[Scmusenet] New exhibit for Black History Month: Robert Smalls, Slave, Sailor, Statesman

[VRehberg at aol.com]

Robert Smalls ~  Slave, Sailor, Statesman
An intimate portrait of the first black captain  of a U.S. vessel and Civil 
War hero
 
 

New Story-Telling  Exhibit Designed Especially for Libraries
and Small-to-Medium  Museums Available for Black History Month

LEGACY:  Robert Smalls ~ Slave, Sailor, Statesman  provides an intimate 
portrait of Civil War hero Robert Smalls as told through  the memories of his 
great-granddaughter, Dolly Nash.  It has been developed to educate and  bring 
awareness to Smalls' story and is available for Black History Month as  well as 
throughout the calendar year. 
In  1862 Smalls was a slave pilot working aboard Planter, a Confederate 
transport  steamer, in South Carolina's Charleston harbor.  In the early morning 
hours of May 13 he  commandeered the ship with his family and 12 other slaves 
aboard.  He then sailed past the rebel forts in  the harbor and reached the 
Union blockade.  Union newspapers hailed Smalls as a hero and called the ship "the 
first  trophy from Fort Sumter." 
In  1863 Smalls piloted the ironclad Keokuk in a failed Union attack on Fort  
Sumter.  Keokuk sank the next  morning, moments after the crew was rescued by 
a tug.  Later that year Smalls became the first  black captain of a U.S. 
vessel after an act of bravery under  fire. 
Smalls  helped draft the constitution of the state in which he had been a 
slave.  He became a S.C. state legislator and  militia general.  He later served  
five terms as a U.S. Congressman.  For nearly 20 years he served as U.S. 
Collector of Customs in Beaufort,  S.C. where he lived as owner in the house in 
which he had been a slave.  In 1975 the Department of the Interior  designated 
Robert Smalls' house a National Historic Landmark, which commemorates  American 
history. 
The  exhibit tells the story through 46 framed photographs (16 x 20) by 
writer,  artist, educator and inspirational public speaker, Kitt Haley Alexander.  
Alexander conducted a 7-year campaign to  have a naval vessel named for 
Smalls.  On April 21, 2004, the Army launched its newest Logistics Support Vessel  
(LSV-8), the Major General Robert Smalls, in Moss Point, MS. The $25 million MG 
 Robert Smalls is the first Army vessel to bear the name of an African 
American  and the first named for a Civil War hero.  On February 25, 2005, the 
Army's Fort Eustis named its newest lodging  facility the General Smalls Inn.  
Further initiatives to honor Robert Smalls are  underway. 
To host this exhibit, contact Victoria-Ann  Rehberg at (800)  983-2145. 



Victoria-Ann Rehberg
President


ArtVision Exhibitions, LLC
Building Audiences One  Exhibit at a Time
_www.artvisionexhibitions.com_ (http://www.artvisionexhibitions.com/) 
email:  vrehberg at aol.com
9609 Carousel Circle North, Boca Raton, FL 33434
Within  the US: 800.983.2145 - Intl: 561.883.2145

Mission Statement
ArtVision Exhibitions  is a full-service exhibition and marketing company, 
providing photographic  exhibitions and images to fine art museums, libraries 
and distinguished  venues worldwide. Creating cultural collaborations
between business and art,  ArtVision integrates comprehensive-packaged 
exhibitions, educational  components, entertainment, and special events.

Current  Exhibition Roster
- Surrendering the White House:  Documenting Watergate
- BOBBY, MARTIN & JOHN: Once Upon an American  Dream
- LEGACY: The Life of Robert Smalls, Slave, Sailor, Statesman
- In  Search of Peace
- Mike McCartney's Liverpool Life
- The Kennedy Years
-  AMERICA Through the CBS Eye
- THE BEATLES! Backstage and Behind the  Scenes
- ELVIS: Grace and Grit
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/scmusenet_southcarolinamuseums.org/attachments/20061103/b8e49783/attachment.html