Day 7 Avery Research Center

Today we visted the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture which is part of the College of Charleston. Its curator and Director of Museum Education, Curtis Franks, introduced us to the history of the research center and its current tasks. The center is dedicated to collecting, preserving and documenting the history and culture of African Americans in the region through art and historical research. It was already founded in 1865 as a private schools for African American children, an institution dedicated to the transition of blacks from servitude to making their way in the USA. Thus, the school helped reordering the American society and fighting prejudices of black intellectual inferiority. A dangerous task at this time! The school dedicated itself to the uplift of the African American "race" by training teachers and leaders like Septima P. Clarke. Therefore, the center is an institution of historical significance. Today it is dedicated to preserving Gullah culture as well as African American art. The center supports young artists and film makers from Charleston, SC. After Franks' introduction to the history of the research center, we visited an exhibition of black artists from the area. Unfortunately, Frank provided no further information to the works. However, the exhibtions are worth seeing. Moreover, researchers can use the archives of the center. Research materials are also provided to schools and other institutions. Personally, it was an interesting experience but more information would have been useful.

Franziska