Upcoming Events at the Oklahoma Historical Society
"Tradition is My Life, Education is My Future"
2009 Winners to be Displayed at the History Center
The winners of the 2009 Native American Student Artist Competition "Tradition is My Life, Education is My Future" will be on display at the Oklahoma History Center April 26 to May 31, 2010. This contest is offered by the US Department of Education Office of Indian Education. For details visit http://kids.indianeducation.org/index.cfm?page=artistcircle.cfm.
Soul of a People: Writing America's Story Screening at the Oklahoma History Center Saturday, December 5 at 1pm
Oklahoma History Center and the Smithsonian Channel revisit FDR’S Federal Writers Project in this powerful new documentary. View flyer.
It was a time of unparalleled national crisis; as millions of Americans faced unemployment, vanishing life savings, banks foreclosing on homes and feeling a general loss of hope, Americans turned to a newly elected President to lead them out of this turbulent time.
It sounds eerily like today’s current events. But Smithsonian Channel’s "Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story," screening at the Oklahoma History Center on October 31, 2009 shows that the Great Depression also created a unique opportunity to capture the essence of America. The documentary explores one of the most controversial public assistance programs of the Great Depression.
The Federal Writers Project was one of four arts programs under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Project employed thousands of unemployed writers, including Richard Wright, Saul Bellow and John Cheever, to fan out across America, interview its citizens, and produce a portrait of the USA from the ground up in a series of state travel guides. They captured a unique portrait of 1930’s Americana. But what began as a program to create guidebooks for every state ended up igniting a storm of controversy when writers sought out not only the triumphs of America, but also its tragedies.
At its peak, the Project employed over 6,600 people in all 48 states. They included a handful of published authors, old newspaper reporters, former school teachers and others. Two of its better-known workers, Studs Terkel (in one of his last interviews before passing away in October 2008) and Stetson Kennedy, are interviewed for the documentary.
In addition to Kennedy and Terkel, the documentary features interviews with a diverse group of leading authors, poets, and historians, including Douglas Brinkley and David Bradley, who provide witty and heartbreaking insights into the Project.
Filmed entirely in high definition, "Soul Of A People: Writing America's Story" premiered on Smithsonian Channel on September 6th. It is a Spark Media Production produced for Smithsonian Networks™ with a major funding grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is produced and directed by Andrea Kalin and based on the book, "Soul Of A People," by David A. Taylor. Taylor also serves as co-producer and co-writer for the documentary. Award winning actress Patricia Clarkson is the narrator.
"Soul of a People" is screening at the Oklahoma History Center on December 5, 2009 at 1pm. For more information, contact Jason Harris at 405-522-0785 or jharris@okhistory.org.
An Evening with Martha Washington
Come enjoy an evening with our nation’s first, First Lady at the Oklahoma History Center. Through a special partnership with George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Garden the Oklahoma History Center is proud to offer an evening with Martha Washington on February 5, 2009. The History Center will open its doors at 6:00 PM and the program will begin at 7:00. Seating is first come and reservations are not required. This program is free and open to the public.
In 1797, The President and Lady Washington returned home to their beloved Mount Vernon. After years of sacrifice, they looked forward to a happy retirement. They were to have only a little over two years of peace and contentment surrounded by family and the many visitors who found their way to their home and enjoyed the Washington’s famous hospitality.
In December of 1799, George Washington fell ill and died after a brief illness at the age of 67 years, and forty years of matrimony. His grieving widow announced sadly that she had “no more trials to pass through” and soon followed the General as she had so many times during the war.
Mary Wiseman brings 30 years of interpretive experience to the role of America’s 1st First Lady. Recently retired as Artistic Director for Character Interpretation and Manager of Women’s History at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Mrs. Wiseman is currently concentrating her talents bringing the life and times of Martha Washington to American’s of all ages.
As the founding force in the development of the living history programming at Colonial Williamsburg, she oversaw the research, casting, and development of many presentations. She also created the “Forum for Women in History” to emphasize women’s contributions to 18th century Williamsburg. She appeared as many well-known Williamsburg women -- Lady Tyron, Christiana Campbell, Mrs. Getty, Mrs. Powell, Mrs. Peyton Randolph – and created the character of Miss Manderlay for the Pleasant Doll Company.
Mrs. Wiseman also began the first character-led tour, “According to the Ladies,” focusing on the lives of Colonial women, which broke new ground in its unique style and information. Working to teach young interpreters about the lives of their 18th century counterparts, Mrs. Wiseman taught “Young Gentlemen of the College” and “Young Ladies of Accomplishment,” as well as directing the development of character interpretive programs at the Courthouse of 1770, the Governor’s Palace, the Powell Family Evening and Christmas programs, and many other sites in the Historic area.
Eighteenth Century language, deportment, and manners have become topics of museum lectures and consultations and she is currently writing a book on the power of First Person Character Interpretation.
Traveling extensively with performances throughout this country and in England, Mrs. Wiseman appeared at the White House Visitors Center, Constitution Hall, Washington’s Headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Valley Forge, and has brought her portrayal of Martha Washington ‘home’ to Mount Vernon. She has made numerous appearances in television and film, including consulting and performing in the CBS mini-series “George Washington.”
A mother of a son and daughter and a proud grandmother, Mary was a resident in one of the historic Colonial Williamsburg area houses for most of her career. She has sung in the choir of Bruton Parish Church for 30 years – the same church to which Martha Washington’s great-grandfather came to be the first rector. In the Spring of 1759, Martha Washington made the journey from Williamsburg to her home at Mount Vernon. Spring 2004 the same week, Mrs. Wiseman retraced her famed historic counterparts journey. She now resides along the Potomac River in Alexandria – just a few minutes from Mount Vernon where she delights in welcoming visitors throughout the year.
A speech and theatre major in College, Mrs. Wiseman considers herself an actress-historian, blending both skills to create her “living biography.”
As Martha Washington, Mary continues to research and develop all her programs highlighting the life of this most important Lady, designing her period clothing based on original portraits. Her programs are not scripted; she believes in creating individual presentations that reveal the First Lady in a natural and spontaneous manner. She invites visitors to come into her company and thus come to know and understand Martha Washington and her life’s experiences as George Washington’s worthy partner.
For more information contact Jason Harris at jharris@okhistory.org or by phone at 405.522.0785.