Like many other East Coasters, I experienced my first earthquake on Tuesday afternoon. Despite the fact that it caused minimal damage and no serious injuries, it was still a bit of a scare. I was in the DHF office on the tenth floor of the Community Services Building in Wilmington when everything started to shake. At first I thought that there was just a big truck going by on the street. When the shaking continued, however, we all got rather nervous. Following the tremor, my coworkers and I decided to exit the building (using the stairs, of course). Virtually everyone else seemed to have the same idea, although we were not officially evacuated. We waited for a while in Rodney Square, until we decided it was probably safe to return to the office. Upon checking my email, I received a helpful (if belated) message on "What to Do During an Earthquake." Well, now I know.
Apparently, the last time the East Coast experienced an earthquake of this magnitude was in 1944. At that time, the Dravo Corporation on Wilmington's riverfront was busy building vessels for the U.S. Navy. A great image of the shipyard in full swing is available through the Hagley Digital Archives. You can still see a few of the whirly cranes at Dravo Plaza, which is now used as a gathering place for concerts and other events.
Not too much else to report on my internship. I continue to compile information on Wilmington's industrial history...although I have to admit I'm a bit distracted by reports of hurricane Irene, which should hit this area on Sunday. Thunderstorms and earthquakes and hurricanes, oh my!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
From Wilmington to Washington
Did you know that the site of the University & Whist Club in Wilmington, Delaware was once considered as a location for our nation's capital? While serving in Congress, Dr. James Tilton, a Revolutionary War hero who became the first Surgeon General of the United States Army, proposed that the capital be built at Bellevue, the property of his friend Bancroft Woodcock located to the northwest of the small town of Wilmington. Centrally located, the site's elevation provided impressive views of Philadelphia, Maryland, and New Jersey. It's interesting to think of what might have been, had the Virginians not been successful in building the capital on the Potomac.
Yesterday I visited Washington, D.C. with my coworkers at the Delaware Humanities Forum. While in the city we toured the Supreme Court, the U.S. Capitol, and the Library of Congress. The highlight of the day was meeting Jim Leach, the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, at the organization's headquarters in the Old Post Office. He very kindly invited us into his office and chatted with us for a few minutes. The Old Post Office is the third highest building in the city, after the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. I really enjoyed seeing the magnificent views of the D.C. area from the clock tower.
Here are some photos from our trip. Enjoy!
Top to Bottom: Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol, Library of Congress, Old Post Office, View of U.S. Capitol from Old Post Office Tower (all images taken by Anne Reilly)
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Pear of an Experience; Thanks to everyone at the NAA!
Unfortunately, this is my last 'Hello!' from the Newark Arts Alliance!
For this last post, I wanted to start with a shot of one of the pieces from our newest (and current until September 10) show--Deborah Arnold's Quite a Pear. Above is a work entitled, "Pages from a Pear Diary: First Draft." Out of the entire summer (excepting the Member's Show of course!), this is my most favorite exhibit. Why, you ask?
1. It features a food.
2. It FEATURES A FOOD!!
How serendipitous that this is the last show I will enjoy as an intern! Perhaps my most favorite piece, however, is more of a metaphor than literal:
This one is entitled, "Pear Party Garden Dress" and as you can see, was created around a McCall pattern for a pear-shaped dress. I was enchanted when I first saw it. If only I didn't have a live on a graduate student's budget, I would have already bought so many pieces from the NAA! Every single show touts works that I end up adoring daily when I go in.
In other news, Friday was the day of the opening for Deb's show. Guess what she brought for refreshments?! That's right, a completely peary menu!
Below are some shots from the table of delicious goodies (and to the right is a shot of a work called, "Red Bartletts"):
There was pear upside-down cake, pears over brie, dried pears and gouda, hot milk sponge cake with pears in champagne, mango/pear salsa, pear chutney over cream cheese--you name it, if it had pears, it was on that table! Everything was delicious and the table was beautiful. I really enjoyed talking with the members and Deborah about her show. Here are some shots showing the crowd enjoying (both literally and figuratively) the "ripe metaphors of pears":
Over the summer, I have to say that I've learned more about grantwriting and how non-profits are organized than I ever thought I would. I am sad that today is my last day--it was a truly wonderful experience. Although I'm not at liberty to say right now, it seems that Terry and the board of the Newark Arts Alliance has made some arrangements for me to stick around and be involved. I shall update the blog one last time when I find out for sure what their plans are.
For now, here's a tally of all the grants I either wrote, edited, or assisted in researching this summer:
The Lenfest Foundation, Chichester duPont Foundation, The Brandywiners, Gannett Foundation, The Christmas Shop, Delaware Supermarkets, Inc. and Chipotle are all grantmakers for which I mailed in applications--that is, their goals match our needs most aptly. What this list doesn't communicate, however, was the time and effort put into researching (and some writing before I learned that they really wouldn't fit our needs) around 50 or so other foundations that do NOT provide funds for our organization. Lesson learned: researching and grants is no joke but if you can learn how to spot funders and how to write effectively using rhetoric, it can be a very fulfilling job.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Terry, Carol, the board of the NAA and the members for allowing me to have such a fantastic experience at this wonderful organization. If nothing else, you'll surely see me around taking some classes--if there's one thing this place has done, it is inspire my artistic side!! :)
P.S. Check out THIS link to see a clip from WHYY (I'm the one doing the tie-dye in the video) about our Camp Imagine!!!!
For this last post, I wanted to start with a shot of one of the pieces from our newest (and current until September 10) show--Deborah Arnold's Quite a Pear. Above is a work entitled, "Pages from a Pear Diary: First Draft." Out of the entire summer (excepting the Member's Show of course!), this is my most favorite exhibit. Why, you ask?
1. It features a food.
2. It FEATURES A FOOD!!
How serendipitous that this is the last show I will enjoy as an intern! Perhaps my most favorite piece, however, is more of a metaphor than literal:
This one is entitled, "Pear Party Garden Dress" and as you can see, was created around a McCall pattern for a pear-shaped dress. I was enchanted when I first saw it. If only I didn't have a live on a graduate student's budget, I would have already bought so many pieces from the NAA! Every single show touts works that I end up adoring daily when I go in.
In other news, Friday was the day of the opening for Deb's show. Guess what she brought for refreshments?! That's right, a completely peary menu!
Below are some shots from the table of delicious goodies (and to the right is a shot of a work called, "Red Bartletts"):
There was pear upside-down cake, pears over brie, dried pears and gouda, hot milk sponge cake with pears in champagne, mango/pear salsa, pear chutney over cream cheese--you name it, if it had pears, it was on that table! Everything was delicious and the table was beautiful. I really enjoyed talking with the members and Deborah about her show. Here are some shots showing the crowd enjoying (both literally and figuratively) the "ripe metaphors of pears":
Over the summer, I have to say that I've learned more about grantwriting and how non-profits are organized than I ever thought I would. I am sad that today is my last day--it was a truly wonderful experience. Although I'm not at liberty to say right now, it seems that Terry and the board of the Newark Arts Alliance has made some arrangements for me to stick around and be involved. I shall update the blog one last time when I find out for sure what their plans are.
For now, here's a tally of all the grants I either wrote, edited, or assisted in researching this summer:
The Lenfest Foundation, Chichester duPont Foundation, The Brandywiners, Gannett Foundation, The Christmas Shop, Delaware Supermarkets, Inc. and Chipotle are all grantmakers for which I mailed in applications--that is, their goals match our needs most aptly. What this list doesn't communicate, however, was the time and effort put into researching (and some writing before I learned that they really wouldn't fit our needs) around 50 or so other foundations that do NOT provide funds for our organization. Lesson learned: researching and grants is no joke but if you can learn how to spot funders and how to write effectively using rhetoric, it can be a very fulfilling job.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Terry, Carol, the board of the NAA and the members for allowing me to have such a fantastic experience at this wonderful organization. If nothing else, you'll surely see me around taking some classes--if there's one thing this place has done, it is inspire my artistic side!! :)
P.S. Check out THIS link to see a clip from WHYY (I'm the one doing the tie-dye in the video) about our Camp Imagine!!!!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Into the Wild
Hi everyone!
While I had been pulling out documents to scan, that had not been the only highlight for the past few weeks. Of course, it would not be an archiving adventure in Delaware, without running into bugs, insects, or other animals. It is interesting to work and do archival work on state park territory; I have been running into all sorts of wildlife since the commencement of the internship.
Besides the bugs, insects and the majestic herring that I have recently mentioned, I have seen deer frolicking about in the woods that surround the site. On another day, as I was driving near the site, I saw a flock of geese going by. They were right in front of my car and I had to come to a screeching halt so I did not run them over. The geese forced me to wait patiently as they took their time crossing the road. Fortuitously, I remembered my camera and snapped some pictures, while I waited for them to cross. On yet another day, I saw a groundhog standing majestically on its hind legs, but when it noticed my car approaching it darted away, under the cover of the bushes.
Canadian Geese
As of late, it has been raining cats and dogs. Hearing the downpour from inside an old mill built with a flat roof is a difference experience. From inside it sounds like the storm is fast approaching, coming closer, almost as if it could come pouring through the roof and leave one a soaking victim.
The power has also gone off again. It went off once and did not come back on for almost two hours. I guess I spoke too soon from last post (where I lamented the power cutting off). One cannot do much archiving in the dark. However, the next time the power goes off, I am prepared. I can make my way to the door quicker with the handy-dandy, heavy duty, weather ready flashlight now in my possession.
But when there is light I am busily pulling out files to be discarded.
Camp Imagine Recap
Hey out there!
Well, after a two-week hiatus in Gallery Shop goings-on, the place is back to normal. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all more about what happened during the two weeks of Camp Imagine and post more pictures from the performance last Friday.
Before I get to the specifics, I'm going to take a minute to give you an overview of what our goals are for Camp Imagine students and what the application process is like for the students who wish to come to Camp Imagine.
First, applicants who wish to be considered for the camp must submit a letter/essay explaining why they want to come to camp. We do this for a couple reasons. The most important reason is that Camp Imagine is a full-day arts camp with two groups of 12 students starting at 9:15 and ending at 4:15. Students who come to camp without a genuine interest in participating unfortunately do not last long in the camp. They end up distracted and usually ruin the experience for other kids at the camp. Second, sometimes parents sign their children up for camps during the summer without actually asking the child. We want to prevent this from happening by establishing the interest of the child in our program. When the students write a letter of interest, it shows that they both know about the camp and that they have an interest in the arts.
One thing I love about this camp is how Terry decides the amount to charge for each student. She has a sliding scale, based on income that determines how much each student's guardians must pay. By simply providing a couple pay stubs, parents can send their children to a camp that normally costs $200 per week for about $40 per week. I really admire how the Alliance keeps aiming to fulfill its mission of developing community through the arts. Where else could you get such a high-quality experience for your kids for so cheap?
I don't mean to brag, but Camp Imagine is pretty darn awesome. During the last two weeks, I saw kids create some awesome art, sing a lot of beautiful songs, learn to dance some fierce dances and even do improvisation. Each day, the kids had a couple hours of art with either Rowena or Terry, dancing with Tania, theater with Stefanie, and singing with Molly.
I'm not sure if this is going to work, but here's a video of the performance of "Fireflies" by Owl City. The kids learned the song, and Tania taught them the dance. I won't lie, it brought a tear to my eye!
So you might be wondering--what did I do during all of this madness? Well, to be honest, a bit of everything. I mostly spent my time telling kids not to make holes in the wall, distributing afternoon snacks, and reminding campers to keep the art on the paper instead of themselves but I also got the rare opportunity to teach them how to tie dye!! I haven't tie dyed since I was in Girl Scouts ages ago so it was pretty fun! Here's a shot of the awesome shirts that another intern, Cassie, and I taught the students how to make:
Pretty neat, right? We had a lot of fun, but the credit really goes to the teachers, Terry, and the students. It was definitely a group effort to make this camp a success but it was totally worth all the hard work! I am almost certain that the students enjoyed themselves.
Here and there I was afforded the opportunity to work on the Chichester duPont grant, but this place was pretty much overtaken by munchkins by day one, making it a little tough to get things done.
However, now that everything's back to its normal, quiet, self, I've managed to actually finish the Chichester duPont grant request for $10,000. It sits waiting Terry's approval. I'm pretty excited about this one because it's a significant amount of money and I really hope that I've done a good job.
Also, I discovered that Macy's gives out district grants which is helpful as well! Their process is much easier and it's all done online which makes my job much less complicated.
Well! That's all for now. I shall leave you with a few more pictures of the cuteness that I was surrounded by for the last two weeks:
Oh yeah, one more thing--ALWAYS wear gloves when tie-dying!!!! :)
This is a shot of some of the younger group of kids doing the Rockin' Robin! Aren't they adorable? They were so excited!
And this is from the older kids' group--they did an improv tableau where they had three seconds to freeze after the teacher, Miss Stefanie, called out a theme. This was "A Day at the Beach":
Congratulations to all the awesome kids who worked so hard!
Well, after a two-week hiatus in Gallery Shop goings-on, the place is back to normal. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you all more about what happened during the two weeks of Camp Imagine and post more pictures from the performance last Friday.
Before I get to the specifics, I'm going to take a minute to give you an overview of what our goals are for Camp Imagine students and what the application process is like for the students who wish to come to Camp Imagine.
First, applicants who wish to be considered for the camp must submit a letter/essay explaining why they want to come to camp. We do this for a couple reasons. The most important reason is that Camp Imagine is a full-day arts camp with two groups of 12 students starting at 9:15 and ending at 4:15. Students who come to camp without a genuine interest in participating unfortunately do not last long in the camp. They end up distracted and usually ruin the experience for other kids at the camp. Second, sometimes parents sign their children up for camps during the summer without actually asking the child. We want to prevent this from happening by establishing the interest of the child in our program. When the students write a letter of interest, it shows that they both know about the camp and that they have an interest in the arts.
One thing I love about this camp is how Terry decides the amount to charge for each student. She has a sliding scale, based on income that determines how much each student's guardians must pay. By simply providing a couple pay stubs, parents can send their children to a camp that normally costs $200 per week for about $40 per week. I really admire how the Alliance keeps aiming to fulfill its mission of developing community through the arts. Where else could you get such a high-quality experience for your kids for so cheap?
I don't mean to brag, but Camp Imagine is pretty darn awesome. During the last two weeks, I saw kids create some awesome art, sing a lot of beautiful songs, learn to dance some fierce dances and even do improvisation. Each day, the kids had a couple hours of art with either Rowena or Terry, dancing with Tania, theater with Stefanie, and singing with Molly.
I'm not sure if this is going to work, but here's a video of the performance of "Fireflies" by Owl City. The kids learned the song, and Tania taught them the dance. I won't lie, it brought a tear to my eye!
So you might be wondering--what did I do during all of this madness? Well, to be honest, a bit of everything. I mostly spent my time telling kids not to make holes in the wall, distributing afternoon snacks, and reminding campers to keep the art on the paper instead of themselves but I also got the rare opportunity to teach them how to tie dye!! I haven't tie dyed since I was in Girl Scouts ages ago so it was pretty fun! Here's a shot of the awesome shirts that another intern, Cassie, and I taught the students how to make:
Pretty neat, right? We had a lot of fun, but the credit really goes to the teachers, Terry, and the students. It was definitely a group effort to make this camp a success but it was totally worth all the hard work! I am almost certain that the students enjoyed themselves.
Here and there I was afforded the opportunity to work on the Chichester duPont grant, but this place was pretty much overtaken by munchkins by day one, making it a little tough to get things done.
However, now that everything's back to its normal, quiet, self, I've managed to actually finish the Chichester duPont grant request for $10,000. It sits waiting Terry's approval. I'm pretty excited about this one because it's a significant amount of money and I really hope that I've done a good job.
Also, I discovered that Macy's gives out district grants which is helpful as well! Their process is much easier and it's all done online which makes my job much less complicated.
Well! That's all for now. I shall leave you with a few more pictures of the cuteness that I was surrounded by for the last two weeks:
Oh yeah, one more thing--ALWAYS wear gloves when tie-dying!!!! :)
This is a shot of some of the younger group of kids doing the Rockin' Robin! Aren't they adorable? They were so excited!
And this is from the older kids' group--they did an improv tableau where they had three seconds to freeze after the teacher, Miss Stefanie, called out a theme. This was "A Day at the Beach":
Congratulations to all the awesome kids who worked so hard!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Peter who?
I can't believe it's already August! Where did the summer go?
I'm really pleased with the narrative that I've been able to develop for the tour of Wilmington. Of great help are two books by University of Delaware history professor emeritus Carol E. Hoffecker: Wilmington, Delaware: Portrait of an Industrial City (1974) and Corporate Capital: Wilmington in the Twentieth Century (1983). If you want to learn more about this area, I would recommend adding these titles to your summer reading list.
Unfortunately, I keep coming across fascinating stories that don't fit with the tour's focus on the city's industrial and economic development. Luckily for me, I can blog about those things instead! So here's your weekly dose of Wilmington trivia.
Did you know that Peter Spencer founded this nation's first independent African American church in Wilmington? Born a slave in Kent County, Maryland, Spencer (1779-1843) was freed following the death of his master and came to Wilmington, where he joined the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1805, upset by the church’s treatment of blacks, he and about 40 others walked out and formed their own congregation. They continued to associate with the denomination until further interference by the white congregation led to the creation of the African Union Methodist Protestant Church (A.U.M.P.) in 1813.
During a major urban renew
al project in 1967, the city decided to build new office buildings for federal and state employees. The Mother A.U.M.P. Church occupied the site that the city selected for this project. After a period of negotiation, the congregation relocated and the city demolished the church building. In its place the city created "Peter Spencer Plaza" on French Street between 8th and 9th Streets (left). At the heart of the plaza is a statue that commemorates Peter Spencer (below). "Father and Son" (1973) by Delaware sculptor Charles Cropper Parks depicts a black male figure cradling a sleeping child in his arms. Larger-than-life and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the man is not a direct representation of the religious leader but rather a symbol of the hope in the future that he inspired. The remains of Peter Spencer, his wife Annes, and ten of his followers are interred in a vault beneath the statue.
Today the plaza is a very quiet place. Every now and then a government worker will pass through, or rest for a few minutes in the shade, but few actually stop to look at the statue. In contrast, the memory of Peter Spencer is at the heart of the Big Quarterly, which will be held at the end of this month at locations throughout Wilmington. This festival, which has been held annually since 1814, brings African Americans together to celebrate religious freedom.
I'm really pleased with the narrative that I've been able to develop for the tour of Wilmington. Of great help are two books by University of Delaware history professor emeritus Carol E. Hoffecker: Wilmington, Delaware: Portrait of an Industrial City (1974) and Corporate Capital: Wilmington in the Twentieth Century (1983). If you want to learn more about this area, I would recommend adding these titles to your summer reading list.
Unfortunately, I keep coming across fascinating stories that don't fit with the tour's focus on the city's industrial and economic development. Luckily for me, I can blog about those things instead! So here's your weekly dose of Wilmington trivia.
Did you know that Peter Spencer founded this nation's first independent African American church in Wilmington? Born a slave in Kent County, Maryland, Spencer (1779-1843) was freed following the death of his master and came to Wilmington, where he joined the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1805, upset by the church’s treatment of blacks, he and about 40 others walked out and formed their own congregation. They continued to associate with the denomination until further interference by the white congregation led to the creation of the African Union Methodist Protestant Church (A.U.M.P.) in 1813.
During a major urban renew
al project in 1967, the city decided to build new office buildings for federal and state employees. The Mother A.U.M.P. Church occupied the site that the city selected for this project. After a period of negotiation, the congregation relocated and the city demolished the church building. In its place the city created "Peter Spencer Plaza" on French Street between 8th and 9th Streets (left). At the heart of the plaza is a statue that commemorates Peter Spencer (below). "Father and Son" (1973) by Delaware sculptor Charles Cropper Parks depicts a black male figure cradling a sleeping child in his arms. Larger-than-life and dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, the man is not a direct representation of the religious leader but rather a symbol of the hope in the future that he inspired. The remains of Peter Spencer, his wife Annes, and ten of his followers are interred in a vault beneath the statue.
Today the plaza is a very quiet place. Every now and then a government worker will pass through, or rest for a few minutes in the shade, but few actually stop to look at the statue. In contrast, the memory of Peter Spencer is at the heart of the Big Quarterly, which will be held at the end of this month at locations throughout Wilmington. This festival, which has been held annually since 1814, brings African Americans together to celebrate religious freedom.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Planning & Scanning
Hey all,
blueprints 
It’s been a while, but don’t worry, I’ll have you all caught up with what I have been doing these past few weeks. My duties have been rather repetitive lately, not much new and exciting, but still important within the world of archives. I am finally done with pulling out documents that will go out for this round of scanning. There will still be other documents to scan, but they will go to scanning later. I had previously pulled out many ledgers, and now I have added minute books to the mix. Some of the minute books are rather old, but all are informative. Apparently, a lot of the board of directors meeting for NVF took place in South Beach. The fact that Victor Posner had business in Miami, and NVF held meetings there makes me feel like this internship was a perfect match, as I am originally from Miami. NVF had plants located in different states besides Delaware and even had international locations: two plants in Canada and one in France. Besides the ledgers and minutes books, I have been prepping numerous amounts of blueprints for scanning. Many of the blueprints are rolled up, so I unroll them and lay them down flat in an over-sized carrying case, layering blueprint on top of blueprint until the case is full. Because the materials will be undergoing outside scanning, it is imperative to know exactly what has been sent out. Therefore, I have cataloged all the blue prints; to date, I have 25 typed pages of blueprints. It’s a lot of work, but well worth it.
blueprints
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