(CAPE MAY, NJ) -- Each year, the Center for Community Arts (CCA) presents an exhibit that highlights and illuminates African American life and history in Cape May and the surrounding region. “Collecting History: Personal Collections of Cape May's African American Community,” is presented by CCA in association with the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities (MAC). The exhibit opens January 19 and is open to the public through April 14, at the Carroll Gallery of the Carriage House, on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May. Admission is free.
Collecting is a lifelong passion for many individuals who hunt, preserve, and curate items of importance and interest; it's not just the object that holds curiosity, but the story it has to tell. This exhibit presents never-before-seen personal collections of dolls, stamps, postcards, hats, books, quilts, art and pocket watches along with artifacts from the collection of West Cape May African American civic leader and teacher, John Nash. Nash was a beloved community historian whose dedication to collecting Cape May's African American history formed the basis for Center for Community Art's Nash African American History Archives. The exhibit will also display items from the African art collection of the late Rev. Robert Davis, who led Cape May’s Macedonia Baptist Church for over 40 years.
The exhibit is open to the public as follows: Saturdays, Jan. 19- Feb. 9, noon-3 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Monday, Feb. 18, 1 p.m.-3 p.m.; Saturdays, Feb. 23-March 16, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sundays, March 17-24, 1 p.m.-3 p.m., Friday, March 22, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, March 23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibit is open daily, Monday, March 25-Sunday, April 14; hours vary.
The public is invited to an exhibit opening celebration Monday, Jan. 21 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) at 4 p.m. at the Carroll Gallery in the Carriage House on the grounds of the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May.
CCA is a multicultural educational non-profit organization whose arts and humanities programs foster creativity, community building, and appreciation for the rich diversity of our world. The Center’s Community History Program is dedicated to preserving, interpreting and celebrating Cape May’s African-American heritage through exhibits, tours, and its John and Janet Nash African American History Archive. The Center runs youth arts programs and operates WCFA-LP 11.5 FM, a community radio station. For further information, call 609-884-7525 or access CCA’s web site at www.CenterforCommunityArts.org.
MAC is a multifaceted not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the preservation, interpretation, and cultural enrichment of the Cape May region for its residents and visitors. MAC membership is open to all. For information about the exhibit schedule, or MAC’s year-round schedule of tours, festivals, and special events, call 609-884-5404 or 800-275-4278, or visit MAC’s Web site at www.capemaymac.org.
