Letter from the President As we enter 2017, the museum’s mission of opening minds and changing lives through the exploration and celebration of African American history and culture is more important than ever. With the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Detroit Rebellion, The Wright has a leading role to play not only in illuminating the lessons of that tumultuous time, but in raising expectations for ourselves and those around us.

An understanding of our shared history is the surest path to fulfilling the promise of tomorrow to our children. If we are to move forward as a community, as a people, and as a society, knowledge of history is not a luxury, but a necessity.

I was fortunate to attend the opening ceremony for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C., and everything you have heard is true - it is truly a magnificent museum.

But as President Barack Obama has said, “Change doesn’t come from Washington – change comes to Washington.” The NMAAHC stands on the shoulders of The Wright, The DuSable, the National Civil Rights Museum, and all those institutions across the country that have worked for decades to appoint the African American experience to its rightful place as foundational and fundamental to American history.

This is why The Wright matters, even more so today. The museum’s last half-century of work has made it a leading institution in its field – and this leadership only grows with each passing year.

The Wright Museum has always been a place that fosters needed dialogue around issues of race, class, and justice. In the months and years to come, this institution will continue bringing communities together with the ultimate goal of helping to realize a world in which the adversity and achievement of African American history inspire everyone toward greater understanding, acceptance, and unity.

And for each and every child who comes through this museum, and looks up in awe at our dome, and looks down in reverence upon the names in the Ring of Genealogy, and learns the stories of struggle and emancipation in And Still We Rise, and feels the vibrant energy and expression coursing through poetry, songs, stories, music and dance…

It’s because they matter.

That’s why we’re here, and why we are, and will continue to be, The Wright Museum.

Juanita Moore, President & CEO

January - March 2017

New exhibit Shaping the Vessel: Mascoll + Samuel features two masters of the wood lathe - page 3

Upcoming events: MLK Day, Black History Month & more! - pages 4 - 5

The Wright Museum’s Annual Meeting features vision, generosity - page 6

WRIGHTTIMESTHE

Opening February 1, 2017 at The Wright Museum, Shaping the Vessel: Mascoll + Samuel features twenty-six exquisite works in wood celebrating two artists at the pinnacle of their careers – John Mascoll and Avelino Samuel. These magnificent pieces were created with the wood lathe given to the world by the ancient Egyptians. Each artist uses this tool to shape the vessel, yet much of the design, execution, and signature work is accomplished after the turned vessel is removed from the lathe. The elements of line and form are critical to their work but their artistry is unleashed through the tools, embellishments, and genius that only they possess.

John Mascoll, originally from Barbados, attended Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, where he earned a degree in structural engineering in 1979. He earned a subsequent degree in physics from Fisk University. An engineer by trade, he first learned about wood

from his father, a retired shipwright who built wooden boats in Barbados.

Mascoll states, “Choosing wood as a creative medium was natural for me. I am the son of a carpenter and shipwright who, throughout my childhood, taught me that wood is one of the most addicting and user-friendly materials an aspiring artist or craftsman could work with.”

As a young child in St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Avelino Samuel carved his own toys from wood using his imagination, curiosity and creativity. Recognizing his son’s innate talent, Samuel’s father put him to work making handles for various tools and boat oars. He continued working with wood throughout his teenage years, creating bows and arrows, African masks, and even wooden afro picks with zodiac signs for his friends in the 1970s. After attending woodturning workshops and seminars and earning a master’s degree in industrial education at Eastern Michigan University, Samuel began creating fine-art wood vessels.

A teacher for nearly 30 years, Samuel teaches industrial arts at Julius E. Sprauve School, a kindergarten-through-ninth-grade school in Cruz Bay, St. John. He is well known on the island, and forest rangers and utility crews alert him when they see downed trees that he might be interested in using. All of Samuel’s turnings feature recycled woods from the island of St. John.

Shaping the Vessel: Mascoll + Samuel highlights the mastery – and remarkable achievement – of two artists who have elevated the development of their art form. It is their work that occurs after the lathe that has propelled them to acclaim among the best working in the medium today. Shaping the Vessel: Mascoll + Samuel is organized by the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and curated by Charles Farrar. The exhibition will remain on display at The Wright Museum through August 1, 2017 and is free with museum admission.

Untitled by Avelino Samuel Photo by John Baldwin

John Mascoll Photo by Rudolph (Rudy) Lopez

Ambrosia Maple Vessel by John Mascoll Photo by Rudolph (Rudy) Lopez

Avelino Samuel Photo by John Baldwin

Upcoming Events January – March 2017

Mahogany @ The Museum: Season #3 ($)

Friday, February 10 at 8 PM

Hustle for History Weekly Dance Lessons ($)Free for members, $7 for non-membersSundays at 5 PM

30 Days to Lose It! Weekly Workouts ($)Free for members, $5 for non-membersTuesdays at 7:30 PM

JANUARYLinks to Science presented by the Renaissance (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (Free)Saturdays, January 7 & 14 at 12 PM

DTE Energy Foundation Free Second Sundays (Free*)*Excluding guided toursSunday, January 8 from 1 - 5 PM

Don Barden Foundation Interactive StorytimeSunday, January 8 at 2 PM

ASALH Detroit General Membership MeetingSunday, January 8 at 3 PM

Family Activity Series (Free)Saturdays, January 14 & 21 at 1 PM

La Amistad Revolt: Presented by the Great, Great Grandson of Joseph Cinque (Sengbe Pieh) | Speaker: Dr. Patrick Kolima Pieh, Adjunct Professor, Eastern Michigan University, Department of Africology | Film: Amistad by Steven Spielberg (Free)Saturday, January 14 at 2 PM

Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Commemorative Breakfast ($)Monday, January 16 at 8 AM

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration (All activities & exhibitions FREE with museum admission)Monday, January 16 from 9 AM - 6 PM

The 1967 Revolutionary King: Where Do We Go From Here? | Speaker: Dr. Derrick White, Dartmouth College, Visiting Associate Professor, Department of History, African & African American Studies (Free)Monday, January 16 at 2 PM

Charles Hamilton Houston People’s Lawyers Series | The Toxic Relationship Between The Police and African Americans: How It Began and How It Can End | Speaker: Mark P. Fancher, Staff Attorney – Racial Justice Project ACLU of MichiganSaturday, January 21 at 2 PM

The Backstory to: What Happened, Miss Simone? | Dr. Melvin T. Peters, Associate Professor Emeritus, Eastern Michigan University | Film Screening & Discussion (Free)Sunday, January 22 at 4 PM

The 1835 Malê Revolt (The Great Revolt): The Most Significant Slave Rebellion in Brazil | Speaker: Dr. Roy E. Finkenbine, Professor of History & Director of the Black Abolitionist Archive (Free)Tuesday, January 24 at 6 PM

Meet the Scientist Saturday with David Head & Dr. Terrance Dillard (Free)Saturday, January 28 at 2 PM

On to New Orleans: Louisiana’s Heroic 1811 Slave Revolt | Speaker: Leon A. Waters, Hidden History Tours (Free)Saturday, January 28 at 2 PM

FEBRUARY: BLACK HISTORY MONTHLinks to Science presented by the Renaissance (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (Free)Saturdays, February 4 & 11 at 12 PM

Dark Matter: A Conversation Between Two of America’s Greatest Artists: Allie McGhee and Bill Harris (Free)Saturday, February 4 at 2 PM

Family Activity Series (Free)Saturdays, February 11 & 18 at 1 PM

Racial Violence: The 1898 Wilmington Massacre | Speakers: Filmmaker Christopher Everett and Dr. Geoff Ward, Associate Professor, Criminology, Law & Society, University of California, Irvine | Film: Wilmington on Fire (Free)Saturday, February 11 at 2 PM

DTE Energy Foundation Free Second Sundays (Free*)*Excluding guided toursSunday, February 12 from 1 - 5 PM

We Found Hip Hop Celebrates Dilla Youth Day (Free)Sunday, February 12 at 1 PM

Don Barden Foundation Interactive Storytime (Free)Sunday, February 12 at 2 PM

ASALH Detroit General Membership MeetingSunday, February 12 at 3 PM

The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers ($)Friday, February 17 at 8 PM

Black Life in Brazil | Speaker: Dr. Ollie Johnson, Associate Professor & Chair, African American Studies, Wayne State University (Free)Saturday, February 18 at 2 PM

Meet the Scientist Saturday with David Head & Dr. Terrance Dillard (Free)Saturday, February 25 at 2 PM

Tribute to Master Teacher Dr. John Henrik Clarke: His Great and Mighty Walk | Speakers: Professor James Small, Dr. Leonard Jeffries and Dr. Wade Nobles | Video Presentation (Free)Saturday, February 25 at 2 PM

MARCH: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTHNathan Trice | Rituals Dance Company | Recognizing Women Project (Free)Friday, March 3 & Saturday, March 4 at 7:30 PM

Links to Science presented by the Renaissance (MI) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated (Free)Saturdays, March 4 & 11 at 12 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Honoring Naomi Long Madgett, Detroit’s Poet Laureate | 2012 Kresge Eminent Artist | Moderator: Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd (Free)Sunday, March 5 at 2 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Speaker: Harriet A. Washington | Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present (Free)Tuesday, March 7 at 6 PM

Mahogany @ The Museum: Season #3 ($)Friday, March 10 at 8 PM

Family Activity Series (Free)Saturdays, March 11 & 18 at 1 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Speaker: Hazel Ross-Robinson | Enslavement, Resistance, and Triumph in St. Kitts – Nevis (Free)Saturday, March 11 at 2 PM

DTE Energy Foundation Free Second Sundays (Free*)*Excluding guided toursSunday, March 12 from 1 - 5 PM

Don Barden Foundation Interactive Storytime (Free)Sunday, March 12 at 2 PM

ASALH Detroit General Membership MeetingSunday, March 12 at 3 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Speaker: Khalea Robinson | How to Achieve Excellence (Free)Sunday, March 12 at 4 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Partner w/ Cinetopia | Film: Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise | Speaker: Brenda Perryman (Free)Tuesday, March 14 at 6 PM

The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers ($)Friday, March 17 at 8 PM

Black Women Rock! Concert | Rebel Women ($)Saturday, March 18 at 7 PM

Black Women Rock! Panel Discussion (Free)Sunday, March 19 at 2 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | The World’s First Black Female Aviator: Bessie Coleman | A One Woman Performance by Gigi Coleman-Brooms (Free)Tuesday, March 21 at 10 AM

Black Literary Forum | Moderator: David Rambeau, Executive TV Producer of Project BAIT (Black Awareness in Television) | Panel DiscussionTuesday, March 21 at 6 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Special Tribute Event (Free)Friday, March 24 at 6 PM

Women’s History Month: Women of Vision | Speaker: Mildred Trouillot-Aristide, Former First Lady of Haiti | Haiti: The Unfinished Revolution (Free)Saturday, March 25 at 2 PM

Meet the Scientist Saturday with David Head & Dr. Terrance Dillard (Free)Saturday, March 25 at 2 PM

The New Bethel Incident | Dr. Christian Davenport, Director – Conflict and Peace Initiative, Associate Professor: Department of Political Science, University of Michigan; The Human Rights Program, and The Center for Political Studies (Free)Wednesday, March 29 at 6 PM

Program dates and times are subject to change. Visit TheWright.org for complete

program listings and updates!

The annual meeting of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, held Thursday, December 1, 2016, opened with a recitation by museum educators of the poem, “This Museum Was Once a Dream,” by Dr. Melba Joyce Boyd. It was a fitting reminder that the hopes and dreams made mani-fest in the museum continue to be a powerful, guiding force as it plots its future course.

Eric Peterson, chair of the museum’s Board of Trustees, invoked the museum’s importance, stating, “The Wright Museum has, for 51 years and through three incarnations, been a place of discovery and enlightenment for millions of visitors from all walks of life... The Wright is a point of pride for native Detroiters wherever they now call home, and has made Detroit a second home for countless visitors from across the country and overseas.”

President & CEO Juanita Moore opened her remarks with two words: “No Boundaries: It’s more than the name of a transcen-dental exhibition of Aboriginal Australian contemporary art we hosted earlier this year thanks to the vision of Debra and Dennis Scholl. We chose the name No Boundaries as the theme of this year’s annual meeting as a metaphor for the barrier-breaking work of the museum made possible by your boundless support.”

That support was evident in three check presentations. The Society Incorporated - Greater Detroit Chapter, dedicated to promoting educational, civic and cultural experiences in the community, chose The Wright as their recipient for a contribu-tion of $1,000. The Friends Committee, which hosts the bien-nial Awards for Excellence Legacy Dinner in honor of museum founder Dr. Charles Wright’s birthday, presented a check for $10,000. Finally, a check for $30,000 was presented by a group that Peterson said was the very definition of the word “dedica-tion” in the museum’s dictionary: the Women’s Committee of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

To illustrate the impact of that support, Moore pointed to the museum’s presentation of six weeks of Camp Africa; the unveiling of Kresge Eminent Artist Charles McGee’s landmark sculpture, United We Stand; 12 traveling exhibitions; and over 350 public programs including concert performances, theatrical productions, film screenings, lectures, and family and children’s programs. Moore reflected back the pride felt by many in the audience and the thousands in the community who choose the museum as the place to hold their most important events, be they weddings, anniversaries, meetings, or memorials.

Peterson continued: “So there is no denying the importance of The Wright Museum to this community, to Detroit, or to the nation as a whole… As custodians of this great institution, it’s always important for us to recall Dr. Wright’s own words in what he defined the work of the museum as ‘one of the most important tasks of our times, ensuring that future generations, especially young African Americans, be made aware of and take pride in the history of their forebears and their remarkable struggle for freedom.’” Peterson concluded, “That – and the never-ending contributions of African Americans to this great nation’s history, culture, arts, sciences, technologies, industries, and progress – these are the things The Wright Museum will continue to speak to and do, over the next 50 years and beyond.”

THE WRIGHT MUSEUM

NO BOUNDARIESThat support was evident in three check presentations. The

2016 ANNUAL MEETING

Women’s Committee of the Charles H. Wright Museum

Friends Committee of the Charles H. Wright Museum

The Society Incorporated - Greater Detroit Chapter

Museum Donors During the Period September 1 - December 1, 2016The museum would like to extend its sincere appreciation to those donors who have made gifts to support our exhibits, program-ming and special events. Listed here are the names of contributors who made gifts of $500 or more. Every attempt has been made to list donors accurately; if there are errors or omissions, please call (313) 494-5872 so we may correct them. �ank you!

$100,000 +Ford Motor Company Fund

$50,000 +The Kresge Foundation

Lear CorporationVivian and Bill Pickard Family Fund

$25,000 +Bank of America

DTE Energy FoundationThe Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb

Family FoundationGeneral Motors Company

Dr. William Pickard - TYJ LLCUAW-Ford National Programs Center

UAW-GM Center for Human Resources

Women’s Committee of the Charles H. Wright Museum

$10,000 +Advantage Consulting and Education

Services / Advantage Management Group

Bridgewater InteriorsDelphi Foundation, Inc.

Fifth Third BankFriends Committee of the

Charles H. Wright MuseumHudson Webber Foundation

Microsoft Corporation - Somerset Collection

Mrs. Sandy K. & Mr. Eric E. PetersonPNC Financial Services Group

Quicken LoansRichard & Jane Manoogian

FoundationSiebert Cisneros Shank & Co.

St. John Providence Health System / Ascension Health MinistryW. K. Kellogg FoundationYazaki North America, Inc.

$5,000 +AAA Michigan

AARP MichiganAlly Financial

Blue Cross Blue Shield of MichiganChemicoMays

City of Detroit Employees Giving Program

Coca-Cola CompanyMs. Jo Coleman -

The Culinary StudioMrs. Eva M. & Mr. James P.

CunninghamDetroit Medical Center (DMC) /

Vanguard Health SystemsDetroit Renewable Energy LLC and

SubsidiariesMrs. Retha & Mr. Walter DouglasMrs. Tiffany & Mr. Mark Douglas

Edward L. and Alma L. Greer Foundation

Ms. Jennifer M. FioreFirstMerit Corporation

Henry Ford Health SystemsMGM Grand Detroit

The Skillman FoundationMrs. Marcia &

Mr. Reginald M. TurnerDr. Artie M. & Mr. Mark A. Vann

$2,500 +Comerica Bank

Mr. John BernardDavenport and Forte Pedestal Fund

Detroit Memorial Park Association, Inc.

Mrs. Sharon & Mr. Patrick DreisigMotorCity Casino

Strategic Staffing SolutionsMs. Joni Thrower - Jamjomar, Inc.

Walmart / Sam’s Club

Ms. Barbara L. Whittaker - BW Limited

Dr. Roberta H. Wright, Esq.

$1,000 + Dr. William G. Anderson

Ms. Rumia Ambrose BurbankMs. Wendy Batiste Johnson

Mrs. Yvette & Hon. Dave BingMr. John Bolden

Ms. Annivory Calvert & Hon. Coleman A. Young IIMr. Howard Carter

Ms. Cartrenia ColbertComcast Heartland Region

Mr. Jimmie E. ComerDoris J. & Donald L. Duchene Sr.

FoundationHon. Trudy A. Duncombe-Archer &

Hon. Dennis W. ArcherMrs. Geraldine Ford-Brown &

Mr. Robert D. BrownGallagher-KaiserMr. Eric Hardy

Mrs. Jill & Mr. George G. JohnsonMrs. Marion & Mr. William F. Jones

Laborers’ Local 1191Mrs. Linda & Dr. Bryan Little

Mrs. Kelly Major Green & Mr. John GreenMrs. Denise &

Hon. Conrad Mallett Jr.Mrs. Shirley Mann Gray &

Dr. Herman B. GrayThe McGregor Fund

Michigan First FoundationMs. Jaunita Moore

Ms. Veronica R. MurffMrs. Carmen & Mr. George N’Namdi

Ms. Pamela RodgersS. Gary Spicer Foundation

The Society Incorporated - Greater Detroit Chapter

Sorosis Literary & Art Club Mrs. Robin & Mr. Myzell Sowell Jr.

Team EnterprisesMrs. Doris K. WaddellMrs. Rhonda Welburn

$500 +

Ms. Anan Ameri & Mr. Noel J. SalehMrs. Bobbie J. Barnes &

Mr. Yancy GideonBlack Family Development Inc.

Ms. Denise Brooks-WilliamsMs. Melanca D. Clark

Ms. Joanne DantoDetroit Caring Dentistry

Detroit Public Library - Main BranchDetroit Public Television

Ms. Byna ElliotMrs. Jamie & Mr. James Farmer

First Independence National BankDr. Karl D. Gregory, Professor Emeritus

Mrs. Suzanne A. Hart-AlstonMr. Ernest Holland

Hon. Saunteel Jenkins & Mr. Carl BentleyMrs. Carla D. &

Mr. Christopher JonesJuneteenth Michigan Chapter

Mrs. Katherine S. KingMs. Gwen Moore

Mrs. Jacque NickersonMrs. Debra D. &

Mr. Richard G. PartrichDr. L. Kimberly Peoples

Mrs. Yvonne & Mr. Bernard PriceMs. Stephanie RandolphMs. Sandra Reid Smith

Ms. Sharron RoseMs. Kathleen SheldonMr. Ricardo Thomas

Mr. Lindsey C. Williams

�is newsletter and museum programming are made possible by the generous support of our community partners. �ank you! JOIN US! To become a member, make a donation or volunteer, please call (313) 494-5800 or visit �eWright.org.

THE KRESGE FOUNDATION

YAZAKI

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American HistoryMembership Department315 East Warren AvenueDetroit, MI 48201-1443

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PAIDDETROIT, MI 48201PERMIT NO. 3832

CURRENT & UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

Membership (313) 494-5872 • Group Tours (313) 494-5808 • Facility Rental (313) 494-5801 • The Wright Museum® • TheWright.org

I See Me: Re�ections in Black DollsNow open

Collect: �e Power of KnowingNow - January 17, 2017

�e Music and �e Times: Photographs by Leni SinclairNow open

Transitions of Walter Bailey: Art for the 21st Century and BeyondOpening January 14, 2017

Shaping the Vessel: Mascoll + SamuelOpening February 1, 2017