City’s Riley House Museum to Launch “Legacy and Learning” Exhibit
Virtual Exhibit Sparks Intergenerational Engagement on the Subject of Everyday Life
October 22, 2020
This weekend, the City of Tallahassee’s John G. Riley Center and Museum will launch a new virtual exhibit. “Legacy and Learning” explores the history and cultural traditions of everyday life and tasks, “then and now.” The public is invited to participate in the virtual launch of the exhibit on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. by visiting rileymuseum.org.
Senior citizens from the community visited students at John G. Riley Elementary School to share what life was like for them growing up in Tallahassee. These seniors, and others from the community, shared challenging aspects of their lives during the early to mid-1900s — a time without many of the technological advances young people enjoy today. From these oral histories, the exhibit was created.
As part of the exhibit, seniors convey how simple tasks like ironing a shirt or a skirt, making a phone call or washing clothes used to require great effort and how such struggle and difficulty can give birth to innovation. Through intergenerational engagement, the students gained a greater understanding and appreciation of the historical and cultural traditions that typified the world of the seniors during their youth. The seniors imparted lessons of resilience, hard work, fortitude and the "do not give up" attitude that it took for them to survive and overcome.
The exhibit presents a mixed-media art show of past work tools, modes of transportation, communication and other products flanked beside their present-day counterpart, illustrated by local artist Eluster Richardson. Corresponding placards, with quotes from featured seniors, tell the story of the difficulties of accomplishing daily tasks associated with the products, all infused with messages promoting the spirit of invention, the importance of science and education and the benefits of hard work and resilience.
The “Legacy and Learning” exhibit is funded by the Council on Culture and the Arts (COCA), Culture Builds Florida and Leon County Schools. For more information about the exhibit, visit rileymuseum.org or call 850-510-6638.
Research, education and discovery remains a focus of the John G. Riley Center and Museum’s mission and purpose through its educational programs that promote history and culture. Its tours and exhibits bring an awareness of and appreciation for the contributions African Americans have made to our community and to society. The Center is located at 419 E. Jefferson Street and is operated and maintained by the City of Tallahassee.
Contact Information
Alison Faris, Communications Department, 850-891-8533