Service Day: Videotaping at the Public Library + the Sculptures
Today was my “big day” on the trip. Would all the equipment I planned on setting up for the oral histories work right? Even though you test everything several times before hand, there is always the great fear that technology will fail at the most important time. So, I didn’t start to relax until after the first batch of oral histories were completed. But the equipment worked great and our student cameramen/women did a stellar job of capturing what I understand were some very powerful interviews. I think I can leave discussion of them to the ones who experienced them.
So, I want to provide a bit of information on the bronze sculptures that have been one of the topics of discussion over the past day. I sensed that some of our group was a bit astounded that the library would secure a $28,000 grant to restore the 6 bronze sculptures that were damaged in the storm. Why spend that money on art when so many people needed so much for basic survival?
Inner Music by Richmond Barthe
I understand the grant came from NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities). “NEH is an independent grant-making agency of the United States government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities” (from the NEH website). So the money given the library system came from an organization who gives money for preservation. It didn’t take available money away from any other purpose.
The importance of restoring the sculptures was explained to Lynn by a staff member today. The sculptor was Richmond Barthe, an African American artist who was important for being one of the first to “focus thematically on the lives of blacks” (Answers.com). But more importantly to the Hancock County Public Library, he was a native of Bay St. Louis AND was the first African American to get a library card in the Hancock County library system. So it is easy to understand why returning his works to their original condition was a priority to an organization whose mission includes the collection and preservation of significant artifacts of local people and history.