leaders of the various ethnic groups will help make the connection. Going to meet them in their own communities will give them a level of comfort that otherwise they would not have. They are still very shy and intimidated by Americans.
How can we teach self-advocacy to those within the immigrant community?
Working with community leaders to find out what they specifically need and having programs around their schedules would be beneficial. Drivers’ training is one of the most necessary components to self-sufficiency. There isn't much funding for it, so they are teaching themselves with deadly consequences.
Ten years from now, how do you envision a more welcoming Charlotte and a reinvented New South?
I would hope there would be many more Americans reaching out to the community. So many folks go overseas on mission and humanitarian trips when they are here in our own backyards.
I asked one man why the refugees in the camps are always so excited to see the Americans visit and he said because that is how they think all Americans will be when they come to America. It gives them hope. But, then they come here and often they don’t find the kind hearts of the missionaries and humanitarians. Instead, they are often preyed upon by unethical people.
What does your organization do to celebrate and welcome newcomers to Charlotte?
When we learn of new arrivals, we put the word out to other refugees. They know firsthand the struggles that the newcomers face. They take them food, welcome them and then continue to check in on them and assist in however they can. In addition, the other Americans who are volunteering in the community will try to bring them clothes, food and other items they may need. Unfortunately, there are not enough people to call upon and many are stretched thin.
For more information about Carla and the work that she does, visit her website, HelpTheRefugees.com
Join the conversation:
Levine Museum is hosting a Tweetchat on Wednesday, Sept. 17, from noon-1 p.m. on Creating A Welcoming Charlotte.
Follow and participate on Twitter at @LevineMuseum and use the hashtags #WelcomingCLT #welcomingweek
Out of the Shadows: Undocumented and Unafraid is a participatory art project, conceived and orchestrated by artist Annabel Manning. Immigrant youth from Charlotte and the Triangle area of North Carolina collaborated with Manning to create portraits, which were then digitally altered to portray the youth's visible and invisible status simultaneously. Compelling and personal, the pieces featured in the exhibit demonstrate how art can be a deliberative and imaginative forum for exploring complex issues about immigrant labor, education, and legal status.
Please meet activist and artist, "Touchdown"
Does the concept of being both visible and invisible relate to your experience, and if so, how?
Yes. I participate in this society as any other regular person but then there are moments that always remind you that you are not quite the regular person…that there is something missing and that it will limit you. Traditionally, before growing to questioning the immigration system and all that benefit from its lack of working, I understood that not having legal status must be kept secret or invisible as much as possible. Every day was about negotiating identity in a home that is not “your own.” Even today with all the empowerment that has come from being involved in the immigrant youth rights movement, it is still difficult to branch out outside of social justice circles and be fully visible. You don’t know how people will react…to a certain point one may not care but the fact is that the system in which daily life functions with things such as employment, you must be kept invisible or at least the full you and your identity must not be known. At the end of the day it is still a liability upon which many things depend on.
When did you first become aware of your circumstance of being undocumented? What is it like to be undocumented?
I became aware of this status upon crossing the border by foot with my family. Additionally, it became evident that I was different when I was in school K-12th grade. I was very aware of this immigration status because everything was pointing in the direction of hiding it or making it invisible and just faking it but as youth sometimes that is the last thing you are willing to do. I did not want to participate in a mock presidential election at my elementary school because I had to vote and I knew then that was not allowed for someone like me who did not have a social security number. For me being undocumented became about learning how to negotiate my presence anywhere I went and often being very scared to open what I thought would be a Pandora's box type of situation. However, you learn that life has to continue and if you don’t go back to “your” country then you have to learn the ins and outs of living while being “illegal.” This encompasses everything from your friendships to your goals to the practical thing of getting fake social security numbers in order to get a job somewhere. That’s the truth. This country and its politicians push us to these fringes in which we have to make decisions for which results in either direction have you as the “illegal” losing out.
What is your dream for immigration reform?
I don’t dream about immigration reform…anymore. I just dream of an empowered community that comes to understand that with or without immigration reform we are worth it and must not live afraid. If there is no reform then I would hope that undocumented people would live life being unafraid and willing to risk it all in this country because the alternative means losing our dignity.
What does coming out of the shadows mean for you?
Coming out of the shadows for me means a process of healing. It does not necessarily get rid of the fear. Coming out of the shadows means you allow yourself to consider the possibilities of being deported or targeted and having a plan of action for that. It means breathing like you own yourself and your future instead of a nine digit number. It is only the beginning of a longer term process for liberation.
Out of the Shadows: Undocumented and Unafraid is on display now through June 29, 2014.
Tell us below what does activism mean to you.
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Through lectures, panel discussions, book signings, workshops, walking tours and more, Levine Museum offers a wide variety of fun, learning opportunities. The Museum provides historical context for contemporary issues, thoughtful community forums, and explorations of the sights, sounds and ideas of the Carolina Piedmont.
The Museum also supports and participates in various community programs throughout Charlotte and the Southeast. One of those is coming up in April at the Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa. We asked Eric Mullis of Triptych Collective to talk about the performance piece, “Poor Mouth,” here on our blog.
Do you see a familiar face?
I became interested in developing a performance piece about the history of NoDa after reading [Museum historian] Tom Hanchett's book, "Sorting out the New South City." The Triptych Collective is a group of performance artists interested in bringing a unique blend of live music, dance performance and visual art to non-traditional spaces in order to make thought-provoking performance art more widely accessible. The Triptych Collective calls the NoDa neighborhood home since we perform there regularly and local venues are so supportive of our work. I learned that the NoDa mill village was developed at the turn of the 20th century and became the home of mill workers who came to Charlotte from area farms. They found steady work and developed a close-knit community that worked and spent leisure time together. As the Great Depression drew near, mills across the Southern Piedmont began to "stretch-out" their employees, asking them to work longer hours and to run more looms without raising their pay (effectively ignoring the then, recently passed federal minimum-wage law). Mill workers were consequently presented with a difficult dilemma: do they strike for fair pay even though they may not be re-hired? Further, if they strike, will they be evicted from the company-owned mill houses that they lived in?
Poor Mouth is a performance art piece that strives to portray this history in order to honor the mill worker families that lived, worked, and died in the mill village. The work also asks viewers to consider how the history of NoDa affects our experience of the neighborhood today. Do we have an obligation to remember the mill worker families? How would that obligation shape our sense of NoDa as a place?
The piece includes live dance by the Triptych Collective, music by NoDa-based band Ancient Cities, and text by Dr. Tom Hanchett. Tom consulted the Collective about the history of the NoDa mill village and performed with the group in November of last year, in front of the abandoned Johnston mill and on December 12 at the Chop Shop in NoDa. This work was developed with the assistance of a Cultural Innovation grant provided by the John S. and James L. Knight foundation and the Arts and Science Council.
We invite folks to come check out the next performance on April 24 at 8pm at the Neighborhood Theatre in NoDa. Also, keep up with the development of our work on our Facebook page and on our website (triptychcollective.com).
Eric Mullis is a founding member of The Triptych Collective as well as musician, dancer and choreographer.
What community programs have you enjoyed?
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View from the Other Side features local artists' response to the previous exhibit, Network of Mutuality: 50 Years Post-Birmingham. The artists created pieces working within the topic of Civil Rights struggles in our region. Both exhibits are a part of the Museum's two-year series, Destination Freedom: Civil Rights Struggles Then and Now. To bring further insights into the exhibit, we took the opportunity to ask the artists about their artwork, what in history inspired them to create it and what they hope guest gain from their art.
Next up: Rosalia Weiner, Local Artist and Founder of Project Art Aid
What part of history inspired your artwork?
My work is heavily influenced by current events. In my view, what is happening with immigrant rights, immigration reform, and the rise of Hispanic culture in America is historic.
What do you hope guest experience when viewing your artwork?
I hope that guest experience the vibrant colors of my Mexican culture, and I also hope that my work broadens their perception of immigration issues.
What role does the community play in your art?
The community plays a very important role in my work. My work is often based on their stories and experiences, and art is my tool for giving voice to the issues that are affecting us.
What other imagery/stories do you explore within your work?
I have also told love stories with my art. In a recent commission, I narrated the story of a couple and blended family, with images detailing the places where they were from, where they met, and distinct aspects of their personalities and style.
Come view Rosalia and other's artwork in the View from the Other Side exhibit at the Levine Museum, on display through February 2, 2014.
Tell us what you think of Rosalia's work in the comments below and share with your friends!
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View from the Other Side features local artists' responses to the exhibit, Network of Mutuality: 50 Years Post-Birmingham. The artists submitted pieces related to the topic of Civil Rights struggles in our region. Both exhibits are presented as part of the Museum's two-year series, Destination Freedom: Civil Rights Struggles Then and Now. To bring deeper insights into the exhibit, we asked the artists to talk about their work and share what in history inspired them and what they hope guests gain from their art.
Next up: Mikale Kwiatkowski, Local Artist and UNC Charlotte School of Architecture Teaching Fellow
What part of history inspired your artwork?
Feminist theory from the 1970's to the present was the starting point for my research, and queer theory from the early 1990's to the present became an even more influential driver during my actual making process. In addition, artists like Rebecca Horn and Rachael Whiteread continue to be influential.
What do you hope guests experience when viewing your artwork?
Honestly, my greatest hope is that my piece will prompt new thought in viewers -- that people who have never before considered how they publicly perform identities like gender and sexuality might consider culturally constructed scripts that they have adopted as their own. I have no issue with conscious choices people make around these identities but I firmly believe many people unconsciously follow socially prescribed scripts instead of making choices from the stronger vantage point of awareness.
What role does the community play in your art?
Community, well it plays a big role I guess. Cultural ideology is embedded within communities. There is a lot to like about Charlotte, but the conservative nature of the city is its own obstacle for progressive growth. The effort that Levine Museum of the New South makes in bringing awareness to normalizing ideology is striking and extremely valuable in a community like Charlotte's.
What other imagery/ stories do you explore within your work?
For the time being, I am focused on creating experiential assemblages that attempt to disrupt or destabilize processes of normalization that exist in Western culture.
Come view Mikale and others' artwork in the View from the Other Side exhibit at Levine Museum, on display through February 2, 2014.
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