Maryland Humanities Council Launches 2015 Maryland Tour Of Smithsonian Institution Hometown Teams Exhibition February 7 at the Banneker-Douglass Museum
Hometown Teams, a Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition, will begin its Maryland tour through five communities at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis, Maryland. The museum will highlight the athletes from Maryland’s historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in a companion exhibition titled “Untold Stories: Athletes of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” running February 7 through October 2015.
Untold Stories: Athletes Of Maryland’s Historically Black Colleges And Universities
“Untold Stories” is a one-of-a-kind exhibition which celebrates the stellar achievements of athletes who helped shape the face of African American college athletics and the athletic prowess of athletes who excelled in football, basketball, track, tennis, bowling, and lacrosse.
“We are honored to kick off the Hometown Teams traveling exhibition, an exhibition that is sure to attract a significant cross-section of Marylanders and visitors to our great state. We are equally excited about the rich stories of HBCU athletes we highlight in our companion exhibition. Through both, we hope to inspire tomorrow’s competitors and energize future spectators.” — Dr. Joni Jones Floyd, Director, Banneker-Douglass Museum
Featured athletes include Hall of Fame offensive tackle and the second African American to coach a professional football team Art Shell; Maryland’s tennis pioneer Ann Koger; and Two-time Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist Rochelle Stevens. Artifacts showcased in the exhibition range from a megaphone used by spirit squads in the 1950’s to a commemorative medallion from the 1986 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
“We greatly appreciate the opportunity to create a space where stories about athletes from Maryland’s four HBCU’s can be told. Our goal is to honor the legacy of those who have come before us while celebrating the history which is currently being made by today’s college athletes. Sports unite every American, and through Untold Stories we hope to broaden the conversation on HBCU athletics.” — Shakia Gullette, Curator of Exhibitions, Banneker-Douglass Museum
The exhibition, produced in partnership with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, will introduce the audience to unknown aspects of HBCU athletics. For example, did you know that one of the schools featured once caught spies from a rival team hiding on their campus? Or that the University of Maryland Eastern Shore became the first HBCU to win the women’s NCAA bowling championship? Untold Stories will whet the appetite of the avid sports fan and the university alum.
Hometown Teams Brings The Smithsonian To Maryland Communities
Hometown Teams is the fourth Museum on Main Street (MoMS) project brought to our state by the Maryland Humanities Council. The traveling exhibition explores our nation’s love of sports and its connection to American culture and identity. The interactive exhibit celebrates the history of sports in our nation, breaking color barriers, fans and fandom, and sports in film and literature and more. Each host site develops a companion exhibit and educational programs for their communities for a seven-week period that tells local sports stories.
Local host sites unearth stories, like the Hot Sox ball field in Galesville, soapbox derby champions hailing from Federalsburg, Cumberland’s Pig Tail and Queen City softball leagues, and athletes who rose to fame at the state’s many HBCUs. Howard County resident and Paralympian athlete, Tatyana McFadden, who has made a lasting international impact on her respective sports, is also part of the national Smithsonian exhibition.
Hometown Teams Maryland Tour
Banneker-Douglass Museum February 7 – March 28, 2015
Federalsburg Historical Society April 4 – May 23, 2015
Allegany Museum May 30—July 18, 2015
Galesville Community Center July 25 – September 12, 2015
Howard County Historical Society September 19 – November 7
MdStories.com Highlights Maryland Sports History and Culture in 2015
The Maryland Humanities Council created mdstories.com to promote Hometown Teams and to celebrate our state’s unique sports culture and history. Follow the blog online or via twitter at @MarylandStories. Visitors are welcome to share content, learn more about Hometown Teams, and enter the “Coach of the Community” contest.
Nominate Your Coach for the “Coach of the Community” Award!
NOTE: Western Maryland residents should submit their nominations by June 1st. The local winner will be announced June 14th. Coaches do much more than develop athletic skills in their players; they are an integral part of the sports-loving experience, and there is no game without them. The public is encouraged to nominate their favorite local coach at mdstories.com and complete the phrase “My coach is my hometown hero because…” One winner will be chosen for each of the Hometown Teams host sites and will receive an award and a set of team t-shirts. One grand-prize winner will receive a trip to the 2015 Army-Navy game in Philadelphia.
Contest sponsor: Nightmare Graphics.
About Museum on Main Street
Museum on Main Street (MoMS), is a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service program that teams up with state humanities councils to bring high-quality traveling exhibits to small communities through their own Main Street museums, historical societies, and other cultural venues. Residents enthusiastically engage with exhibition content, and diverse community members come together to share and celebrate their heritage. Hometown Teams is a program of The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Maryland Humanities Council. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.