10 O'Clock News | [Black History Month exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum]

Marcus Jones and Marilyn Richardson at the Boston Athenaeum

[Black History Month exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum]
Original Airdate: 2/29/1988

Length: 00:03:06
Item Type: newstape - edited story master

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Full Description

1:00:07
Visual: Shots of color photographs of African Americans in Boston. Shot of a group photograph of Ruth Batson (community activist) and three others. Shot of a photograph of Hugh Morgan Hill (storyteller), also known as Brother Blue. The photographs are displayed at the Boston Athenaeum. Footage of Marie Cosindas (photographer) talking about the photographs. Cosindas says that the photographs were made with commercial cameras and Polaroid film.

Marcus Jones reports that Cosindas made portraits of prominent African Americans in Boston; that her photographs are part of a Black History Month exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum.

V: Shots of the portraits, including portraits of Elma Lewis (Roxbury community leader); of Mel King (community activist) and Joyce King (wife of Mel King); of Byron Rushing (State Representative). Shot of a portrait of Tanya Hart (WBZ television personality), Philip Hart (professor, University of Massachusetts), and a young woman.
Footage of Cosindas saying that she is glad to have had the opportunity to meet these people; that she was able to learn about each person's character and personality.
Shot of a portrait of Bruce Bolling (Boston City Council), Royal Bolling, Sr. (state senator), and Royal Bolling, Jr. (former state representative).
Footage of Marilyn Richardson (exhibit advisor and MIT professor) talking to Jones about the exhibit. Richardson says that the exhibit includes one of the earliest census documents of the city of Boston; that the 1765 census includes blacks and Indians. Shot of the census document.

Jones reports that Richardson helped to organize the 118-piece exhibit about African Americans in Boston.

V: Shots of a display of books; of a painting; of a piece of sculpture.
Footage of Richardson talking about a bust of Robert Gould Shaw. Richardson says that Shaw was the white captain of the Massachusetts 54th regiments, which was comprised of African American soldiers. Shot of a painting depicting the Massachusetts 54th regiment in battle.
Footage of Richardson saying that the sculpure of Shaw was made by Edmonia Lewis (nineteenth-century sculptor); that Lewis was the first African American to gain an international reputation as a sculptor. Shots of photographs of Lewis; of an 1930s ink drawing.
Footage of Richardson talking about the india ink drawings from the 1930s. Richardson says that Allan Crite (artist) portrayed black angels, black saints and a black Christ in his work from the 1930s. Shots of religious drawings by Crite; of a group of sculptures. Shots of a display of books.
Footage of Richardson saying that the exhibit organizers have tried to gather rare and unusual documents to demonstrate the complexity and strength of the African American artistic and political traditions.
Shots of a museum-goer looking at the exhibit; of a display of books; of paintings included in the exhibit.

Jones reports that the exhibit will be on display until April.

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