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Baltimore— The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture re-opened to the public on Thursday, September 10, 2020 with the new exhibition, Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake.
For the safety of visitors and to protect against the spread of COVID-19, all Lewis Museum staff and visitors are required to wear face-masks while in the museum. The museum has also adjusted our hours of operation and installed signage will direct visitor traffic flow. To read the full visitor guidelines, go to https://lewismuseum.org/visitor sguide/?mc_cid=1a298de9e4 &mc_eid=03b9d606e1.
“As we navigate the uncharted waters of a worldwide pandemic, we are taking every precaution to provide a safe environment for our staff and visitors,” explained Lewis Museum Executive Director, Wanda Draper. ‘We have the advantage of 82,000 square feet which makes social distancing possible while enjoying our exhibitions throughout the building.“
Upon opening, the exhibitions on display will be Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake and Robert Houston: The 1968 Poor People’s Campaign in Photographs.
Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake tells a story of resistance to bondage and servitude in the Chesapeake Region from the Colonial Period to the American Civil War (1728-1864). In this exhibition, visitors will learn the personal stories of nine people stripped of their human rights and treated as property. Each of these individuals resisted these abuses and asserted some degree of control over their own lives by running away. Freedom Bound will be on view until March 28, 2021.
On display in the Lewis Now gallery is Robert Houston: The 1968 Poor People’s Campaign, Baltimore-based photographer Robert Houston, 84, reveals the human condition in his photographs of Resurrection City, the encampment protesters constructed in 1968 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The Poor People’s Campaign, as it was known, brought 3,000 people from all over the country to a slice of land that would soon be drenched by rain and filled with wooden shanties. Visitors to this exhibition will see a selection of photographs by Houston as curated by photographer Devin Allen, a 2017 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellow. The Lewis Museum will also continue to provide virtual community programs and online resources.
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum is Maryland’s largest museum dedicated to the State’s African American experience. A Smithsonian affiliate, the museum engages visitors through its permanent and special exhibitions, community events and family programming. The museum is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2020.
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