::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

  Foundation Consortium Acquires Historic African American Photographic Archives A consortium of foundations – the Ford Foundation, The J. Paul Getty Trust, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation – today acquired the archive of Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), publisher of the iconic Ebony and Jet magazines. The acquisition is pending court approval and the closing of the sale. The archive includes more than 4 million prints and negatives comprising the most significant collection of photographs cataloguing African American life in the 20th century. The archive was acquired for $30 million as part of an auction of the assets of JPC in connection with its Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing and approved by the bankruptcy court. The foundation consortium will donate the archives to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Getty Research Institute, and other leading cultural ins...

It was a long journey for Lonnie Bunch, the visionary behind the African American Museum of History and Culture.  Daily people from all over the world experience the embodiment  of his dedication and passion when they visit the museum, the reward for hard work.  Today his hard work has paid off once again.  Just three years after opening the African American Museum in Washington, DC, during the 400th documented year of slavery in the U.S., history has come full circle.  The Smithsonian Regents have selected Bunch to head the Institution. The Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents announced today it elected Lonnie G. Bunch III, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian, effective June 16. Bunch is the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in September 2016. He oversees the nation’s largest and most comp...

The statue of Harpo Studios  The statue of Harpo Studios  By Mona Austin In a time of vanishing compassion, the "Watching Oprah"  exhibit in Washington, DC will open on June 8 at the Smithsonian's African American Museum of History and Culture and will remain in residence for one year as  a proper reminder of the contributions media mogul Oprah Winfrey has made to American life. Oprah Winfrey is a monument for emancipation. For a quarter of a century as host of the Oprah Winfrey show (the first black woman to stand in that role), Oprah was the "BFF" in almost every woman's head.  Smart, funny, authentic and intentional with every effort, she captivated viewers (and continues to on her own TV network -- OWN), nurturing some, healing others, by exposing real-life stories that emphasized the common joys and pains humans tend to share.  Oprah. O. Ms. Winfrey. The multiple Emmy award-winning "Queen of Talk." Her name is not usuall...

California rapper YoYo who was popular in the late 80's and early 90's is featured in the museum. “Represent: Hip-Hop Photography,” the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture’s latest exhibition, is currently on display on the second floor in the Earl W. and Amanda Stafford Center for African American Media Arts (CAAMA) gallery. “Represent” is on view through May 3, 2019. Inspired by the four elements of hip-hop - DJ’s, MCs, breakdancers and graffiti – “Represent”   showcases photographs from the Eyejammie Hip Hop Photography Collection that illustrate the early days of hip-hop and its rapid expansion to a cultural phenomenon in the mid-to-late 1990s. Photos showing some of hip-hop’s iconic figures and moments are paired alongside other images from the museum’s photography collection to explore how different social movements, historic figures, art, culture and dance have influenced the musical genre. For example, artist Queen Latifa...