February is Black History Month and the African American folk art of doll making is something that is exciting to explore this time of year. Doll collecting among African Americans has historically included elements of history and genealogy, with childhood dolls being passed from mother to daughter for generations. The dolls also provide a continuing link to the past – their simplicity, uniqueness and age that mark the gradual progression of African Americans socially.

This month, to celebrate Black History Month and the history of African American doll making consider:

*visiting the Philadelphia Doll Museum, to get a glimpse of the history of African American Dolls and doll making.

*purchasing and reading Debbie Behan Garrett’s book Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting and Experiencing the Passion

*visiting a local African American doll maker’s studio in your community, take a doll making class or subscribe to their newsletter or blog.

*attending a Black History Doll Show this month.

*traveling to the Gullah Islands off the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina to get the flavor of traditional doll crafts and the history behind them.

This month is an exciting month to share your love of dolls and find a sense of history in the African American community. Let me know some other ideas of how you intend to celebrate the history Black Doll making!

Sherry Ways is a Washington, DC-based designer and doll artist who creates straight from the soul. She began working on cloth dolls four years ago. Sherry’s one-of-a-kind dolls have recently been published in Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting and Experiencing the Passion by Debbie Behan Garrett, Doll Castle News Magazine and Soft Dolls and Animals Magazine. For more information about Sherry’s dolls, visit her website at http://www.sankofastudiio.com

Welcome to our first podcast for the year 2010!

Authentic Art Visions: The Podcast has made a few changes…one we are now hosting the podcast on another website and two, we are moving to a monthly format. So once a month, you will hear the podcast and it will be featured both on this blog and the new site!

For the month of February, we are talked to Florcy Morisett of Vivant Art Collection, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania about a special and interesting exhibition her gallery is hosting this month entitled Transcending History: Moving Beyond the Legacy of Slavery and the Holocaust . This exhibition is being presented by the Philadelphia-based Idea Coalition showcasing a “fusion of Black and Jewish art exploring the common histories and struggles of these two communities.”

A little about Florcy,…she is a Haitian-American, born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Queens by her mother alongside her four siblings. Florcy attended Hillcrest-Theatre Arts high school, where her love for all art forms blossomed. After graduating from Duquesne University with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Biology, she became a case manager working with drug and alcohol abusers and the disadvantaged. In 2006, Florcy had a desire to become an entrepreneur and made the decision to move to Philadelphia, where her love of art called to her.

In 2006 and 2007, Florcy traveled to Panama and Haiti and where her passion for art lead her to begin collecting Haitian paintings. Florcy became inspired and motivated – immersing herself into the vibrancy and history of Haiti; it was this experience that she wanted to share and bring back to America. In August 2007, Florcy made the decision to open an art gallery, hence Vivant Art Collection opened on November 17, 2007 on Gallery Row in the Historic District of Old City, Philadelphia.

In the past year, Florcy has been featured in several media outlets including the City Paper, the Philadelphia Tribune, art blogs and several radio stations. Her personal mission is to build a bridge between the world of art and the community. To facilitate this, she is active in the community as the Chair of the Idea Coalition Arts Initiative, Fundraising Chair of Urban League of Young Professionals ,member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated the Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. and the Community Development Co-Chair of the Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia, where she has actively and passionately helped to raise funds for Haitian citizens adversely affected by the recent earthquake.

Down load and listen to the conversation here (or the podcast player on the right column of this blog) as we discuss Transcending History as well as her recent efforts for Haiti Earthquake Relief.

Websites mentioned in the podcast:

Vivant Art Collection: http://www.vivantartcollection.com

Idea Coalition: http://www.ideaarts.org

Haitian Professionals of Philadelphia: http://www.hpphilly.org

Journalist, performer and photographer Khadijah “Moon” Ali-Coleman creates a video montage of photos documenting arts events throughout the Washington DC from 2008-2009.

The events include:

-The dedication of the new arts center opened in 2008 by the African Heritage Drummers and Dancers and Kuumba Learning Center in southeast DC

-The Homecoming Celebration produced by the Saartjie Project, an arts group that performs work inspired by the life of Saartjie Baartman

-A Kwanzaa celebration held at Artmosphere Cafe, a black-owned arts venue & restaurant that closed its doors in the Spring of 2009

-Arts events produced by Liberated Muse Productions, the producers of the Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest and other arts events throughout the city

To purchase the song “Kwanzaa Time”, email LiberatedMuseProductions@gmail.com

Herndon Home full of history, but its future is unclear
Museum needs repairs, faces financial challenge

By Ernie Suggs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, September 8, 2009

The house on Diamond Hill is a little battered, but still standing.

The house, the 99-year-old Herndon Home, former residence of Alonzo Herndon and his son, Norris, is the only privately owned and operated African-American home museum in the United States.

Recent storms have damaged the shutters and two-story columns. Budget restraints have forced the home’s administrators to trim the staff, and tours are now available by appointment only.

“We are reducing our non-essential costs,” said Belinda Stubblefield, a member of the Alonzo F. and Norris B. Herndon Foundation, which oversees the upkeep of the home.

“This is what we have to do in these lean times,” she said. “But it is important that we keep the Herndon message out there and remain visible and relevant.”

The challenge now is how to remain relevant as the home — one of only two African-American National Historic Landmarks in Atlanta, along with the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site — prepares to celebrate its centennial.

Read more here.