Presented with the Rhode Island Historical Society

Dr. Nancy Bercaw, lead curator of the “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, will explore Rhode Island’s role in telling the story of global slavery. Beginning in the 15th century with the transatlantic slave trade and travelling through the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, the museum’s centerpiece exhibition “Slavery and Freedom” uses personal stories and priceless artifacts such as Harriet Tubman’s shawl and Nat Turner’s Bible to explore the economic and political legacies of slavery for all Americans. Dr. Bercaw will discuss the Rhode Island Historical Society’s role in the creation of this exhibit and its preservation of objects and stories from both slaves and slave traders.

Sponsored by Nat Rea Photography

Registration is required.

READ MORE

Composer and Brown University Assistant Professor of Music Eric Nathan will speak about his recent original compositions, “the space of a door” for orchestra and “how small a part of time,” a choral work with a text strung together from book titles found under “h” in the Athenæum’s card catalog. Nathan’s work is a journey in dialogues, performed throughout the world by performers and ensembles including conductor Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic’s Scharoun Ensemble. Nathan will discuss his creative process, the Athenæum as muse, and the collected energy of historical spaces to create music that contains “sadness, beauty and hopefulness all at once.”

Registration is required.

READ MORE