Reflecting on “Revolution Reimagined: Evolving Stories from Newport’s Past”
Curatorial Research Fellow Mya Rose Bailey
Mya Rose Bailey’s research for our current exhibition, Revolution Reimagined: Evolving Stories from Newport’s Past, reflects upon the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Her presentation will specifically highlight the lives and heroism of Rhode Island’s Black and Indigenous communities across four centuries. Through a display of decorative arts objects, personal and collectable ephemera, and commissioned artworks, Revolution Reimagined explores Newport as a microcosm of the fluctuating American identity. By focusing on benchmark dates, including the 1876 Centennial and 1976 Bicentennial, Bailey’s research illuminates the shaping and reshaping of collective memory in and around Newport.
Progress Through Process: Implementing Archival Workflows at Kingscote
Kingscote Archives Fellow Megan O’Connell
From 1863, when William Henry King purchased Kingscote, to 1972, when his great-great niece Gwendolen Armstrong Rives donated the house and its contents to the Preservation Society of Newport County, members of the King, Armstrong and Rives families inhabited the home. Through this century-long occupancy, family members produced vast archival material including diaries, scrapbooks, photo albums and correspondence which offer museum staff, researchers and visitors valuable information about the house’s history and an intimate look into the lives of its occupants. Using the King, Armstrong and Rives Family Papers, Megan O’Connell will detail the work of processing an archival collection and how this work can be used to further our interpretations and understanding of Kingscote and its inhabitants.
Activating Chepstow’s Archival Collections
Chepstow Archives Fellow Grace Acton
In 1986, Alletta Morris McBean donated Chepstow to the Preservation Society along with its entire contents, including personal and family papers collected by Mrs. McBean and her mother, Nathalie Bailey Morris. As part of the ongoing stewardship of Chepstow, Archives Fellow Grace Acton has worked to prepare these archival collections for research use. From 18th-century documents to 1980s photo albums, you’ll learn about the treasures of the Chepstow and Morris Family papers, gain insights from the rigorous historical research conducted by Nathalie Bailey Morris, and learn how an archivist transforms historical materials into resources for the digital age.
This event is free. Advanced registration is required.
