The reputation of SC State University’s I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium as one of South Carolina’s must-see cultural centers has landed its presence in culturally immersed Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.
Cultural Village of La Romana
Cultural Village of La Romana “Aldea Cultural Santa Rosa de Lima
The Stanback, known as a museum of conscience, social justice and education, promotes the arts, sciences, humanities, as well as civil and human rights.
As the only interdisciplinary museum and planetarium at a historically black college and university in the United States, the Stanback is recognized for its eclectic collection of works by diverse artists and large exhibit of centuries-old African art. The impressive collections, coupled with the staff’s passion to educate through art, have helped to spark the international interest in the museum.
In recent months, the Office of the Ministry of Culture in La Romana, Dominican Republic and the BoMana Foundation, Inc. invited Ellen Zisholtz, director of the Stanback Museum and Planetarium, to serve on the newly formed foundation board. Members of the board advise the new Cultural Village of La Romana “Aldea Cultural Santa Rosa de Lima.”
Through Zisholtz’s involvement on the board, the university and the museum have a historical significance in the role of the Cultural Village. Its site was formerly the location of La Fortaleza jail, which has been described as a “negative memory of pain and embarrassment” by Minister of Culture José Antonio Rodríguez. The first of its kind in the Dominican Republic, the Cultural Village now showcases the unique and vibrant culture of the Caribbean island.
As part of the collaboration, the Cultural Village of La Romana will showcase several collections of the Stanback Museum. Scheduled to open in January is a photographic display of art formerly featured in the museum’s exhibition, “Africa Revisited: The Art of Power and Identity.” The collection of African artifacts is the largest of its kind in South Carolina and the museum is the only one in the state recognized by the Smithsonian African Art Library for its African collection.
Additionally, the Stanback has partnered with Fundación Arte y Cultura para el Desarroll in San Jose, Costa Rica, featuring photos of Marcus Garvey from the museum’s visually groundbreaking exhibit, “Harlem on My Mind.” Donated to the museum by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, located in New York, the exhibit included treasured photographs depicting the everyday folk who gave life to the historic community.
Zisholtz says “partnerships like those established between the Stanback, and the Bomana Foundation represent the future of museums and help to expose the diversity of cultures despite barriers such as language, socioeconomics and distance.”
“Museums can no longer operate in a vacuum. For our survival, globalization requires museums to develop collaborations and partnerships, not just locally but abroad. Our international partnerships help broaden the museum’s reach, as well as the university’s, to communities around the world. They also position us as emerging leader that raises culture awareness globally by educating through art,” said Zisholtz.
Zisholtz says the photographic display of images from “Africa Revisited” is expected to debut at the Cultural Village of La Romana this upcoming January.
For more information on the I.P. Stanback Museum and Planetarium, contact Ellen Zisholtz at ezisholt@scsu.edu or (803) 536-7174.
Source:
http://www.scsu.edu/
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Tuesday, September 30th 2014 at 3:44PM
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